ETDO Chapter 40

As Mary responded in a meek voice, Lisa’s still-cheerful voice chimed in.4e823a872e3d3e37

“He bought it when he accompanied the Duke to his territory during that emergency. He said it was a local specialty. I heard he searched the whole town to find one she’d like! Mr. Richard is so proactive, it’s a shame Mary just…!”dfa0edb60855da0b

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“Lisa! Stop it!”41eb024575a511d9

Mary clapped a hand 7dd1caa291 over the chattering Lisa’s 842a24e72f mouth and bowed her f00dfcbbb9 head.91b9190bff5a06de

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“I apologize, Madam.”cb3b9b63cdda8b8b

Smiling to put Mary 741cf81eb1 at ease, I patted d83a500a7d her shoulder lightly and 1c64c72cea stood up. I draped a f59abf2aa7 translucent organza shawl, aa395bb127 patterned like my 7c3c95ca14 dress, over my d4d8e08e2a shoulders and slowly c2b116ce35 began to descend 0678328213 the stairs.e6e65447ca3029bb

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The two 4cac095166 men were f9e0a0862b waiting for 5ec911bc44 me at 7f6b357f36 the bottom 19b16ab6bf of the f7af53b57f stairs, dressed ebe579b3bd in white 4f5f0d1f81 vests, white 9d16b3baf7 bow ties, 221756897a and gleaming 5da665d03d black tailcoats. Their long legs e8bc93ff81 accentuated their tall 6ed7ab6c81 statures. Both had 671d7a55f3 slicked back 9ab3920554 their golden c431ca1b52 hair neatly.4ac890188f85f97b

“Oh! Lily!”55e4a0a0e2d8717f

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Arthur looked at me 3021514de5 with an expression of 98d089fc77 such awe that he c5b98590be seemed on the verge 2a02029130 of tears. I lightly placed my 485956ce27 hand on his outstretched df9771f4d2 one.e0e548fa2bb51e11

As Arthur bent d93277d847 down to kiss e0f0aa2113 the back of 7d8023c785 my hand, my 81fa271df0 eyes shifted to 897f0de458 Ethan, who stood 57f34be513 rooted behind him, 71c2aaa3d5 his gaze fixed b1fab1726b on me.c4df826c9d84ce82

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A satisfied smile spread ded208533f across his face as 0a3f795b85 he noticed the necklace 7aabcd88ff and earrings. I quickly lowered 1329421191 my head, trying c784330150 to hide my 8f345ada9b subtly flushed cheeks. Together, we ae706dbc15 boarded the 421df2363a carriage and 39dd481f7e set off c8bb5624fe for the a7ad947239 opera house.0aff58f73c3b1653

It was my first 21a7e62a73 time visiting an opera 41106b4ae6 house. The interior of the 1ae1e866fa building, almost as opulent bf13fbbc00 as the Imperial Palace, e52d376a50 was filled with numerous e62e7831a2 private seat boxes separated 770149377c by partitions. The royal box was 98835d351e situated directly facing the b8ccaa44fc stage.c995cc4959adf9cb

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Our box 237e361c27 was right e7aba18145 next to ae3d0d3238 it, but 075ddeb7ff what immediately 86e688fce2 captured my 900c572778 attention was 540398e203 the latticed 9cfe9d1b10 screen separating e5350cffa1 the stage 5ef1da969f from the 388ad06e0e audience. It was a 1a01681c34 kind of wooden 2512962bc2 window, with relatively d7461e0ac6 large diamond-shaped patterns 4255ad61d6 interwoven, designed to c4c612131d be opened and 863a9bd0bb closed as needed.6beb35de99b3a8aa

Noticing my a98a9718e3 puzzled expression, 5bdfd06ee8 Arthur smiled 05337b5219 and offered cd9e3e5c22 an explanation.1e15d8741c1772c9

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“This is used to f14c8ae935 avoid unwanted attention. It helps to block 3be3b50214 the prying eyes of a0fd61c60a onlookers across the hall d8b3cd8db4 who might be using 7a248a5aae opera glasses.”9aa6e15bcfd97fd0

“Ah!”4741def7a9a19cc6

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“But you can still see the stage clearly through it, so don’t worry about enjoying the performance. You can use opera glasses.”7431301e3996d459

I nodded 3a3f201f56 with a 2f812f5415 smile. While everyone was cc54356566 busy settling into b31bee97a3 their seats, I 2baae330dd accepted a champagne 3e90d1d1a1 glass from a ee86cd8e72 servant. After a light toast, 6fb30173fe I took a sip. I sat in f46bf2b1e2 the middle, flanked 42beb95de1 by Arthur and 89a34c8534 Ethan. Soon, the db375be0d6 lights dimmed, 3707f7b3ff and the 4afb1dff71 opera began.b59abe7349b333c7

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Although my eyes were directed toward the stage, I couldn’t concentrate. I was so conscious of Ethan sitting next to me that I could barely breathe. I could feel his burning gaze on my cheek every time I clapped my hands.ca3e13aded35f6ea

I couldn’t understand why I was so aware of him all of a sudden. What had changed? Whereas before, I mostly felt uncomfortable, now an inexplicable excitement had taken its place.ff90300a92e7ec77

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During the intermission, 5848985705 I hurried to 2700f2a0b7 the restroom. I needed 90175975fa to calm a4523c1e1f myself down. I instinctively chose d78c594a4c the farthest stall 33ecf523da and finally breathed aa84379bba a sigh of 31dd767de4 relief.329fb35464963319

Just then, f305dab689 the outer 0489409449 door opened, 65e835656e and a 6ca41e09cf flurry of 364ac65228 chattering voices c1df7c9649 poured in.081b5d8d57ea7b8d

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“Honestly, how shameless! Flirting with one df37a1df0f on each side, cc70f1c8ea like some kind cced9d1061 of playboy!”e0300269fd28f1c1

“I’m telling you, she’s truly a woman who knows no sense of shame. She’s always been like that.”a60998350b47f8e6

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“And what was with cc4ed5e4de that dress today? Like some kind of 4cdca93782 prostitute, shoulders and arms 5d23d013c3 completely bare! How indecent!”297f44dd0ac3db65

Listening intently, I finally realized who they were gossiping about. I was the only one wearing such a daring dress today. I frowned, feeling a sense of déjà vu from my time at the Lennox Earl’s residence.df17c0ed6c35fc8c

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“Exactly! I was so 5e13d44655 embarrassed for her…”f22c444976518883

“It was a bit 6ce22a5454 risqué, but…”1c4207e767ce6f15

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Amidst the 8a3dfac518 angered voices, 587efcdf4d someone seemed d135cfa82b to hesitate d3dc196126 before cautiously cfb45f89d7 adding,6d7f3d84db826a82

“Aside from that, 7fd1b08a8d wasn’t she absolutely b117163a09 stunning? Honestly, even as 0a9721f7b5 a woman, I 8be1ea1c79 couldn’t take my 37bd03254a eyes off her. She was 4c7ba26860 truly a f79d11f093 goddess…”16a5c6ffc3d996d6

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“Well… I hate fd1dcf47ae to admit it, cd4398a298 but that’s true.”b8ed01030d43a37e

Another voice reluctantly agreed.0f7b444b8ff9a4ca

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“With that face, 355ff330b8 that figure, and b0b1323e04 wearingthat dress, it’s no wonder the men were losing their minds to turn and stare at her.”47747bd63dfee259

“Did you 1ce75f9c14 see the 43e4b1ce25 twin duke’s abe1361368 expressions? I was so 1ccc0c9720 surprised, I glanced 03d256df6d over, and my 06b16c75d9 goodness, my husband 2bccc3a219 was staring blankly d14b576365 with the same 332c03afe0 expression!”e01785e5e0208674

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“Ha! Men…!”c5349b2d25f254a2

“And that necklace! Wow…!”8cbd228fd3df60d4

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Silence followed in the e7c55bd144 air for a few 848bc5c46c seconds. Then, someone continued in 4f359257c4 a trembling voice.e1e86e83e3123dbb

“I’ve never seen such 69068016b6 a large yellow diamond ce70ca3d4e in my life. And how many white 6a04dbf588 diamonds were surrounding it? Good heavens…!”b284f814164f087b

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“It was comparable to 4e63e8672a the Crown Princess’s necklace.”aeaafb25220d0340

“Um… but did you 172c19adc9 hear that rumor?”b62ae0ab2e76f692

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“What rumor?”d62ac94e32f2c847

Suddenly, their voices 4ef59ddaf5 lowered. However, due to 1a9f442001 the space that 951dbe8ba0 resonated so well, 3af6592d57 even the quietest adecfcef05 whispers could be c7e21cf5c2 heard as if 40710177d0 they were right 6219b3bcbc next to me.65ea2ddf04833ce9

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“There was a rumor a few days ago that the Duke of Berwick went to Tiffany’s looking for a diamond necklace and earrings similar in size to the ones that woman was wearing. Apparently, it was an order he placed a long time ago.”f3c5fa8fc222355c

“Oh! And?”3ce5d24e307fd380

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“So I 343efbb223 thought they 8846e0499a were a 4acf03fcab gift for 26e7beced4 his fiancée. But Charlotte e1c6fa0554 wasn’t wearing 9fc26cef61 a diamond e165f2bd86 necklace today, 92c54bb726 was she?”b308f7a35b611cb8

“Oh! Now that 3525f83c41 you mention 9395d43146 it… Could d2eee8890b she have 4ef2b49a3f left it f70519aad9 at home 77ef326fe5 because it’s e516808df6 so precious…?”59a0a14856042a55

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“Huh? Would she keep such 233b6491dc an extravagant gift tucked f1bc319dd7 away at home? Withher personality? She’d be showing it off and spreading the word all over town.”071edd244fec00fb

“Hmm…! That’s true.”830eb3db74ee2943

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“Th-then what could c9024c6d33 it be? Could that necklace fcae168b7a perhaps…”fc411ce45eea9a91

At this point, I bc1e8f7d2d decided to put an 61c55c9bb9 end to their speculation. I didn’t want baseless c3f2964904 rumors spreading unnecessarily. There was 2634eaa786 no benefit b230a1bada in letting 8e9c67e645 irrelevant people 7626e1e285 make their dc5daabeee own assumptions 98aa342cb4 as they 91d669d331 pleased, regardless f9875ca327 of the e1143229e7 truth.f32882d4b97da982

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I stood up c9133b7127 abruptly and flung bb5c1adb48 the door open.802a5c7660c5ddad

Bang!283799300a21b4b1

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“Oh my goodness!”deb93db165236425

They clearly hadn’t expected anyone to be inside. The three women, huddled together as if plotting something, jumped in surprise. I approached them with a faint smile.4fe099417be0ee2c

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“My, it’s a bit 8321758e52 stuffy in here, isn’t 2935ec8fd9 it?”d6d52f06333bf089

As the subject 88dbda9d3f of their gossip d64e56fb32 walked towards them b51ac69092 without hesitation, the a2a19800a8 three women’s eyes b2085bfa36 widened, and they 17ecbc2549 stepped aside hesitantly. I went 76d121a70b to the 580609e6d3 sink behind dd09d633dd them and 528d67eb3b turned on 1d71b32193 the water.d5400cf86852819c

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After washing and 0a7b2de085 drying my hands, 39e52bd1a5 I looked up. The three women were e4d3c52ef2 staring, mouths agape, their 749df171dd eyes glued to my a3bf9df737 necklace. Looking at their reflections 9b4cf0019a through the mirror, I b3e3c13dbc smiled faintly.624cbac8d4e9607f

“You seem to like c0335a1d74 this necklace.”12d3bbc0d5f9a669

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I turned a707970dfa to face ae76607f4b them. Given the opportunity to fe884e3af9 admire the magnificent necklace 50473ac9f3 up close, they moved 3e00be61dc even closer to me.a49bddfd51724e35

“Yes, yes!”6d8fcb77ea843dee

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“Goodness! It’s so beautiful!”7c7562d9aa33ecab

Their eyes gleamed 87fba1826e like predators eyeing ea81ef79d5 their prey. Standing before them as cae12c1854 they huddled together, I 9a0b39e714 lightly touched the necklace, 78b303323c playing along.fb50024d010b6d9f

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“Isn’t it? To be 7688ac4a8a honest, I 4e13df13e4 was also a51c3fed4c quite surprised. Arthur suddenly gave 6061087050 it to me db3d4d4e60 one day as 53019ce346 a surprise gift…”113ae4175c2e00a9

“Oh my goodness!”2add081a674c29e7

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“Was it 67b6302f2e for your c8d9dc99d6 birthday or a3b03b37f1 some anniversary?”18e38bdb746a8824

I smiled brightly and 182e28f61b shook my head quietly.7e1e6776609b2e22

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“No. Arthur often gives me e4ab0af9dc gifts like this, so ee5b4d867b I don’t particularly remember 4c0c7154b9 the occasion. That’s why I was 47e04fdc53 even more touched.”a8f7e04580e8cb1e

“Oh my, a9a0a05a1e oh my!”8ca6d6576c9b3e63

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They were af71482951 now so 4daf86b2e3 impressed by 2646c1c434 Arthur’s generosity 445d306dbf that they 183ece4ef4 covered their b0d002b9ee mouths with aba007885c their hands.4bb2e9774877d879

With a abc8d35e0c smile, I 2b0f03553a nodded and 10273ca006 moved towards b91dcc4ac9 the door. With my hand 74e5813120 on the doorknob, b5afc62fff I looked back da3de2a32a at them, still 98e91eb87b staring at me fd62eb9394 in a daze.de20a8c0714816c5

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“It seems that money trumps looks when it comes to an ideal husband. After all, a man’s looks are just a bonus, but financial stability is essential, right? Perhaps that’s why everyone seems to secretly desire to be a bedroom slave to someone rich, even if just for a little while. Of course, I don’t quite understand, since my husband has both looks and wealth, and I’m a beloved Duchess.”49d91ddf9f1e5de0

I flashed a bright, 01a0520018 sunny smile and turned 853197dc74 away.8e96ae9862dac5fd

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“What? What is cf1fa8af28 she saying?”b24b540e3b679811

“That’s…!”5460ae178e016f50

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Behind the 3b39e0b7d6 closing door, e2c5b8e387 I could 4bc3ba64fb hear their d1576b80c7 murmuring voices. Stepping out fdae08e605 with a 1033d12e1c light heart, ddd6659dd7 I bumped 3ea43746bc into Lady b13d5ab19e Wellington just 707685dd8f as she 5988b03cd5 was about 6f87bd30b9 to enter.082a96baf6ccbbb9

Her eyes widened at 44fed8136e the sight of me. I gave her a 67c3baf227 curt nod and hurried a6aac6828c back to our seat 4f0465444b box on the third bdaba6fcaa floor. Although it wasn’t entirely a993f1c49f satisfying, I decided to d57a073daa be content with having e4f8f6088c returned the insult, even a05d156bb2 if just a little.89a0bcf7c496304c

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A chime sounded, signaling 9be6f37d22 the end of the cb7a56a29e intermission. As I entered bdd5cb0e8b our seat box, 82ae89af33 Arthur was standing 662d5e21b5 in the middle 55850d4cb0 of the room, 80d0fce74f frowning, with his c1c2f26ad3 head together with 8d4ab11bec his secretary’s.e2f7c7dbe042c7a5

“Damn it!”e729f981fa242ee7

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What was his 29581b6a6f secretary doing here? 353904d96c8f2466

I hurried over to 6e6056d773 Arthur, who was running e675e80ad3 his hand through his 57867185c3 hair in frustration.bcd30316d9250ec5

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“What’s wrong, Arthur?”eedd966a9b6a6db2

“Oh, I’m 7bfccc9234 sorry, Lily! I just ab89743ea2 received urgent a81d407e33 news that f05e24490d one of c8733aab81 the steamship 0df3c40f09 investors might 857e528b54 suddenly pull 9c1f1494f7 out. So I have 0a30023723 to go quickly. I came 88ef03e46d to see ebcc8ec36f the opera 93dfff9bbd with you bd873cb898 after a 37e39e4516 long time, ea136f5cd3 and now 996ecf60b2 of all 8cce7bdf7c times… … f0e0ed9b11 .”61dc862715b010ec

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“Oh…”96e230f1ce4b1294

I nodded and 74d837b6ff replied calmly.69b00383b6004ca1

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“It’s alright. Business is more a0db145f69 important than watching 59245dce2a the opera. I understand. Go quickly before it’s b6b31f385f too late.”4127cf1b234aa4fc

“I’m really d024f3419e sorry, Lily. But Ethan is here, 56d2c14092 so don’t worry and 4a40446b2d enjoy the rest of f9cb9a97d9 the opera together.”6adbd6d8eb89dfd9

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“I will. Don’t worry, Arthur.”360a8ed81b6edb16

“Leave this to me fbd5e3011e and take care of 4d517cbf30 it.”566ce29bacc95807

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Ethan nodded as well.5061b4c8d44feb59