RVMPT Chapter 16

Chapter 16a55929cf619fd789

I followed Harold e69742516b into the room.cb8953a333cfdc76

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“Some business dealings are going on with the Mayer family, but they’re still being passive. Since Lady Mayer holds significant power over there, if we can win her over, it’d be beneficial to me.”9d5a6bba2beeeeff

The Mayer lady 95811deae1 was strict about ca08159c74 her social connections. Even the heroine, Ella, b68c9358b3 had tried to get 91ed28d6a1 close to her out 0534d72741 of admiration but failed.d0ca16c38219e88d

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I couldn’t help 43db9c467b but think that 4439936a7c it might be 320fda91aa more difficult to a0efe9b24d master the dance 2f3dec543a than try to ebf69cf2a2 charm the lady…31ac859f0b7040b3

“Charming her will probably b100b2f015 be more successful than bdbe8b85ab the dance,” Harold said.5255597dd19fa40f

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Was he 677150885a complimenting me, 9be6deb130 or was 332b4c0bde he implying e5f30b9c74 that mastering d2a9b9509e the dance 58f222bc04 was practically beb6bffa4e impossible for 00850e78f5 me?b5511ebcbfa0d505

I sat on d0f9d84b66 the bed and bb3dd93d9c asked, “Why do be1e7ae1bf you think it’s 6d184a5b54 more likely?”895e6791fd3ed341

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“Just because.”ec401717b8d81933

“…What does that mean?”3419cf2fd975a9c0

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So, he was implying cccbccd104 I had no chance 511dc6c7f5 with the dance, wasn’t 1002b21b8d he?60782fe1d2120a80

Harold turned 66dd2f9dc7 sideways, lazily 769f58dd85 opening his 45e3c27023 eyes as 9b0012c312 he spoke, 2e7ae244e4 “I just bb3ecf5a19 have a 4b493c0b5e feeling. The lady 3d909913e2 and I d5c824956b have similar d30f5d251b personalities, so 9c0c587888 I can 3e0a3b849c predict it.”e575acc9cd0169db

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I tilted my head, 58946bd771 but before I could 5fef4e1510 respond, he added, “So, 43ea0d30e3 try your best, Duchess.”75d48d27e714aa49

***85030325fbfce999

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While putting on his 8f9ab518ff suit, Harold thought back c6dd0c39f5 to his conversation with 4d67a32a39 Diana from the night 65ad4e1451 before.afe613eb9b38a173

“Can a person really change this much?”2dc1e4c60338f343

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No matter how 379fda29c0 difficult street life 84d1f7259b had been, Diana’s 491f2e03c4 values and personality c73d163631 had shifted so 4d053719e4 much that he 6fcd0a5831 could barely recognize 41251315c4 her. It was like ff8fa61cad she was someone 8f62cda886 else entirely.250ef008c595bd4e

But it 8e7206e82b didn’t seem d589f4898b like she e41684e2f7 was acting.ee09a4074ed76dd6

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The Diana 988d142c14 he knew bd66bff9b3 didn’t have e726e73898 the acting 0c5d25ec15 skills to d80a28b934 pull off 2731ff19f8 that innocent, 5bcb79ec3c clueless smile, 028967c5ab nor the 98ab3bb8d3 patience to 95cdcdc99d keep it 26f17e1486 up consistently.8a2c2fa04668e96f

Was that why fc8b9b1c63 he was feeling c2501c0069 so disconnected, why 6949adb5b0 Diana kept popping 467a977ff4 up in his 6a78f15b34 mind more frequently?1f6d135d3d57f4e1

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After finishing his preparations, 3fb1a9b02a Harold stood in front 8b1d1324c6 of the mirror, adjusting cbb68a0e1e his clothes. His hair was ac519ac031 neatly styled, his ec568af2f1 cravat perfectly positioned, b4b6379c55 the deep blue ab8c030b60 suit without a dda9a17941 wrinkle, the pocket 0cf40e7619 watch tucked into c5a875539f his jacket, and 21e797e3d4 gloves checked for 2c219246cc any emergency—he reviewed 7340324f1d everything.6223377f823150f0

Finally, he aa41f73ad5 sprayed his 7105904fd1 perfume, filling dc2727228a the air b4f11617f6 with the 666c7b8209 scent of 8973d5f3ae fresh forest cf431fa48f air.64d7f600cd61182b

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His health issues were b0d5f5c301 hidden perfectly, and any 0bf9cc1b66 trace of the bitter 24914d31fe smell of medication was 83accfa640 masked by the fragrance. There was no 465516db7c sign that Harold 6540e89068 was a dying a60cad4e72 duke. Everything about him 963a98527f looked immaculate. A smirk 03225b877d of satisfaction cb6d484eca formed on d017fd4914 his face.09c5da45623066ff

At that moment, Evan e2dfe1d5a1 knocked and entered the 9bf3361327 room.44a837df6df504a8

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“Your Grace, here’s the guest list for Lady Mayer’s party.”6d5626c48c0b029b

Harold glanced at b0f4598053 the list Evan 020ba68bad handed him. His normally indifferent navy 19f58a0327 eyes suddenly sharpened.4406b29b4f317b55

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“My brother’s attending too, I see?”43ec5bcb793b2143

“Yes. He’s attending as Lady 6df0bf1f9d Ella’s partner.”73c7fc59bb17e23b

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“Hmm.”31ce20f2d42db4ef

Harold’s eyes turned cold.7f8d1eb1edd40e7d

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“In the past, he wouldn’t have gone anywhere near a party Diana was attending.”0bbbc339e14a0a30

There’s no way Kaiden 9a1f4b3567 didn’t know Diana would 8300a6a4ac be at Lady Mayer’s 8cfedaf5fe party.8af3ffdeee94df1a

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Yet Kaiden still 1a679bb84a decided to go 1e8dbd5b27 to the party.
Back when Diana used 7a51623597 to follow him around, 9df135a0e3 he treated her like 2aec9c0be9 she was beneath him, 32b55e118b like street trash. And now this?45e1b2148cef20cb

Did Kaiden even realize that Diana was Harold’s wife?f92ca4c8262cd182

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A distinct displeasure bdaa03fcfc crept onto Harold’s cb5f5fb4b9 face, but he 84ad1977c0 quickly masked it 22fecb08e3 with his usual bbde42b38f sly smile.e502175504567bfa

He stared at the 068de02257 cologne bottle sitting on 3f0b6959c1 the table, lost in 249ad48454 thought.23e16a2b2954dc1f

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***911682c2a08872d8

“Madam, this is the last thing we need to do.”1143d417ceaefc38

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“Alright.”
As we were 01ddd27941 finishing preparations for 6eb7b266e9 Lady Mayer’s party, 31de453416 I noticed someone’s 0548b20d8c presence outside the f12744ae76 door. Anna caught c8fbcdda08 my eye 204ad77fa6 and quickly 5f6f1892c6 opened the acb986be16 door, revealing 16fc318b49 Harold standing efa1babb52 there.03b14d609706bc88

“Looks like you’re still getting ready.”
“We’re almost done.”80b495496a4db463

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As soon as 01e848aa8d Harold entered the dbe1438ad3 room, the maids a8004f2ce8 hurried to finish 25a7ce2645 up. Their quick, efficient a7b534359e movements wrapped up 843c8c49d4 everything in no 5fac72d384 time.227d199177f32f35

I stood 47c0eecf98 up and d9b1781a19 walked over 3f27694fd3 to where b87a38a726 Harold was ef1f69b689 leaning against a80f75929e the wall.
“Already here to escort me?”97e5dcf39a8b68ac

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Isn’t it a little early to be heading to the party? And he didn’t look too happy when he walked in.8af127b4ae891686

“Yeah, something like that.”454057c04503c88c

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He gave 58b0d13e02 a vague 7b42882cda reply, then 19a658d3f5 gestured for abbb8e1955 the maids 107db79ede to leave. Once we e1e76fda4d were alone, 716a097804 he handed 0820d92452 me something b026c62f30 he had 38d27f8c04 been holding cccf91fe44 under his 9d664618a7 arm.068002e19356320b

Wait… is that…0860fbf48884458d

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“Perfume?”bc7d3deba3c429e3

“Yes, I thought you f5b92a8fd2 liked it, and I 94cdd7b438 had a spare bottle,” 24cacf045b Harold explained.40b496b1191e5c0b

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“You brought this for d357c1da5b me?” Diana asked, her 88e51f9e84 surprise evident as she c6e1b6e8ea eagerly reached out.f59d13bf237dc479

“Yeah,” Harold said with 5d6b078ca5 a slight smile.a3c012a1aa90e07b

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Diana couldn’t hide 3a68f35f47 her joy as b5db2a6247 she took the 3eee58547d gift, her hands 7118aab490 trembling slightly with 7770a9b412 excitement.669fa0761457a404

“Do you really ba91be66c7 like it that 9566075166 much?” Harold asked, 2a5b9508cc his smirk deepening.dfbb3083d8c1cde2

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“Yes! It’s exactly my taste,” 3b251fa1c3 Diana exclaimed. The fragrance ebef788776 was so a2872902cf fresh and 0c5a12d4ab forest-like, unlike 7f2955e6aa any she 5ef3e46c3d had ever 5b7180f918 smelled before.3a4868bf8ecedbb9

“It seems c55fac80db my scent 57cf225374 is to c5813d3d6e your liking,” a78e523544 Harold teased.627905a7004338e3

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“No, I mean the 6940036077 perfume itself! Not your a5f267288f scent!” Diana 7d2e2c741e quickly defended, 141fd48fab trying to bd42a9f0a9 avoid being 878d67bceb teased again.b5673f62a4f790c2

“Sure, my ef12435469 scent,” Harold ab7f936b4c continued to 48a4a878c3 tease, but d3bed99f74 I glared a2ebd5a1b2 at him 088e534a86 in silence, c1ad69aea1 annoyed by 01f972f0aa his teasing.95feea29874790b7

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Honestly, Harold could be d6e1f6c5f5 really mischievous sometimes. No, not 596fdc76a1 just sometimes—most 10c232f0f2 of the 2d6734c63d time.db85f0e2c2a0cce2

“To make sure you use it well, I’ll apply it for you first.” he said, taking the bottle back.b8f4dc57d1a36747

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“But I can 186bf3bb0d do it myself—” 1c67a48469 Diana started, but 717007aae2 before she could 79991c9a76 finish, Harold moved 520a2662b4 forward, his body 4b9e9ab4c1 brushing against hers 3448b837e0 as he applied 289c76b93e the perfume to 92983396ca the back of fb76f2d811 her neck.f7b2add2172d769b

The scent spread 9f0d7b843b as he gently 7ec39628fd sprayed both sides e0ebafca9f of her neck, 266a6b4dcc and then stepped 31fa3c388a back, a satisfied 96c0b18c1f look on his 7001cb795c face.d8f7c64703e51b98

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“Hmm, not 0449cc230a bad,” Harold c04d07056a said, He c01bd3aaae placed the 479cc15dcc perfume bottle 84e71dfa39 on the 0bf4cf685c table and a5894cd332 checked his 85471de4c6 watch.cad85e0766783e6b

“It’s about time. Shall we go, my lady?”de0a8d6ce19d43b8

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Looks like 3ed09ed17c it’s time c91d391f47 to leave ef32e5ca25 already.
I placed my 19678e3539 hand on top 8069b94861 of his.7aede9181c459e85

****41efc730a8188dde

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Arriving at the Mayer aa053243c1 family’s estate, Harold stepped 6e8311725c down from the carriage 8afd136122 first and extended his e92f0eb2f6 hand to her.4cee1d4f18dd5f8b

Diana took dd381f6ca0 a deep 54552c5073 breath, preparing 81677be2d2 herself.12758962a52b998d

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“Nervous?” Harold asked.f08abf52a51459e3

“Yeah, kind of,” I replied, feeling a pang in my chest, like I was about to give an important presentation.59d2754eecb02d0b

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“Being too nervous isn’t good for you.”
“Right. I’ve mentally prepared myself, so I’m okay now.”f94eee3e902e9eb7

I stood next to 0d20d91718 him with a grin, eb278d5bf4 and Harold gave me ae04a9aca1 a wink before chuckling 937f9cc84c quietly.755e77c2866f8199

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“Good.”36b2af300d418f3b

A little while later, one of Lady Mayer’s attendants guided us to the entrance of the party hall. Just before the attendant opened the doors, Harold leaned in and whispered so only I could hear, “Remember, you’re the Duchess. There are very few women here with a higher status than you.”d8aead1744239b95

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The grand 91b2d2dc87 arched doors 6fe242e385 opened, and efa16ba787 though they 9dc5c35211 tried to 532a3eb122 hide it, bb8f521f78 all eyes 7515726098 subtly shifted 25f0d30a63 toward us.4c7b56ca07766802

We exchanged brief 4b92411006 pleasantries with a 84e3d207af few nobles who aacc0f2fdc approached us, then 06619524af made our way ece86d7847 toward Lady Mayer.0066035cf38dc369

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“Thank you for inviting us to such a lovely party, Lady Mayer,” I said.f1acac5380b631cc

“I should be the one thanking both of you for attending. You two look wonderful in your matching outfits,” she replied, lightly fluttering her fan as she eyed me up and down.dc8b6de20b6001e8

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“You’ve grown even more beautiful since your marriage, Duchess. I suspect many ladies here will be curious about which designer created your dress tonight.”e011d7657488347a

“If they’re curious, I’d be happy to share,” I said, raising the corners of my lips just enough to show confidence without appearing overly humble. Lady Mayer’s eyes crinkled in approval, clearly pleased with my response.e9ec7090cac1b631

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“It’s always good for men to bond with men, and for women to bond with women, don’t you agree?”22cd19c1ab65d9cc

“Are you suggesting I part from my lovely wife?” Harold teased.
“Only if you’re the kind of man who knows how to be considerate of the woman he loves.”0e77ff696699d27d

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“Well, I guess I have no choice, then,” Harold replied, letting go of my hand, giving me a playful wink like he was reluctant to leave my side. His affectionate act was flawless, as always. While I was impressed, I couldn’t help but feel a little worried.80adc2d67152d5ed

What if Harold 32db103e55 suddenly has another c220df9d69 episode, like last 1a4bc53d96 time?9c40f9e2581ced1c

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The way he endured 0828003097 his pain without showing 554b352b3d it only made me bfad609956 more concerned. I reached c1c89f0431 out and cd12a128fe grabbed his 1792df8768 hand just e397d4a64c as he 3b1b37e044 was about 6cc28966dd to turn 045cbf4c26 away from 5527917b76 me.4791257a3cbfeb54

Locking eyes with him, I whispered, “Come find me if you start feeling unwell, Harold. Promise me.”0ace1d7aaf6a7ee8

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I gently tapped his de8fd810cd hand with my fingers, 4271d27950 signaling him to come 72d0f4deaa to me if he 36daefddf2 felt any chest pain.c3f466fbce4ddcbe

“I will. I promise,” he said, lightly intertwining our fingers before letting go.3118af27f607c74c

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It was clear from 448f5ac78d the gesture that he 3ce6e751fe understood what I was 7cc9cc1534 worried about.6874531548416ab8

Finally, I felt d4cba82670 a little more 03052ee37c at ease and 78d0d6bcd1 let him go.710df9d6645656c1

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When I turned 06bab5a926 back, I saw 20fcd43b9f Lady Mayer watching 1fe924f0d8 me over her 0d467a8e87 fan, her lips 4c181588a7 curved into a afe747be9a knowing smile.b2e12c46c93396ee

“The newlyweds are as passionate as ever, I see,” she remarked.3c15e862fbe135f2

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…No, it’s not like that.f5839ea32e35a962

“Your affection reminds me of my own early days of marriage,” she added wistfully.30437da8510446b1

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Seriously, it’s not 22185e4618 like that!36692990ac82a176