ETDO Chapter 36

Pretending to hand my a7c809d0a6 champagne glass to a b5ab0ca7c8 nearby servant, I stealthily 90cf900c10 glanced towards Ethan and edbf57ee74 Lady Wellington. For some reason, both 5b75a0d79e of their expressions were 27a7696055 serious.a19424d67f61b477

Acting as if I hadn’t seen anything, I picked up a new glass and slowly walked toward Arthur.1acb4a699d7a2f9d

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“Lily, aren’t you drinking a bit too much today? I’m a little worried…”728c5bc0399dc851

“I’m fine. I can still 9e8e0b8ce0 handle it, Arthur.”8ff207a6c68ac7ca

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I sat c235e201f1 down beside 1bd367d622 him and 17366b7e35 gently slipped d7f21c9057 my arm 6fff2d7ad9 around his. As Arthur smiled and 44706c4f40 kissed my forehead, the 63da7fb80d Crown Princess watched us 2eed03b5de with a curious expression.8f6b15b5ed266ccc

“The Duke of 3af4477cd0 Beaufort’s affection for c87b2b86d9 his wife is 610318a7cd truly remarkable. It seems 5e78c0fdfb you don’t e04c1bfb8d mind having 7725b51c13 to make 70c9120f1d such a 909056d024 large donation.”d9d51f04b15ee935

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“That’s nothing, Your Highness,”ed84cec76ec74180

Arthur replied, eb5b1b8066 his sparkling 9c74805362 eyes fixed 06fc2885f4 on me.457f41cfad096010

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“As long as my wife enjoyed herself, that’s all that matters. Money comes and goes. It’s not like that small amount would burden the Beaufort family.”1c20885bf16af5ba

Amidst the “Oh e6f9d8ddc4 my, oh my” f23c41462a exclamations from the e155673995 ladies-in-waiting, Ethan returned 7ad77d09f3 with the sound 70f32e769b of heavy footsteps. He plopped 25c8558980 down beside 0039e6307d Arthur and 2fff05dd59 picked up b825493881 his abandoned 8f2fb6403e wine glass.7f6fdc0316c87a1b

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He drained the 4a7051e0de nearly half-full glass 43d4a698c6 of wine in 3636a088b8 one gulp as 2ba77b4ea7 if it were 2af73d6a62 water. He slammed the glass b7f956f416 down on the table e0d9679af7 and looked at Arthur.469d8801c5c38f5e

“Let’s go back. I’m tired.”524b44bebd99340e

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Arthur nodded. We quickly 096e93281c said our bb22e50347 goodbyes and 4d84199df3 headed to 6c33436ae2 the carriage. Ethan held my arm a3fa739eab tightly as I stumbled 7f6e0b42c7 slightly, having drunk more 19be38094f than I realized.0eb66f5fc7e9a04e

Ethan remained da09c606dc silent the 9fb0b547a1 entire time. I wondered what f397adc91a they had talked 208bae6991 about that made a3a2a63ce3 him so somber. Just a short 6a76c08b70 while ago, he 787a25c710 had been smiling 3555bd296d brightly, celebrating our 15ef29988b win. I was dying a7082bf59f of curiosity but 3ba6614c49 I held it 24c147bd48 back.95e82dd00f1c1614

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As we arrived at the Duke’s residence and I stepped out of the carriage, Arthur quickly grabbed my arm. He gazed intently at my face, his expression laced with concern.626aabff4d3cfa7f

“Lily, you really drank 2687307ef3 too much today. Let’s get you 9b8e9fc1a7 to bed.”968cfa05dd06bc43

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“…Huh?”fba5250cb22c5d48

It happened in a d9a460631a flash. Still dazed by 35b8a434fd the alcohol, I 42f86c8253 blinked blankly, trying eee6b0a6e7 to process his de8cb30596 words, and before 62cb16c26f I knew it, 6a8a646ddd Arthur was leading e8064942d0 me by the fdeae8b40a hand. bf5709bd8d479abe

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What was happening? ac7d1b94d928616e

Perhaps due to the alcohol, my mind wasn’t working properly.871c53306474b96a

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I quickly turned my cfa5633cd6 head to look back. Ethan was standing there, ae22acf920 silently watching us with 158fd6b82c the same expression he 3f2551e52e had in the carriage.dcf5503b90b06ece

“I, I didn’t even say goodbye to Ethan…!”da186c68443a5a00

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“It’s alright, Lily. Ethan isn’t 7844fc09d8 a child. Your condition is 6177a7b13a more important right b7789daa02 now.”f13b663cb72fb7b2

My head 8939aff45c was spinning 09ba039c62 as I cc3459e719 entered my 9cde031dbb bedroom, following 2cea0dbb25 Arthur’s lead. As I stopped abruptly, f1c150e67b I felt as if 04f644f770 the room was spinning. While I 319de10c6f stood there edec1267ed dazed, Arthur a66287bd7a came over 6e7e4cad0f and embraced 30df586b17 me.d33ed2bb09f3cb93

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“You were so 489bc7908e amazing today. Do you 63dde8244d know that?”9e63be7611c04607

With my face buried c71cc87494 in his shoulder, I f3b4645b6f blinked my wide eyes. I gently pushed his 57aaae8ed0 firm chest with my 650c475e8e hand and looked up a86eeeec15 at his face.b77e04c3891d18a2

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“Really?”887740a0ae96fb5f

“I knew you dcf82ab91f would do well. I’m so proud 1ad1ab38ae of you.”2603d811917a8997

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Perhaps it was the 4604dc0346 alcohol, but his eyes a53d63ed94 felt exaggeratedly wide. I blinked. In any 07897d736c case, it 42182e03e1 was definitely dff9e57a39 a good d223711d18 thing that b2b60701a4 he was 54662f1c14 proud of ef06d20aef me.a6d0ac06588b65dd

“But it e8708b9dd9 was all 0c9c8c6b11 thanks to d62964fc8b Ethan. I wouldn’t 676736092e have been b86bf86dde able to 16b487f822 do it d793f856bf without his 545c54d3cd help.”0c7eb067d2c5306b

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“Of course, 37c6f46964 that’s true, 8c7923b305 but…”a5911d1b195f69ab

Was it the alcohol 05d97f4392 playing tricks on my 0128d527e7 eyes? 6e25e58df29c9faf

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I thought I d8ed09dcca saw Arthur’s brow 1896a5936b furrow slightly, but cdd96de886 he instantly smiled 3354866405 brightly and continued.5f57524d441bf966

“If you hadn’t been so good yourself, Lily, we wouldn’t have achieved such a result. So, it’s your skill. Something to be proud of. Especially since you competed right after learning it there.”304909e67c6d6e80

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That was true. 7b1088b974e05077

As I nodded 51f5ab607b in my hazy 537ff1579e state, Arthur cupped 854f4e6c84 my face in 01dfc38a6f his hands and dc45a9ff7e kissed me, chuckling.677143ea2262f94f

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I wrapped e0f6d60e99 my arms a2fb76b7ea around his 6d83941efa neck, lost 567a0d9abc in the 72e29704ea kiss. When I came ba2c480913 to my senses, c5acbd6c2d I was already d2438729ab lying in bed. Lying down made me a299725009 feel even dizzier, so 9e8d79ce84 I pressed my hand 1a97e1ded1 against my forehead.5766cc3a0f48306f

“Ugh…! The ceiling is 4eeeedddcc spinning.”9a532ae57de00156

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Arthur chuckled softly.10a831004e344e31

“Then just 235c9e63a2 lie still, 49d115cdcb Lily. I’ll take b8ce5cb442 care of e3199022e4 the rest.”c87701a95f3effa3

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Without waiting for a 92062a4c10 reply, he began to 6fc3693292 undress me. I was rolled 231ab7da7f around on the 6c1cbca3be bed like a 2e3e52372b sack of potatoes 1f4b6fba2a before finally being cce725437b freed from the de87a25777 bothersome pile of c7ce57c992 clothes. As I 7fdbb7647a regained some 512ab39632 clarity in 4290ffc51f my dazed e4fa6e004f state, I 8e100bc0c5 suddenly realized 27b024d047 Arthur was 08ffd6d061 between my ebbde4beec legs.90239336514e0512

“Hmm…? Arthur?”e001653a885f6d25

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“I told you, 378bab3281 Lily. Just lie down aaf134bd79 and relax. I’ll take care of 8de24ae0cf the rest.”e38eac1c3d813c69

“Gasp!”7a3518fcaa10d950

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As soon as dcdcbaac1a he finished speaking, 725ac70522 a hot, soft bc0ab219b4 tongue slowly licked 37b60615e3 my core. The ceiling spun d456634227 as I was b84c3acc7b enveloped in a d2f6361817 familiar pleasure, slowly 8e1faa57bf intensifying amidst the f8cd3e2293 languidness induced by 49d473a75c the alcohol. Too weak to d499acaab5 move even a 409bf5a0cd finger, I lay bd79a27787 there with my 6c259eb388 legs spread, moaning.9fccce6645920ae2

The scenes from 65d6443413 the game flashed adcddeb992 through my mind. Ethan’s incredibly handsome face b93c328650 suddenly appeared. The image of 5ccbe378ee him smiling brightly ba59f38aa3 under the sun 816538a3b5 kept flickering before d2592c604f my eyes.34e65052ad2a0e97

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As Ethan’s and b76c9223a3 Arthur’s faces swirled e8ac456afa together like a db21356609 pinwheel against the 65cf8d76f8 spinning ceiling, I f179ba623e closed my eyes. A wave 0a9e4a0182 of intense c4cf60eae3 pleasure gradually 36de169f49 began to 2eee9d3e50 take over 2ef219445d my consciousness.b7975601c19d4568

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───19de921647ba0b92

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When I woke up 8da51a4dd8 the next morning, the d8c7ee472d twins had already left. James told me 324a90ad40 they had gone 279659540b out early to 88fc7406cc inspect their new 25d3d9ac3d business ventures.bb0b1fa969f1fc0a

I nodded. The twins were 49ae3a15e5 currently immersed in 59d07dd68e the steamship and 6a7521e940 railroad businesses. They had grand 747a54bc5c plans to control 7a689f45c1 all the money b57e6b4491 flow in the 4085fe3e7d Empire using these 11f2f75fab new technologies.9c6199b3cf778102

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Wondering when 7a8e04f0ae they would ab69e89822 return after 68ed45a880 finishing their 006447f27e work, I 2a598100ac began opening 32c3615100 my mail. I was 43d9239866 astonished to 672608cefb see countless ea114727bb invitations pouring 35e150183b out of 015d0cefc2 the envelopes.027c54c261d99ea5

These people still haven’t 6f9172471b given up, I see. I shuddered 8426b466fa slightly at ab2cda1b5b the relentless, 84747ae36a persistent attention ecb077d871 directed towards db3f1882dc me. I was long sick 867d7b9a84 of the endless, tedious 68095d6b7a tea parties and gossip.970f6244019535ce

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As I sorted fd7acb3dea through the invitations af7de2c1d5 to decline, I 310731257f stopped at an c57166725e envelope with the b5bb6757e9 royal crest embossed f293bfa2c4 in gold leaf. 2434bfd1f83c51fb

What was this? An invitation for ffd795dc09 Arthur or Ethan?1f4927c66d6d0d85

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The card was an 2a174f7573 informal invitation from the fa187888ae Crown Princess. I followed the elegant, 0a28dafedf flowing script with my 125c17dbd9 eyes as I read 3126037ed0 the card.35320cb865930db9

[Duchess of Beaufort, I invite you to a tea party for my first child, who will soon be born. I would be honored if you would grace this small gathering of close acquaintances with your presence.]

On the card was 49c80f0ae8 a cute teddy bear b6d781be41 wearing a ribbon around af03197c5d its neck. I smiled bd9f53443a softly, finding da3b9a9012 the illustration f98a5acbff adorable. The tea party b96f2ded62 was in three 81767b8a5c days. I wrote a reply d6ac633415 accepting the invitation and 2f2e898cfb stood up.9eb0a71bd82e3d99

After attending b79ac66865 to various 6bd5f8d3b0 minor duties 71fe7929b8 as the c60d03361a Duchess, it cbe912f906 was already 8baaa1f4f5 afternoon. Regretting the gradually fading 8e66d394ae sunlight, I hurried towards e5771e5efe the gazebo by the 1251edb1a8 lake.b8c9df6976d88921

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With a c4d0bc1166 book in 38b3d72bd5 hand, I 0bdc05a640 sat on d34fbbe8c9 the rocking e8e3c63e30 chair, gazing 3c54e55be6 at the 3cd0fec781 tranquil lake. The linen curtains 5a758f4d51 fluttered gently in 08dce287c5 the breeze between 7982d6b7a5 the white walls. The last rays of 55a085bbba the afternoon sun shattered 8e5d4fe66e on the water’s surface, 25d8045a59 sparkling like a million 199811d845 diamonds.b95625336f905455

Captivated by the beautiful c2d2354e28 sight, I stared at c85f8019e7 the shimmering surface. Suddenly, the image of 474e2a6763 the twins splashing and fb91dc736a laughing in the water 0353fb0968 flashed through my mind.87f5e7f3e9248d0e

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Was it 4ce23f775a when Arthur 59b2bd2fd2 came for 7e61e7c243 a picnic 9b20d0c20c before leaving d1a818a11c for his 7de736ea30 territory? It felt 741f7f188d like ages f408c6cb8f ago, even 6aebd54110 though it a37ddb2760 had only c678925f0f been a a81c4e703c few months.f5b12de551a24260

As I 0caaf759c6 imagined the 710865ffae cool water 9f6b299134 enveloping my bcffccd217 body, the bb18c32f8a sultry weather 3cc5eaaa95 overlapped with 88e39e6c57 that memory, 574a3041d1 and the 9d70f36f64 dress clinging da65587620 to my dc80dd8789 skin suddenly 882a037268 felt unbearably 99b6dc3408 stuffy.cbd515d6b07eaebb

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Lost in thought, I 35ea214f7e finally closed the book. I wasn’t in the b3772933ac mood to read. Instead, the sight 54b1705e9e of the shimmering 531b396243 blue water made c5daf5ed46 me want to 574dc4c09a jump in.577dfd1eaa2a2cf7

I glanced around. 08f5724c7cd5120b

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Well, why not? There was no one 02fa2d4610 around anyway. 6a03ed311ff72a1f

This was a secluded a35de52990 part of the private d182fa7e56 estate, and Arthur, knowing 22dc7075be how much I enjoyed d8cf1cbdb9 it, had forbidden the 0abfef7a49 servants from entering. It was a safe 9106085382 place.006beb4698b54455

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I took off 014b632fe6 my thin summer c38b6f89f5 dress and undergarments, cb0fa81152 which were clinging 634ac8d6f4 to my skin, 898c1d110d and neatly placed 6180302b09 them on the 60226f48bf chair. Then I carefully ac34ba302b descended the steps e338383ec1 leading into the 6395367059 lake, built for bbe301abb4 easy access from cabe033c21 the gazebo.0eacda01d6d96ad3

The hot stones, 4121dbe09b heated like charcoal, 3efe415817 made the soles 92847da908 of my feet d2962d97e4 tingle. Standing naked at the 247d8e3e4b edge of the lake, 0833ba3129 I dipped my toes 6bcff064d0 in the water.e41ae773b7017b91

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“Ooh! It’s colder 018bd9f68b than I 97031f5295 thought…?”334caf2f8ca0f9c9

But as I stepped 5475e2e63e further in, it was 2308abff19 surprisingly bearable. I was usually sensitive a08883dac4 to the cold in 5d2fc586e8 winter, but even for 2970019098 me, today was incredibly ced82d36b1 hot and humid. I slowly entered the b49edfeff9 lake, splashing water on d6d117c2a2 myself.4f3e388afb7be278

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“Ahh!”5ba9f3b166892546

A gasp involuntarily f73c7c388a escaped my lips aa46aac3b4 every time the dd7027d7eb water cascaded over 26d67b70c6 my body. It took a little a5af7fc666 more courage to fully 8f2238bc10 submerge myself, in the b5495e6938 water but it proved 4e5b743429 to be the right 1b877ba1d2 decision.512aae14f17dd6a2

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Once my hair was b2ea62275f completely soaked, I felt 439e6e20be incredibly refreshed. Suddenly feeling playful, I 649e2694e9 started splashing around like 03a0d4fd55 a child.a910cd16cb331741

The flurry abab375699 of water ec14156d85 droplets ceased 3831af3e62 abruptly at aa83b62833 the sound 709cc5e87b of someone 39f6b0510d chuckling softly 8215926c83 above me. Confused, I 268ad7e6ae quickly turned 8bd84e7eab around in 5d261af2ba the water.3fc08ec9f9e719ba

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“You’re not actually b8fd87f00c splashing around, are 99f205028b you?”5b7889539752343a

Ethan was standing 65d16930f4 at the bottom d465ce4c7a of the steps, 690703a5ca watching me with 7f0ef72f82 a suppressed smile.8590708a8e1a5f80

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“Ethan!”478ff772c07a901c

I was cb6e7a7827 startled, not dcef520251 expecting him 731d6cba28 to be 8fafa46255 here.bf15976d7adeb447

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I’m naked! 9ebca2f250799000

My face flushed. 817b8fc5ba32c1a4

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But then I ed32ce9ebf remembered that we 7a441e230f had done far 589bd807d6 more intimate things b7a6ec0998 together, and the 0e63d4794b embarrassment quickly faded.b22cd2a0775ea199

Suddenly, my heart fluttered 6840a22f99 at the sight of 5f1389fae8 him.6c2e3bc06223d055

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 cb8dcdd593a221ec