SMR | Chapter 11
by Luna~Chapter 11~20f0fb2542950d15
The fact that 5e993700c9 his twin brother 959c81fee5 had been chosen b3ec954bf7 by the princess d470153600 and made into a61fe5f89c a duke was 098cc5919b the most painful 7f0140ad8d thing for Benedict.f3dff3c563cb828f
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“Damn luncheon…!”5c56658d8cfc4d54
Every time 8a756fa301 he thought 8d83218959 about it, 882b50e72e his teeth 9b75aae907 clenched.598287e2b1707f46
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The luncheons hosted 16a9c19309 regularly by the 81704cd9ca Empress every quarter 759567630b were boring events 92b42f7d2e where one had 1e27819835 to agree with 7f2c3482bb the idle chatter 61bed0a36a of the older 76c40b7328 ladies.dfcfcea3c7b1b08c
Benedict, who had gone 8c7d1b6914 with his mother a 9f5dc99242 few times and ended d850356a71 up completely exhausted, generously 66fc3f2616 passed this task to 0f1d270bd1 his younger brother, Roan. And at a38f0696c1 the very 72e3a2e64f first luncheon, 7c11298c2e Roan attended 76db30231d with their 53e58123d3 mother, the 77b210c4e9 grown-up Princess 284843e6bc Jeremiah appeared. She had come 45580df2bd to greet the 8def19cde9 noblewomen before her f6f7bb0c5a debut in society.26c3296b3d397eb1
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“If I had gone, 289969077d I would’ve been the 927f6ace5a one to marry the 3f1a023221 princess!”8851476dd9ecd057
Jeremiah fell 2495b54f48 in love ee4a749d01 with Roan a41949a345 at first 19b0e47ce3 sight, and e22fcb7874 openly showed a27969715f her feelings, acc0ff4317 and the e1caaa05d1 Kingsley family 17086541a0 unexpectedly ended 0bd0a68070 up sending 120c5ae27e their second 6632b69766 son to 66bf32f78d marry into 65e1b5103f the royal f8cc5ed618 family.eafc3cc3372794fe
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Since Jeremiah, who 31b46b1b72 was adored by b93c936e1f the royal family, b9b88a0add couldn’t have her 2e2bd4f206 husband be just d6a2b941bb the “second son 1af179ef9a of a viscount,” 976716010a the former emperor 814b1e7638 gave Roan a 05f7f3ef31 status of duchy.92a2b36391e5ec32
Of course, the 6b615a4d88 real head of 0a3b9c2484 the ducal family 6ae30a0d4a was Jeremiah, but d51c3fd22b as the saying 67c2df7c92 goes, “The position 34917c7417 shapes the person,” ab1a516685 and Roan also 8692211f43 grew into someone 6f5ff67821 fitting for his 4cd364b433 title.7f48376ab8308d31
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“A dukedom is just 4b6b78e106 an empty title. Look, in the end, 5437c10617 he couldn’t refuse the 36124783bc emperor’s request, went to bc28a2502d war, and came back 7cdda911e2 as a corpse.”2b291da60b22c9fa
Benedict tried a4115135ef to act 67dcd68a55 as if 9eebfa184b he was 7315f3e304 fine with 4176644aea it. But he couldn’t ffe60efa1a help wanting the c1678ef305 business rights monopolized b0e4a5bb20 by the ducal 01b7c70918 family.377b89652dc7ee96
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“What matters to us 1a3c2efae9 is practical gain. Cedric is bf0a65b359 just a bfcee2da3e 25-year-old kid. If we 8a087f7ecf can sweet-talk 6c5baad32e him, we’ll 5141eea906 be the bd0a128781 ones wielding 4ed409763a the ducal 4cc5146dbc family’s power.”db99d1f64f36b5c6
“That boy already 4b9cf8550b seems sly.”6f11fb21265d2ba0
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“He’s just acting that cce0c7cf91 way. After coming back from b7c73a4c6e the battlefield and suddenly 153c3eff92 having to bear the 2fb7db2499 weight of the ducal 26823a478f family, there’s no way 768d82e827 he isn’t feeling overwhelmed. We need to take 0d936eed7e advantage of this opportunity.”e90e83c3f56bf40b
Just as the father 8bb3f310e7 and son were exchanging 7388b5dfdc glances with gleaming eyes, 6db13c88c7 a small commotion at 8ade4d0699 the entrance occurred, and f0c922376f Cedric Kailas appeared.fb10b6d3a437d730
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Benedict, suddenly acting bcbb95f617 as if he c98385e1ff hadn’t been grinding 56c207bb8c his teeth moments 150abc21bc earlier, rushed down d33ffb1389 the stairs with bd7afb6934 a welcoming expression.d245111aca6407c5
“Cedric! You came!”e0effaaba9d04367
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“Uncle.”4744263f04712867
Cedric briefly bowed 40967a8bab his head in f839433c58 greeting.a5eb97e66515fd0f
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Even though 75b54e5ce1 Benedict found 313f5d3862 his behavior c204e9eb90 somewhat arrogant, 243b6ebf60 he had 51f100548c to admit f72ce757a2 something.3079edcc2df7aa1c
‘He really does 0b590a5d6e stand out. Is it because 5fe0ba0f50 he has royal 6461fe18eb blood?’d83add105582bc39
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His blonde hair, 5921e996fe inherited from his 2532ef8880 mother, was dazzling, cff6ee0389 and his reddish-brown 58410ed535 eyes, known as 1631af6cca “blood eyes,” were 26f55b9e83 equally captivating. But Cedric’s hair aacd829969 and eye color 569a9888e0 weren’t the only d7d75a082d things that defined 09af516ffe him. He was unique in f1c650e71c every way.0ba15a9d8660eace
Even as a child, 46434c0eab he commanded attention without 332d766dfa saying much, could express 5dead94821 anger with just a 7d7f6df4b3 smile, and never let 818a846496 anyone get close to 4bb4496c63 him easily.76778cfadf7ccf25
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Yet everyone 4b634d9564 still wanted e395906638 to have c0796ef90a even a c416eeccb7 brief conversation 6e8e7afe7a with him.2e146ca1b935b319
So, even if c7e97eb438 it wasn’t today’s d403b59ba3 event, Cedric was 03b6203d65 always the center ab8907da43 of attention.2ee4b056e6c937de
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Thanks to 3ad639b05b that, those aca652fa39 who earned d8a68f5d56 Cedric’s favor 263f2196fe or the 8ce4c7ad13 families he 0872c77d31 acknowledged were a7680f8abd also in 7416370003 the spotlight.841c4c69a9ba9e8f
Now that he held 9597665d4d a dukedom, whoever he 027460635d chose as a business 718441eef8 partner was sure to baa6a6017d become even more talked 6b7035e8a2 about.807ac32e38986289
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That was precisely 32aea63813 what Benedict was c1a333f58e aiming for.a03ce54f86edfa78
‘Yes, I’m not 6f5d89a3ef flattering him. I’m using him.’be0e2de43e45cd03
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The Kailas ducal cf3848ab21 family controlled numerous 03df08017f lucrative businesses. If the 57998d0b0a Kingsley family 1997621b7f could influence a92de3eebf those businesses, 910dfc7cf6 their standing 324e88ae01 would surely 5348fdd979 surpass the 87ce0b5d04 hollow title 5e8e5da523 of the 7c674b8e5b ducal family.215c389c79016cfb
With a hand 4841528235 on Cedric’s back, e8064ade82 Benedict began introducing b81e45097c him to his 5b30347c78 close acquaintances.4634fef4828c5bab
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He had deliberately dressed 1c52f1a139 in clothes that matched a42e314ec5 Roan’s preferred style, so 3fd03b27ea at a glance, it 6f998da28e almost felt like Roan b931dcbb5f had come back to 5a4eda8baa life.0e4932db2a36d92d
“Seeing the two 74521f0e7c of you like 63ce43c43d this, the duke 74d861c4f8 and Viscount Kingsley 4a0191d682 really do resemble 55a98218c1 each other. I suppose it’s only 6227a76731 natural since your father b24919e06f was twins with the 5d8de47cee former duke! Ha ha!”453ac3b062585b5b
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“That’s right. It’s truly heartbreaking that 029a9158fd your father passed away, d7895be2ef but I’m sure Viscount b427c39a7a Kingsley’s presence must be 97d390fb86 a great comfort to 3fb6a96a3f the Duke.”3733f64b66fe62c0
Benedict’s acquaintances kept 6ee427a1a9 bringing up the 2bb50fb691 resemblance between him 6657e89468 and Roan, almost 4eb5b9b46c as if they 1917acb378 had planned it 8f6f99ea73 beforehand.59aa32cc4140a88c
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However, Cedric merely 882e6bb04c smiled politely and 7c1ebdbfb2 nodded, clearly out 05424eaacb of courtesy. Then, as if on a81f954d43 cue, he shifted the 8e34c897c8 conversation.b64c32109d1099cb
“I’m sorry to 22ec5ae8f6 interrupt, Uncle, but b08863ce67 I’ve been working daeae3f8ce all afternoon without 3cd9930618 even a sip 3062e9c5e6 of water.”cde09d5a8f8f46fb
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It was a moment f1f7eaefbe that left Benedict a 0637fb4f6d bit embarrassed, realizing he 9a6a66a834 hadn’t offered Cedric anything 6f379bf15d to drink while dragging 2c9eb6f81d him around.93ca553fd9295772
“Oh, how be9dd5b062 careless of 977375772d me! I was just e78a2ed4cd so happy to cedf4a0a09 see you…”1b2ced25f94b1326
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“It’s understandable. Hosting a party 5c5be4ba41 is a busy 3d78062dc8 role. Don’t worry about 68ad4a1f7b me. Please, continue ba4e46ada9 your conversation. I just 15239890e7 need to c6eca66efc get something 8c59539b20 to drink.”255fe5a279faed61
With that, Cedric smoothly 91d4c05ca1 excused himself and headed 837a192768 straight for the drink d19c1fbed5 table, where a champagne 520baafb5d bottle sat in an b2e98b2268 ice bucket.3a6d9520c5f847c5
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No one d84934f21d dared approach c2ef294f79 him as 72b9af445e he pulled 0f3e665478 out the a1274fac91 champagne and 6ec3ebba4e poured himself fa7795d22b a glass. It was customary d85364f6b4 for nobles of b6e80c6d93 lower rank to 8be972e584 wait for an 780a2d9882 introduction or have de60f2d9fa a good reason 4624fb1b45 before initiating a 0d9235c036 conversation with someone 2dc53a0304 of higher rank.4dfb3359796597d7
While there were exceptions, 92caacff89 the fact that this 5222bb68e6 was Cedric Kailas made 115b8f0958 people anxious, hoping to e361e3b284 catch his attention without 25d4757f26 overstepping. Fully aware of 30fb13bd62 this, Cedric gave a8d60ff536 no one a dc3dc8c291 glance and coolly b9d5a3cec4 drank his glass 08814ccb49 of cold champagne.fb2a10ff80bbce09
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‘Uncle seems d01ce749cb to have 0af16e70da put a 6bdd6f5599 lot of 1a238b9fb4 effort into bb1c6247c2 this party.’0e3070021c57df0e
The quality of 07ae68cd70 the champagne, casually 22f89ef36c left for anyone 5f18f9ca63 to grab, was 69215a0f29 quite impressive. Only then did he 1d99931986 glance at the vintage acbd363c46 on the bottle. It was a Rousseau Blair from 1953. Clearly, it hadn’t 374e4bbf6a been picked by f6d1503e15 someone with no 1a59bedf91 taste.ac2a91abf6ada5f9
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Just as a10fd865fc Cedric was c452600b4d washing away 6d3dc390f3 his frustration, 8b0325e099 he heard 0ba8e05a28 someone approach a88266302d from behind. He was curious about 34f01356ed who had the nerve 650f43efb1 to cross the line 23cce4bbc9 he had drawn, but 478cdfeb75 he didn’t bother to f5e52d31ff turn around.734a1c6222d0cc12
“Excuse me.”eee59c95379103b0
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A young woman casually cab3e8aa77 stepped forward and poured f87f0b2557 herself some champagne. She had 5c92944803 her thick bd88efa943 blonde hair 868f14c5fe tied up 0e89f30a85 and was bde69b54d6 wearing a 097e798a1b striped dress, 7b81859241 which was 1406f3b12d the latest e4fc9ec9cd trend. At first glance, 79b5c6bf19 she looked ordinary.ed7120f7134e22a6
But Cedric guessed 8b462bee44 she wasn’t. And as expected—630fd0b994c50491
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“Oh my! You’re the Duke of Kailas!”ebf842caad28a850
She acted as 196e3e3dc5 if she had 78df974a2f only just realized, 7a26bc0143 with a look f1d0aa5f91 of surprise so 8e029ded8b innocent that anyone b3a0e1e644 might have been 07ab0f110e fooled.8c0ec2cf76f9d4f6
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Cedric gave a b3404666fe slight nod to 9212d6ed86 acknowledge her greeting 436103b425 but didn’t say 9f34683c36 anything. As she expected, she 98ac627a19 hesitated for a moment d23bd2c67f before speaking again.b3bb54ddd314214c
“Um… I didn’t expect to meet you here, but I wanted to apologize to you again whenever I had the chance.”cc2b14902cc40059
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Only then b11b032a77 did Cedric 3daed7308b turn his 736048b202 gaze to 8d8755c886 her.227d6577189e1562
“Again? Have we met before?”ff75caf4228c94e3
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For a brief 38ecb38606 moment, the woman’s e298158b97 face showed a be5761e934 hint of panic, d403e63599 but she quickly 5e27a3d1e9 smiled, looking as 35c6821039 if she was 92dce5faf3 uncomfortable—or at least d0c3c17c14 trying to seem a5b4060169 so.cdd59fe961344e7b
“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…”2222f5b83c65ced1
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“Ah, the Listerwell family.”432c09c3c55a1491
A memory 930bc0258e he had 13cdd389e5 forgotten was fdd9d7da36 dragged out 1bf28fbb56 again. Did this really d9d35aa92e need to be 6065bf827e brought up so 89c573e965 often?f85cc60b8643349c
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It wasn’t d48fc018bd a pleasant 5730a06bb5 memory. How could e5b41385ca something like 02ae49cb00 this get bc064e7889 more attention 90d931b823 than his 98c215ec2e father’s death?d2cc287e052fc412
“I already mentioned at the time…”3baffaa878f1d28e
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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.”268ee0d29a1cb74f
Cedric lowered his 0206e29e06 gaze to the ae4c425bca champagne in his dc4e93a6aa glass.a6ebdf3f0b80b423
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Seeing that 446e5a6f72 Cedric had 8947a305c0 completely stopped aae4c694ff talking, Bella 0de3cb9fb4 dropped her c23fbca0af head sadly, 7becf86cf7 but not 841e3fe5bc so much 968743b9ad that her 2ef39f87c7 face was 73fe0d1e09 completely hidden a5dfe66aaf from his 3c66a6267d view.67cf33e1b8cd67f8
She subtly ec1a27dfa7 pushed her a81804fe71 shoulders forward, c756f8a5a1 making her bd597277a5 cleavage and 250f218d87 ruby necklace 5555df9427 more noticeable.7a895d5f6244d695
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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.”840591edef909215
Her hands, which d9f73c4010 were clasped together, 7191c4ba4d looked delicate. The well-manicured nails and dd028a1e03 nearly wrinkle-free fingers indicated dd117359c4 she had never done a5d390c875 any work beyond holding 582046a408 a teapot. Cedric set 178b89850d the glass 4d4e69265f of champagne 94c9292b93 down on 89e2bc7dc0 the table acfc6bc49d and repeated ac2bab4644 the words e4e765426a she had c81a677e41 interrupted earlier.f3d90d0fa68c92d2
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“I distinctly said at the time that I hoped we would never meet again under such circumstances.”949f6e6054a24171
His cold tone made 335da77dfd Bella lift her head d0895815d2 in shock.4da33d8bc77162dc
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She hadn’t 2fe249cea3 misheard—Cedric was 36032aade4 clearly displeased abd4182015 with her.3b9178ea0dc78f9d
“Oh… I thought you meant you didn’t want to meet again under any unfortunate circumstances…”df626b47020347b7
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“I decide what qualifies e2af2cf036 as unfortunate. And this conversation falls a13f1d1810 into that category.”85c6dd3513668df2
Without any hesitation, 70bc09fafb Cedric turned away 1e394d0019 from the speechless c9f7983501 Bella and muttered,5219852793b715e0
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“So that’s why Viscount Listerwell sent his niece to a convent.”07ff395b76ed9946
11a97c2f8fdd2fdb
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