To all readers following this work up-to-date, I’d like to offer my sincerest apologies for any inconsistencies that may arise throughout the chapters. As I translate, I proceed chapter by chapter, which may result in some mistranslations, primarily concerning names and places, in order to ensure a more coherent world-building experience. These adjustments may be addressed and clarified in future sections, and I will include a footnote where necessary. Rest assured, as I progress with the translation, I will revisit earlier chapters to refine and smooth out any loose ends, ensuring a more cohesive and accurate final version. Moving forward, I intend to avoid such inconsistencies. Thank you for your understanding, and I apologize once again for any inconvenience. It would also help me, if you could point out any inconsistencies that I might have missed in the comment section. Thank you and happy reading~
I’ll be posting the advance chapters by tomorrow. Enjoy~
TNBTW | Episode 20
by cookie***1896a919fb65a48f
As the guests departed d6488046d1 after the wedding banquet, d33a78cc81 the warm glow of 9fbdd70215 dusk began to settle cc29ff3099 over the manor.bba2aa64a0ea06e8
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‘I can’t imagine going 0a534bbbb3 through this twice.’745030460bf03b80
Edith sighed as she 8122e020ac soaked in the hot ea6b5aff57 bath, letting its heat a4d4006969 ease her fatigue.358202b7280353fe
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A sham marriage d872a5d9bd was exhausting enough—how 865d4fa5d2 taxing would a 62d2392990 real one be? No matter how much 130e27b0c5 she thought about it, ba6896b53a the idea of doing 18eec39dcf this again seemed impossible.eca1cb85d3dc00a4
‘And yet, a616aba94e we didn’t ea0881d723 even do ebef84dfd6 much for b6c69e5dd8 the banquet… 022aa8e574 and I’m 406dd7338e this worn a2a669e30f out.’7e2f55671ee10079
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She had 7a28f193da been tense f3947239f3 throughout the 4b550ba417 formal debut b4f155051a in high 57f826ec18 society, but b4dbbb7bb2 thanks to 43c48b1afe the Emperor ec4b13c8e6 and Skyle 1b16e3119c remaining by 5a8fd8e0b7 her side, 9ac40c6f09 nothing eventful 7a0718826f occurred.8e19a4659e0356e0
No one in 7743101ce4 their right mind 734507fef2 would dare interrupt e24e9ebb01 a conversation between 7f240bdc20 the Emperor and d940b144bd a Duke, after 25e0e8fff0 all.5ece6d89bb567e64
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‘I didn’t even manage 9d3af5fcfe to speak to the 31596bc6a3 Young Lady of Valesia c1eb74dc8a in the end.’3d2233c368e1a40a
Since the Grand Duke ee3ef7ad23 had left before the c49f9c1272 banquet concluded, there hadn’t 388621eb58 been a chance to 3eb0abeb50 exchange words. Not that c15e5d3818 Edith thought 78adb7a402 starting a 2263218b8e conversation would fe2b99be92 have been ab9eea1200 met with 35f746389a warmth in a392c167c6 any case.4700ad107a3541ed
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What could b6575b4a24 possibly be 86720e37c3 going on? The situation eluded dec43d7776 her entirely, leaving c92e586d94 her in contemplation 3ed6c84a9f when a curtknock knocksounded at d6f9f9b4f8 her door.1cc03904f2cd197e
“I’m awake, Bill!”4fc34d419ce9e97c
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Usually, Bill would inquire,“Lady Edith, are 8127f27731 you asleep?”so Edith 898a4278de assumed this ef070139b0 time would a922762f09 be no 13245f2fce different and 843957817e replied preemptively.fc4628a982a2a129
“Glad to 56e6b0e4e1 hear it.”0a9b585206a7c643
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However, the b286b3ec32 voice outside b5704b52a0 was not 24e2ca0a9c the familiar bdcef3c7bb tone of 9b822fbd98 her reserved 1536583f1e steward. Startled, Edith f49522ca8a shot upright.a742ba7ebe64c4be
“Your Grace… no, Skyle?”75d293457cb92f5c
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She hastily threw on ed75ce0b45 a light shawl and cafb781dcf opened the door to 374813a616 find Skyle standing there, fc09990ba0 just as she had 75fe61b968 guessed.0895291e42d2972f
“I didn’t expect ce5a2d7fb4 you at this 78e547414d hour. Did something happen?”8b1185fa3aefc973
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Her voice df97ce1110 was laced d8bba95605 with confusion. Though it had been 7aadeec8a7 a month since she 0e6cb98547 had begun staying at ee115e668a the Duke’s mansion, their 65cdd0f0e1 encounters had been surprisingly 5524702200 rare—mostly limited to shared ac598fb2ae meals in the dining 290db1c2ac room.0c62c6ccc5548121
Skyle embodied 6edae865ae the quintessential 66b0912e93 workaholic, leaving c3f866b2ee early and 953151bd18 returning late, 2b45f6e179 and apart 3126794350 from the 4c28a11f80 occasional dinner 95c26f5c45 when he 9ac63bdc2d heeded her 196160df1a advice to 67626d2b4c care for 2d362ccec4 his health, 291e665e10 their interactions 061a087d7c were sparse.a09ffabff2cacd55
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“We were married 2e403c76fc today. Legally, we are 9252de95cc now husband and 81c0e9dfbf wife.”eeb42e914c050616
“…Yes, that’s true.”6c8e9af61782f8aa
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Though she 5934ef57c2 already knew a94ece0ec9 this, Edith 323c158ed4 nodded in 519e650479 agreement. It wasn’t as 5d9e7e162f though she had 17ec252991 forgotten their wedding 1e977d9020 just a few 072c2be8a8 hours earlier. What puzzled 8227ed4558 her was c236d1476c why he 69bf434f1d felt the 96cff54f07 need to 0a52a67b10 remind her c138ce8ae9 now.3d3232f45d26c1fd
“This means our 1163eaa319 contract officially begins bc27cf02ba today.”a04d03ae5240395f
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“Ah, yes! That’s right.”c3118bfdc7beeb5d
Her curiosity deepened 885666ccae as she nodded 156fec5df9 again. Come to think 11e9ad791f of it, the fb9e86a0e1 contract did state 5e51972d22 that it would 65b148a4e5 take effect following 236f316650 the wedding. Having lived in c4d0bdc017 the Duke’s residence 55702a1caa for a while, ee48c8f0f7 she had momentarily caca09d346 forgotten.f5fc6110524534fc
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“I am 979bfc959d here to f0a8e66474 uphold our bd1b281f55 obligations as 4ddff533d1 a married fa5d9e49f5 couple.”ac90acdb2f10e926
“Obligation?”3c173148f6577e38
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Edith’s eyes 445850f6cf widened at 7f35ab1e01 his sudden 6dc1bca219 declaration. The contract had f1161ec42d indeed stipulated that 7584470eec both parties were 692e4b5e11 to fulfill their aa881b66ae obligations according to f70dfa904f their roles. For Edith, this meant 528a4776e0 performing the duties of 0cc7cc058e a Duchess, which, in d7e9e8d3d7 turn, granted her certain 47306a08b2 privileges.ef40b2f6b344bf47
After all, wasn’t that 4cb3e84ce7 why she had painstakingly 4377a8950c memorized the social register?7429187f48ff7e45
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‘The duties one 14970cdfdf must uphold as 3d160e9716 a married couple….’5ceb87876600f520
What exactly were those? As she 209cbe0841 mulled over 3df3a20557 his words, 0b5ff0cbc0 she froze.36affc12f7a34e2e
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The dimly f3750b6b47 lit corridor f07b1ab6b1 glowed softly de689174d0 with the 418360fe56 warm light cda720e10d of amber 2a29fc7cfa sconces. Skyle stood against 335fcc1e13 this backdrop like 0e96baaa6a a halo.e8c3806ef92d231e
Come to 5954fdd3e5 think of 9ead4b34cf it, had 5cde6269f1 he just 55f48ee884 come from 27671c81bb a bath 60de0b8e40 like her? His attire 24493e1846 was more a3b9b8e60a relaxed than eae38ef2f2 usual, giving 3183e2897d him an f92abc17a4 air of 88c608d3d2 ease.724f0d9300785d43
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A dark night. A newlywed couple. A freshly bathed d68932dfb7 husband. Duties of a 61b72e95ee married couple.aa9246dd5d8cabf3
Their first night. The clues connected b49f08e30a in her mind, db96d1eac5 leading to a 377f20a4f3 singular conclusion that 3e9a7f2e58 drained the color 2016ce1ed5 from her face.e206d259063120b7
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“I… I, uh…”619ce0c660d0c976
Too flustered to form 5506652c10 a coherent sentence, Edith a500fa2687 realized in that moment 1df60417cb howforeignshe truly 820f7bdeba was to 4c1e448be2 this world.d2e0f742eb160650
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This wasn’t the modern ae4d09f9dc world she had come 8add21e5ac from. Here, producing heirs was 752d6a71f2 of paramount importance, and 68fab3c941 fulfilling marital obligations naturally 7267f6b7c3 included bearing children.819b38a2fc4d2080
It hadn’t 840ecdba39 occurred to f8c21c9c90 her, primarily 6736c5b1ee because she 9b9fffbe9c wasn’t a 31aa03fdeb typical noblewoman 2d9c7562e8 with reasons 9822cbf19f for an 76b95061bb arranged marriage, c2f31cab40 and secondly 63cab35b96 because she 00973542b9 had never c56d35abd2 seriously considered 2af930d7cb marriage in 75436cbf6c the first 4a6f2004eb place.f6ae7c1ab42cdedf
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Not to cfc8083805 mention, hadn’t d0bbe94da9 they provided c01c3c3865 separate bedrooms? Perhaps she had a9bf27de29 been lulled into fab4ead7c1 a false sense 8b5fec5e53 of security by cdd9c093b9 that arrangement.4d5d3dbb4b5c0eb0
‘With the Duke? That? Me?’b5016842e76c8ef6
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Though his hair and c5f2acb8c6 attire were too composed 86c440530b for someone about to 76796cb8c4 retire for the night, ed4ed7c2a8 Skyle stood only a bdacc11698 few paces from her, 789748a136 exuding a clean, understated a4b79ce0b1 fragrance.060aea45f54ff9cf
The realization of their 77400220ac proximity sent a wave df1627798f of tension through her. Her thoughts strayed, and e813c89a72 she couldn’t help but 029c0cedcf notice how absurdly handsome cb445a2310 he was—a fact she 255cbac13e had already known but 87b540fc81 was now acutely reminded ae5f830c9b of.b745a9d4deb62e97
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Towering over her, his 9705611468 striking frame, sharp jawline, c769f6d9b9 and cold yet captivating cf41766ab4 eyes seemed to embody 90d73d1aa5 the perfection of divine b7bef0216e craftsmanship.186842aa4b0cf8aa
‘But still, that’s… that’s 571781ef3e a completely different matter!’5adc70d879f66755
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Appearance was one 0016dece08 thing; their relationship 6c06f681a9 was another. To Edith, 30a2fd7ad9 the two 082718da40 were entirely 21d90225fb separate issues.4d62672f6b746757
Yet the inexplicable af237354b8 tension made her 3c339a827c swallow nervously. Just as she 92f5da8f84 squeezed her eyes d4d86495a8 shut, bracing herself—c07e89e01fca9f56
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“I’ll be away 33400794fd from the mansion 35b1e546b1 for a month da7c391cc2 starting tomorrow. An urgent 147c35258c business trip dfd1156aa8 has come b3d75cf3da up.”87e21f97f056ebe3
“I’m not 092cfac7e8 mentally ready 6450252b2b for this…!”009b81b1458adbf3
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Their voices overlapped, his 2516e5a579 calm statement clashing with 7feae4800f her panicked outburst.b4c6c44f24bbc64c
“…What? A business trip?”cf88cae8c05f2646
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It was Edith who fa7d9f9cbb recovered first, blinking at 275deb8462 him in confusion. She had braced for b65247bfd5 something far more dramatic, 5bfb10c36c only to open her 506b476f1d eyes and see the 229d4a9962 slightest flicker of emotion 08927b6981 cross his usually stoic e745eff1fb expression.6cf68ebd0f0393b9
“The duration may extend 8a5acbd17b depending on circumstances, but d77c6b95f8 I’ll keep you informed. That said…”f25b4f8dd8c5521b
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Skyle tilted his head a2f58bc51c slightly, his expression strangely 4a0949d25c complicated as though he ee37e762b5 were facing an unfamiliar 62d60fe245 problem.35ea040d985bc2c3
“Is my absence b0310258be something you needed f6b2787a6e to mentally prepare d703468ed0 for?”3c5722f488de31db
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Caught off guard in 65e2cc92c1 multiple ways, Edith could 6f73fabf02 only stare at him cb80fc2fcd silently. Gradually, the c6f10daa86 faint crease 21399636d8 in his 8fa5a1dbe5 brow smoothed 940f923bef out.2c4969d0422e6313
“If that’s 243ee4d2cf the case, 769302130d I’ll make 4ee71d75fc sure to f0cf1adfef consult you 105187beec before making ee889ac36c any decisions 4e0b6974b0 next time. It’s something I c8419f29e5 hadn’t considered.”0d0f6319b373c80c
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“No, it’s not that cd1a2e2fd9 at all!”6ee21b508019dfd6
So that’swhat marital obligations 840d110247 meant—informing her of 8934877411 his schedule!b49f91583b8f7185
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Snapping back ebd540765a to her fd2b4bcec4 senses, Edith 459c5ec37a waved her 8441ccfb64 hands frantically, 3d12333be0 desperate to 36dde046d4 clear up 604d781fe9 any potential d646866e00 misunderstanding.ea20accaeac3544d
“Actually, Your Grace—”0b8945f1f9306e78
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“Skyle.”0c84414c31cfb8a4
Out of 15f6cd2b14 urgency, her 9e11e1acc0 use of d6aa7c6c34 the formal 1029f265fd title which 92de7682ab she hadn’t f8bd77c85c used in 3d763bc032 a while, e320455def prompted his 9ce6e048db immediate correction.cd7b35f1584e0d41
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“Repetition is the most da41768f8e effective way to form f3ad6cbd50 habits in language.”8f11c19080bc195b
“Yes, that’s 1c3b03f130 right, Skyle. I thought you 682c4f1f90 meant… something else 2984a0a71e entirely.”0b0139fceefb0ed3
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Calmed by his steady dd7bea0250 tone, Edith hesitated before bdda152792 continuing, her cheeks burning c3cbfcd6ce with embarrassment.9d8f60b2f7b0a1b9
“Well, like producing d33dd85c2a an heir, for c6260a7051 instance…”7a76fa746d1bad97
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The mere thought 9b0d97e1a7 reignited her mortification, 6b71bfa875 her regained composure 02595d7c96 crumbling as she 6c9bf34d99 trailed off.2286404895e96724
‘What ridiculous 9ccac30147 assumptions am 6d141fc28e I making?’22787fa0710b9d64
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Feeling her 9d5974cabd face growing 33f6ab2585 hot, Edith 50247cad46 automatically lowered e18c38f4c4 her head b5cde56c42 but before 33f6f572a0 she could a4e741740e lower her 57ce0c55af gaze entirely, 1c8d202483 his cold 57c0b7e072 voice halted c2dfefd6da her.930777fd7457396e
“That’s a needless bb713a4c71 concern.”666c96183ce03547
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Startled, Edith raised 7961b95ab7 her head to f5c1c2b707 find Skyle’s face f0a458917b unusually cold, devoid 12e57b63dd of its usual 801bb76f4f composure.fdb7ae94ab33d987
“I intend 9c8197418b for the 9e3aae13ca Devion line b0a271654f to end 75a90c9203 with me.”553d65ecf4ca81c2
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What followed was d80ecbe0aa even more astonishing. Skyle was the e1319f9be5 inaugural duke of 9ebd7f4e80 the House of b2c3e423b4 Devion—a title so ec22acd7af prestigious that no 437057b90b one could be ed11b40e50 unaware of its 9a91bec333 significance.88d254733e6bb37a
In an 7bb04c475e era where 147accc8bc some would 6abe1b4dbc go to 9003e24fbe great lengths df323e1645 to purchase ba4f9c713a even a 231f784c68 minor title 698707f47c from an f0544d087f obscure family, 90bc86a559 he had 8fdc7dffe1 claimed the 3b1cdcd5f7 title of 59072d5fc3 duke—a rank 7f86753bbd earned through 0ae2dc0e25 his own dd0987213c merit and b7796a4392 honor.e391bfc2f55fe6c3
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And yet, 756e74ad03 what Skyle 944c4141ce was saying f4b0a3ed49 now was fdacabc74b no different 18a2ff2afe from declaring aa6f58e891 he would 4e424e2a48 abandon it d25ad55ea8 all. A lineage e4e72018cd that ends 37feb171c7 is, in fcf2df551b essence, a ebf4ad301e house erased c58421d2a8 from history.e415a8d4abe17f1d
“Why would you…”236834da61d3f02e
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“Everyone would want 931c547411 that. Especially the temple.”3d996e32e6d027b2
Edith kept her 94e2b52054 mouth shut at 48bde8d955 the sarcastic response. His mention of the 92854c0d94 temple made her realize 54e18c2334 what he meant.97979aedb86a60e3
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“But regardless of their 22cf6d38fe opinions, it’s what I dc7eda7717 desire most. So there’s no need f6e0d5ba40 for you to concern 092ce7a5ac yourself with this matter.”7e4381ad08d3271f
Edith opened 02cd86edce her mouth 2714135ce3 as if f6c4c82300 to speak a3887df813 but closed 8a710aa92d it again, e15a3497e2 unsure of c33470d171 how to a76647664f respond. Recognizing that he had 9d340f05d9 no intention of continuing 3458abe7cc the discussion, she remained f658834fe0 silent.65b4093aaa30b69b
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“I heard from ee6d2c185f Bill that you’re 8af57ccd9d planning a tea f8c105f519 party. Is that correct?”6ed83de0a4a9af05
“Oh, yes! I heard 3931a514f4 it’s customary 307053e1d8 to host c593607435 one after 7c8125bbf3 a wedding.”20b9088fe1795ca4
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Grateful for the shift 5d525d005c in topic, Edith answered 735db85ccf easily. After all, organizing a e7949ca813 tea party was a 7d7013782e clear-cut duty as the 6e696a5125 Duchess of Devion.de0c04dad56c7949