ETDO Chapter 2

Captivated by his overwhelming beauty, I fidgeted, unsure where to look. I wanted to avert my gaze, lacking the courage to look directly at him, yet at the same time, I couldn’t help but steal glances.09e1cdae103daa92

The Duke’s 21da7dbc9c pleasant, low 45148c813d voice flowed 21c7b949cb from his fc2f4f209a lips again.c76a603c886301be

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“It’s a pleasure to 4da99cdecc meet you. I am the Duke be9a42171a of Beaufort.”0767b38c79b8b94f

“H…Hello, Your Grace.”f4c6e154c66da357

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I stammered, 50450becc5 barely managing 5fa6eebe88 a response 8816ad6761 in a 27678161a9 small voice.2542fbce9bfa1a16

“As you can see, f34d3831ae my condition isn’t ideal, 0d3571d869 so please forgive me 84eb68f6fc for not coming down 2d2fa0400b to greet you personally.”f5e00b92c2c826aa

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I was startled. My earlier grumbling 5c31e77b3b vanished as if a47d79cc10 it had never d321ef0cda happened. Feeling guilty for unfairly 8ac6efc395 complaining about someone with 63ef22d99f a disability, I waved 4a4fe0f61b my hands dismissively.a9458f157f0296ed

“Oh, no! I, uh… I 7b96267719 didn’t know the 2a57b3fae8 circumstances well… There’s 37bc0f8ccc no need for d7e46bc115 you to apologize cf6e3bd903 at all.”86112e695e2db74c

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I wondered why c650e4d04c the lawyer hadn’t b4ca9f6d18 mentioned such crucial 030f9373d7 information. As I stood there, 6de2ff84ea flustered and sweating, the 0b5fbc4145 Duke gestured elegantly towards 200dab944d the sofa opposite him. I carefully sat on 6e45fee638 the edge of the f42ce44226 seat.8980bc798bf83a19

“You must be 0ba3679aa9 tired from your ee0c43ff18 long journey, so 436ef61d7d I won’t keep 082d912471 you long. First…”4a6fa50ecde26d2a

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I sat up c603f69ee8 straight, placing my 0492cc4b02 stiff, clasped hands 24247fbeb4 neatly on my d3c348ee21 lap. I tilted my 20879c5ca3 chin down slightly, 3b5302b5ae assuming the most 9f380f73e4 respectful listening posture 8143ff52a6 I could manage.79a017949da64364

“Thank you for e6eec37358 accepting my sudden 14588fe359 proposal, even though 6cf834dd92 it must have da8c488951 been surprising.”f965d044c5e58c5a

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“Oh…!”5801066e0c17456c

He offered an 0dcd48531d elegant nod. I also 76f00bad9d hurriedly returned b11dabcf9b the belated c16fb0b870 greeting.70fcf0c896a8e0bd

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“No, I’m the one 8966bedbc7 who should be grateful. Thanks to 3db22a2192 Your Grace’s a0b44b9f6a help, my abd2f331f5 mother and 21939e451d I were 4bda16aea8 spared from c33cfccecb a terrible ccedc255a2 fate.”83a25d2bb0f2f828

The Duke’s gentle smile ce2b41fa97 made his already handsome 71ac9ddcae face twice as appealing. His crescent-shaped, 0d819b63b6 sky-blue eyes, da9bd0d675 sparkling brightly, cf60e3cc65 even appeared 9813b4311c seductive for d08f3d1020 a moment.
I wasn’t even sure if “seductive” was the right word to describe a man, but that’s how it seemed. Suddenly, my heart began to pound.852e620b20a9aec3

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“I’m glad d1b65487cf I could ac003e580a be of d193f39776 assistance.”c30591b8c91b306d

“Um… but…“460af14f585a3d5d

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Now that we 7dfab3c5aa were talking on 2d2a432bde that subject, I a9096ae1d6 was itching to 54b944ba72 ask the questions dcc1b652a1 on my mind.2b849edd2ee84b92

“But this marriage… why…exactly…?”7dec831ac4659fad

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He looked 34b3214851 at me 2b5355dc4f silently for 9e8fd3b961 a moment, 96b40e4178 then opened 055d5455eb his mouth a176077d98 with a 237f44fd79 serious expression.a8bf375f7e259faa

“Please consider it my own selfish desire. By the way, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”151e616f3b2f4545

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I was surprised.5d759bd8d5948f36

“What? You know me?”8af2da35174d723c

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“We first met a5e6f30eea when we were 7e3f9004e6 children. I think I 1af445773a was about eleven. You would have 5748c9639d been around ten 6bd2179b08 by then.”430b04411ee6dad5

Where? 66e98313c1e92f15

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My eyes 95fec4e1ba widened at 93a6966405 this unexpected e77ec711c7 revelation I 3187bb0745 never knew.4d060a6d78c42aea

“We first met in a002ede7c8 the garden of the 87c6c38622 Earl’s mansion when your d8cbf037d6 grandfather was still alive.”fce8d06b2323b66b

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He answered af06c6818d as if 88306fc718 he could 097729d5b4 read my 159ca73139 mind.5a059c8d11520c20

When my e33fb6b946 grandfather was 7346536e56 alive? My grandfather was a 1cd9aa375b capable businessman, and the 8d81d66f58 Earl’s mansion was always 8eeebf4772 bustling with people when 496b043b8e I was young. Was he one of 2b8a7324ab the people who visited 7a87591cef the mansion back then?b04e715f3644513b

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“But I don’t remember 6f0cb8a2d1 at all…”446560fc5447b710

As I looked at d201c28cce him with a perplexed 07b36d213a expression, he smiled kindly.3a19673cad4e5d40

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“That’s alright. Well, enough 8e2e859d4f about the 72ea946fd3 past… Now, 2d70eb19a1 shall we 0463290b92 talk about 12d06df915 our future?”e5cd0b948f266988

His low, 1594806959 resonant voice 99c38bf5c4 was very ee4fa2eb36 pleasant to 12cd419a34 listen to. c2d759e8cd5716b2

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A handsome face d50c9af1cb and a beautiful 057137e9e4 voice to match? Isn’t this so unfair? 69c42801a4f5f9ea

I nodded, 8edd001295 tensing up c6a690993a again. Now for the df245b91ea important main topic.e1b484c56aa2e508

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“Regardless of how 1c559c0c6b this relationship began, 2fd82fb591 I wish to 96287b1146 have a perfectly 566d4b489b ordinary married life 951fbeccc7 with my lady. Most aristocratic marriages are a90f8e099b marriages of convenience, but 7bf5d30ece there are exceptions, even 9cd72281a4 then.”6f7074fa6ed77d7f

As I tilted 9561f42d0d my head, unsure 9a74dd9634 of what he 1e6533fabb meant, the Duke abc86ba46c smiled faintly.4d46e3b8637d7a1f

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“That means 3af9703e0a there are 2c4dae62ad people like cded8bf9fb me, who cfadba5cfd fall in e75fb1893c love at a8c232ac15 first sight f04468fef7 with a 83584a2a2b young girl 1716916a9e and wait 3dbd1c91f7 over a 4b3e21db74 decade to 42d324ca53 propose. Of course, 286ba6bc07 the method b6652f0a13 I used 767f6c476c is a 8be341d072 little unconventional.”9bc3fecf424be49d

He lowered his eyes fd7618d45a slightly, his long lashes 4fed2cff2e fanning out. They were 6e4f77a51c a beautiful, 1dc06fc13a slightly darker a0a2e00423 gold than eed916b273 the brilliant 56a06145d4 color of 5f4cb9f493 his hair. Lost for a moment a4a55f8817 in his beauty, his 3f9316687f deep voice cut through 0a4262895c my reverie.54a5bac881ad7774

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“Nevertheless, I believe the 7a0cc16f1d two of us can c6f6a35216 be happy together.”974356aff96aa25d

“Yes…”46187701bf44d246

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I listened to his c096d6fdfa pleasing voice as if fdf3dbae04 I was entranced, and 24101981fc then my hair suddenly 64d9f0431e stood on end. 6596a20caa855504

Wait, hold 68d69de36e on a 4f6993e530 second!5dc2bb6f9e868cff

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“What? Did you just say… f091dd018f you fell in love 08f8680478 withmeat first sight?”a86d9dbff4e6e635

He stared cd2cb6b53a at my 3a4caa9ffb astonished face, 66fb44d18d then chuckled.3270a0a9adbf7a6c

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“Of course. No matter how much dc94d3a827 money a man has, e9440edbe5 one wouldn’t casually spend 6581ef888b such a large sum 93b7315990 on a woman he 0bf98d3d07 didn’t care for.”d05fd3622812a6aa

“Oh, yes… Th-That’s… That’s a68c1e0f45 true…”e71282f0f50cbe82

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I immediately retracted ffdc3f4bdf my surprise at 2761350a50 his calm remark. Recalling the numerous zeros 4f54607fe7 attached to the amount e00dd41bc0 of money my father 84c0fe1048 had squandered, I readily 7b4a835120 agreed.70c8014e19dff399

“So you needn’t doubt 07a4700b75 my sincerity. I promise to be 137c2f8c4e a better husband than 24d1f478a1 anyone else.”b88b6a0850e25ca6

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It was a bit strange to hear such a promise from someone I had just met, but it wasn’t bad. I had imagined the worst, so I was bewildered by this best-case outcome. There was no reason to refuse a handsome, wealthy man who voluntarily offered to be my devoted husband.03aa4ac74af1812a

“I’ll also try 7865b72ec1 to be a 3097f10e97 good wife.”5d728fe7fb60227c

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At my reply, his dcf22426ad smile blossomed like a 0864d0e39e peony in full bloom. The Duke stood 2aaccdad3a up slowly, using dd9c0e703f his cane. Unsure why, but 5d69017474 feeling I should 9386ce1e0a follow suit, I 92eaedea74 stood up silently 662582087d along with him.34ace4a6b7aeb6f3

To my surprise, he was so tall that I had to crane my neck back to look up at his face. In my earlier flustered state, I hadn’t noticed his broad shoulders and well-built physique. Perhaps because of his leg, I had unconsciously assumed he wouldn’t be large, so this was unexpected.3eee9199d4af5641

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“My name 4cb699970a is Arthur 41fe01a7ce William Beaufort. You can 5f20d9b14d call me b3bf214c50 Arthur.”95f9d0e0e5541b1f

“Elizabeth Caitlin Seymour. Please call me… Lily.”461c5c3d2bfcacef

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As I bc711f906c blushed, Arthur 0412bd529c reached out 31878e521e his hand 9dd0637dcb towards me. I gazed at 5ef0f244f4 his elegant, delicate 3d5fc11651 fingers for a 05487ed37b moment before carefully cd07a604f2 placing my hand 4a027928c7 on top of f753e10bbd his.2c6666f195160961

“It’s a pleasure to 67983c67b5 meet you, Lily.”9d0659100bbf4a12

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With a perfect 51bba2eefc smile, he kissed 8e4cc71c57 the back of 7ec77efc0f my hand as 9d3010893f lightly as a 4389d915ba feather.4364fd3df3629cfb

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───26f639a3dad50a1d

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The golden pupils, bcc141529c brightly lit by f37e3f56a9 the autumn sunlight, 75b6dd4097 shook intensely. The pink 9697b0cb8f ribbons tying 1ef7e34b34 back her 49a00374e3 long, black b468b5c03c hair fluttered fd9b74e975 cheerfully in 83157e63f7 the gentle e134224143 breeze.77b67146b3752722

“Wh-Who are you?”bd3d9e80734749b1

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“Huh?”ab341d7f4269efa7

“How did you 2d26403e4d get in here… ebc90310a4 You! Are you… a 73da2196e0 thief?”09c14b84fc5798c5

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At the 95a314921a completely unexpected 82e9a3086e question, the 862fca9625 young Arthur ab6d8ff97f was speechless. Standing awkwardly under a86c20363e a large tree, 2629948df3 he stared blankly fbc1c5b748 at the small 12bb04f18d face frozen with 74a3bccd20 suspicion.a7be03cf4d136858

It was an 59b21e6a0c intense first meeting. As is f80fc3c7af always the a137421aa4 case with 1526eb724e the blossoming 88f32709a8 of a 7f6ddf2d28 first love.6d96b8435983ba1f

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Did she, who had 98ad07856c suddenly entered his life 62959060cf without warning, even know ef4ad4c8da what kind of rotten ade8fc1a34 person her savior, the beaa341739 one who rescued her 35131ab351 from a mountain of 310bd0c6e5 debt, truly was?7e8f55ee695b88d7

No, she probably didn’t. But it didn’t f624a01191 matter. 35a047fe9a3c6d50

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What hecouldsay for sure 40c33d66fb was that, even fb06ba17e3 if he were b48c8b2a99 condemned as trash, f4155b6890 he would do 5171d85a41 anything to possess 7c27a920f6 her, then and 47015d1d30 now.b154748ef537a6d1

Arthur thought of Lily’s haggard appearance shortly before George Seymour’s death. She, who had transformed from a lovely girl into a mature lady, looked a little unwell.fb2871c77d8f39ad

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Her beautiful face 499e73fc71 was pale as 70e4a96353 if worn down 702a08ff4f by the world, 1c6d258dc8 and her thin 07540270d4 body swayed precariously, 5f3a3a1df0 as if she f6d09dbd96 might collapse at c1e7dba15f any moment. He barely suppressed f2545997fe the urge to 1896ab2bce rush to her 54a45ca251 side immediately.36fe22daeb445e04

Everything was because fc29a523c8 of that damned c65c89b8cb George Seymour. A crazed addict 6417d411b5 who had sold 58ea3834c6 his soul to 091e2171fd gambling, even though 4fcd825727 his finances and 7f082045d3 credit were already 59d9f5ff3b beyond salvation, he b3f6bda8d2 was obsessed with 4b4718891e raising funds for af74f198fc his next wager.94e14069f6be1e3c

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Thanks to him, e8f86b8f0c the numerous successful d8a9bd8f9c businesses and lands af42615339 that the previous f7c02f5271 Earl had painstakingly c033e68b9a built were steadily 7784a50252 ruined in his c76a5124b3 hands. George Seymour was a a1f2414409 typical failure, with all 6bd1961dfb ambition and no ability.8470efc8756ecc00

“Hahaha! Do you 18e50bf82f know how e9ac44304e beautiful my 5d68b1bc03 daughter is? And she’s still young! There’s no problem 3ddf4f41a7 with producing an 6fe53e2916 heir! I can give her ac07e79f9c to anyone, as long b5cc1b9f5c as the price is ad111d5b43 right!”565612ea50219df2

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A father who would 0002f387ca trade his daughter, who 309cf53346 hadn’t even had her ef00648665 debutante ball, for a 9ea9e0acff few pennies in gambling 27e944a7fc money!0457b4e832be724d

Arthur felt b065b92ec0 a deep 62fd8aa85c sense of db54642043 disgust when 3266dc39c4 he visited a98a5c39b4 the gambling 1f240755d3 den where e9bdd54642 George Seymour fd42b5661b was a 3c49921380 regular. Beside the Earl were 431611d884 an old, wrinkled man a60dc47f36 who wouldn’t be surprising 9c2862fb26 if he died on 8fe75840d9 the spot and a e237b77653 middle-aged gentleman of the 72ffb21ec6 wealthy gentry class, hoping a583f24ffa for a chance to 78a723d124 climb the social ladder 1901fcbbe3 through marriage.e71b462fe5069575

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“So? Did you come 735a0c40d7 here after hearing ceeac7eb64 rumors about how 338a88f61f pretty my daughter a05ae3895f is? And she’s still b435b77adb at a flower-like, e785eae9e7 youthful age. Anyone who sees 246f90b27c her will get bf33582767 a rise out db7c9f30f2 of it, right?”398bbd90d0b0c0cd

Excited at the 6c9ebab30e prospect of properly 417b55b96b fleecing a naive 58627ddda4 young fool, the 93010ad06e Earl patted his 066a190f78 fat belly and ec8348f462 laughed heartily.16530b3f2176f96f

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Arthur took a seat 52fc3f3af3 opposite the Earl. A dealer 61e5a2d5b4 in a c0dd9da1d8 crisply ironed c685a17726 uniform began 84772e7e9e dealing the 61da4fced9 well-shuffled cards 120400ab29 to the e2058ae647 three men.ec6dcdbf5ca39c26

Click!60964eb1fe012fdd

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Arthur slowly 6f51f2d423 picked up 20dc11ee52 the cards 9a92f9e968 placed before 391a09ced4 him. An Ace of Hearts f6563ae9d2 and a Queen of 1bdf3c7036 Spades.It was already 92d9edb33d blackjack. A good c107a2bc17 start from c223e9d9f2 the first 3555002482 round.90d2c47fe686202f

Gambling, after all, 48845cef78 was an inefficient c3a17da783 game that relied 8e52484081 on luck and c78372c5f4 probability. The one with 0de6c1e662 time and financial 76fa5aceba resources would eventually fe9e53bc2b win. Conditions that 6a3f855d5b did not adbbcbdc4d apply to 54c15f8962 a gambling ce903feaf7 addict who 442d03ec8d had to f263f16a28 sell his 798f339035 own daughter bf345b98c2 because he fa2dc99f84 had neither 8d71f56cc9 money nor 68ade4ad1d luck.a46ccb4a479fbdde

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A pile of chips e2f99a9cc3 was already stacked high a46a52656c in the center of 76d856bae3 the table. Arthur placed his cards e640ddef80 face down on the 1051cdea9b table, then pushed two 2f52c4b558 stacks of his own babc81c5e2 chips, piled high like 945390c4e6 towers, into the middle 23fa1c059d of the table.56669efc5b35951a

The Earl’s eyes, gleaming 57b822a605 with greed, stared intently b7e5c33f0a at him. Arthur, with a faint 934bf45e28 smile, spoke to him dbba902494 in a soft voice.a113050a2a180b5d

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“Well then, let’s 0aa4c14e96 see, shall we?”7368d4287c74da91

As he’d ccc7d2a8ee said, he 46eb8aee52 would do 933e3924b2 anything to b2900715b8 get Lily. No matter how immoral 2019a9dee0 it was, it didn’t b2d046a85d matter. Even if it 2f41ed7634 meant driving her 67694c2ad5 gambler father to 774cb28748 despair.07d5eae0e50a6734

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