ETDO Chapter 60
by lily plumThe envelope containing af7e54d23c the article was a120cba65c empty except for 5b4ae83a77 the clipping, with 5fb96f5ced no writing or 178f760197 family crest, as ad512e3cb4 if the sender fb9e6d473b had taken painstaking d2d0050626 care to conceal 620091589d their identity.fceeafe337f23f2d
At the time ea2407ddd3 of her father’s 06e8829843 death, Lily and aad20efe26 her mother had 7ac3e20a14 been too distraught c8c86d6cc4 and overwhelmed by 71b425169f the enormous debt cf60c148b8 to think clearly. Just when they thought d2a7280ab5 they were utterly doomed, 15c3738ea8 Arthur had appeared and f128458a68 saved them.597600f25bbc3add
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The fact about the opium tincture, which she hadn’t questioned before, now seemed suspicious. As far as she knew, her father drank heavily but rarely used opium.915602f5b4a0d9ab
He had even 8e3537b6df openly refused the 0a9f36d5a3 doctor’s recommendation to c8d1521ab7 use it as 0c49e71412 a treatment, ironically cf8a195827 claiming that he a822c0a7e6 needed to be 8f8eaddeb7 clear-headed to win 15f3780cdc at the gambling 79d789bd5a tables.a6dfea5b2a1f55d3
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The discovery of a lethal dose of opium tincture in his stomach was also news to her. She suddenly realized that, in her shock and grief over her father’s supposed suicide, she hadn’t paid attention to the details.1a024aec24298cb7
So what 4bff97bb08 is the 9e93664a80 sender of 74ddcb2e3e this article 5a783e1164 trying to ae68b27c4c say? a50f868bebe6b798
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That someone had forced 696d60ef4d her father, who never 2244c89121 touched opium, to consume d77e790127 it? Could her father’s a3835a512c death have been 1da76c223c the result of 32109835d0 someone’s deliberate intervention 53356f99c0 or manipulation? eb1fc0923e0f501c
She shook her head c96ce8ac8a at the preposterous thought.a7768025f0f82049
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Who would do such f9153e88d7 a thing, and why? If the e88070c1de debtor died, e1488f9b7a the money f58605fe60 would never e51745b077 be recovered. Lost in thought, cc956b29ff she couldn’t make eba3c9910a sense of it.dbe41962d9464d85
Knock, knock!0d3079cb812b9dd2
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“Madam, it’s Mary.”a590f5e6498e303d
Startled by 6e87e299a6 the sudden d45f3ee3b0 knock, I 8632d70828 looked up.a9d107f7ac92b50f
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“Come in.”118dde3c0aa2b3f0
Mary entered d2321483df and bowed dcbad1d3d3 her head.669aa788db96e6b4
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“Dinner is served, 6aa26443a2 Madam.”955339794c98671e
I nodded 9b8fe47257 and stood c69e86b0e0 up. I looked back at 17a6af859f Mary as I left e9154f7198 the room.b2c4a4ac9715338a
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“Where’s the Duke?”ebf88fd85319b531
“He’s already here. And the 247dd8b38d Duke of 67015bb5c1 Berwick is 98c2e9f1ea with him, c6185bf6b7 too.”75c102d726381356
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My heart faf7bf8860 sank, but a7ad10a9ac I tried 210e7c7949 not to 9c7ba52487 show it. My heart pounded e861c8685f harder with each 935e76a152 step down the ae91a00c37 stairs, just like 2d6d2c9140 it had when af350826f3 I was newly d5e99e89a7 married and Ethan 82bf968750 had returned from 9dbd56d6f8 the war.c4a5934b8309372a
I took 97df538df0 a slow, 6c39a3ab01 deep breath 82dca69715 and entered 56940f2a4f the dining d4e6862cf9 room. Arthur and Ethan were a6f88cdd0f sitting in their usual 04917fdf06 places, as always. I walked around the 535017dcb6 table and sat down 821562fe42 next to Arthur.0b9c4c577aefd04a
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─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───9439da31d6e27ed3
Ethan swirled the 62b38c120a wine in his dc0a97595a glass, leaning back a15cfe0568 in his chair. It was 685041de73 the finest e4616ecad4 wine, produced e4370e557a in the c4443aa91f Empire’s most e52d2fca71 bountiful year, b9e2f662d5 yet he 0c0008027f could barely ba4d59ab03 taste it.6e78f566362595a5
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He was 333002e91c seething inside, 4ddfee8bd9 forced to c1e5107439 watch the 69c32b928e two of e45e31e22a them blatantly 8005e866d6 flaunting their 1bc8b2086a affection. Mostly initiated by 4439c943b3 Arthur, of course.113c27092b3ae54b
What irritated him most was that he couldn’t openly object to this uncomfortable display.511de26671c3233a
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Regardless of his a74a427e7e feelings, Lily was 5843c0fbfd Arthur’s wife, and c11f471429 they had every 239f2c5778 right to display a98dca2295 their affection for 46ecdf6fa4 each other.7f8c1a6e3ef18158
He knew Arthur was 9b17493fbc doing it deliberately, but 1261242826 if it weren’t for f82b7f9d1a that previous incident, it 615f2f765c might have been easier 4ae4e156a8 to deal with.88c1ba7f0fca0c9e
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Arthur seemed determined to flaunt his status as Lily’s husband at every opportunity, as if their agreement to share her had never existed.f12e1bb661f8479e
Lily had seemed 09ceb41d6e surprised at first, 6590ccf95d but she had 0d8686ad22 readily accepted Arthur’s deebf28434 outrageous displays of 370f6da2f4 affection and even 09670e44db his petty whining, afb8ef9278 while offering Ethan c10c6c31e5 only a curt e119c57df0 nod.7bbffec679fe17ad
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Unaware that her own bde246380b husband was the culprit c3a998a272 behind the incident by 20b23048f9 the lake, she had 9061fb262f blamed him, the innocent 9b9df98c18 party, and was now 330c40d707 gazing at Arthur with 9a64252140 adoration.e701abab905674e4
It pained him most be159950ad that he couldn’t claim 6d92e82349 any rights over Lily. Officially, he 999cf805d8 was still 4d69a3caaa engaged to b6d1dbca03 another woman.e8e57217a11f7723
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Anxious, he gulped cb72ed9c29 down his wine. His favorite ebcfe0d056 veal steak eda709010c sat untouched 2d7543ab72 before him eb788f9889 as he f6032a22b0 had lost ff0a341cfc his appetite.6ba6e991b7bf697d
“So, what have you 8cc2354fb8 prepared?”d79bc12d74acd80d
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Ethan looked up. Arthur and Lily d3b7b6dea2 were both staring 4c140b0a66 at him. Arthur repeated 2cb7e1e583 his question 320a09db45 as their 75aeb10cde eyes met.93952df6d435fb42
“For the masked d9f2bf6d30 ball at the 9cf1e25183 Imperial Palace tomorrow.”4aea6a82698b9edf
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Ah!Ethan’s lips cf088c59e9 twisted into 0c7c6b0eb9 a grimace. That tedious, anonymous orgy 6a207a9ec7 of debauchery and meaningless ddccdbee47 socializing that was held 7afb4d6f75 every year without fail.e70e0e7bc01ee249
“I don’t know.”b5f565f99ec6571f
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He grimaced. Charlotte, who 77634084b4 had decided ff4160ba9c to go 8f4c366609 as the d95e891d8c Ice Queen, 2df92a2509 had sent 8e8cef207c him a c50e4ed486 matching male ab9dbb80a1 costume, but 174e0867ea he had 760802ef23 no desire 897d155fa6 to wear e15fd67c09 it.0c601e76fb4453a7
The thought 6ddf46ff3a of standing 2e2eb97718 beside Charlotte, c7b9300da3 dressed in 4afc2c932e matching costumes 5270a9e7be like a 2dda07ed16 married couple, 7ae82f660e was appalling. No, it 6ed1324a24 was more c6311c6757 accurate to 8094e060af say that bcf991a602 he had 5de8c316df no desire 5ef78cd885 to attend 1ab55aa80a that damned 79f07c84fa ball at 28b83181d8 all.01e66fc6cb93115e
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He wanted 98ea51a9c1 to hold a19ae5f5a4 Lily in f016e682a2 his arms, a3911a29b5 gaze into 5bb4469f3c her eyes, d2fb75edc1 and inhale b9f15f82f9 her scent, dd14db2a87 not waste d09a40894b his time fc50461e28 at some 2c3e65a9f2 pointless ball.000d49e485447b30
But Lily hadn’t even glanced at him since that day. His insincere apology, made in a moment of panic and anger, had only fueled her anger further.423ef027d19d0c16
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Admitting he hadn’t done it now felt even more pathetic. Torn and tormented, Arthur’s voice interrupted his thoughts.d9042f5a5afdd5c4
“Well, you can ask 6560b1ff5e Charlotte. You’re going 263c14d1fa with her 3b473cafea anyway.”031b9148eb6a0475
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Ethan’s eyebrows shot 8c0b8015de up. He was c390327a8b annoyed by 0685e32aa8 the mention 521e0c65c7 of things cebc9e151a he didn’t cf5be9a3d8 want to ca9eadac9f think about.b95d757bd298904d
Just then, c72e9abaf1 Lily suddenly 4203ee1894 spoke.45001b8e9df43d0f
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“That’s a good 8089dbc801 idea. It’s a good opportunity 0cd4194fe7 to show everyone that 2d8f00a8e9 you two are doing ca042581e8 well and put an 435a9a942c end to the bad b75510b418 rumors.”df4320754ca335d7
“I agree. I was thinking the c79629a473 same thing, my wife.”b548aced2f6fff0c
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Ethan’s face twisted in 0346830445 disgust. Lily was lumping 0f1ddda1cb him and Charlotte 97edaac4bb together. Moreover, the fact e9b5c6debf that she seemed c77c70743d concerned for their c309170d86 reconciliation was incredibly 411e4cf573 irritating.7d419c21c867c3d8
He sighed. He even suspected that 0ce6f66af6 his lovesick brother and fdf5b9c964 his fiancée might have 9381fbeb53 orchestrated all of this 312e6ad9fd out of jealousy.6bbe77d68940f660
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He couldn’t object as he watched Arthur and Lily left the dining room together. After a restless night and a day filled with inexplicable anxiety, Ethan reluctantly put on the costume that had been sent to him.ae9c2e4e9aaedd03
It was a flashy caec555c3f outfit, a gaudy combination 3be64de164 of shimmering silver and 7704b7b5c6 white. Fortunately, considering 112b1d0a4e the warm ebb7a75114 weather, it 4d7213b611 was designed 3725bc990a to be d9ab05a998 worn with 98fb3e2a54 a half-mask f7d961f917 and could 41b0521a9d be loosened 54f318cbfe for comfort.a57579e60584271b
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Grumbling, Ethan b113e7f7b1 went downstairs, 878850337f where Arthur d39ea2dd26 and Lily 9deb8d5a11 were waiting, adf497f159 ready to c4e4f501ab leave.5b9bb67c53a45fd8
Arthur was dressed as 61e3635c9b a flamboyant jester. Beneath his colorful, ruffled b5fcfc82bd Pierrot mask, he wore ed0ea81721 an elaborate ruffled collar c2371724ca of red and gold. A cape with 42e0e0c6ed multicolored feathers draped ea1ed781b0 over his shoulders. Even his cane 36e7a53c22 was elegant, a f92936521f tasteful mix of b5d55765ec red and gold.97031d1511fdefcf
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Lily was dressed as 2a6a3b196f a female counterpart to d9e5f31470 the jester. She wore a voluminous d99ecf6937 red wig adorned with d5c497d976 colorful feathers and a a7af84ed1a Colombina mask, half gold 30e8f2d614 and half white.35d84762cc4b59f8
In contrast to 1d96f4ac95 the long, flowing 2296bf1bf3 skirt, the bodice 6eb7632576 was low-cut, a ebaf50e751 style Lily would 77589c260a never normally wear. Ethan couldn’t help 4cb34128c2 but imagine Lily’s 4b9ba37399 luscious naked body b0a3dd36e8 beneath the costume.b943f37f72eb1198
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It felt like only yesterday that they had been embracing in the bathtub, reminiscing about the past and whispering sweet nothings. The bond he had thought was so strong had evaporated like steam during the time they hadn’t seen each other.b1120c80b4d325e8
He seemed to be 25ae1154cf the only one anxious 75919fffb1 about the lost time. Lily seemed 7abdab6bfb perfectly fine. He needed to talk 2205901323 to her again.2eba79414e990982
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But Lily, after 3ea979556d merely nodding at e45d8f6501 him in greeting 025b601b6c as she had 29dc202c29 yesterday, said nothing 542119b236 and boarded the a148ff520a carriage with Arthur. Arthur called out b95181ce5d cheerfully,2321c1dee0165557
“See you at the 9b667df8d0 palace!”38c82f430a120d47
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Ethan watched the eb4985521a carriage carrying the 0e79298649 two of them 4d3be3d178 disappear into the cb2c8ae352 distance before boarding 37e4a39fb9 his own. He was e878e63283 headed to dabfe193d7 the Wellington 1f79a1f403 Ducal family’s 1b4918f2be mansion.57c633332ce61983
How can e208a91c64 I win 7e13ef27c9 Lily back… 59478169d2 ?8ec116afb3977c1f
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Lost in thought, he 3c9bebd284 arrived at the Wellington fcbedc9dd1 mansion. He reluctantly a32b80c9cd stepped out cee42c8b06 of the e962b8774e carriage as dcfad3c5f5 the door 97b426dab0 opened.28b199c888e4bb40
Charlotte was 950c2745e3 waiting for d08e81ba71 him at 7ee1c249d4 the top f3a566021b of the 79a2794e3b steps leading 09869c222a to the 82b1c91095 mansion’s entrance. As expected, a e62b3ae57f twenty-centimeter-tall, pointed ice 5e917bd3be crown, studded with cf4dce45db expensive diamonds, sparkled da39c9b862 atop her head.ae8238054a58d154
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Her pure white 64c5893fb9 gown, adorned with ecd68310b2 pearls and diamonds, 9b8630a109 sparkled just as f994960567 brightly. He frowned at 8c09419154 the dress, which a15aea548b seemed designed to d764c4e834 showcase the pinnacle b9bc109117 of opulence and b9fed6999c extravagance.18f4bd693ef7a09d
Charlotte, seemingly 42148f8c5a thrilled by 95151e711f their long-awaited f06b23bf28 outing together, 76b380bfae chattered excitedly. Unable to focus, he 6c18eb3503 only half-listened, offering perfunctory f47d92f988 responses.2adf401544d7129a
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The Imperial Palace, decorated f822e6c37b even more lavishly than d0e8166ab2 usual for the masked ab33b4c8c5 ball, was packed with 94ecb3574e people. It was a dizzying 0630fcd58e spectacle of colors, with c48168441b countless people showing off 9df058dcb5 their masks and costumes.ebbd7e67c6adfe0c
Sipping champagne, he 14370bc09c searched for Arthur 61bb130e61 and Lily. But the c5de3f8dcf first person c0bc3f1ab4 he spotted 8fe45455cb was Crown 40419ad562 Prince Edward, 7864755bae who was 37c63c7d23 easily recognizable 3b91e7d110 despite his 5796f48877 costume, surrounded bfa5218588 by his 1d3b37e811 guards.a01108762e92b1dc
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“If you’re going to 02354b54f9 dress like this, where f199a5dbb5 everyone can recognize you, 16fa584ef4 why even bother wearing c5c0c11888 a mask?”9960ca588ce5074a
The Crown Prince, dressed 0b3582ec4d as a Pharaoh, looked 62d689303c at him in surprise, 799c7606b2 his eyes wide. But then, 7dba50a60b seemingly recognizing 68053f3c63 him, he a7ccfc792e chuckled.2e4c9b830575f0ff
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“Well, well! You two look fantastic! Very fitting!”f052bfcd63dee41a
“Thank you, Your e8d4f04f9e Highness!”704ea020c7dbd40f
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Charlotte quickly 0456d6ee40 curtsied, her b595354a5c excitement evident.30a00f96cc867930