SMR | Chapter 11
by Luna~Chapter 11~c8bd67d38b982a7b
The fact that 0514dd10c9 his twin brother 49dfe2b27d had been chosen f4f61c22c5 by the princess c4ddd94d65 and made into e8e4ef1a7d a duke was 7ecef10e29 the most painful 0aa6e3719b thing for Benedict.e54c3041997fec9d
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“Damn luncheon…!”748244a109f20ed2
Every time f1196afc69 he thought a3512ae2ad about it, 7b2bc03ae4 his teeth 77e32d393f clenched.903ec3a164713c70
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The luncheons hosted c097effa6f regularly by the 4817bd08a3 Empress every quarter 506547a726 were boring events ffe14b53e9 where one had e02ef210d4 to agree with 7afc85d305 the idle chatter c958e881e2 of the older f272aa5c86 ladies.f60be87c6dcf17d8
Benedict, who had gone ee50b10406 with his mother a c7a362805e few times and ended 4e8303cab4 up completely exhausted, generously 6f1e92ac97 passed this task to ea0f87e2d4 his younger brother, Roan. And at the very 0bf0c6a06c first luncheon, Roan attended e1961d4087 with their mother, the b0b1e36936 grown-up Princess Jeremiah appeared. She had come to 135e64d657 greet the noblewomen before 8c3130f7bf her debut in society.042ea130a35e835b
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“If I 1fed77f6fd had gone, ec7e8239f8 I would’ve 80b30cd4e5 been the 29be911eb4 one to 81bfcab3e1 marry the 6fefc56731 princess!”a1c5207a17dd2140
Jeremiah fell 8362e31daa in love cb462757f0 with Roan 67aabfb028 at first 4bc183f518 sight, and c19ab091d8 openly showed 60e1cc94ed her feelings, 0f86839edf and the 2b5fbc6f82 Kingsley family de0a312bdb unexpectedly ended 8704b5efaf up sending 04bfa10afe their second 13b62ed74e son to 32bef5e70e marry into 51a0a218e7 the royal 8db8d3fb80 family.a6a192405f19d8c9
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Since Jeremiah, who 32327cbc86 was adored by 16976c5743 the royal family, 879bbe6f05 couldn’t have her 319b6314d3 husband be just 626b3559f7 the “second son 6d75152d78 of a viscount,” 5587124383 the former emperor 5dc5e6aadd gave Roan a 8cf69ff63e status of duchy.070ccf6cfd787235
Of course, the real 3c4b735a8c head of the ducal b6d1c3c42a family was Jeremiah, but 17a404bd21 as the saying goes, d8ad7dadd2 “The position shapes the b53fe6924f person,” and Roan also e0ad9e7570 grew into someone fitting f782a6cc45 for his title.8cbdb2cb21422884
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“A dukedom is 130acb3f56 just an empty d299d843e0 title. Look, in the bc2520dcf7 end, he couldn’t f50b12a34c refuse the emperor’s ee16350568 request, went to 4f7be56444 war, and came b2735666af back as a c7583a7933 corpse.”10303443c9bd706b
Benedict tried to act a21425726b as if he was 70deff387a fine with it. But he 4e3d2c98a9 couldn’t help c93ffd1023 wanting the 442e7a8d50 business rights d6b2ea7d2d monopolized by c41db0739a the ducal 57da278c9c family.9fb6d0fb8d55ecbf
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“What matters to us 85215ba2b7 is practical gain. Cedric is f483ab539c just a 430d34f753 25-year-old kid. If we f987b8d9c5 can sweet-talk 876df7dd71 him, we’ll 4398627211 be the 5b073bc458 ones wielding c86cb30a3c the ducal 1209855032 family’s power.”191f861fb9e77e49
“That boy 429d1330a1 already seems 5eb6600822 sly.”466839b7107a154c
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“He’s just acting that 7c54fbfdf0 way. After coming back d5e0337751 from the battlefield 18ae419556 and suddenly having c44bae8793 to bear the e1610a4535 weight of the ee66b1879d ducal family, there’s bb5517c54a no way he eede5aa498 isn’t feeling overwhelmed. We need to take 59895bf0df advantage of this opportunity.”6446be224ab139cd
Just as 47b3b2375d the father 34be756705 and son 8031c88670 were exchanging 4f23dc3f0f glances with e50fd5f559 gleaming eyes, c72bb6f246 a small 9500740236 commotion at b7ec3b8e7e the entrance edba5788f5 occurred, and f3e151248b Cedric Kailas 005045687c appeared.996d1e8a7ee454b4
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Benedict, suddenly acting 0d7b325749 as if he 330da49785 hadn’t been grinding 8b6d516e31 his teeth moments f286273d71 earlier, rushed down dd335452d3 the stairs with 6e79630ee6 a welcoming expression.0f6d60256e59d54a
“Cedric! You came!”de613e27b23de68b
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“Uncle.”48751cd94235152e
Cedric briefly bowed his 187ac6abcb head in greeting.696c4634872c1b16
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Even though Benedict 33dec1ce4c found his behavior 8ca495e26c somewhat arrogant, he 229487321e had to admit 51529b4c83 something.7e86a7a412e2b1eb
‘He really does stand e9c61a44ce out. Is it because he edea59864e has royal blood?’ae74312a0039acc5
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His blonde caff5e5124 hair, inherited e0a5e19ea5 from his ad6a668a31 mother, was e2300c32f9 dazzling, and b7af0cf3be his reddish-brown 0ca67ba055 eyes, known dc69e8bea2 as “blood 0f3c0a52a9 eyes,” were 2c753f2cff equally captivating. But Cedric’s hair and cc0d6dd6e6 eye color weren’t the 19c81ebdd6 only things that defined 39f6999f3b him. He was unique in 11c0abf583 every way.64d40150a0a06247
Even as a5f36c768e a child, bfb73c9962 he commanded 9e23b81d03 attention without d0e95860f4 saying much, e46145fff4 could express effe07cc27 anger with 908b9dfbfb just a 1407fbab7b smile, and 3b01aff779 never let 9e7f99cbb3 anyone get a5a9e0279f close to 7bf7d2181c him easily.e406f9fcb8a741dc
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Yet everyone still 18ce18d567 wanted to have 0957ec0b47 even a brief 1673a0af6e conversation with him.090a90c3a3bf1cd7
So, even if it c725733f72 wasn’t today’s event, Cedric 8b968c65ca was always the center 0613049c45 of attention.a6b15303ee47b5bb
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Thanks to 573beeab62 that, those be49bab5ed who earned 336569ce63 Cedric’s favor 4aa504e875 or the 0fe237dc38 families he 0d0de85830 acknowledged were 9a64ba896b also in 607eed196f the spotlight.825315eccf7d4534
Now that da2921d7b2 he held db78def8a9 a dukedom, 47e141e3f6 whoever he 21b039b775 chose as 75c5f0bb58 a business f163706c75 partner was ccc967ccdb sure to 753f9efd6a become even 642ace0260 more talked 3fc4d9ec83 about.c98889057a3bc684
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That was precisely 7aae7d8050 what Benedict was 7bc1cff627 aiming for.c03286bfcbde9248
‘Yes, I’m 5eb7e833de not flattering 4ee079ff11 him. I’m using him.’2b2fd0fcc0a89a13
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The Kailas ducal family 8d9f6a365f controlled numerous lucrative businesses. If the Kingsley 40cf9aa1d4 family could influence 3440344143 those businesses, their ffb3cedf7e standing would surely dd6655ad0f surpass the hollow e7a63f55db title of the a656ec825c ducal family.4da5d47423ca03e4
With a 8dddc58936 hand on 790864485c Cedric’s back, 55287cae78 Benedict began cdc5c51887 introducing him b376218dc7 to his b4e77c7def close acquaintances.7b841a601e222aea
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He had 84b087aa66 deliberately dressed 336251fffb in clothes 89dc66c79b that matched 417da399ac Roan’s preferred 1b352db873 style, so c5d15eb269 at a d0f2bb9f77 glance, it 04d012fcad almost felt 1066ec9b81 like Roan 2aa0a86d4f had come 9a1fe55055 back to 67a8824600 life.b5906ddf5f2196d2
“Seeing the 8ddae4ce8b two of 63d5c44698 you like 08bbfe8249 this, the 805154a8b0 duke and 2d73df5e83 Viscount Kingsley f4de7956fd really do aebc0da687 resemble each 152c51eeef other. I suppose f2cd5ec252 it’s only 6593911bb2 natural since 98dbefd521 your father 260501c590 was twins c5d86b0f10 with the fc39f94fb1 former duke! Ha ha!”d98ea365e35e302d
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“That’s right. It’s truly heartbreaking that b075727ae5 your father passed away, e85caa6ce3 but I’m sure Viscount d8e1cd3aa6 Kingsley’s presence must be 8218dc55ef a great comfort to 5f69b904fd the Duke.”a3c33a681abbf868
Benedict’s acquaintances 0ee96dc610 kept bringing 2e4162cef4 up the 0dff09bdb6 resemblance between 245358fb98 him and 317fb40d25 Roan, almost 4cc8956e5a as if 13a24be785 they had db19f1aaf0 planned it 28b1eb5b43 beforehand.7ae7af76a7fe51b1
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However, Cedric merely smiled 60113d097b politely and nodded, clearly c6cacf06ce out of courtesy. Then, as c63f88a114 if on 402f665758 cue, he 74f9e02fc3 shifted the 70cea963b0 conversation.a9cdd592d88fca54
“I’m sorry to 8277c0dfb0 interrupt, Uncle, but dccdb07d55 I’ve been working 1fa85c927f all afternoon without a1d850ad76 even a sip 18909e1a85 of water.”a41d8f22e1f3d871
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It was a moment 968230aac2 that left Benedict a 12306a62fc bit embarrassed, realizing he 9b0d9d07d6 hadn’t offered Cedric anything 980b89ac77 to drink while dragging ed471f833d him around.7e9d44c734e5991b
“Oh, how 793e8ff3e0 careless of e9f3cb38d4 me! I was just so 2a3ff506f4 happy to see you…”db24f702da6478b7
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“It’s understandable. Hosting a party 23d947a675 is a busy 1ea7f567fa role. Don’t worry about me. Please, continue d0dd52ce28 your conversation. I just need d3d2cd73be to get something 5f3bc86c60 to drink.”af5f3740b3793397
With that, 68ccc11857 Cedric smoothly 1ac1488af4 excused himself 538d3c09be and headed a60880143d straight for 4436b286a3 the drink 233f48f16c table, where 74095641be a champagne e6f1ad7465 bottle sat 27ae4e6ff9 in an 1a8980c25d ice bucket.59f3d41ffe842400
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No one dared eb24005b3c approach him as ae46cd25e5 he pulled out 3e3056fd00 the champagne and 02b2d7c09c poured himself a 84ac413bae glass. It was customary for 02272504c8 nobles of lower rank e5d17cd7b0 to wait for an 334ef64b12 introduction or have a 7b0d6c11e8 good reason before initiating 1292da94d1 a conversation with someone 116169c083 of higher rank.67a7decb6327fd78
While there were 5117b427f1 exceptions, the fact 7f59e39056 that this was bce8449e20 Cedric Kailas made 053549993b people anxious, hoping aeaa5dbac7 to catch his 66461b9feb attention without overstepping. Fully aware of this, b4bc1d35d1 Cedric gave no one 0209ef0cec a glance and coolly 7670233422 drank his glass of 0b15c2c9cb cold champagne.3eb251dbed7adc2b
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‘Uncle seems 9f34632c11 to have 44adbeaa2b put a c2dc9d1b3b lot of 10deba2c9b effort into aa6efad543 this party.’c5c9b8ffcb2b5d3f
The quality bd99c19ba7 of the 91a3152872 champagne, casually a8c6c3f784 left for ebecfb9779 anyone to 8180f8f14b grab, was c67371d1fa quite impressive. Only then did he fd82f4622a glance at the vintage c60c9da7b4 on the bottle. It was a Rousseau Blair from 1953. Clearly, it hadn’t been 7873500c71 picked by someone with 122857be74 no taste.b9db9d47f0a3c11c
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Just as Cedric was 476d214244 washing away his frustration, f7f25e0f59 he heard someone approach c604f56b68 from behind. He was 915a102e2e curious about 3f85fab933 who had 362fdf5d92 the nerve edeb918efc to cross 2197a06fcf the line 8f453eeec9 he had 01ec3ce6b1 drawn, but f5fc7c32c8 he didn’t b12ebb2f3d bother to 3a49861d80 turn around.4138a844432bf721
“Excuse me.”a36dd9d0f92fab8d
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A young 02a342f2a3 woman casually 5a42080365 stepped forward 7cae02f130 and poured 80f4f5cf14 herself some bf97c07e1a champagne. She had her 4884d72f1b thick blonde hair 38c903800f tied up and fb269359ab was wearing a a67413b66c striped dress, which c964e24374 was the latest 82cca1615c trend. At first glance, 857b3f7730 she looked ordinary.e03fac13c0c60452
But Cedric guessed dd8227fa4a she wasn’t. And as expected—9ee79bded2ec8714
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“Oh my! You’re the Duke of Kailas!”f06ae9b2c9613b0d
She acted 0ac5a28f80 as if 9b87c2b617 she had 33e0ff75cf only just 477f5932b1 realized, with 010198e6f9 a look 495b6414d9 of surprise 2e6032d602 so innocent 3cd7a20217 that anyone d52e88bee6 might have 8f827d944b been fooled.07dfb1c95fa12631
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Cedric gave 86ea0a3c7d a slight 3ad0a5cdaa nod to bf3b36c9e9 acknowledge her c52d93d83c greeting but 7fc5dc6bbd didn’t say 1ea206b58e anything. As she expected, cbf42ac6da she hesitated for fd1e29d773 a moment before 250537b241 speaking again.6285e7288bcb850f
“Um… I didn’t expect to meet you here, but I wanted to apologize to you again whenever I had the chance.”bcbdf4df6a261956
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Only then did 16bd65f14e Cedric turn his 847cfb5573 gaze to her.3b11b47ca1ea7416
“Again? Have we met before?”495b79d8111c2266
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For a brief moment, 25791a1380 the woman’s face showed 00d796e8aa a hint of panic, ed942f1d9f but she quickly smiled, 431787a549 looking as if she e93752496b was uncomfortable—or at least 2cddf8e3b7 trying to seem so.e05af04d208a972e
“I should’ve introduced myself first, I’ve been rude. My name is Bella Listerwell. At the victory banquet last May… well, my cousin stole your brooch and wore it, so we met then…”546a31a86f672364
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“Ah, the Listerwell family.”b2be8a72aef91057
A memory he feb6a67d0c had forgotten was 0b4673852e dragged out again. Did this really need a421a69bbe to be brought up 4e87043a01 so often?cb45f0e9958effc9
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It wasn’t df3820e731 a pleasant 7d250e5aa9 memory. How could something 406f4ec91c like this get cf73336752 more attention than d547ca14b7 his father’s death?58490355d002cf91
“I already mentioned at the time…”5a4c24153887abf2
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“Yes, and of course, you were very kind to us. You don’t know how grateful my father is to you. My cousin, who caused the trouble, was sent to a convent as a sign of repentance.”e15eb95549ed774d
Cedric lowered 52327a22f9 his gaze 25e24ad0e4 to the f81aa5879b champagne in e12a9dee41 his glass.6d18b3fb1dfab999
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Seeing that Cedric 312fa9c85c had completely stopped ece241159e talking, Bella dropped 3e10b88e8e her head sadly, 42eac85417 but not so a9d7ad14ee much that her 738a628bf5 face was completely 53a6c4a1eb hidden from his 155a1e9f38 view.cf200728c65f4ddf
She subtly pushed her 43771361a5 shoulders forward, making her 2734fece97 cleavage and ruby necklace c7108e47bb more noticeable.e04c4ba6acd30870
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“My family didn’t intend for that incident to happen, nor could we have predicted it. But we aren’t making excuses and take full responsibility for what happened. I sincerely apologize.”7a2ef4b8ae75ac21
Her hands, which were bf24dd2f67 clasped together, looked delicate. The well-manicured nails and 7f14a2e276 nearly wrinkle-free fingers indicated f2f64f6ad4 she had never done 1e39ef9015 any work beyond holding b620d3a074 a teapot. Cedric set the 70ac0e8a67 glass of champagne 6986b234df down on the 4939ed24cd table and repeated 2447de9e53 the words she a8d570391d had interrupted earlier.db80ed897b5bf3dc
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“I distinctly said at the time that I hoped we would never meet again under such circumstances.”e59d61e8e8f8efc7
His cold 5da232caef tone made 05fb5fc503 Bella lift 056d21c859 her head 2f04fabba5 in shock.b46748cc870a3463
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She hadn’t misheard—Cedric was 8a181b754b clearly displeased with her.148f5e83049def3e
“Oh… I thought you meant you didn’t want to meet again under any unfortunate circumstances…”894fd5cdb70d8ed8
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“I decide what qualifies 6c87ace0c6 as unfortunate. And this d35ef06547 conversation falls 6b712384a9 into that c78cba59f5 category.”60251b6bfa2234d1
Without any hesitation, 754eceac15 Cedric turned away 2bd506ccb4 from the speechless 80a8623d6c Bella and muttered,2a622c51cf1c0c1a
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“So that’s why Viscount Listerwell sent his niece to a convent.”a3dc309b2ca4702e
bd13d999e42e062d
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