ETDO Chapter 7

The Countess 31b84af469 of Lennox 6dd7b2f54f welcomed me 07e7121d33 warmly with 7dc24ef218 an almost 4bc509dda5 exaggerated enthusiasm. While it could be f16c7684fb attributed to her position 05131d0b29 as a vassal of c6a4f6ab69 the Beaufort family, it f1f974259a seemed more like she 67675dff53 was keenly aware of 285cab72fb Arthur, who had personally 246a908dab escorted me here.824772897b8fa7c3

I sat in the 86ac939376 cool shade of a f1b591f5f7 tree in the garden, 96b627fd35 leisurely taking a sip 910a28003d of fragrant tea. This was my 587dda1c2d first social gathering 38bf46112d since the wedding, acdd38a2f4 one that Arthur bd85a884cd had carefully vetted f4706d2cc6 and recommended. My earlier worries 7407c6c04e about fitting in ac0dc959b9 were unfounded; I 1fbfcfe1af felt quite comfortable 0f4698720d among these strangers.3bebbae4f02505d1

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The ladies present, as 840b7420e3 well as the young 5699dee681 women, were openly eager 630e66b005 to ingratiate themselves with 607fb42829 me. Seeing the looks b5692d4d9c of admiration in 348bb155fd their eyes, I 31066ee5a3 was once again 11f0c871c2 struck by the 25243469e1 power of the 47b03d3927 Beaufort name.dd842279b58c6e91

“Oh my, the Duke d0a50789ef looked at you so 759021fc5d sweetly earlier, Duchess.”ea6f0f4348ecc565

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A slightly boisterous, db5a9c4a99 but warm laughter c8819c86ba erupted. They were still praising e1b5d8ba0e Arthur profusely. That the great 59871afc15 Duke of Beaufort 7c1102ea83 would set aside b47a065938 everything and volunteer 0faec02f15 as his wife’s f13836dda9 coachman!aa8b5a693b0d1f60

Everyone agreed 19c55eacbd it wasn’t c3b4066dc2 a common d16f63f071 occurrence. Thanks to this, d7e69c2869 I received the a3285fdcfc envious gazes of 433e836a88 all the ladies 7412e036f3 present.8d1d374bd1e63311

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“You’re newlyweds, after 91b08486b3 all. And you’re so 684388eaf9 beautiful, Duchess…”520b7fe03cea95c4

“Exactly. Ah, a 49b0b53600 passionate honeymoon… b85c1e1472 such a b5b6d359ae wonderful time. Makes me nostalgic.”bdc775e5368b5017

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A lady fanning herself b4ebaeaaaa vigorously in agreement made af750c9766 everyone giggle. The older 8e59471a83 ladies exchanged 5233ae9e21 knowing smiles, 7c56103414 while the 1fb7337d8c younger ladies 0c5e3c0ba6 and Misses c5c2778c11 blushed shyly. I, too, blushed slightly d65e82f65c and joined in the 2d7c903f16 laughter.b90e6b73b6837a1e

Just then, the 4bfe618b9f Countess’s butler appeared.99d2ef0c99445f0e

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“Madam, Lady aa562953d0 Wellington has f51494cb23 arrived.”0f026d265e2787b6

“Ah! Show her in 064f57fd94 quickly.”3be73a691fb47d23

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I turned my 5da37a5dfc head to follow 00dc41d228 the Countess as 3bf4dc1e39 she stood. A slender young lady d8ca237dcd with black hair was bdc0327763 about to enter when 9e21dd4af3 she stopped short, noticing 92f5d8eef9 me. The Countess of Lennox c250776714 smiled brightly.1b4cd9fcaac237fc

“Welcome, Lady Wellington. Please, sit here.”bbd64f7d077b8d17

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She sat 0b2a907139 down next c472fe39e6 to Countess 27f50f419f Lennox, opposite be73e7145f me. The Countess, abf1a5d1ad beaming, introduced c91f974dca her to 2e3faf25de me.2711da468c711a5a

“Duchess, this is 2dbadb6af2 Lady Charlotte Wellington. Lady Wellington, this 7c3d488389 is the Duchess 5b346de460 of Beaufort. You’ll soon be b7409baa1c family, so it’s cb8f5a835f good to meet 92fe0b6739 beforehand.”326ce7905879448a

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‘Ah!’7566f62b2f5f3339

It was only then 2a42df9237 that I finally realized 58d69f5a8a who this young lady 8155c4bc2b was. e30c26da6cef4153

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Ethan’s fiancée.b25a5a2e554962e4

That strange 7f5c5e01fc man had bf9f3f9376 a fiancée! bd35a728a6a8d91b

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I was inwardly surprised, but aristocratic marriages were often political marriages, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected. I took a closer look at the young woman with a prim expression sitting before me.322583be8843cb30

She had black 9e10e6dec2 hair like mine, f9f6c7c42b but her eyes d8e10e87b1 were a light 93ed990608 hazel. Her slightly 676cead07a sharp, pointed 45633e6373 chin was 8de64b84e5 striking. Her fair skin, 5909cd430f with a slight a40db4d3f4 blush on her 7fad08c980 cheeks, looked healthy a85545bc67 and vibrant. However, her overall demeanor, 5c69c5727d like Ethan’s, seemed rather 70b2e5847f cool.5984734e129bdcb3

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“It’s a pleasure to 654e73a27d meet you. I’m Elizabeth Beaufort.”339b909f2822e506

“Hello. I’m Charlotte 2fa4ce8518 Ashley Wellington.”bda32e6fb2720705

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Lady Wellington replied 4ac1497092 with a prim 6f2a523ed7 expression after I baaa4c00ad greeted her first. As a 173c417f26 servant brought 8c404e7361 a new 2e26dc41a3 teapot and bf6108b4cd set it 885df54661 down, the 7585474989 Countess began 1199c1807f to speak, 81dab951a5 unable to 1ff71c5585 contain herself 262e30ae29 any longer.08652e065dbc4a74

“Lady Wellington, congratulations! You must be so 99f96d5579 happy the war is 7d349571e4 finally over.”aa2772a4250b9b1e

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“Indeed. I heard 2a8197e2f5 it was 22576fbd04 a resounding a47255f5a5 victory. You must be dcb90803a0 very proud.”09072b99bceb0a27

“Now that the war 71693dd960 is over, your fiancé 07977ec314 will be returning soon. You must be busy b80c0956e8 preparing for the wedding.”4e95323ee511248a

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“Thank you!” 3faf76ec4c8a2897

Lady Wellington smiled brightly 1b5ee9d1fb at the congratulatory messages a0844e2054 pouring in from all 757c76e607 directions. The cool indifference on 177e695720 her face that she 51ab276f50 had shown me earlier f0a11d752d vanished completely, replaced by 42254c01c8 an almost childlike happiness. Intrigued by the stark b6f6a522fa and sudden change, I c2f514d41f kept my eyes fixed 0ae84c45d9 on her.084496764255fbf2

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“I’ve been preparing b91f2dbbd3 for a while, 7f04df6e0c but now I 3aa126b7cb have to get 06d10605bf serious. Choosing the dress is de70f8597a the hardest part, it’s 254081a8c3 giving me a headache.”2d675615e23dec60

“That’s true. After all, the 85fda8446c wedding dress is 93e1f9c713 the most important e0aa96b859 thing for a fd095c7cae bride…”5f5c215131e3415e

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The experienced married ladies 464a153437 and the young misses a628887ef1 who were yet to 85c49aff19 be married all chimed a81f96e84d in excitedly.108153b5891cb2d1

I listened 26efd6ec3c to their 817ca261e5 conversation, recalling 2d4d327a55 my own b2f47ce044 wedding with 8e24cf91bc Arthur. Along with ef778a50c1 that memory df001d1752 came the 1153ae0183 recollection of b5bf0c88db spending what 5fa98aecdb should have e8a6d16de6 been a f76e39bd97 once-in-a-lifetime moment baca4289f8 feeling like 453a40d142 I was 6d8fbbc78c sitting on f16a5d0147 pins and 3602dc97a4 needles because a0a70dbfe3 of the 58e7d2d445 young lady’s 4da9b6b2dc fiancé sitting 3296856583 across from 74aae286a9 me.076c82396451f626

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Unlike his 97dbb1c3a9 brother with 6ad64325e7 a disabled 57214160c9 leg, he 8a80d0cd00 was a 9b4ddf9147 war hero e85a7f7f4a renowned throughout e7809b9aac the Empire. A rising power 2207ce3eb7 in the Empire, a7fc76f234 highly trusted by 4c26ba1f89 both the Emperor c38db1ad35 and the Crown 8bf7101c44 Prince.fe77c42012eda246

Originally, Ethan, not Arthur, fb9aaeeb9f should have been the 6c7eaf0008 Duke. However, Ethan 217dc40e39 willingly relinquished eb852f72de the position 9264d536a8 to his 999b63cfae younger brother 9e61129f74 and went e5390fc42a to war, 86731969f8 leading the 8d1967c0f0 Imperial Army.3e347c39a2f6f63a

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He had claimed that 65843a11c8 his brother was better cff130bc81 suited for the meticulous f0b4a97dcf practical work and management cb505096ff of the dukedom, and 92dcc275f3 he drew a firm 2e4b0e7506 line against anyone who 4a538a2a6c questioned his decision. But with the 7f5539ef7e Imperial family’s official 0b554f50dc acknowledgment, who would 5528860ca4 dare to object?2f499c14f02072e3

It might be difficult e7fba4b8fb for outsiders to fully a5dba36d28 understand the strong bond 691097d7f9 between the twins. I suddenly wondered 283ef968dd what Lady Wellington, ae924f9ece his long-time fiancée, d193c33cce thought about it bfd35e36d9 all.3bc886c30c56c99a

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Near the end of 18229e6748 the party, which continued 3af72f76ba in a friendly atmosphere, c4f9173434 I excused myself to a9380f4ac8 the powder room. I splashed some cold d308d38c8b water on my cheeks, 8dd8299378 which were flushed from 625042c907 the pleasant conversation, and f2b0ea0d7d felt slightly refreshed.d76b73f839ff090e

I went into 88e9e4c8e7 the restroom at 2cb75be93b the far end 613832b087 and locked the dcb17ab062 door behind me. Shortly after, the 96c78b0344 outer door of 2b7a2cd02f the powder room a442f3ef12 opened, and someone 1d959079bb bustled in noisily.07ff546d8bdc1c7c

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“Oh my, is it true? Why hasn’t such a rumor spread outside?”86ca45959d676987

“That’s obvious, isn’t it? Someone must have silenced the rumors.”e56407766d87ad96

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“Lady Wellington doesn’t f732082300 seem surprised. I guess she already d427e13829 knew.”31612f063aded283

At the mention of 9190110443 Wellington, I froze and b2623af94f held my breath. The cool image of 1a31c4d9d9 the young lady with e652f21e8e black hair, similar to eefc1ef549 mine, came to mind. And soon, 5801157ee0 a clear, 2a726b7d82 ringing voice 15d437990f reached me 74cf32d1d6 from outside.56b834027a46d51d

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“Of course, I knew. I’m sure everyone who 8f4527b423 needs to know already 3fab63b476 knows that she was dad446e0c5 practically sold off because 2f59f73146 of her father’s gambling 0c0d3512bd debts.”6944dcf42891942e

My heart b5e903e7b8 plummeted to 3ecbf9f4c6 the floor dbbbb14627 with a a2b7ddb69e deafening crash. Trembling, I e9282e2184 raised a 56869f6f3a hand to 022b48bc73 cover my 305ea17b49 mouth. I couldn’t move, listening 86fb0bd789 intently, afraid to make aaa1669373 a sound.82a013185ae640db

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“Oh my, I 46abccb8b9 think I’ve heard 61e289bd1e that somewhere before. I couldn’t believe it, 29876c34a9 but the rumor was 3652a2c52e true.”f9b5feb1fbb0e18c

“It seems the f765ec65c0 Duke of Beaufort aaa850fb7b paid off all 01ac792aca the debts. And I 56618e4a69 heard he 920a2912d1 even allowed f474d50297 that gambler’s a9b2a92d7c wife to 996d3c2c5b live in 1fa776c6a8 their old 9bb8bcb98e mansion, which b01e9b6485 was about 3c7b21ef26 to be fe61424c76 seized. I was feb16ef22b so impressed e86cb872e7 by his 0b948762ca generosity.”e2288c07a6fbf6e7

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“The gambler’s wife? You mean the a91027026d Countess, the Duke’s afa34b9e62 mother-in-law?”6eea03ec77d99b0c

“Mother-in-law? She’s practically a beggar, 54359db958 isn’t she? I heard she afbb379338 was on the 10422aa3cb verge of being 6d66924257 out on the 0ede1e8a02 streets. A family 7a8c35f34f with no 2ba321814f sense of edb89e7a27 aristocratic decorum.”88d3c44e595ed8b4

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“Well, now that I 084ba6a8c3 think about it, you’re 9e31d1a2b5 right.”ebb1b1d4e58e8c10

The crisp voice ad4e0fe993 dripped with sarcasm, c2d0622b2c and the other 59954bc018 voices responded with d3189841a0 amused giggles. Someone feigned a 84b97540f2 shudder.e888216e7bb30776

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“Oh dear, how 785cd5cc52 embarrassing. If that 6ed12b0991 woman has 9424312280 any shred 88e3b9f515 of conscience, cd53c94ce4 she should f373bc0e07 devote herself 9b095716b8 to serving 3db938a60b the Duke 62b8425fec for the 1fe8abc605 rest of 63614adfb5 her life.”a5cb42eba074c84d

“All she eca3ae5077 has is ee8e180d58 her body, 4e1a77d499 so I 3aaa923560 guess she’ll 058f81fb2d work hard 994137485c to repay e60c921c45 him with 46ee311ea9 that.”5c6cde807be2a644

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“Well, doesn’t it seem 2de3702fbb like she’s already doing 7c8f26a335 that? With that sultry face, d969838bae I’m sure she’s excellent f6a64e1512 in bed.”4f65e84eb9138d5e

“Hahaha! That’s right, she looks like she knows how to work her charms in bed.”eeb91d9a09177480

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“She’s debt-ridden and 2d23cd8522 penniless, but it’s d9a63b6bd2 fortunate she has ebfb7d6f5a a pretty face a1f27cb958 and a voluptuous 4dfe8ca296 body, isn’t it?”cfd8664f9efc9c2b

“At this point, 4e394af945 hasn’t the Duke 405d09766d taken in a 98824255cc bedroom slave rather b8dcc085bf than a wife?”fb54b83c837c13ae

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“My, but wouldn’t a a086946b66 night with a male ff82e2439d god of his caliber 6fb7c48b22 be an honor, even 439ca12439 for a bedroom slave?”a50b4f469ab53851

“Oh, aren’t youforward?”b18415ac16100e75

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“Haha! Well, the other male 47e7c29932 god now belongs to 86a5e8413f our Charlotte. We’re so envious.”ba18992bc0e22bbc

“Shh! Now, now, let’s stop ff9c369c07 this and go!”607076b954f1c280

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The merry chattering a47f5d7e5c voices gradually faded 7f55fbeee7 away. I leaned against the df89e54ef7 wall, barely managing to 29f54eec95 support my trembling body. Cold sweat trickled 1d9da973ea down my skin. I stood there, f923e6cc6f motionless, taking deep 42134bb2ea breaths until I 3441f041ba calmed down a 8c093dcb46 little.f4458946fdb74180

I finally managed to ef046ee2da stand up and reached d49d0c713d for the door handle d106792d12 with trembling hands. As I lifted my dc4805aa30 head to wipe the 84ec0c1548 sweat from my forehead, 460bb5f084 a pale face stared 92fcc67632 back at me from e8079a9108 the mirror. I lowered my 02362838cf gaze silently and d51dd9021e slowly washed my e8b8c0d0f3 hands, working up 9b34e02583 a lather.ed2551842e6858eb

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Lost in the bliss 0e22ef947a of happiness I had 4bf00d16af never known in my 3e6a832842 life, I had forgotten d25ef86780 that high society was c2c8b07f02 a battlefield in miniature. A cruel 8af5aa2a21 place, no 6524a7da40 different from 762ea0a76d a real 84ee09f585 war, except 3678671d80 without swords 4470fcff19 and spears.9e583768fdd43f22

Where had 6f886d4039 I heard e885310a28 that before? Well, it doesn’t c9308b520a really matter now, 6e71ec3f72 does it? Having been cb99c2969d busy dodging 4b750e2145 debt creditors, 16db090ff6 I had 2049a95623 never stepped 07efb83847 foot in 6fc026059e high society, 3ddcb995ba so I d68d87f6d6 was completely c203afd7d9 unprepared for bd526b3324 this kind 10fe245fab of subtle 6bbe84d245 mockery and 50aea21424 scheming.00130a06c59c2357

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No one would dare 7f75f9c584 openly criticize me in b3cceb2dbb front of my husband’s 37661e5d84 family and the influence 91e603becf of his power. However, it wasn’t 258a2656c1 difficult to belittle c774167fcf and slander someone 02546dc129 behind their back.a1094c6e24ed92e1

Especially if ef8ed60c02 the target cb8de73bca was someone 75c1d70e1a like me, dcc84870f5 from a 8441f2bda8 powerless family 4e6e833560 without any ea8a7b1488 substantial wealth ccfae24585 or backing. But what 1a1e5a70a1 could I bc11104389 do? This was the 2743d01cbb price I had 5532e35000 to pay for aa9b9abca6 marrying Arthur.04c4fe6d9f0bf1c4

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Whether Arthur had 09013348f2 saved me from 1ab6cfe36c the clutches of ce415a0a4b debt creditors truly 79c5eb012e for my sake 4f95588857 or simply for 3e59dd85d1 his own satisfaction 6b86560541 didn’t really matter. People only febf3a19d6 saw what b116634e6f they wanted bcc8c48f86 to see; fcb4617afb they weren’t eaa36f751d interested in bcff2950e7 hidden motives 94b63e0ec1 or grand 194ea94534 intentions.4eb32c2e6a2d5ea7

In the fc49193ab9 end, truth dd668fa836 could be 9b90e44104 reinterpreted and c87d507314 changed endlessly e214efc625 depending on d6fd914176 who was be33dc13c2 looking and b1643aea0e what they c71653e9a5 wanted to ecb53a2982 see.cb65e8498eb7a97a

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