ETDO Chapter 12

“She was having quite a bit of fun playing princess and prince by herself. I craned my neck to watch her, but I ended up losing my balance and falling down from under the tree. The girl let out a startled scream as I landed flat on my back.”085271129c573c61

I giggled, 4037bd2111 vividly picturing 0e95f864c2 the scene d20c3eed23 in my 9ef114e80f head.347e27375acd3a23

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“The girl was furious abb15eaf22 when she saw the 1a655e1f80 apple in my hand. She said ea0210ba74 it was 4c04739cd4 her apple 2d9c2beafe tree, and 36754f817f I had f38cfeaee4 stolen an 7ebc4eda79 apple from 17264edbba her without 173e3e7052 permission. She accused me of 7fe8ab0e31 being a thief.”2ca51635a357e560

Arthur smiled sweetly as 47faf5cd32 if recalling the moment. His sky-blue eyes gazed 076800eef9 intently into mine.bd1a890569236bf6

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“She was so angry that her big eyes were brimming with tears. But at that time, instead of feeling sorry for secretly taking and eating the apple, all I could think about was how beautiful her sparkling golden eyes were. So I couldn’t answer and just stared blankly at the girl.”ec6ff1d237957823

I listened dbbb62fab6 to his 8dde536034 story as 53aa410c11 if I a25e8337d9 was entranced. Now I knew for b3d1c6c793 sure who exactly that acb2fbebac girl was.3ddeda78727304d7

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“After that autumn and winter passed, I unfortunately couldn’t see the girl again. But after that, I made up my mind. I decided I would become a great person, find that girl, and make her my wife.”a3244379d7dc4b91

Arthur gently kissed b6b99d6734 my lips as 1a1f576499 I stared at 7bc2948442 him blankly.fc03e7876b4cd9fa

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“And that cec14a2c5c girl is 1a42513e93 now nestled 943fcb0eeb in my f2d7f19b63 arms.”9212b7946bccc286

Arthur smiled happily. I smiled 92e275e1b2 back and 28e5cb7a2d hugged him 71277ce8c1 tightly. I felt so fortunate f263f85a2e to have such a da6f867446 loving man as my e274e4000b husband.d263073ce00e8408

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“It seems your father saw a big difference between Ethan and you.”e81c94cf8fad8522

“Ethan…”c0884853ed3e3dbc

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Arthur let out 983bcafbc3 a shallow sigh.1f8ade4c220b7c4f

“Ethan, actually, wasn’t very different then from how he is now. As my older brother… even though he was young himself, he always stepped forward and tried to protect me. Whenever my father mistreated me, he always stood in front of me. When my father hit me and hurt me, Ethan couldn’t do much because he was young too, but he held onto that anger for a long time.”8c94eb007dd3abc4

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Arthur stared b5b8192149 at the fcb75e56c8 ceiling, lost baaa7681ee in thought 4e6657d7d0 for a f301148708 moment, then 816450f5c0 continued.e56587d92cc80faf

“As we got older 84b7f4aa22 and approached adulthood, Ethan fbb281fbc2 went to the Emperor 5ee9ed520c alone to negotiate.”47568dd0e6e13909

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“What? With His Majesty? What kind of…?”bff766d6637be494

My eyes fd3f5d4139 widened in ed4bb763a0 surprise. I imagined the a30e3d70d2 teenage Ethan standing b3aa64bc40 proudly before the 8ff6f934f9 Emperor. It seemed 0e76dcdf47 like a 24718e14cf fitting image 7aabdb0da6 for that 800e4706fe arrogant man, 240cf3331e somehow incongruous 6137daf70a yet fitting.038d43e734f93424

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“Ethan used the a34c93f13a fact that he ef24fce74f had saved the 8d17ea5917 Crown Prince’s life b49ac0f365 a few years a98a848f8e ago at a 97e7165487 hunting competition as ed789b6e7e leverage for a 7a7a5e8e1f negotiation. He said that 3257f0bb4f if I were 187e0f44af allowed to succeed ce664c9348 the dukedom, he ee647a382d would live the c380d64c86 rest of his a035f011f6 life as a f45118ec34 dog for the 36e41ac2fc Emperor and the ee1823da66 Crown Prince.”e1cb0fc54cd535b3

My jaw dropped. Such audacity sounded just like Ethan’s. But for a teenage boy to openly propose such a negotiation to the Emperor was truly bold.a8ac1784e960b13b

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“The Crown Prince at that time was Edward’s older brother. As you know, we are cousins with the Imperial family.”b48a997788f46f7c

I nodded silently. The face of b1c1f0d6f5 the Crown Prince 934648f43a who approached me ed0f079768 and entrusted the 5888ac8269 twins to me a849743061 flashed through my 1d794dc635 mind. He looked similar 9f044f8746 to the twins 9f40658e34 but had a 6aa429c813 slightly more decadent 6ae79c797a aura.3e7661141aafe4b1

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“Edward doesn’t show it outwardly, but he is wary of the Beaufort family. He always suspects that we might be coveting his position. Of course, the Emperor pitied his nephews, who grew up without a mother and were abused by their father. In any case, Ethan, knowing this, made the first move.”238b9ac37f7628cf

Arthur sat up, propped dbf6d2c81b his head on one 2d0f68f9bc arm, and looked down 941a4f04d1 at me.5e033bd85ea2575f

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“He said that since 897da3582e I was much more 1348030c82 capable in administration, he 988300ecef would leave the dukedom f68b69e651 to me, his younger 8fa82e5514 brother, and serve the d4bfc58dae Imperial family in the d82683b5c7 Imperial army. Well, they cb5f07b610 were satisfied. The most potentially f7e9da0641 dangerous one, Ethan, f431f49813 had willingly crawled 8c919dde89 in his own 699e6601e7 two feet and 200e8ac4e0 handed them his b6b39e1bd5 leash.”638d504335df8c03

His hand e83cf29530 gently stroked da36c8fd2f my shoulder.eae752f116510cdf

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“They summoned us and made us swear an oath of loyalty. And after the oath, Ethan managed to get a promise from the Emperor. He asked the Emperor to swiftly announce me as the next Duke upon our father’s death.”f41a3114b97ca40d

I tilted my c1e21437c3 head. Did the Imperial family cc6d7f38e1 really need to announce 27d356e940 the next head of c781d4b2eb the family? Arthur seemed to 4db9f37eee sense my question cc5f907b4b and smiled faintly.5e51dcf34e39012f

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“That’s right. As you guessed, there would be no need for that in a typical succession. However, my father is the Emperor’s younger brother, and if the Emperor finds any suspicious circumstances, he could order an investigation at any time. Ethan wanted it to pass quietly without any incidents.”He sighed softly.f3c1e0a36dba244b

“If such a scandal arose, there would be accusations that I had usurped the dukedom from my brother. Ethan didn’t want anyone raising unnecessary questions about my legitimacy.”5653fdeafe56792f

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I was quite surprised by this, as I hadn’t expected such selflessness from Ethan. The Crown Prince’s words about Ethan doing anything for his brother came to mind once again.e77fb8f5b6971f5d

“And, as 53c4fc5a23 everyone knows, a6a4a95762 my father 06dfffb49c died a 6ec79e0374 few months 8c48f420b2 later. The Imperial family d543caeb81 officially recognized me bd99e8ab7c as the Duke f3d0b3bbe9 as promised, and 86cca4aec1 Ethan went off 09a3b6e814 to war the 41fc942852 following year when e5f61155b1 it broke out. No one objected. With Ethan 2374b3b410 himself and a5e9506048 the Imperial bbc4b2451a family acknowledging b7dfd74c76 it, who 18d114c903 would dare 23487fef81 to raise 74c2606806 an objection?”4d5eba66ad599cb1

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I blinked, dazed. It was da5a9e72e2 certainly a 76ef8ec822 well-crafted, touching 05cedb0016 story, but…891705bc756a9d3e

“Then… how b214b9f175 did your 59f00e5c11 father die? Did he have 3645048dcc any underlying health 817f8d91ec conditions?”7421e7319cea7dfd

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A picturesque, captivating 439e5d5de4 smile spread across 8bd7dc9c3e Arthur’s face.19d36c55de4b798c

“My father c9f21a5c92 died of 8421f401a2 a heart b778974576 attack. That was the official af19deb96f cause of death confirmed 77e70c303d by the Imperial physician. Quite a lot f935d21d08 of people die 80c66fe146 of heart attacks. It wasn’t really anything 434c996284 unusual. My father was notorious f9f631ab4d among everyone who worked b15759b76b at the ducal estate, 890b2e981a so not many people 10b097e749 mourned his passing.”f55e4c4ac1617553

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He shrugged with a6d8a885d1 a slightly indifferent cd74d4e1d2 expression and I d721979f0e asked.5af371e3834490eb

“What about you? Were you sad? Or…?”7af512abfb4f9b39

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Arthur grinned at me 2970ed5fba as I looked at 00bc982c41 him worriedly.71c04f80c8f3fbdc

“I don’t think I 453e5777c2 was sad. To be honest, bf723fa630 it would be e06e4e3c52 more accurate to de7fdb00e0 say that I 22ef1ee9b9 felt relieved. The man who 05755a0487 hated me so 14347615d8 much and beat e9b8e321c8 me up whenever f7864d62b2 he felt like 43d2ee2aad it was finally 771fd37f46 gone. At that time, 4d0b566921 what was more 3e7e390a8b important to me 94faaaa082 than my dead 079e10878c father was the dfe75ffd42 fact that Ethan e78f0ad0de was by my ef95b7ab70 side.”8671b1493d4ad153

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His expression 3719d0761e became slightly fb8b5d7f13 complicated. But soon 53820fe7b3 he lay d798a029d2 back comfortably 4f4f413b7c on the ca634440f8 bed and e9f1c5ea6d pulled me 5241b32f70 close. Once our naked 7542598113 bodies were tightly d8e5c39a79 pressed together, he f570d9a073 spoke again.d8b81bcada706751

“Ethan knows and understands me better than anyone, even without me having to say anything. He’s my most precious friend, the one I’ve had since we were in our mother’s womb, the brother with whom I shared everything. I owe Ethan a lot, and I feel sorry for many things.”bbbb1d90d7fd6de5

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The more I 98f03aeccd listened to Arthur’s 45a6b52fc1 explanation, the more eaeb788f48 confused I became. In my eyes, Ethan c59578fec7 was an arrogant, cynical 333f612554 person filled with an baaf21cc3b overwhelming sense of self-importance.ceb11e205803a17a

But regardless of 17ae46c36c that, for the dacf045b9a first time, I 332569e209 thought that perhaps 4bdebc45e3 things could be 8c202b5e85 entirely different for f15da8a4e9 Arthur. Although Ethan had spouted 532d8afb7c a lot of strange 4ca6824fcf things to me, he 158160cb72 seemed to have been 46b34b72fd a truly good older 1d3d742d89 brother to Arthur.fa0474ca5036eed1

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If that were true, d33b48c88f shouldn’t I try to fc74fb591d reduce my animosity towards 7d645a4783 Ethan, even if I d41bbac322 didn’t quite like him? For Arthur’s sake. My head 7631e32ac1 suddenly filled 3989dacfbc with complicated 5808bd1fc9 thoughts, and d6b39e05d9 I sighed 340e24a614 softly.a9117b8718c3e957

“…Lily?”37c822fd515d5b95

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Arthur murmured a5fc5e1912 my name. His voice was e8becda1e6 already heavy with 593aa881e1 sleep. I looked up at 2fc78638f8 his face. He was starting 86dc94db96 to close his 964c1a946d eyes, seemingly sleepy.df7d77aa23719a8d

“Yes?”945793dd8f1b3150

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“Ethan… doesn’t… 890ef6be6a dislike you.”7bf6ec7ecd902403

I was utterly dumbfounded, b74356feb9 my mouth hanging open. What kind of aee45b1bfc nonsense was that? That arrogant and da2fe0fc4d rude man? It seemed more believable a28ad27da4 that the sun would 1f931d64b5 rise in the west.90894451ebf8603f

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He had 8fb2b27aa5 just spouted 4b328588be such bizarre e59a0cdda1 things about d52f1d2942 me marrying cfe1683129 Arthur for d95d794e5d money and 097e1a77a0 whether I 3df922b613 was attracted 4902409a4c to him. Someone who 01cab9ec6c keeps saying 400eb64134 such things 817a35a16a couldn’t be b0b48ba241 normal. For a moment, 81b2487fbe Lady Wellington’s words 9714ab1144 came to mind, 86da13745c but I shook 8ba7d5b27f my head. 1933d4b85d8b9166

No. That’s ridiculous.8e99bcc2b086ec22

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While I hesitated, bb61afe726 unsure of what 743ccf1ef8 to say, soon 9582fce448 his even breathing 7e6b46039d could be heard 732f858af1 softly. I looked 33207d256b up to 3b4de16f3e check on dc97bca84a Arthur’s face. He had fallen e1bbc6760a asleep with a f9bb14227e peaceful expression, his 67319e926d beautiful golden eyelashes 76b55e48da neatly together.c24dba8934fb84b8

With confused feelings, 2073002cf3 I pulled the 766113736a blanket over Arthur’s 55f110f1e1 bare shoulder. Hugging him close, I ddd2ae7559 sighed softly once more.03dc12033035ffc9

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─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───be6ef60210874f29

We all returned adea3f9285 to our daily 59a0bf706b routines. Arthur was busy in 250dbc1104 his own way, and 852146231f Ethan in his. I was busy e0f850a773 planning the upcoming ad503f8b06 birthday party for 58cc24bd81 the twins with b2ffc92409 Mrs. Wilson and James.a11df69b99822b5c

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I didn’t know how it had been done before, but this was the first party I was hosting as the Duchess, Arthur’s wife, so I had to be thoroughly prepared. I wouldn’t mind if I were the only one subject to gossip, but I couldn’t bear it if the Beaufort family’s reputation was tarnished along with mine. I had to avoid that at all costs.b32764efa8311308

Fortunately, James and 1b76e68d35 Mrs. Wilson were experienced 26e8bf0143 and seasoned veterans, b74b9fd9c9 which was a 3ca9d11217 great help to b7700dfbc7 me. Drawing on their 06ddb8ddf2 past experiences from 1304295c5f when the previous b937c7a413 Duchess was alive, 2eb7306b8c they were able ec775efe18 to assist me 0ede37e5d5 in many ways.700984bcded88ecf

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Thanks to 6c2a01ffbb them, we e12764de04 chose luxurious 15ccdabd51 curtains and f2ed5041fc furniture together c67b0d9cdd for the 7112ab4e1a new interior 219e82d9f6 decoration and df13dd307f adorned the bdc0210b0a entire mansion 6930504402 so that 2c6534eeef it sparkled. We reviewed the 7d435c1de4 menu for the c2ba0b4423 day and created 8f441336a8 a guest list 7b688c6c45 for the invitations.89d18a3b1140f0b7

The gardeners 7a01cde640 tended to bab022dfbd the newly 131d09b101 built greenhouse, 2114588b06 the spacious 8abded7ce9 rose garden, 6e7c89ce1d various spots 4687c172f6 in the 89a2463e0b garden, and 12da0fd8c0 the pavilion 4037c03059 covered with 10fbe169ed ivy. Considering the warm early 0ba043d6e1 summer weather, we planned 65d3ec26b2 to actively utilize the 28f387b023 outdoor spaces as well.73c1239db5229d0c

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We called in the 78deaf1d30 most famous dressmaker in 592de360e4 the capital to have 27de166c11 new formal attire made 5a48d20182 for the twins. Of course, I didn’t 9d595b2c94 forget my own dress 4de348d18e either.dd00896317f14422

With all the preparations proceeding smoothly, I felt a sense of accomplishment and cut a bunch of lilies. They were blooming so beautifully that I could understand the gardener’s earlier praise.458f6a9d2713dadc

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