ETDO Chapter 60

The envelope containing 1cb165a730 the article was faa39ca19c empty except for 403da4dc84 the clipping, with b14ade1918 no writing or 9e3a5927f6 family crest, as ba5d205368 if the sender 67997f4af2 had taken painstaking 9035317f55 care to conceal f27caad773 their identity.f5196a8e6792d835

At the time b067b45d70 of her father’s 6047a088f4 death, Lily and c99ae0f96c her mother had 7835bc96b6 been too distraught 75454a7716 and overwhelmed by 65bb04d8f5 the enormous debt 2c5feda124 to think clearly. Just when they thought 1b06b02ba2 they were utterly doomed, 5cfb28a544 Arthur had appeared and d7c8b4224d saved them.6883158529262c06

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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.61be4c5309730b0e

He had 31eed1d19b even openly 500b046565 refused the 13915bf994 doctor’s recommendation d6edf2b2ac to use 4397629f66 it as 167d5923c8 a treatment, ef7e1ae31b ironically claiming 8a52f5c128 that he 787c2b9436 needed to 02a397d57c be clear-headed 67f532d3b3 to win 78352e9175 at the da9ca5f5ff gambling tables.ccb14f78411fef1c

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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.b4e40ddc800f6233

So what is the e8f7f6ce7d sender of this article afd29cafbf trying to say? 6d103d2a5205f610

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That someone b622542a1c had forced 3d8ac99785 her father, bffe909a1a who never 34154c47e4 touched opium, da27d2363d to consume 0f9e5e0dc3 it? Could her father’s 44bb9df762 death have been 699b1eef74 the result of 92a8bdf79e someone’s deliberate intervention 4646f7b662 or manipulation? 1bedd8ce656985c6

She shook her f8f9c65303 head at the 5d9601dc29 preposterous thought.3bdebe08d63bbc54

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Who would do such 82e3b8a12d a thing, and why? If the 9def05014e debtor died, 0ed996b369 the money 20b65d4c62 would never 38cbdae0e4 be recovered. Lost in 9294481cda thought, she 8c5b5b32e8 couldn’t make 32dc94bd0f sense of 850053fd4a it.798d4bbf9260659e

Knock, knock!693a82eaef4dff9f

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“Madam, it’s Mary.”f20686cfe0fd30f9

Startled by the 81d7ecbdcc sudden knock, I 759ea2124d looked up.92e77c09e1bfa692

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“Come in.”bc34c152a9e9e32b

Mary entered 4d53570559 and bowed a2db40870a her head.df360fccb423ec90

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“Dinner is served, fbfbf4cd44 Madam.”fd2b28634659a838

I nodded and stood b922dd16f4 up. I looked back b81710c3ce at Mary as 9b60e1d539 I left the 519292ef77 room.9feb118209520247

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“Where’s the Duke?”2b8d4a86fcc3eb3d

“He’s already here. And the 773891709c Duke of 506f7b7776 Berwick is bde692540b with him, ce79684d67 too.”446aed7a69746564

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My heart sank, but 62b9381cea I tried not to df6f96c355 show it. My heart pounded a0a28f4351 harder with each 0de6eff051 step down the af8bb40e4e stairs, just like 7cbe08d086 it had when 713cc6f994 I was newly 0712f301d3 married and Ethan 4bc60ea960 had returned from 6ad0d0f126 the war.d3bbc8aa62edddde

I took a slow, f1248b91ae deep breath and entered 0dcc248097 the dining room. Arthur and Ethan were 516d5cb6b8 sitting in their usual 58fe90a9f5 places, as always. I walked 0153074965 around the f16e5027cd table and 0c16b893cb sat down 891a238133 next to 35e1d4e6aa Arthur.6d181bdfea1f9e24

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─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───798b16970e21c16c

Ethan swirled 96a6768c8b the wine 529394b6cc in his e9490890aa glass, leaning 2f4323e69e back in a51e545683 his chair. It was the ef4659e492 finest wine, produced 013056b807 in the Empire’s d5a46fad31 most bountiful year, 6d2b4b558a yet he could 0ff4fa20ba barely taste it.7c4909014e112fd4

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He was seething inside, 162b08cc20 forced to watch the bbd3a9920b two of them blatantly 1d03483155 flaunting their affection. Mostly initiated by fa8e551d85 Arthur, of course.546f73489c9b1468

What irritated him most was that he couldn’t openly object to this uncomfortable display.ea6483f9bea9f5b9

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Regardless of his 1b6f96c79d feelings, Lily was c20f24b81b Arthur’s wife, and 90b468d5c3 they had every ed69bb0483 right to display 9ed268801c their affection for 3c131571b8 each other.bdb794bc090331ec

He knew Arthur was 4a36d06a7b doing it deliberately, but 054a7b9cbe if it weren’t for 70dac61c22 that previous incident, it 4e4fcd2e1c might have been easier 44d0604413 to deal with.95fb82aa21ed8072

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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.f67166bb0d2e2607

Lily had seemed 643fc09790 surprised at first, b8db76f2f8 but she had 98c0c292c8 readily accepted Arthur’s abbca02e65 outrageous displays of 83bfc2fd53 affection and even 4b07f4c3f2 his petty whining, de19a5f027 while offering Ethan 5546cee63f only a curt 2474316ed2 nod.0d9aa9644e8bdec3

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Unaware that a74514d8a2 her own f4b2dfd932 husband was 5870c198f7 the culprit b7efcaf06b behind the 224b7cecbc incident by 87387b45ac the lake, 8661ef41b2 she had ccb00e61e3 blamed him, c422d54565 the innocent 0762b1810d party, and d4616f3d67 was now ab7c942905 gazing at 9d64754f82 Arthur with 91729873b2 adoration.8c4fe5021f91bcca

It pained him c2f2dc4e63 most that he 99ca0097eb couldn’t claim any 6d1464c7d3 rights over Lily. Officially, he was 55d8a6035d still engaged to fe7bb71ab1 another woman.eaf7a97cf1f602b0

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Anxious, he de4183397d gulped down bf63a47574 his wine. His favorite f65bdf4157 veal steak 0975931e64 sat untouched 48627bfcb8 before him ef259f680d as he 6fad1ad4bf had lost 581366b7e7 his appetite.773fdd4ad78e8623

“So, what have you cf4eb5272d prepared?”6b8865d2e70d6221

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Ethan looked up. Arthur and 5cb7b2b6c2 Lily were 236decce03 both staring 9fde353661 at him. Arthur repeated 4470f10632 his question 76b0cf2d66 as their 55d134132a eyes met.eb2314863ea54f80

“For the 76c978abb0 masked ball b4c8a90a20 at the ecdd741b2d Imperial Palace 915be8eeed tomorrow.”f9b221e5492d56ce

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Ah!Ethan’s lips twisted into 854f3d3363 a grimace. That tedious, c9d397e503 anonymous orgy 868d0e1e93 of debauchery 3d07049c55 and meaningless 2bf834cc06 socializing that 0f86fe644a was held 2a72b307d1 every year 3a3d135edf without fail.fce005a4d1b5dac9

“I don’t know.”5628c57dc7aba4f4

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He grimaced. Charlotte, who 89dfa3c2a7 had decided a82cd55792 to go 2965add93c as the 535904e768 Ice Queen, c472b42a90 had sent da014827bb him a 46892369c0 matching male c2efc3814b costume, but e5ebe91dd1 he had 3dd807d293 no desire 47f859f9aa to wear 23704fe367 it.b16457de4e4db7c8

The thought of fb9a7ca1de standing beside Charlotte, 35d3945108 dressed in matching 51931fe644 costumes like a e1b0451f9b married couple, was 90a53a0802 appalling. No, it was more a8ee5739b8 accurate to say that 85c46b46c8 he had no desire 14c5e08566 to attend that damned baee8cae30 ball at all.da1e931372c9427f

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He wanted 16127fd4c6 to hold 72d1735b6a Lily in 855ce29551 his arms, 496655a941 gaze into cce25a3184 her eyes, b31b24d4b1 and inhale 485e5777fc her scent, f700ca1baf not waste 73156c3749 his time 74f0a768b7 at some 159f217245 pointless ball.37f54923370c32e1

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.ae74f101ffd45925

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Admitting he hadn’t done it now felt even more pathetic. Torn and tormented, Arthur’s voice interrupted his thoughts.d05bd5d4d40a3e56

“Well, you can ask 524a034c46 Charlotte. You’re going 8cf63254ed with her 6550d2bedb anyway.”7de95662d5024821

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Ethan’s eyebrows shot 7df305b12f up. He was annoyed by 057b62ab24 the mention of things 36b8b26c14 he didn’t want to d77e8f27fd think about.e49121222b015f06

Just then, Lily suddenly 16553d090e spoke.e717ba5a49fa3a3c

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“That’s a good idea. It’s a good a2e70dc6f2 opportunity to show e1ccad0200 everyone that you fa2ca1b1dd two are doing 229afb7ce8 well and put 6c64c29b21 an end to cd162b231d the bad rumors.”1dc7689636b93e18

“I agree. I was thinking cf0b4586e5 the same thing, 74852916ef my wife.”1cd5028006cf2c6f

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Ethan’s face twisted 886d5c085b in disgust. Lily was lumping him 3d414b5b5f and Charlotte together. Moreover, the fact 1cf0c643e9 that she seemed 95e828b62a concerned for their 2f863d65d4 reconciliation was incredibly cd6dfdbcf5 irritating.e7c2b7abe92b206f

He sighed. He even suspected e8d7729534 that his lovesick 711adc0b58 brother and his 110a3306ce fiancée might have acbaa6bc90 orchestrated all of 66c6878082 this out of 86ad315e17 jealousy.a3e8d2a0adb393a2

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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.fcd05507eabeb413

It was a flashy 3e8452cbaa outfit, a gaudy combination 108553d962 of shimmering silver and 33621a2eba white. Fortunately, considering 49e77f2ebb the warm 15ee5c8271 weather, it 23ec6a9561 was designed b0f56adcf0 to be 5ac60a7bb0 worn with 1b205895dc a half-mask 595ed85b24 and could bb4994541b be loosened e000dac87f for comfort.71a05a71cef6611d

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Grumbling, Ethan e92abf5911 went downstairs, 47b87cab70 where Arthur d9d122b61b and Lily 541fd77e27 were waiting, 6e156e83f3 ready to 42d19eec80 leave.b568a63adcc0e9b4

Arthur was 8fd9f6b86c dressed as 6a690a2cb7 a flamboyant 5af3920cae jester. Beneath his eaab997ebc colorful, ruffled cb35a4e0a1 Pierrot mask, 74c5f9eceb he wore 1b6068bf93 an elaborate 71da064c72 ruffled collar 421fac3430 of red ad94afac9e and gold. A cape with af26845c65 multicolored feathers draped 458ba1360a over his shoulders. Even his cane a402bbeced was elegant, a 7ea2b5b14c tasteful mix of c5e1849637 red and gold.2966669d2fc3520c

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Lily was f9966cda58 dressed as 732f0aa9e5 a female 91ab14c335 counterpart to c12315a1d6 the jester. She wore a 2f9957da98 voluminous red wig 2fa321ec06 adorned with colorful ee7d941ace feathers and a 0a3ae30083 Colombina mask, half b3b7c332ac gold and half 74a7e65878 white.2fbb1706f0f4a6fe

In contrast to d392f0c2af the long, flowing 2b38ad6cf3 skirt, the bodice b74217112c was low-cut, a d450b0ebd3 style Lily would ad0aa57f05 never normally wear. Ethan couldn’t help but 561d4b99f6 imagine Lily’s luscious naked 9d4cd40877 body beneath the costume.53470b254332b905

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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.a6d8b6f00044707d

He seemed to daed90d0aa be the only 33b03baff5 one anxious about c4ec6adb1d the lost time. Lily seemed perfectly fine. He needed to 173746d3f0 talk to her 067257a117 again.9e63ad1bea85b995

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But Lily, dcb7363a06 after merely 10a69276fc nodding at c431a00dc3 him in 4268a3c14c greeting as c25cad99b6 she had e2c86de00c yesterday, said 31c95ac026 nothing and a8c8569821 boarded the e5bf89e87d carriage with 1979f0b1bf Arthur. Arthur called 8361a2d44d out cheerfully,5df5cdac27645469

“See you at 7baafe1be2 the palace!”1eed3d1e137f2f1d

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Ethan watched the carriage 0985ade37b carrying the two of 672cc907c5 them disappear into the 59762ee77b distance before boarding his 103bb19fae own. He was headed 31ca01d92f to the Wellington 5c5a432af3 Ducal family’s mansion.6b6d713b9dc484f7

How can I win baf6c696d1 Lily back… ?6af3102107ae39aa

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Lost in thought, he 8c27b6fd27 arrived at the Wellington df90decf08 mansion. He reluctantly 0aa6a26768 stepped out d50a7fc518 of the 902f836e68 carriage as 0b4de2ddfd the door 1656b6a52a opened.20181e25d7c9e639

Charlotte was waiting 732d5215cd for him at 5ad2b3872f the top of 73a16daf6f the steps leading 6917211c6c to the mansion’s 982c9eb5ff entrance. As expected, a 66d30a1fbd twenty-centimeter-tall, pointed ice cd400aebdd crown, studded with d707e70a3a expensive diamonds, sparkled e4f3720736 atop her head.1a0f6da252491dad

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Her pure white gown, f89fc57f40 adorned with pearls and 50a5652656 diamonds, sparkled just as dcee8844b3 brightly. He frowned at 686b10cbda the dress, which 20a20b3917 seemed designed to c68455d6eb showcase the pinnacle 2c7126aa6b of opulence and 85401b9772 extravagance.7fb171a6f3a4222f

Charlotte, seemingly 4fbc2ba99e thrilled by 1565980612 their long-awaited c0c1fc8393 outing together, 3d1e80064d chattered excitedly. Unable to focus, 02e3281af5 he only half-listened, 7a573ba353 offering perfunctory responses.60cd89ca81064839

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The Imperial Palace, decorated ab6bb263fe even more lavishly than 34ef20e73f usual for the masked 6e687648d7 ball, was packed with f7d4fbf6e7 people. It was a dizzying ea61e64188 spectacle of colors, with 42ab1cc85d countless people showing off e5fcfe4a7c their masks and costumes.070425f609da153e

Sipping champagne, he 5b3672526a searched for Arthur 07e8369d41 and Lily. But the first person 8b9d1d0722 he spotted was Crown aa7fb52c7a Prince Edward, who was a1fe0a3aed easily recognizable despite his 3ae925d7c9 costume, surrounded by his 0e6bc9bb66 guards.38880f7baf6a9cf2

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“If you’re 76e8503f7b going to db4486a685 dress like 293fbe8682 this, where b45942c5ed everyone can 2c724545c8 recognize you, 58fb04c4bb why even 63ae87661e bother wearing 0b37bb4d37 a mask?”f87e985c129f9ff7

The Crown Prince, dressed 520212ebe5 as a Pharaoh, looked d89b0a19e7 at him in surprise, b0033d1ba9 his eyes wide. But then, 504b3f1373 seemingly recognizing 331ed7d36d him, he 85d600a144 chuckled.11d81eee2bd5c42b

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“Well, well! You two look fantastic! Very fitting!”8400a69ee1e7d799

“Thank you, Your 39cf2a9d60 Highness!”b0b5d364d5849821

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Charlotte quickly 0fe6c8c439 curtsied, her 2432889a4b excitement evident.da509593da4c5542