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Lucia
루시아

Lucia grew up not knowing she was a princess.

But when her mother died, she entered the palace and had the
chance to see her entire future in a dream.

In her dream, when she reached 19 years old, she was auctioned
off to the bidder who offered the highest dowry. Her life became
miserable from then on.

When she woke up from her dream, she was determined to

reshape her future, realizing that she had plenty of time before the
crucial turning point.

Thus, she begins her journey to change her dark future.

Author(s): Covering The Sky, 하늘가리기

Artist(s):
Year: 2015
Country: Korea
Genres: Adult, Drama, Fantasy, Josei, Mature, Romance, Slice of Life,
Smut, Supernatural
Tags: Arranged Marriage, Character Growth, Charming Protagonist,
Fated Lovers, Female Protagonist, First Love, Handsome Male Lead,
Jealousy, Maids, Marriage, Nobles, Possessive Characters, Pragmatic
Protagonist, Royalty, Second Chance, Slow Romance, Special
Abilities, Time Skip
Source: Imported

ASIANOVEL VERSION: 3.9

PDF VERSION: 1.4
UUID: 91d39700-748d-11e9-87d3-2d327742be8a

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USER: SerenXing
DATE CREATED: 2019-05-12
LANGUAGE: English

More info and chapters: https://www.asianovel.com/series/lucia

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Chapter 26
Source: Imported

— Ducal couple — (12)

TN: I love love love this chapter . Going back to old formatting just
cuz .

As the words left the Duke’s mouth and he looked at them, the
people around quickly flooded out of the receiving room, leaving
Hugo and Lucia alone .

There was a brief silence between them as they sat side by side on
the sofa . He suddenly realized that this was the first time they had
ever been together at this time and in this way .

“Why did you lie?”

“…I did not lie . ”

“You are hiding the truth from the doctor, aren’t you? Not
saying it is the same thing as lying . Why are you trying so
hard to lie when you can’t lie properly?”

‘How did he know?’ It was as though he was reading her mind

when he looked at her .

He wrapped one arm around Lucia’s waist and pulled her into his
arms then spoke like he could see inside of her .

“Your expression says ‘how did he know?’ . You can’t lie,

it’s too obvious . ”

Lucia simply wanted to escape from this situation . She twisted her
body as she pushed away from him and stood up from the sofa .

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“…It’s a busy time for you at work yet you were interrupted
. I’m sorry to have bothered you . ”

He watched the standing Lucia silently for a moment as he

remained on the sofa then spoke fiercely .

“Do you blame me for being here?”

“You don’t need to be worried . ”

“What?”

“I won’t get better anyways . ”

He caught her wrist, pulling strongly and Lucia couldn’t help but
fall into his arms .

She tried to struggle and get up but one of his hands held her arm
in one place while the other hand held her chin, forcing their eyes to
meet .

“What do you mean by that? Why should I be relieved if

you won’t get better?”

“Didn’t I tell you from the start? That I cannot have

children . ”

Watching her wavering amber eyes, his red eyes also wavered .

Lucia twisted her chin and shook off his hand . His hand which
awkwardly hung in the air for a bit, fell down .

She also moved and pulled out her arm which was held in his .
Hugo felt bewildered in the face of her rejecting reactions .

“You weren’t interested nor did you ask why . ” (Lucia)

“…”

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“Why are you suddenly curious?”

He had only asked if she could prove it .

After that, he never asked if she truly could not have a child or if
somewhere in her body was ill . Lucia thought that he had
completely forgotten about it .

That his interest in her was only to that extent .

Therefore, it was pitiful that as the days went on, she could only
continue to hope that her heart that was running to him would
harden .

“Suddenly, huh . Is it bad for me to be curious?” (Hugo)

“Then I’m grateful . ”

“…Don’t say it like that . ”

“I apologize . ”

Looking at her appearance as she gave short and icy answers then
shut her mouth like she wouldn’t say anymore, his red eyes enlarged
and flared up .

She was doing things she’d never done before and it was poking
his nerves . He did not want to raise his voice as it

“Vivian, do you want to quibble over something of the

past?”

Lucia’s chest sank in disappointment .

‘If you call it something of the past then I can’t say

anything . ’

For him, it was just something of the past . Lucia just quietly shook
her head .

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“Right now, I am concerned about your body so, explain
the exact symptoms to the doctor and get treated . ”

His tone was even more affectionate than usual .

Even though she knew that he didn’t really have things like
kindness or tender affection, every time she heard his affectionate
voice, she would be entranced as though she had heard a love song
then would wake up like she had been doused with cold water .

“I don’t want to do that . ”

“Why?”

“If I do that, you would be troubled . ”

“Why would I be troubled?”

“Because you don’t want me to have children!”

Her voice suddenly grew loud .

“…”

For a moment, Hugo could not say anything . It was not that he
didn’t want her to have a child but that he did not want to continue
his bloodline itself .

And as to whether she could have a child or not, pregnancy was

impossible .

But to make her understand that, he would have to tell her about
many things that were hidden .

However, he did not want to dig into his memory and talk about
those things again . To him, those things weren’t just past events but
a chilling nightmare .

Staring at Hugo who went silent, Lucia took his silence as

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confirmation and tried not to let her emotions get out of control .

“I misspoke . Accurately speaking, you’ve never had any

interest . ”

It was her intuition as a woman . He never wanted a child from her

.

Despite that, his actions were contradictory as he never used any

contraception . Lucia was rather bitter in that regard .

He wasn’t even that concerned about it .

She wondered what kind of attitude he would have if she had

gotten pregnant by chance .

Whether he would take the child away, have no interest in the child
or perhaps turn around and never look for her again .

Whatever choice it was, they were all terrible .

“About having no interest…” (Hugo)

‘Isn’t that you?’ Hugo mumbled inwardly . She had not even once,
asked him about Damian . But, no matter how brazen he was, he
knew he did not have the right to question her about that . He was
married to her because he needed a mate not to take care of his son,
they didn’t have a contract for that .

“I didn’t know you hoped for me to be interested . ”

Lucia’s heart sank down heavily in her chest . Somehow, looking at

him, he seemed tired .

‘No!’

Already, from the moment he said that he could see through her
lies, she had been full of anxiety .

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Her nerves were on edge, thinking that her heart could also be
read .

If he were to have an inkling of it and say something cruel like

what he had said to Sofia Lawrence at the victory party that day…

‘My heart will burst . It would hurt so much that I’d rather
die . ’

He was a man that was tender to a woman

Just like he’d done for her, how many lovers in the past had he
smiled with and given presents to?

It was because of this tenderness that those women, when they

were notified of their break up, could not throw away their lingering
attachment and clung to him .

‘I don’t want to become one of his past women . ’

It would be good to live like this forever . Just like this . A fully
materialistic life . A husband that gave her tender smiles and held
her passionately every night .

She would not be greedy for more . Her sweaty fists were
clenched tightly .

“I…don’t hope for anything . I have not forgotten my

contract with you . ”

— Ducal couple — (12)

TN: Last one for the week . This one is finished anyways so here
you go~

Lucia hoped to look natural as she avoided his gaze and drew back
a little from his arms but he was watching her sharply .

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“Ha . Right . The contract . ”

He gave a fake laugh and frustratedly swept through his hair .

It seemed to be only him that thought of forgetting about the

contract and pushing it to a corner . She was obviously still strongly
bound to its tenacious ropes .

“I can enjoy freedom in my private life and you would keep

the door to your heart locked . That was our contract, right?”

He once again narrowed the distance that she tried to make as he

grabbed her waist and pulled her in .

In this way, Lucia’s efforts were very easily undone . She was once
again positioned in his embrace .

“But did you know? We didn’t decide on what would

happen when someone does not keep to the contract . ”

“Are you worried that I won’t keep to the contract?”

“Really, why are you like this? Why do you exaggerate my

words like that?”

“…I’m sorry . I guess I twisted it a little . ”

For a while, Hugo looked at his wife who seemed unfamiliar . It was
not his usual wife that listened obediently .

Moreover, she kept avoiding his eyes showing rejection and

separation .

‘The first time I met her…I didn’t say any word of support
but she just went ahead and spoke . ’

Perhaps, this was also her .

There was no way he could have seen sides of her that she never

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showed to him .

He originally didn’t like the fact that their conversation was being
prolonged but he was rather pleased to see a new side of her .

It felt like he could see the real her for a moment other than the
sight of her gently smiling and laughing .

“If I…give up on my freedom in my private life… will you

also release the lock on your door?”

“…Huh?”

Lucia’s eyes grew round as she looked at him .

She couldn’t understand what he intended to do by saying that .

Was this a trick of a playboy? He—

“I mean…”

He had an awkward expression as the slurred the ends of his words

.

“Get treated . ”

Lucia was disappointed at the change of topic .

“I don’t want to . ”

“Vivian!”

“I cannot have a child so it’s okay for me to be unable to get one .

But if I get treated, is it okay for me

“…”

He sighed and massaged his temples with his fingers .

Even if her body got better, she couldn’t get pregnant . His Taran

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bloodline made it impossible for him to get just any woman pregnant
.

Without fulfilling the conditions, the bloodline of Taran would not

grow in any woman .

That was why he enjoyed himself with several women and never
worried about the dangers of impregnating them .

Only a normal woman, one that did not possess the blood of Taran,
could meet the conditions to conceive the blood of Taran but as to
what those conditions were, only the old man knew .

He drove the old man to live outside the castle walls and looked
through the documents he had but there was nothing related to that .

Maybe it was just in the old man’s memories or maybe there was
another document about it, hidden somewhere nobody knew about .
And so, to find out, he had simply and easily caught the old man and
beat him up .

The old geezer that had claimed he wouldn’t divulge the secrets of
his family and held on without speaking, opened his mouth once he
was imprisoned and realized that he would never see the sun again .

[The male of the Taran bloodline who will become the

father of the child has to administer his blood for over a year
to the woman and then deflower her . ]*

It really was a sickening condition . That condition also had to be

completed before the woman was deflowered .

His wife was already on the wrong path . Even if it was possible to
get pregnant regardless of such conditions, he never intended to
leave a successor behind .

Just imagining an existence left in the world with his blood made
him feel like he had steeped in shit .

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Even though he was not at risk of impregnating anyone, it was his
habit to ejaculate outside as he hated the idea of descendants that
resembled himself .

But he unexpectedly met her . She was different from the start .
Why was she an exception?

She was the first to make him hug, release into her and enjoy the
after play . He had felt the satisfaction at planting his seeds inside of
her .

He acknowledged that his indifference had hurt her . Under normal

circumstances, she was very likely to be pregnant .

He had forgotten that she couldn’t have a child and did not show
any concern as to whether or not she was pregnant .

Her words asking why he was suddenly curious was full of

resentment and bitterness .

It was fragmented information but being able to see her wounds

sent a tingling sensation around his heart .

“If I get treated, I want to have a child . Even so, is it

okay?”

She cannot get pregnant anyways . He could tell her that she was
allowed to have any amount of kids she wanted .

That any amount she wanted was good . If he said that then she
couldn’t blame him afterwards if they didn’t have any children .

However, he didn’t want to deceive her that way . Even if he

couldn’t say the truth, he didn’t want to lie to her .

“…I don’t need a child . ”

“If it is because of the succession issue, then I

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“It is not because of that . I…I don’t want to leave my mark
.”

“You already have a son . ”

“That one—!”

There was too much to explain for that . The only one left who
knew that he wasn’t Damian’s biological father was the old man .

There was no end to it once the dam was opened . He did not want
to share the secrets of Taran with anyone .

He was not going to tell Damian either . He would embrace that

knowledge alone and bury it with himself .

“He is…He’s a little different . You…I didn’t know you

wanted a child that much . ”

He realized that he really had only been looking at her exterior . He

didn’t know what was inside her heart at all .

“I’m sorry . I know the wife you want should not be such a
woman . ”

“Vivian . ”

He sighed heavily .

“I don’t mean to criticize you . I just didn’t know so I am

surprised . ”

“When we first talked about marriage, you said you don’t

care if I bear a child . ”

“That’s…”

It wasn’t that he didn’t care but he knew that she couldn’t get
pregnant anyways and he didn’t feel like explaining it, after all at the

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time, he only needed a mate . A wife was just a freebie .

“You said you wouldn’t divorce me . ”

Instantly, he became alert, his eyes flared and he snarled .

“Divorce? That’s impossible . ”

Hearing the word ‘divorce’ come out of her mouth, his insides
gradually began to boil .

“I told you from the start . No divorce . I definitely said that

even if I die, you won’t be able to escape . ”

“I know . The tradition of the Taran family . Of course I

remember . But there is no tradition of not having children . ”

“A child or a divorce . As you asking me to make a choice?”

Her amber eyes trembled intensely .

Lucia turned her head away from him as her eyes stung as if tears
would fall . To her, his words seemed to be asking her instead to
choose one of the two .

“I…didn’t mean it like that . ”

“Vivian, why can’t we keep being like this?”

“It is just my greed . I wish to have someone with me when

I am alone . ”

“Why would you be alone?”

“Surely, you aren’t saying that you will be with me

forever?”

“…What?”

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Looking at his expression akin to someone hearing a foreign
language, something lit up from deep within Lucia’s heart .

His manner of speaking too, as if to pacify her, was irritating .

‘Even though he had no interest in what I think! Even

though all he wants is an adequate and comfortable wife to
push to the side!’

She wanted to see him wounded and hurting .

Even if she couldn’t make him hurt no matter what she did, then at
the very least she wanted to make it awkward and difficult for him .

Such wicked thoughts uncontrollably rose in her heart .

“You don’t love me and I will never love you . So, what is
there between us? How long do you think this type of
relationship will last?”

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Chapter 27 Part 1
Source: Imported

‘So what?’

Lucia expected him to answer that way .

Or say ‘What do you want me to do?’, ‘Wasn’t that the case from
the beginning?’ She expected him to have a cold expression as he
answered in an unfeeling manner . She worried frantically if she
could return an answer even colder than what his reply would be .

Truthfully, she did not want to hurt him . She initially thought that
was really how she felt but she realized that she truly did not want
him to be in pain .

Lucia’s heart sank as she watched as a moment of inexplicable

despair appeared on his face . She watched as the steel-like man
expressed his pain in such a way .

He struggled to breath like a fatally wounded animal then he slowly

closed his eyes and opened them .

Her heart desired to reach out to him and comfort him but her
body was frozen at the sight of him .

She couldn’t wrap her mind around it as the hands holding her
tightly trembled .

She couldn’t make herself move or say anything and it stayed like
this for a short while .

He laughed bitterly then stopped and in that moment, it all

disappeared like a mirage and his expression returned to its usual
somewhat deadpan state .

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The momentary glimpse of his emotional state before it
disappeared like an illusion made her feel both confused and
frustrated .

It made her feel as though she was trampling a soft cake .

“…Right . You already see the end . ”

His voice was much calmer than it was cold .

‘He…’

Lucia felt like she had truly seen him for a short moment .

His always cold expression and tone was his armor . His coldness
was not because he didn’t feel anything but to hide himself so he
wasn’t exposed .

“Just now…” “What?” She wondered if she could have possibly

dreamt for a while .

Even

As she continued to silently stare at him, he opened his mouth and

spoke .

“I see . It was finished from the start . This is what you

meant when you asked me to send you a rose flower, right?”

When he mentioned rose flowers, Lucia’s blood ran cold and she
returned to reality, taking a moment to scold herself .

She was currently at a significant crossroad with him . What had

started as her grumbling had at some point become something that
was too late to turn back from .

“Yes… you’re right . ”

She didn’t want to cling to an invisible ending so she asked him to

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wake her up with a rose flower .

She felt that if he announced their end by sending a rose flower,

even if her senses had flown away for a bit, the shock would get her
back to her senses .

“If you receive a rose flower from me, what were you
planning on doing?”

Thinking that he was perhaps sounding out her feelings, her heart
cooled down . She quickly took control of her slightly indecisive heart
.

“That… I haven’t planned on doing anything . As you said,

that would be the end . There is nothing after the end . ”

“There…is nothing . ”

He quietly repeated her words then spoke up .

“Is your condition unbreakable?”

“…Yes . I already promised you that I would not break it . ”

Her love was a love where it didn’t matter to her if it got returned
or rewarded .

Lucia never wished for that . Even in an estranged parent-child

relationship, one sided love existed .

It was an impossible love between both of them .

Even if one initially starts out with self-satisfaction, someday, one

start to wish for the other to answer,

In this way, Lucia gradually hated him but she did not want to be
eaten up by that hatred .

“…”

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Hugo knew he was being excessively greedy . Her words were
correct . He knew he couldn’t return her feelings but he was
shamelessly greedy for her heart .

He found out more about her in this brief conversation than he

found out in the few months that they had been married . He had
been indifferent .

She did not show it but he had no right to be angry .

There was nothing about her physical condition in the report that
Fabian, his very capable investigator, sent after researching for
about a month or so .

The fact that she could not have a child was a secret that no one
else knew but she had confessed it to him .

She already revealed a part of her heart to him a long time ago,
but he threw it away . He brushed aside the hand that she had
cautiously held out to him a long time ago .

“There will be no divorce . ”

“…Okay . ”

“You are my wife . ”

“…Okay . ”

“No matter how it ends, you cannot change our

relationship . ”

“Okay . ”

Her short and submissive answers were irritating his feelings . He

grabbed her shoulders and knocked her down . Her body lay on the
sofa displaying no resistance as he towered above her .

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“Do you know what your answers mean?”

His hand grabbed her chin and his fingers slowly caressed her
soft lips . At his mellow touch that held sexual desire, her eyelashes
shook .

He was saying that regardless of her feelings, if he wanted, she

had to open her body to him . Lucia avoided his gaze and replied
while staring at the air .

“Yes . ”

Hugo stared at her with

‘Excellent! You got yourself a perfect wife . ’

He ridiculed himself . Just as he had hoped, he got a wife that was

just like a doll . She was his . She was his wife .

But what he really had was her shell . And from now on, he had to
continue living with and embracing this doll-like wife .

She kept a shell of herself here and hid her true self somewhere he
couldn’t reach . But what was the problem? That what he had in his
arms and what he could see was simply just a shell?

But it wasn’t about her heart . Even if he had her heart, what could
he do with it?

He could hold onto her and keep her by his side for as long as he
wanted without it . Just because he didn’t have her heart didn’t mean
she was going anywhere .

Suddenly, Hugo realized something he couldn’t see before . He

realized the reason for the anxiety and despair that had overcome
him before .

Anxiety because she wasn’t greedy for anything he had and left no

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traces therefore she could leave without any hesitation . Despair
because he couldn’t open her heart which had been shut tightly .

No, the real anxiety and despair that he felt were not from these
things . It was anxiety and despair about his wavering self .

Before he even realized it, his heart was in her hands . The worst
outcome he never wanted had crept up on him .

After he became the Duke, he had thoroughly followed one

principle . Only give back as much as you receive .

That was why he rejected the love that women gave to him; he
could not return it .

Love and Hatred .

He had gone through all the extreme emotions a human being

could possess,

Hatred towards the dead duke and love for his blood brother . Love
and hatred seemingly have no relation but they crashed onto him as
though they were one .

He barely had any will then and despaired at his powerlessness .

He was just a wild beast that lived as Hugh, not knowing anything .

His only worry then was how to kill his enemies and survive . From
when he woke up in the morning till when he slept in the evening, it
was only about his survival .

He met in brother and in the process became a human but he had

to pay the price of learning emotions .

He loved his brother but because of that, he let his brother’s life be
controlled by the former duke .

His hatred for the dead duke soon became hatred for the Taran

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blood flowing within him once he learnt of its secrets after the Duke
died .

No entity should be able to sway him .

The feeling of not being able to do things of his own will was
sickening . It was already enough for him to experience the
breathlessness and fear of losing his brother .

His heart had to be unshakeable and his mind, firm . He must not
make anyone a special existence therefore her heart was not the
problem .

The problem was his heart .

He had considered it simple curiosity and desire but his heart

mocked him .

[You’ve fallen in love . ]

‘No . That isn’t possible . ’

He was swayed by her . He was starting to become afraid of losing

her . He had reached such a pathetic state because of one woman .

He couldn’t understand it . He couldn’t accept such a conclusion .

He rose from the sofa with huge motions and began to walk back and
forth .

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Chapter 27 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Ducal couple — (15)

TN: Here you go… the angst oml . And a BIG shout-out to my first
ever patron, Paula!

Lucia looked at the somewhat restless man and slowly lifted her
body, sitting up . It would seem that today she got to see sides of
him she had never seen before .

His restlessness did not last long . He quickly stopped, looked at

her and spoke .

“Get treated . ”

And they were back to where they started . Lucia heaved a long
sigh .

“Tell the doctor exactly what your symptoms are and

receive a prescription . You have to know what the symptoms
are and why you are this way, don’t you?”

“I could be pregnant . Is your decision that you don’t need

a child changing?”

When he went silent, Lucia felt like screaming . ‘Just leave me

alone! I would rather you were just interested in my body like you
have been!’

“…there is no way a child will happen . ”

“What you mean is… we will sleep separately?”

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Lucia defiantly stared straight ahead, locking her eyes with his . He
opened his mouth as though she had said something useless .

“Why do you think that’s only for making a child? You enjoy
it too . ”

“Don’t change the point .

“If so, it wouldn’t be my child . ”

He spat out those words without hesitation and realized his

mistake after the fact .

He said that because he already knew that pregnancy was

impossible but as long as he concealed the truth, no matter who
heard his words, they would seriously misunderstand it .

He regretted his words as her expression was already going

terribly pale .

“Do you mean… you won’t admit that it is your child? Or…
you will conclude that I was unfaithful?”

It was cruel . He ripped her heart to shred with his words .

Lucia once again recalled when she had overheard him and Sofia
Lawrence’s conversation at the victory party .

At that time, his words were like a merciless blade as they cut into
Sofia Lawrence .

Hugo knew that his words had hurt her a lot . That he had to
apologize and comfort her .

However unlike his seemingly casual outward appearance, his

inner self ran amok with confusion and anxiousness .

He couldn’t even understand his own feelings . He had gotten sick

and tired of the situation itself .
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Of her stubbornly persisting self and of

For the Hugo who disliked the complex situations and handled
everything easily, this tangled situation and his feelings was
overwhelmingly tiring .

“What I mean is…”

He began, stopped for a moment then continued, mumbling stiffly .

“For treatment…do as you please . ”

He turned around and left the receiving room . In no time, Lucia

was left alone in the quiet receiving room, collapsing into the sofa .

Silent tears began to stream down her face . That night, he did not
come to her bedroom .

***

The meal was prepared for only one person . Seeing this sight,
Lucia felt disheartened but she sat down without saying anything .

But still, the spacious dining room seemed even more spacious .

“My master recently has a lot of official business to attend

to . ”

Jerome, as though giving an excuse, explained why the Duke had

again not accompanied her for dinner .

“I see . I am worried he will harm his health so I hope you

will look over him even more . ”

“Yes, your Grace . ”

Lucia had been eating dinner alone for a week now and he did not
visit her bedroom at all .

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She had also not been able to see his face for a few days .

He told

He told her he was very busy . That he would be working all day in
his office and would just have his meals there .

But Lucia’s senses told her that he was avoiding her .

He had once been busy and stayed in the office till Lucia fell asleep
but at that time, he came in at dawn, grabbed her and slept .

Now, a week had passed . When she looked back at it, it was only a
week but if felt like ages .

He was busy with work and had no time to think about a woman .
Nothing seemed to be wrong but this week could become a month
and then a year .

‘My head hurts…’

She habitually chewed her food but she did not know how it tasted
. After she finished eating, she visited to Anna for headache medicine
and went into her bedroom .

When she opened her eyes in the morning, she felt a little better
but when night came and she lay in bed, it was the beginning of
torture as she could not sleep with all kinds of thoughts going
through her head .

‘Why did you do that? You ruined it . ’

She blamed herself . ‘Why did you cause so much trouble?’

The reason she married him was for a

From the start, she made a contract with him . She never had the
shrewd thought of making the contract and denying it later .

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‘He’s the bad one . It would have been better if we just
remained a formal couple . ’

She held some resentment towards him .

If he did not treat her so affectionately, her determination to live

the rest of her life this way would never have been broken .

Now, his attitude cut into her like a knife and plunged her heart
into hell .

‘You chose this . You promised to never regret this . ’

She once again reproached herself . Why was she suddenly greedy
when she gave up on having a child from the beginning?

She didn’t know the value of what she had and became greedy,
losing it in the process .

Until recently everything was perfect . She ruined it .

No matter how much Lucia turned, she couldn’t sleep .

She sat up and curled her body into a ball, wrapping her arms
around her knees . She couldn’t make her gaze fall on the bedroom
door that never opened .

As time went on, her heart fell apart even more .

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Chapter 28
Source: Imported

He quickly read through documents and signed below them . For

things that needed to be looked over separately, they were marked
and placed to the side .

On the left were things that he had to process and ones the right
were also things he had to process, piled up together .

No matter how much his eyes felt like falling off, he massaged his
aching head and went through the papers but he still couldn’t see
the bottom of the pile .

At one point, he flung the pen away and leaned backwards to rest .
Even though he closed his eyes, his head was full of things he
needed to do .

He was fed up with it . He wondered how much more of this he

would have to do .

‘Maybe 10 more years? Come to think of it, how old will

that boy be in 10 years?’

He would be 18 . At that age, he would just be graduating from the

Academy . If so, it wouldn’t be in 10 years . Maybe in about 15 years?

That boy wasn’t a dim-witted child so if he was taught for about

4-5 years, he would become useful .

’15 years, huh…’

Even the minimum amount was way too far .

‘I have to do this crap for 15 more years…’

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As it was raining, he looked outside the window, staring at the dim
sky . It had been raining since morning .

At first, he never looked outside the window but eventually, three

days ago, he stole a glimpse of Lucia walking through the garden
without going to the balcony .

He didn’t realize how unbecoming his behavior was and only

grumbled about not seeing her because of the rain .

‘If I don’t see her now, I don’t get to see her at all . ’

He mumbled irritatedly then stopped himself with a chuckle .

‘You are so pathetic . Why don’t you just go and take a

look?’

It was not far, he just had to go down the stairs and walk for a bit .
At this time of the day, she was usually in the receiving room on the
first floor .

The way she lived was monotonous and simple but it was
regulated as she had things scheduled to do at almost every hour .

She didn’t seem to want to go out these days so he knew her

schedule more than he knew his own schedule .

‘I am doing the stupidest things . ’

He was now avoiding his wife . To be more precise, he was running

away from his own heart .

‘Love? How absurd . ’

He continuously denied it . His heart should only belong to himself .

He would never waver because of someone else .

Even with such confidence in himself, he didn’t have the courage

to meet her . He felt like if he met her, everything would crumble

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down in a moment .

With the excuse that there was a lot of work, he stayed late at
night in his office, dealing with documents .

After which, he left the office and slept in his own bedroom that he
had not used in the last few months .

‘I can do well without her . ’

That was his excuse to keep going . His rationality called him a
loser and a coward but he ignored it

The first one or two days were fine .

‘Right . There is no way I am being swayed by a woman . ’

He had felt elated like an immature child . But it didn’t take long
for such confidence to disappear .

As time went by, his mood gradually declined and the contents of
the documents failed to enter his head making his work speed drop .

Even though he spent the same amount of time on them, because

the efficiency was lower, his working time grew longer .

He was uncomfortable with his current state that was very

different from what he was used to and the work in his hands entered
this vicious cycle .

But he still didn’t want to admit it . He was denying his withdrawal

from her, and persisted in his stubbornness .

Unfortunately, there was no one around him to pull his ears and
scream out the facts to him .

“Your Grace . ”

The moment he heard that familiar voice from outside, annoyance

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swiftly swelled within him . The owner of that voice always brought a
lot of work for him .

And as expected, once the owner of the voice entered, it was not a
baseless notion .

Ashin, one of the Duke’s secretaries, the administrative officer,

entered and found Hugo fiercely looking at him, making his hairs
stand on end but he stayed firm and placed a pile of documents on
the left side of Hugo’s desk .

Spitefully looking at the sight of Ashin furtively going away, Hugo

spoke curtly .

“When is that boy’s vacation?”

Ashin was confident of being able to answer whatever question

thrown at him, anytime, anywhere but he started sweating at the
Duke’s unexpected question .

Fortunately for him, his mind was clear so he found the answer
without pause .

“…I do know he doesn’t have any vacations . ”

There was only one person that would make the Duke talk about
vacations . The one who was appointed as successor and the only
son of the Duke, Damian Taran .

Accurately speaking, he was the illegitimate child of the Duke but

unless one wanted to die, they wouldn’t say such words in front of
the Duke .

No one amongst the Duke’s vassals mentioned Damian in the

presence of the Duke .

‘They were still the same, doubting the possibility…’

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They all thought that it could change and hoped for that change,
after all the Duke was still very young and had just gotten married .

There were many that did not understand an illegitimate child

becoming the Duke’s legitimate heir .

However, Ashin was convinced that as long as there was no

unexpected event, the successor of the Duke’s name would be the
illegitimate young lord .

This was something the Duke had gathered his vassals together
and announced and the Duke had never once gone back on
something that he had said .

The event of succession to the Duke send a huge ripple through

the entire region . The fact that such a huge scandal was not even
more widely spread was because the Duke’s vassals had watched
their mouths .

They were uncomfortable with the fact that an illegitimate child

could perhaps become their master in the future and did not want to
publicize it .

‘Although he made such a loud entrance into society, the

relationship of this father and son is completely…’

As soon as his son was

Frankly, the people around him tried to dissuade him . They told
him that Damian was young and maybe he could try waiting one or
two more years before putting him in boarding but the Duke snorted
at them .

[Young? At six years old, he should be able to survive even

if he’s thrown into a desert . ]

They were all shocked at the standard he held Damian to . But the
words that came out of the young lord’s mouth was even more

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astonishing .

[The survival rate of boarding school is surely more than

that of a desert . Thank you for your generous actions . ]

And so, the young lord that was grossly mature for his age, went to
boarding school without any hesitation .

Two years passed and the Duke did not so much as mention his
son making one wonder if he actually had a son, and likewise the
young lord did not so much as briefly contact his home .

‘I won’t be surprised at all if it remains this way till he

graduates in ten years . ’

As irony would have it, the Duke’s indifference towards Damian

suppressed hostile forces and stopped them from acting hastily
towards Damian .

‘The Duke may have purposefully intended for that to

happen . ’

“He can’t leave at all?” (Hugo)

Ashin quickly pushed away his straying thoughts .

“An outing is possible . ”

“Tell him to come then . ”

“…Do you mean right now? But the semester just began
and we need to notify them at least one week in advance to
get permission for an outing–”

“When did you start questioning my words?”

If you are given orders, just follow them .

Ashin immediately broke out in cold sweat and his expression grew

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stiff as he replied .

“…I understand . I will immediately send out a message . ”

“I have sent someone to the capital to tell Fabian to

prepare the family register and bring it back with him when
he returns . ”

‘So he wants to elevate the little lord’s status . If the little

lord’s status is elevated…no one would be able utter any
complaint . ’

It had been announced that the little lord would become the
Duke’s successor but he was still merely an illegitimate child .

But if his legal status was elevated, he stops being a demerit of the
duke and becomes the perfect successor .

Those who were still expecting some kind of change in the future
would have to give up once the little lord’s status was elevated .

‘The Duchess must have agreed to his entry into the family
register . I did hear their marital relationship is very good but
what will happen if the Duchess gives birth to a child? If she
gives birth to a son, that will be a headache…’

“It’s Elliot, your Grace . ”

The instant those words fell, a scary-looking middle-aged knight

walked in . The Knight Captain, Elliot Caliss appropriately paid his
respects then lifted up the lengthy bamboo barrel .

Hugo received the barrel and pulled apart the top, revealing the
rolled up letter within it .

Ashin felt a shiver run down his spine as he watched Hugo read the
letter, narrow his eyes and give a dreary smile .

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‘Fuck, he scares me more when he’s like that . ’*

“Mobilize seven people . I will

The rain was almost over but the sun was already setting on the
afternoon .

It was different from the usual early departure at dawn, but the
faithful Knight Caliss answered with only a few words and withdrew .
*

“Hunting after a long time, huh . ” (Caliss)

‘Human hunting . ’

To Hugo’s mutterance, Ashin mumbled the hidden words to himself

.

‘Whew…today’s dreams will not be peaceful . ’

Ashin had once unintentionally followed the Duke to the battlefield

a few years ago as an administrative officer although he was far
away from the battlefield .

From time to time, he still saw scenes from that time and they
made his heart palpitate .

His chills were not caused from seeing the cold-blooded killing . On
the contrary, that was easier to see than the unrealistic and dizzying
sight of the Duke slicing off someone’s throat and making their heads
fly to the sky .

The Black Lion? Ashin found that nickname to be much embellished

.

The Taran Duke who donned a black armor as he tore through the
battlefield was understandably a godsend and most certainly a devil .

As he took in the sight of the Duke covered in blood like a wild

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beast and laughing comfortably, Ashin had muttered something
without realizing it .

‘What a lunatic . ’

He was startled as the words left his mouth and worried as to

whether someone heard him but fortunately, his monologue was
buried under the cries of soldiers drunk with the madness of war .

Ashin was someone who wasn’t scared of anything in the world .

He did not hold back whatever he wanted to say and his capability
matched his reckless personality that made both his superiors and
subordinates leave him .

But, from that day onwards, Ashin became a docile sheep in front
of the Duke of Taran .

He realized how terrifying the Taran Duke was . Of course, the

Duke was publically known to be a pretty scary person but he felt the
duke was even more terrifying than how they described him .

In places other than the battlefield, the Duke put on a mask of

good manners and his rough side could not be seen at all .

People who interacted with him only focused on the fact that he
was a young duke and a great dancer .

That was why it was scarier . It was frightening that the bloody
thing he witnessed on the battlefield could hide its madness and
pretend to be a classic nobleman that had never held a sword before
.

“Will the agenda be prolonged?”

“I know I have to go but I’m afraid it will take a while . ”

“Then, during the time you are gone, the young lord could
look over it . ”

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Hugo thought about it for a moment .

Although that child was young, he was of the Taran bloodline . It

was difficult to think of him as another eight year old .

That boy had plunged a sword into the heart of a man whose ankle
Hugo had caught in a trap and finished him off .

He recalled the past for a moment then returned to reality . That

boy was never an innocent one .

There wasn’t any insanity coursing through his veins yet but who
knew when it would

According to the reports he continuously received, he wasn’t

foolishly nice like his father but he didn’t have a cruel temperament .

The first time Hugo met Damian, if he hadn’t seen eyes similar to
that of his dead brother then he would have killed him on the spot
and disposed of him .

No matter how mild he was, malicious intent wouldn’t fly .

Compared to Damian, his wife was a docile rabbit .

He couldn’t help but get worried that it would just be the two of
them . He didn’t find it strange at all as he subconsciously worried
about her .

“Why don’t you personally go get him?”

“…Huh?”

“Make sure to warn him when he arrives, to give the proper

respect to his mother . If I return and hear anything
strange…”

“Ah, yes . I will make sure there is nothing to worry about .

”

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Shortly after Ashin withdrew, Jerome rushed into the office after
hearing that the knights were preparing to leave .

‘I think it began the day after we called the doctor…’

He was unsure as to what happened between the two of them but

from that day onwards, their relationship grew strange .

His master was taking the initiative to distance himself from her
Grace . Saying he was busy was just an excuse .

His master always had a lot of work however it was never to the
extent where he couldn’t eat or sleep .

According to the maids, they also slept separately . Every time he

looked at her Grace as she tried to act like everything was fine even
though she was dismayed, he felt his heart ache .

‘Don’t do this, master . ’

For the first time ever, he felt rebellious towards his master in his
heart .

He could barely stop himself from asking his master why he would
leave on a long term absence without resolving this situation .

Jerome brought in warm tea just as usual and its delicate fragrance
filled the air . He poured the tea, filling up the empty cup .

“What should I do about your evening meal?”

“Mmm, you don’t need to prepare it . I will be leaving soon

.”

Hugo raised his head and lifted the cup of tea to his mouth .

“I will be going hunting but I don’t know the exact schedule

.”

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“…it’s already late . How about leaving tomorrow at
dawn?”

“No, I am about to get ready and I already ordered for it . ”

“As for her Grace…”

“Inform her for me . ”

“…Did her Grace make a huge mistake?”

Jerome spoke firmly as Hugo gaze fell on him .

“Even if she did make a mistake, I hope you can generously

forgive her . For the past few days, her Grace has not
exchanged any words with your Grace . ”

“This isn’t something you have a say in . You are crossing

the line . ”

“Yes . I have to say something presumptuous . Her Grace is

the Duchess . She is different from the other women you
were fascinated with for a bit and then threw away . You
have to treat her valuably . ”

Hugo stared at Jerome with slightly widened eyes . Watching

Jerome’s slightly downcast gaze as he stubbornly persisted, Hugo
narrowed his eyes .

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Chapter 29 Part 1
Source: Imported

“Her Grace came to this unfamiliar northern region alone,

not knowing anybody, yet she never complained about her
situation being difficult or uncomfortable. If your Grace were
ignore her Grace, then shle truly would be alone.”

Hugo actually began to suspect just where Jerome came out from
today to have such a completely different temperament but when he
thought about it, there was no denying that Jerome was Fabian’s
blood brother.

To speak without any fear was Fabian’s trademark.

Hugo’s red eyes glowed even redder.

“These days, her Grace…”

“Shut up.”

“Your Grace.”

“I dare you to say one more word…”

Feeling the murderous gaze on him, Jerome shut his mouth and
lowered his gaze.

The Duke was not a master that needlessly picked on someone’s

faults but he was a master that would never tolerate challenges to
his authority.

The criteria depended on if someone were getting above

themselves. Jerome did not have the authority to butt into the ducal
couple’s private relationship.

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It wasn’t because Jerome was a steward. No one in Roam had such
authority. Hugo was extremely displeased with the situation.

He wondered if she had sent him as she had enough reason to do

so. But this was Jerome.

The Jerome that did not unnecessarily interfere with his usual work,
and could distinguish between the things Hugo alone could to do and
the

Therefore, Jerome’s unusual behavior got on his nerves. Hugo

already knew that Jerome took care of her more than the usual.

He did not doubt Jerome’s loyalty as a steward but he was

strangely irritated.

“Impressive. Did she ask you to come annoy me?”

Even though he knew that there was no way she had, he felt
extremely twisted inside.

“No, Your Grace! Her Grace would never—!”

Crash!

A teacup flew past Jerome’s face and shattered to pieces on the

floor as soon as Jerome opened his mouth.

“I told you to shut up.”

Hugo swiftly got up and walked out of the office while Jerome sat
down with a paling face.

He made a mistake. A terrible result of his needless interference. If

Fabian were here, he definitely would have told him that their
relationship wasn’t one he should interfere with.

‘I’ve let down her Grace’s honor.’*

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His first rebellion against his master ended with his tail completely
trampled. He unnecessarily intervened and even created a
misunderstanding.

Jerome sighed and began to sweep the pieces of the tea cup that
was scattered everywhere.

The fact that the cup did not fly at his forehead meant that his
master was already pretty tolerant.

‘I’ll ask Fabian for some advice when he comes.’

Useless mouth! And so he began to sharply berate himself.

***

Lucia returned home early from

She didn’t feel like talking or going horseback riding. Right after
she returned from seeing Kate, the doctor scarily came to visit.

“Your Grace.”

Anna looked at loss for what to do and she couldn’t meet Lucia’s
eyes, seemingly nervous.

That day, he had left after saying that she could do as she pleased
but from the next day onwards, he continuously sent Anna.

“Your Grace, the Duke calls me every evening and asks me

how the treatment is going.”

Anna said with an expression that read ‘please save me’. When the
Duke called Anna, he didn’t say any other thing.

He would just asked how the treatment was going but that alone
gave Anna enormous pressure.

“Please, honestly tell me the symptoms that you know

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about.”

Because of this, in just a few days, the anger in Lucia’s heart

steadily increased. She felt like she was deceived by him and
couldn’t break free.

She felt like going to his office immediately and giving him a slap.

‘Alright. I’ll do what you want me to do.’

Lucia opened her mouth and began to explain her symptoms. She
explained it exactly how she explained it to the doctors she searched
for in her dream.

Yes, she already knew a cure for it but she had no intention of

But the chances of that happening were close to none. She’d met
countless doctors in her dream numerous times, but none of them
could cure her.

It was an amazing coincidence and luck that she was able to get a
treatment method from that wandering doctor.

She didn’t think such coincidence and luck would happen a second
time.

And as expected, Anna looked confused after hearing her

explanation. She looked bewildered by the fact that Lucia took
mugwort herb and cause her menstruation to stop. She didn’t seem
to know anything about it.

“I’m sorry, your Grace. To be frank, my abili so I do not

know how to treat you. But I will definitely figure out a way.”

Anna resolutely assured her. Lucia sat absent-mindedly for a little

while then went out into the garden.

***

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Hugo left his office extremely displeased and thoughtlessly walked
till he stepped outside.

The rain had stopped but there was no sign of the sun.

‘I guess the day is ending like this.’

When he realized it, he was already in the garden. He quickly

turned around and tried to leave but before he could do that he
discovered her.

She was bent over in a bow, looking at an almost blossoming

flower bud. He stood still

Lucia straightened her waist and turned to see him approaching

her, instantly, she found herself falling into a fantasy as the air
around her changed.

Everything around her blurred and all she could see was him. Lucia
knew she had experienced something like this before.

‘When I was in the capital…the day of the Knight’s

parade…’

It was the day that she saw him for the first time in reality, not in
her dreams.

She was angry with him. Her condition was terrible because she
could not sleep properly as every night, she stared at the bedroom
door that never opened.

And just a while ago, she wanted to slap him if she ever saw him.
But once she saw him, all the anger that had piled up, instantly
melted away like salt dissolved in the water.

‘I am such an idiot…’

She knew that he was unattainable and thought she had locked

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down her feelings but her heart seemed to slip through the crevices.

While her heart bubbled over, it also hurt.

‘I love him.’

She didn’t know what to do. Just like his countless past lovers, she
couldn’t keep her heart to herself.

‘He must not find out.’

If he took one step closer to her, she would take two steps
backwards. She didn’t want to be sent a rose.

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Chapter 29 Part 2
Source: Imported

Reaching the end of her breathtaking realizations, Lucia turned

towards him and smiled.

‘Ah…’

Hugo felt the annoyance and irritation that had been bothering him
dissipate the instant he saw her smile.

It was as refreshing as waking up in the morning after a good

night’s sleep. Hugo finally woke up from his folly.

What he was afraid of wasn’t her existence, it was his wavering.

Simply imagining never seeing her smile again made him feel like he
couldn’t breathe.

‘I told you so’, his heart seemed to mock him.

“Look at this, won’t the flower be blooming soon? I think it

will bloom fully in a few days.”

Hugo was momentarily tongue-tied when she began to speak to

him as though nothing had happened.

“…I see.”

Her refreshed expression made him feel miserable. Unlike his

fretful self, she had her usual peaceful expression.

“I heard you’ve been busy. Did you come out to get some
air?”

“Mmm… the busy stuff is almost done but something came

up so I will have to leave for a while.”

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“Ah.”

Lucia’s face changed for an instant then she gave another sweet
smile.

“How long will it take? Will you be gone for a long time?”

“I don’t know the exact details so it could be a while. Why

are you alone? What of your maid?”

“I sent her on an errand. Since the rain was over, I thought

of having a cup of tea here. If it’s okay, would you like to join
me?” “…Sure.”

He just had some tea a while ago but he didn’t refuse her.

After a while, a couple of maids came, bringing a folding table and

a tea basket. The table was placed at a suitable place and the two

“I was worried since it’s rarely dry nowadays, but I am glad

that the rain stopped mid-day.”

“What have you been doing?”

“Just the same stuff as usual. Take care of the garden and
then reading books. That’s strange. You are talking to me as
though we haven’t seen each other in a long time. It was just
a few days.”

Was it just a few days? He felt like it was a very long time but to
her, it was just a few days.

He found her spiritedness admirable and felt remorseful. He

reached out and caressed her soft cheek. Her soft skin gave him the
illusion that he would leave marks if he exerted even a little more
strength.

She was weak. Yet this frail existence threatened him so strongly.

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“…That day, I made a mistake and I want to apologize to
you. It wasn’t my intention to treat you as an unfaithful
woman.”

“…”

“What I meant was…offsprings are rare in the Taran family.

Getting pregnant will be difficult… and I didn’t want you to
get disappointed after hoping for a child.”

His excuse did not really touch Lucia’s heart. After all, if offsprings
were rare then it would be more convincing for his attitude to be
supporting her pregnancy rather than rejecting it.

But when she saw how he was carefully contemplating his words, a
laugh escaped from her mouth.

“Okay.”

She tried to laugh but tears fell down from her eyes. The wounds
she had received at that time no longer hurt. She had already
forgiven him.

His tender words and gentle caresses made her heart ache with
happiness.

Looking at the tears flowing down her cheeks, he wasn’t sure

He took a step around the tea table towards her and wrapped his
arms around her.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

His embrace and scent that she’d been missing made her feel like
she had gone from hell to heaven in an instant.

‘We can go back… to how we were before.’

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To how they were the last few months. It was fine even if their
relationship was a castle of sand and no one knew when it would
collapse.

When one couldn’t see the waves, they would assume it was all
okay. Nothing was resolved, but it was fine to think about later
things, later.

Her heart felt like it had overcome the heavens and was rather
calm. Once she accepted her changing heart and wasn’t anxious
about it, she felt at peace.

Her heaven and hell depended on how she made up her mind.

‘He…at the very least, he treats me with love.’

She was unsure as to how he treated his past lovers but she
decided to think that she was a little more special.

It was not conceit but she had to plant that much confidence in
herself so she could stand firmly and love him.

‘Also, I have an advantage.’

She was his legitimate wife. It was a justification that none of his
past lovers ever had.

‘I won’t cling to you. I also won’t subdue myself to please

you.’

She wouldn’t have such a miserable love.

She won’t beg for his love. She won’t play the virtuous wife,
obeying everything he says unconditionally.

She would only do as much as she could, loving him with all of her
might but only just enough that she wouldn’t start hating

It made her wonder if he had ever received love from a woman

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that did not cling to him.

The thought that maybe she could make him flustered was
amusing.

‘It is fine even if it takes a lifetime. If someday, you tell me

that you love me, I won’t feel like my life has been in vain.’

If she lived like this for one year, five years, even ten years,
perhaps she could slowly influence him. Even a little drizzle can
become something scary.

Lucia lifted her head a little from within his embrace.

“You said you were wrong, right?”

“Huh? Yea.”

“I’ll forgive you but I have two conditions.”

“Conditions? What are they?”

He had an expression that said he didn’t like the word itself.

“The first is… a kiss of reconciliation.”

His eyes widened slightly then curved. As Hugo’s face drew closer,
she closed her eyes.

Their lips touched lightly at first, then met again, with his lips
sucking hers in this time.

He suckled and swallowed her tender lips countless times in his

mouth. His tongue slipped through the cracks of her mouth, gently
and carefully stroking the innards of her mouth then pushed it
deeper, stimulating her.

The long and sweet kiss that was neither light nor heated but
breathtaking finally came to an end.

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He spoke with his lips almost touching hers.

“The second is?”

Because it seemed like he would kiss her again as he drew closer,

she held him back and turned her head slightly.

“I am modifying the contract. No matter how I think about

the freedom in your private life part, it makes me feel bad.
That is practically telling me you’re going to be cheating.
Please don’t go making lovers elsewhere.”

He was taken

He was taken aback and couldn’t help but stare at her for a bit
then spoke in a slightly crestfallen voice.

“…I won’t make any.”

He felt a little offended. After he married, he hadn’t even looked at

other women but unfortunately, he couldn’t refute his track record of
being a malicious playboy.

“Additionally, if you get disgusted or tired of me and you

want to leave me for another woman, please tell me first. I do
not wish to hear it from another person’s mouth.”

He stared at her for a while then muttered bitterly.

“I forgot for a moment. In your head, I am a pretty terrible

guy.”

It was a mysterious feeling to be marked as a bad guy rather than

a nice guy by the woman he loved but again, he couldn’t refute this.

“I can’t give any excuses.”

He mumbled then grabbed her hand, kissing it.

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“As you wish.”

He straightened his upper body and spoke to the maid that had
been fretfully standing at the side for a while.

“What is it?”

“Sir Elliot has asked me to pass on his words; he is ready

and waiting for the order to depart.”

Hugo had finally realized his feelings towards her but nothing could
change right now. He still could not promise her anything.

There were also many things that he couldn’t reveal to her. He

needed more time to decide what to and what not to show to her.

The hunt this time should give him the time he needed.

“You don’t need to see me off. Return.”

“…Yes. Please return safely.”

Watching his back as he walked away, Lucia’s heart throbbed and

she clutched her chest tightly.

She hoped desperately, that he would never leave her like this
someday.

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Chapter 30 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (1)

TN: The highly anticipated title: Damian is finally here! Also: Poll
over.

“Young master, I am Ashin, the administrative secretary.

Do you remember me?”

Damian briefly looked up and down at Ashin before giving him a

stiff nod and entering the carriage. His coldness is not inferior to his
father’s.

‘This is why they say you can’t feign blood…’

Perhaps the Duke was just like this when he was a child. With his
black hair and red eyes, Damian was a miniature Taran Duke. There
was probably no need to use the royal family’s magical treasure to
determine his ancestry.

No one would be able to say that the little lord was not of the Taran
Duke’s blood.

‘Whew…this is just my fate.’

He hated long-distance trips. He would be extremely satisfied if all

he had to do was routinely go back and forth between Roam and the
house. He couldn’t help but sigh when he thought about having to sit
next to that dreary little kid for a long time.

“I see you’ve been healthy and comfortable in the

meantime. You’ve grown a lot, I almost didn’t recognize
you.”

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Ashim spoke amiably in a bland effort to elevate the mood. It
wasn’t something he usually did but he didn’t want

Also, it was the truth that he almost didn’t recognize him.

‘Whew…what eight year old is like this? He looks like he

could be three to four years older. My nephew is ten years
old but even he is smaller than our little lord.’

Even when the little lord was six years old, he had a burly physique
so there were already signs of it back then.

Just like how a fox and a tiger were of different sizes. ‘If he keeps
growing like this, won’t he end up with a huge frame? Completely
different from what’s on paper.’

“…what is it?”

“Huh?”

Ashin felt pleased with himself as the mouth of the little lord had
finally opened.

“You know with your rank, you didn’t have to pick me up

personally.”

“Ha…ha-ha.”

Right. Someone of his status usually wouldn’t have to. Although he

didn’t think those words were something that would have come out
of an eight year old’s mouth.

‘Let’s put aside him remembering me… he remembers my

rank?’

The Taran Duke’s bloodline must have something different. When

he thought of it that way, he felt it was

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Even the current Taran Duke was like that. As a knight and as one
of the best, his brain was excellent.

‘The world is originally unfair.’

He realized this the day his childish innocence was broken.

“It was the order of his Grace the Duke.”

Damian’s eyes grew a little bigger.

‘Why?’

His expression seemed to be was asking.

“I believe young master has already heard the news. The

Taran Duke now has a Lady of the House.”

Damian nodded his head. He usually received news about the

Duke in a relatively detailed manner.

In order for him to take over in the future, the Duke intended for
him to know about everything.

No matter how long he had left the house and no matter whether
he was in a boarding school that was cut off from outside news, it
was all so that the Duke would never hear the words, ‘I didn’t know’.

Damian memorized the letter that had been sent, word for word.

“These are just my thoughts but since both of you now

have a mother-son relationship, I think both of you should
get to know each other as a family.”

‘Mother-son relationship, you say?’

Damian inwardly questioned. His father was not such a delicate

person. The idea that the Duke would want them to have a strong

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Perhaps he and the Duchess would bite and tear at each other and
the Duke wouldn’t be interested until one of them died.

“He didn’t say anything else?”

“Ah…he…wanted you to…not be rude to your mother. Said

you should show proper respect…”

‘Well that’s that.’

Ashin had simplified it but he had delivered the warning. He just

had to stay there quietly without being nervous.

Even though he was the successor, he was still illegitimate. Which

meant he shouldn’t needlessly get on the Duchess’ nerves.

Even if the Duke didn’t warn him, Damian had no intention of

confronting his stepmother.

After all, the consent of the Duchess was absolutely necessary to

elevate his status.

“Is she pretty?”

“Huh? Ah…I have only seen her a few times…”

‘You only needs to see someone once to know if they are

pretty or not.’

Due to Ashin’s hesitant response, Damian came to a conclusion.

‘She must not be that pretty.’

Damian’s interest in his stepmother was only to that extent, after

which he folded that thought.

Looking at it from his stepmother’s point of view, Damian didn’t

expect to be welcomed and expected that while he was in Roam,
they would only meet a few times.

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He would live as quiet as he were dead. If she didn’t want to see

Damian was not very surprised when he heard that the Duke was
getting married. He expected that the Duke had only done so
because it was around time for him to get married.

Damian was grasping the cold temperament of his father that was
only moved by necessity.

Even if the Duchess were to give birth to a child, Damian’s status

as the successor would not be shaken.

His father was never a good father but he was someone that one
could have firm belief in.

Damian’s attention then switched towards the Academy. The

sudden summon at the beginning of the semester had messed up his
schedule.

He was initially worried about leaving and falling behind since he

didn’t know when he would be returning. At worst, he would have
had to give up on the entire semester.

‘At most, I’ll be there for a week.’

It would take about three weeks if the journey back and forth was
included.

If he didn’t want to fall behind when he returned, he couldn’t let

any of his time be spent in vain.

Damian had already filled the trunk of the carriage to the brim with
books.

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Chapter 30 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (1)

TN: A little change: I will start using Milady instead of your Grace
for some parts. A little abrupt but the change needed to happen. I
traveled and had no wi-fi. Finally got it set up today so here!

The news of the Taran Duke’s marriage had come from someone’s
mouth and was passed from mouth to mouth before reaching the
high society.

It only came up in people’s conversations. There was no one that

had attended the wedding so only the rumor had blown up because
people did not know any other way to satisfy their curiosity.

Kwiz was of course, also curious and had put in a lot of money and
time into satisfying that curiosity.

Since the woman that became the Duchess was a princess, it was
hard to find anyone eager to investigate into it.

No matter how much he dug into it, he couldn’t find anything. The
only accurate information was her name and age.

There was no one that knew even a little thing about the princess.

However, if it was considered a harvest to get her description from

the maids in the palace that waited on her shortly before she
married, then it was a harvest.

And so he became more unyielding. He was convinced he had an

information source that was capable in its own way but it took them
digging around for months and coming up with nothing to wake him

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up.

“What is going on? It’s not like they fell from the sky.”

Kwiz lamented the absurdness of it all. It wasn’t just Kwiz that had
tried to find out about the princess.

The Royal Intelligence Division had also dug into Princess Vivian by
investigating her detached palace but in the process, the
manipulation of the palace maiden’s roll call was revealed.

The palace was turned inside out on the large scale and the head
proprietors were held responsible and severely punished.

Kwiz dispatched someone to the village that the princess had lived
until she was twelve years old and entered the palace but even the
person that had been close to the mother-daughter pair shook her
head, saying she’d never heard of it.

After digging

“No clue from this too…”

Kwiz sighed after reading the short letter on the old piece of paper.

All it said was that she’d slept with the King one day and gave birth
to the princess. There was nothing revealed about their relationship
and nothing that gave hints about her mother’s identity. Her mother
didn’t even sign her name.

“Could it be… her mother was a commoner…?”

He was slightly suspicious but it didn’t seem like it. Even though it
seemed like that old geezer played around with whatever woman
available, he had a preference.

It was unlikely that he would embrace a common woman with

rough skin and hands that were coarse from labor.

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“Do you really not know anything, Sir Krotin?”

Kwiz asked Roy, his nearby guard that liked to disappear, the same
question he’d asked countless times already.

“I don’t. Even if I knew, I don’t.”

His irritating and discourteous manner of speaking caused the

adjutant standing next to him to scowl.

Compared to him, the Crown Prince’s expression did not change

although one couldn’t know what he felt inside.

“Even something else is fine. Just how the hell did those
two meet and marry?”

I’m curious to death!

Looking at Kwiz’s frustrated expression because of his unsatisfied

curiosity, Roy secretly snickered.

‘I know.’

It was quite enjoyable to know the secret that someone else was
struggling to know.

“Come to think of it, you have a duel tomorrow, right, Sir

Krotin?”

“Yes.”

Factions of Counts hostile to the Crown Prince did not dare to

directly confront the Crown Prince, so they picked a fight with the
rigid Roy.

When he refused in his usual manner of speaking, flinging a few

words at them, they would throw down their gauntlet to the ground
saying he’d insulted them. (1)

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And Roy gladly accepted. He had never once avoided a fight
brought to him.

“Do I take it gently? I mean for the duel tomorrow.” [Roy]

Kwiz burst into laughter.

“Is that a new joke? What kind of joke is that? You don’t
have to think about me, just fight to your heart’s content.”

It wasn’t

He could easily handle the knight than proposed the retaliation

duel, it was their fault for serving the wrong master.

But because he was worried about causing an accident, he asked

the prince. If an accident happened, it wouldn’t be a matter of the
prince’s face but his lord would beat him to death.

“Got it.”

‘I got permission~.’ Roy laughed contentedly.

The Crown prince would continue torecall this day in the future for
a while. It was the beginning of the ‘Mad Dog’ Krotin. (2)

***

When news of the Duke of Taran’s marriage arrived, quite a lot of

women felt their hearts break.

Anita was surprised but unlike those women, she just felt a little
bitter. She had already married three times and had never even
dreamt of marrying the Duke of Taran.

She was satisfied with being the lover that he didn’t forget and
came to see from time to time.

‘When he is tired of his new bride, he will contact me.’

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She kept her composure and waited but instead of getting
contacted, she received a yellow rose.

She gaped spiritlessly at the bundle of yellow roses in front of her

for an entire day, then got herself sick from stressing over it for ten
days.

When she was barely able to even move her body, a question
arose in her mind.

“Just why?”

No matter how much she thought about it, she hadn’t made any
mistakes.

She’d never contacted him, asked him about his whereabouts or

even mentioned their relationship.

Rather, when she heard the news that he was married, she’d
stayed away even more.

She just couldn’t understand his breakup declaration.

Removing his lover because he was married? He was never such a

conscientious gentleman.

She suppressed her heart that wanted to immediately run to his

manor and ask him why.

Because she knew that once she did that, she couldn’t take it back.

In the past, she’d heard of a woman who had stormed into his
manor after being notified of their separation but after that

After thinking about it over and over again, she came to the
conclusion that it was the one who had become the Duchess,
Princess Vivian.

The new bride must have learnt of Anita’s existence and urged him

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to break it off.

And since he didn’t have that of an attachment to Anita anyways, it

was obvious he’d just agreed to his wife’s request.

Anita began to investigate into who Princess Vivian was. At first,

everything was as it seems.

However, the facts that were revealed to her little by little was so
interesting that at some point, Anita began hunting day and night for
information about Princess Vivian.

Anita investigated into her and her unique senses did not let any
sort of information slip.

The first thing that caught her attention was the record of Princess
Vivian attending the victory ball. The princess that was practically
trapped in the palace and did not know anybody attended a victory
ball.

Any woman would wonder; what about her dress? Her make-up?
Her hair?

It was akin to randomly casting a net into water and reeling the
fish in one by one; little by little, things about Princess Vivian were
revealed.

She found out that the princess used to disguise herself as a maid
and frequently left the castle. For the dress, Anita concluded the
princess had to have procured it personally.

Princess Vivian wasn’t a princess that knew nothing about the

world. Anita placed a portrait on the table and watched it without
moving for a while.

It was a portrait based on descriptions of Princess Vivian that she’d

obtained after handing out some bribes.

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When Anita first saw it, she was relieved.

The person in the portrait was far from his taste. After reaching the
conclusion that the marriage was just a marriage of convenience, she
slept well.

But after a while, Anita’s heart became restless again. Yes, she
wasn’t his taste but wouldn’t it be more likely for him to fall for her
because of that?

Men were usually attracted to new things. She began to get

worried about this unusual point of the princess that liked to cosplay
as a

‘Even if he’s interested in it for a while… it shouldn’t take

long to cool off. At any time and who knows, he may come
find me.’

She comforted herself while her anxiety grew even more. He

hadn’t ever seen a woman that he’d sent a yellow rose a second
time.

After she received the yellow rose, Anita barely had any days
where she’d slept properly.

‘He only married because he needed to. He’s a man that

does not know how to love a woman.’

While looking at Princess Vivian’s portrait, Anita constantly

repeated those words in her head.

He was someone who drifted from one woman to another without

ever settling down. It was hope based on the false premise that his
heart wouldn’t ever be caught by a woman. It was also her pride.

Just thinking about that actually happening filled her heart with
anxiety.

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‘I have to see the real Princess Vivian.’

She wanted to calm her anxiety by meeting Princess Vivian and

confirming that she wasn’t in his eyes.

‘Do I go to the North and confirm it without him knowing…?’*

If she didn’t take the ‘gates’, a carriage there would take several
months. She couldn’t even bear the thought of doing that.

To use the Northern ‘gate’, one had to gain the approval of the
Taran Duke and no matter how formal the process was, she was
afraid of the backlash if he ever found out.

It would be better to just wait for the two to return to the capital.

‘Why did she pretend to be a maid and leave the palace?

What did she do outside the palace? Did she have a lover…?’

A lover. That was very possible.

Finding Princess Vivian was going to be the real starting point from
now on. Her initial intention of just checking out Princess Vivian’s
face was gone.

Translator’s Corner: 1. So simple trivia: to throw down the gauntlet

means to issue a challenge to a duel. 2. The previous translator
translated this to ‘Crazy Dog’, I prefer ‘Mad Dog.’

*If you’ve forgotten who Roy is…he is Hugo’s knight sent to the
Crown Prince’s side as a guard. *Who was excited to see Anita
again?! Just me? Ok.

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Chapter 31 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (2)

A jet-black carriage hurried across the streets of Roam.

Taking a closer look at the little black wooden carriage, one could
find the motif of a black lion drawn on it.

The black carriage was so fascinating that people stopped what

they were doing to look at it when it first appeared.

The black wood used as the main material of the carriage was as
strong as steel and is said to have been used by the military in the
past.

And because many people withered to death from the sickness

gotten from the natural habitat of the black wood, the price of black
wood had now surpassed that of gold.

Hugo had made this carriage of black wood for the safety of his
wife so Lucia often went out in a carriage that was fit for a King.

At this point, people already knew who was inside whenever the
black carriage passed by.

Most people would never get to see the faces of the ones inside
such a carriage in their lifetime because the ones inside were in such
a high position.

And so, when the carriage appeared, they just watched it till it was
out of their sight.

When the carriage crossed the bridge and

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The employees were all outside to greet the Lady. When Lucia
returned from her horse riding, just as usual, she took a bath then sat
in the receiving room, drinking the fragrant tea that Jerome served.

“Did you enjoy your outing, Milady?” (Jerome)

“I enjoyed it. Emily is a really kind child, she followed my

clumsy instructions very well.”

Her favorite horse, Emily was a nice and well-trained mare that
Hugo had given to her.

Lucia didn’t really know much about horses but when she looked at
its glossy appearance she could guess it was a good horse.

Whenever Lucia heard compliments about its loveliness, she just

shrugged her shoulders.

“Who said such a thing? Even if you had 10 horses, you

can’t replace Emily. She is a very expensive horse.”

“Yes. It seems that way.”

As it was not polite to discuss the price of his master’s gift, Jerome
did not say the details. Lucia didn’t ask either, but she was thankful
that Hugo thought about her and gave her precious horse as a gift.

‘I miss him…’

“When is he coming

“Yes? Ah… I don’t know exactly, but it can be long. I think it

will be about a month.”

“A month…? What exactly is going on? I know it’s work in

the fief…”

Before, she was not interested in what he was doing, but now she

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wanted to know more about it.

“Some parts are about the fief, others are not. It is

something Master goes to annually.”

Jerome tried to emphasize that his master’s suddenly departure

was only for work reasons and definitely not for a private reason. He
did not know about the dramatic reconciliation of the couple.

“Milady already knows that the northern border is close to

the barbarians. They is no central tribe so from time to time,
they cross the border to plunder. Master subdues them once
a year to keep them in check.”

“Then, every year, he leaves at this time of the year?.”

“This year is earlier than other years. He usually leaves

early in the winter. I heard that an order to dispatch arrived.
It seems that they haven’t been payed much attention to
after the war so the plundering became more frequent.”

“It must be hard for the Northern people who continuously

get anxious because of this.”

“If they doesn’t live close to the

Lucia nodded her head, sipping a little tea then suddenly

exclaimed.

“Oh my goodness! How could I forget? Isn’t today his

birthday Jerome?”

The birthday date that Jerome had reminded her of before was
exactly today. She’d kept it in her mind but she had forgotten about
it because they were fighting.

“I should have told him before he left. It’s his birthday but
he won’t receive any congratulation, he’ll just be fighting

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barbarians.”

She felt so sad for him that her heart hurt.

“Mmm… Milady, Master had never taken care of his

birthday separately.”

“I expected that. Who would take care of his birthday like

that? Only the people around him can.”

“That…he doesn’t like being reminded of it.”

“…Why?”

“I don’t really know much. However I often get the feeling

that not only about his birthday, Master also dislikes being
reminded of his childhood.”

Jerome never spoke of anything he was unsure of or carelessly

speak his mind but because she looked very sad, he gave a sincere
reply.

‘So he doesn’t have any memories he wants to remember

from his childhood…’

That was a sad thing.

Lucia lived a difficult life and there was a moment

The story of the Duke’s tragedy in the west tower once again rose
to the forefront of Jerome’s mind. It was a terrible thing at the time
and he shouldn’t think of it nor speak of it so he tried to forget it.

However the thought always arose whenever he laid eyes on the

west tower, and as time went on, he grew more interested in the
background story than the murder itself.

The dead Duke had abandoned one of his sons to stop misfortune

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and left him to his own fate. As he did something no parent should
ever do, he brought it upon himself.

“Jerome, you said you’ve never met the dead Duke before,
right?”

“Yes. I have served master ever since he became a knight.”

“I may just be my prejudice but I think he was a very

heartless man.”

Jerome hesitated for a moment then spoke.

“From the little fragments of him that I have gathered, I

don’t think my thoughts differ very much from Milady’s”

‘His past is very far from ordinary.’ (Lucia)

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Chapter 31 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (2)

TN: Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ

Hugo did not know his mother’s face as she’d died not too long
after delivery while his father abandoned one son after weighing the
advantages and disadvantages.

It was only natural he grew to have such a cold and emotionless

personality. Or rather, considering his past, he had grown quite
excellently.

‘Abandoning a newborn baby? I just can’t understand why he

would do that.’ (Lucia)

It wasn’t like any problems had cropped up but because a trouble

might happen, he abandoned his newborn son.

It was genuinely Hugo’s luck that he was chosen to be the

successor to the Duke.

‘If he was the one abandoned…he might have been the

dead brother and murderer…’

Numerous noble families have constantly dealt with successor

problems, whether in the past, present or future but there had been
no case where it was solved in this way. When it became known, it
was something that many people criticized.

‘He said offsprings were rare in the Taran family, right? If

offsprings were rare then the twins should have been raised
more preciously.’

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It just didn’t add up.

‘In the case of Damian, sure, he is the precious son of a

family with precious offsprings.’

Damian is the only son. He is the successor.

Even if one can say Damian was sent to boarding school in order to
bring him up strictly, there was even no contact between them.

There was way too much indifference.

‘Was it because he didn’t receive much affection from his

father when he was a child that he doesn’t know how to give
it?’

The more she thought about it, the more things she found strange.
As she constantly asked and answered questions in her mind, she fell
into deep contemplation.

‘He’s had many women. It wouldn’t be strange if he had a

few illegitimate children.’

But she hadn’t heard of him having any more

‘Was it so hard to get a child that he had to make Damian

the successor?’

Then, there should be no reason for him to be reluctant about

Lucia getting pregnant. It would make more sense if he wanted make
as many offsprings as possible.

The reason many nobles preferred fertility and competition

between their children for succession was for the future of their
family.

Having only one successor carried innumerable risks.

When she got into an argument with him, she was carried away by

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her emotions and was unable to analyze his words calmly so now she
unhurriedly contemplated his words.

[I don’t need a child.]

[I don’t want to leave my mark.]

He didn’t say that because he was afraid of the conflict for

succession.

‘Mark.’

The nuance of the expression contained an underlying repulsion.

‘Then what of Damian? Is it that he didn’t want it but the

woman didn’t even tell him she was pregnant and gave
birth?’

It was quite possible.

Rather than the forceful removal of a child, the aftereffects of

giving birth was much easier on a woman’s body. Many illegitimate
children were born this way. Lucia was born this way too.

‘If he didn’t really want a child, then he shouldn’t have

been so negligent.’

She only wished to see the good side of the man that she loved but
she had to acknowledge that he had a cold and cruel side to him.

He would have forced an abortion if he really did not want the

child.

‘Merely abortion? He could do even worse.’

Her reasoning whispered to her but she ignored it. Anyways, she
wanted to see as much as possible, the good side of the man she
loved.

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‘No. If you look at his age when Damian was born…he was
at a young age so there could have been a gap… He is a
person too, he can make mistakes.’

Perhaps

Perhaps because he had revealed his inner feelings for some time
when they last fought, she could somewhat tell that Damian didn’t
seem to be born from love.

‘Even if you don’t want to, the born child has done nothing
wrong. It seems like he’s abandoned Damian. Usually, men
felt deep affection for their flesh and blood but… as if Damian
isn’t his real son…’

It was a random thought that appeared in her mind but she was
suddenly overcome with intense suspicion.

‘That’s…ridiculous.’

“Milady, do I fill it with more tea?”

Jerome’s voice shook her out of her reverie and she looked down at
her hand to find her cup empty.

“Ah?…Sure.”

Lucia’s heart drummed as she watched the teacup fill up.

“Jerome…have you ever seen the little lord?”

Jerome flinched and began to study Lucia. ‘Is she starting again?’
his expression read as he grew nervous.

“…Yes.”

“Does he…resemble him a lot?”

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“…Yes. They look very similar, to a very shocking extent.”

‘I guess my leap in logic was too much….well, of course, it’s

a ridiculous idea.’

Allowing someone that wasn’t his blood to inherit his name?

Something like that wouldn’t happen.

She tried to get the foolish idea out of her mind but she still felt
like something was missing.

“Did you see Damian when he was born? And how did he
enter the Ducal House?”

Jerome made a troubled face. No matter how much he wanted to

tell everything to her Grace, there was a limit to things.

“I apologize, Milady. I am unable to speak indiscreetly

about anything concerning the young master. I think it would
be better to ask master.”

Although it was a pity, she didn’t want to put Jerome in a difficult

position.

Lucia thought about it for a long time, she felt like she’d caught
onto something but at the same time, it felt like she hadn’t so
although there was some suspicion, she couldn’t reach a

In the evening on the same day, a maid brought medicine into her
bedroom as she prepared to fall asleep.

Anna hadn’t been able to find a cure yet so she put Lucia on
medicine that was beneficial to a woman’s womb.

As she took a sip, the uniquely unpalatable and slightly bitter taste
of the medicine entered her mouth.

‘The taste of that drug was quite unique too.’

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Although it was in her dreams, Lucia still remembered the taste of
the medicine she had taken to treat the mugwort poisoning in her
body because it had quite the unique taste.

‘The scent of vanilla… it tasted just like that.’

The next day, Lucia was taking a walk around the garden after a
meal.

“Milady!”

A maid ran up to her full of urgency, her expression looking quite

flustered.

“What is it?”

“The…the little lord…he’s here.”

As Jerome looked at the red-eyed and dark-haired boy that looked

very similar to his master, he held back his confusion from showing
and when the little lord wasn’t paying attention, he gave Ashin a
fierce glare.

Ashin was startled and furtively avoided his gaze.

“It’s been a long time, young master. Has all been well?”

As usual, Damian had nothing to criticize in the Jerome that

greeted him politely. But.

‘He’s confused.’

Damian thought to himself as he watched Jerome’s absentminded

manner. More accurately speaking, Jerome’s perfect expression and
attitude did not reveal anything.

However, even if Jerome didn’t do anything, the employees had all

lined up nearby to receive him when he’d arrived at the castle but all

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of them, including the guarding knights, had the same expression
that read:

‘What are you doing here?’

“It’s been a while.” (Damian)

“I take it you are tired from your long journey. Have you
had your lunch?” (Jerome)

“Not yet but I’ll have it later. The carriage kept wobbling so
my stomach is uncomfortable.”

“I understand, young master. Then I

Jerome suddenly stopped talking and the surroundings fell into a

strange silence. Damian expected that someone had appeared and
he could take a guess as to who it was.

Damian then turned his head in the direction of everyone else’s

gaze.

The woman that entered through the half-open door of the

receiving room must have been running for her shoulders were
moving up and down.

The brown-haired woman looked younger and smaller than he’d

expected and appeared breathless and tense.

‘Is she…’

The Lady of the House of Taran. The Duchess and Damian’s

stepmother.

***

‘Wow…’

Once she heard the maid say that Damian had come, Lucia had run

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out. The moment she saw him, she had to stop to admire.

‘How could they been so similar?’

Jerome’s words were not exaggerated at all. With his red eyes and
black hair, his features were as though someone took the Duke and
reduced him to a smaller size. Could anyone even raise any doubt
that he wasn’t the Duke’s son?

‘Then that would be ridiculous. But surely… it isn’t that he doesn’t

know the fact that he’s been announced as successor…?”

Damian sighed a little as he looked at the Duchess that was

watching him with wide eyes.

She’d just gotten married, but can only be at loss for words as her
husband already has an illegitimate child.

Either she stiffens in shock, gives him a piercing glare, gets angry
and storms away, looks at him like a disgusting worm or surprises
him by slapping his cheeks.

These were the weakest plans. He wouldn’t have to worry about

the Duchess that showed these type of reactions.

If she stayed composed, masked her feelings while smiling and

treating him like a son, it would be the wisest plan.

But it wouldn’t be very good for him if the Duchess faced him this
way.

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Chapter 32 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (3)

TN: So from what I’ve gathered from last chapter, you all just
wanna see Hugo get jealous, don’t you? LMAO.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. My greetings

are late, I’m Damian.”

Damian approached the Duchess and bowed his head, keeping an

appropriate distance.

“Ah…nice to meet you.”

Damian glanced sideways at her when she replied in a gentle tone.

‘Is she too shocked that she can’t understand the current
situation?’

There was no hostility or disgust in the amber colored eyes of the

Duchess.

Maybe she was yet to put her emotions in order or was a high-level
actress. He couldn’t decide yet.

Her appearance alone was different from the image he had

pictured. He had imagined a lady full of the pride and gracefulness of
a princess. She was more of innocence and gentleness than pride
and gracefulness.

He couldn’t understand the Ashin that had answered evasively

when he’d asked him if she was pretty.

‘But she is pretty…’

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“Milady, the young master just came back from a long
carriage journey and mentioned he would like to rest.”
(Jerome)

“Ah. He should get some rest. I know how exhausting a

carriage trip can be. It’s around the time for lunch, has he
eaten?”

“…He’s not in the mood for it.”

“Even so, he can’t continue to have an empty stomach till

evening, he’s at the prime of his growth. Steward, have them
prepare something easy on the stomach and bring it out. For
dinner too, prepare something that digests easily.”

“Yes, Milady.”

The boy that had been silently staring at Lucia, bowed his head
and followed a servant. When the boy had gone far enough that he
wouldn’t see her, Lucia grabbed her reddening face with both hands.

‘Ah, my goodness! So cute!’

He was a mini Duke! He was the childhood of the Duke that Lucia
had not seen. It

“Milady…?”

Jerome was worried that her Grace would be shocked but when she
turned her head, her eyes were twinkling.

“You said he was eight, right Jerome?”

“That is correct. He was born with an uncommonly huge

physique.”

“I see…Indeed, I don’t think it would make any sense if his

son was small.”

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“Are you…okay?”

“What?”

“…No, nothing.”

“He’s a much cuter child than I expected. Looks kind too.”

“…yes???”

The word ‘cute’ was definitely not a word that matched the young
master. It may have during his early childhood but definitely not now.

And kind? Where did she see that? The young master resembles
the Duke in looking like he wouldn’t bleed even if you stabbed him.
Her Grace’s eyes were questionable. (1)

“If I say I want to have dinner together, would it be

uncomfortable?” (Lucia)

“…If Milady isn’t uncomfortable, then…”

“Uncomfortable indeed. I’m looking forward to dinner

tonight.”

Jerome watched as her Grace left the receiving room cheerfully

then fell into deep thought. She had the completely opposite reaction
that the normal person would have.

It was the tragic situation of a new bride marrying in and within a

few months of marriage, her husband’s older son shows up. Her
Grace’s reaction was definitely not normal.

Maybe she didn’t know the seriousness of the situation or maybe

her Grace was just someone with no discretion.

Jerome then grabbed Ashin and pulled him into the steward’s
office. He glared sharply at Ashin while Ashin was trying his best to

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avoid the gaze on him, his eyes wandering all over the ceiling.

“What the hell is going on, Sir Ashin?”

“What do you mean?”

“What did you not tell me you would be picking up the

young master?”

“That… well, I thought you already knew.”

“Even if you thought that way, you should have informed

me or Milady.”

“…that…his Grace didn’t give any instruction

Jerome grabbed him by the neck. It wasn’t like he was a rookie that
had just become an administrative officer so, was that something a
secretary should say?

If someone’s worked as long as Ashin has, they should have

figured out the Duke’s nature by now.

It was very often that the Duke would give orders without the
process to carry it out, and if one person could pass on his words to
others then that was the end of it.

He had no interest in whether there was communication or not. It

was all on their heads if there was a problem due to lack of
communication.

And so, vassals of the Duke would often have short meetings
between themselves to check if there were any holes in their
knowledge.

“Do I have to point things out to you to that extent, Sir

Ashin?”

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Occasionally in some areas, the usually swift Ashin would strangely
have his flexibility drop to a bottom when it came to work regarding
the Duke.

Jerome heard a knock as he was about to continue speaking and

after a while, the door opened slowly and Fabian’s head peeked in.

“What’s going on? Oh, Sir Ashin, It’s been a long time.”

“Fabian! It’s been a while. Then you brothers can sort out
yourselves… I’ll just…”

They shared a brief handshake, lightly knocked their shoulders and

as soon as the greeting was over, Ashin felt as though he’d found a
way to survive and immediately scurried off.

“What’s the matter?” (Fabian) Jerome sighed deeply.

“It’s not a big deal. Master isn’t here right now, what is it?
Didn’t you hear he was going to deal with the barbarians?”
(Jerome)

“I know. I received different order so I came here. It seems

like the young master is here?”

“He arrived a little while ago.”

“Your expression doesn’t seem good. Is her Grace very

unhappy?”

“No, it’s not

Unhappy? She liked it so much that even her steps grew lighter. He
gave up on explaining to Fabian because Fabian would just call it
nonsense. He would allow Fabian to see it with his own eyes.

“I was suddenly asked to bring the family registry

document so was wondering what was going on. The young

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master is back, huh.”

“…Registry documents?”

“Although I don’t know if her Grace has given her consent.

How are those two these days? Is his Grace still in his
honeymoon mood?”

“Watch your words.”

Jerome seemed very unimpressed with the topic as he frowned

intensely and Fabian awkwardly shrugged his shoulders.

“What of the capital? Anything new?” (Jerome)

“There’s always something new in that place.”

Fabian recalled an incident that had caused a racket in the high

society not too long ago. Roy Krotin, the current escort to the crown
prince, beat a knight of a Count’s family half-dead.

It wouldn’t be a problem if it was a legitimate duel but the duel was

quite undefined.

It would be correct to say he was suppressed by Roy’s skills but the

method was controversial.

Roy provoked the Knight by not drawing his sword; saying that if
he was made to draw his sword, he would admit defeat, causing the
opposing knight to blow his top.

And Roy beat up the Knight that jumped at him with his sword like
a rag doll.

When Fabian first heard the news, he was speechless but

afterwards, he couldn’t stop laughing. He knew that Roy was
someone that his Lord often wreaked havoc on to beat sense into
him.

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Sure enough, there was controversy as to whether it was a fair
duel. The count ran around asking what type of duel that was
meanwhile at the crown prince’s side, when he heard that Roy had
crushed them with his skills, he burst into laughter.

And so, suddenly, Roy

“Ah right. These days, there’s a rumor floating around

about the mine that his Grace gave as a dowry.” (Fabian)

“Why has that turned into a rumor?”

A dowry was a private matter that only those involved in the

exchange should know about.

For the receiver, it said how much one sold their daughter for, and
for the giver, it was how much money one paid for their wife and so,
to keep up appearances, it was the proper courtesy not to talk about
it.

“What do you think? It’s obvious who spread it. The King
must have boasted about it so it spread.”

“That…tsk.”

The two brothers clicked their tongue in disapproval towards the

senseless king.

“Anyways, that’s why all sorts of rumors are flying around.

It is said that because her Grace is such a beauty, even if a
man looks from afar he would fall for her so his Grace fell for
her at a glance, gave away his entire mine and dragged her
to his estate so that no one could see her.”

Honestly speaking, her Grace wasn’t to that extent.

Looking at the sight of Fabian giggling away, Jerome clicked his

tongue.

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“Someone like Milady is beautiful.”

“…Did you eat something wrong?”

“Mmn, The problem is poking fun at other people without

any basis. That’s too much…”

“What’s too much? His Grace doesn’t care about things like
rumors.”

Was it really like that? Jerome had a hunch that his master
wouldn’t be indifferent to rumors concerning her Grace. He was
almost certain of it.

Translator’s Corner: 1. Basically it’s saying that they are tough men
to the extent you have to wonder if they really have blood in their
veins.

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Chapter 32 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (3)

TN: Here’s another chapter I just love love and love.

Damian thought he’d slept for a long time but when he got up, it
was still bright outside.

Damian’s bedroom was located in one of the buildings connected

to the central tower. It was a room originally build to be a nursery for
the Duke’s children.

It was considerably wide ranging from the bedroom to the study

room, enough for up to ten children to stay in.

When he looked outside the window from the second floor of the
bedroom that had been his until he left for boarding school, he could
see the garden that was covered with colorful flowers.

‘Is this the work of the Duchess…’

He’d thought that flowers were unsuitable for the dreary Ducal
House but surprisingly, they didn’t look out of place and the scent of
the flowers filled the air.

He didn’t usually feel any sort of love or hate towards flowers but
he thought it would be good to see the garden that was full of
flowers.

And so, Damian went down to the garden. The scent that filled his
nose was much more intense.

“Damian.”

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It was first time the boy realized that his name could be said so
sweetly. He stopped abruptly and turned to look at the approaching
Duchess. As Damian laid his eyes on the Duchess who looked
extremely happy, he tilted his head.

‘Why is she happy?’

“Did you sleep well? You woke up pretty early. Aren’t you
hungry?”

It was a soft and clear voice. Her pleasant voice was

“…I’m okay for now.”

“Have I perhaps interrupted you?”

“No.”

Damian had no memory of his birth mother and whether it was his
professors or the students at the academy, they were all male. The
women that worked in the kitchen or did the chores were all middle-
aged women.

He’d never conversed with a young woman that he wasn’t in an

employment relationship with, so he was extremely awkward.

“I thought the garden looked great so I came here.”

(Damian)

“I just planted a bunch of flowers but I’m glad you think it’s
nice.” (Lucia)

“You can speak more comfortably.” (Damian) (TN: She’d been

using formal speech)

“Mm…Sure? I don’t really care much but…would that be

more comfortable for you?”

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“Yes.”

“Alright. If you’re taking a walk, would you like to take a

short walk with me?” (TN: She’s switched to informal)

“…Yes.”

As they silently walked through the path in the garden, Lucia

continued to sneak glances at the boy.

The more she looked, the more amazed she got. It seemed like her
heart that had been wanting to see him could be satisfied by looking
at Damian for some time.

Even the boy’s stiff and polite tone somehow resembled him.

“I heard you were at boarding school. Is this a vacation?”

“…There are no vacations but an outing is possible. His

Grace asked me to come so I came. He also asked me to give
my greetings to the Duchess.”

“Ah…”

Damian was definitely keeping a distance from her. She could feel
it.

‘Although truthfully, if he’d called

When noble children reach the age of discretion, they would

oftentimes become obsessed with a sense of entitlement and
become arrogant and impudent.

There were also cases where they remain the same even after they
matured, but still, when they grew older, they learnt how to keep
what they really thought inside and pretend on the outside.

Damian was now eight years old but was as disciplined as a knight.

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But even so, she could only see him as the child he was.

‘Is this the power of boarding schools? Then it would be

nice to send all noble children to boarding schools.’

The fact that she was not in a position high enough to enforce such
a thought was the fortune of all noble children.

“Damian, honestly speaking, right now, it is hard for me to

think of you as a son .”

So direct—! Damian paused in surprise and looked at Lucia.

“You too, right? It’s hard for you to think of me as your

mother.”

I didn’t expect this kind of method! Damian chose his words

carefully.

“…I apologize. Did I make a mistake…”

“No. I’m not blaming you, I’m just saying it’s natural.
We’ve just met, we don’t know each other so it’s only natural
to be unfamiliar.”

Red eyes much smaller than his (Hugo’s) looked at Lucia. He

evoked in Lucia the image of a young animal that had just learned
about the world. He lifted his eyebrows adorably, searching her like
she was the first existence he’d ever seen.

To the Lucia who

‘So cute. So cute!’

Her hands were fidgeting. She wanted to pinch his cheeks a little or
even pat his head.

Lucia restrained herself from doing so as that would make him

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more vigilant.

“We only differ in age by ten years. If I had a ten year old
child at my age, then your father becomes a criminal.” (Lucia)
(1)

Damian quickly suppressed the huge smile that was about to break
out on his face.

“So, I want us to try and get a little bit closer to each

other. Instead of being so formal and calling me ‘Duchess’,
call me by my name, Lucia. It’s my childhood name.”

“…”

“Let’s get along from now on, Damian.”

Lucia had been influenced in various ways from hanging out with
Kate. It would be hard to change her fundamental character but she
liked Kate’s straightforward way of speaking so she was trying to be
more like that.

She stretched out her hand to ask for a handshake while Damian
stared blankly at her hand. He couldn’t make out what the Duchess
wanted.

Why would she want to do such a troublesome thing? Damian was

definitely the weaker party between him and the Duchess. He was
young in age and an illegitimate child.

When the Duchess gives birth to a child in the future, he would be

an obstacle. There was no reason for the Duchess to try and improve
their relationship.

“Is that difficult?” (Lucia)

“…No.”

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Damian grabbed the Duchess’s hand

‘I don’t know what her true motive is but…since I can’t read

my opponent yet, I have no choice but to accept.’

Although Damian was young, he wasn’t an idiot that would reveal

his aggression to an opponent whose intentions he couldn’t grasp.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If she hid a knife behind her
smile, he would do the same too. He was still young and did not have
any power.

It was a time where he definitely could not upset anyone.

‘Seems like it will be hard to get close.’ (Lucia)

Damian thought he was hiding his thoughts but to the Lucia that
had experienced a lot in life, the vigilance of a young child was
obvious to her.

Even if she said that she wasn’t his enemy, he wouldn’t believe
her.

With his position as an illegitimate child without a mother around

to embrace him and a father that did not give him warm care and
attention, no matter who it was, they would be disillusioned.

‘After some time, it will be okay. My sincerity will definitely

be seen someday.’

Lucia knew that she would love his son just as much as she loved
him.

Translator’s Corner:

1. I’m not sure if the joke came across well(sorry) but she’s saying
that if she’s the biological mother of a 10 year old child at her age
(she’s 18 i think), then his father becomes a criminal (cuz she would

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have to have given birth at 8 years old for that to happen).

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Chapter 33 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (4)

TN: I was about to ship it then I remembered the age difference

*cough*. You’ll understand when you read.

Anna returned from her outing with her hands full of books tied up
in a string. These days, she’d been working on finding a cure for the
Duchess.

She’d combed through the bookstore and collected all the books
related to medicinal herbs and asked the owner of the bookstore to
definitely contact her whenever a related book came in.

As Anna walked through the castle gates and entered the castle,
she saw Dorothy, a middle-aged woman that she was usually close
to, some distance away.

She wanted to raise her voice and greet her but because Dorothy
was holding onto a man and acting fussy as she subserviently bowed
her waist, she just watched blankly.

‘Just looking at his attire, he doesn’t seem like someone in

a high position…’

When they separated, Anna approached Dorothy.

“Who was that? Seems like someone I’m seeing for the first
time.”

“The first time? Well, He is indeed someone full of

wanderlust. He’s the Duke’s doctor.”

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“The Duke’s doctor? Why have I never seen such a
person?”

“You haven’t stayed long in the castle. We didn’t hear any

news from him for a few years then he returned, stayed for a
few days and left again. This time, he’s stayed for almost two
or three months. I don’t know when he’ll be leaving again.”

“Is it okay for a doctor to just leave like that?”

“Because our Duke is such a strong person, he doesn’t really need

a doctor.

Even though Anna was having a conversation, she kept glancing in

the direction Philip had disappeared in.

The next day, Anna went to find Philip at his residence. It was
wooden house nestled at the corner of the outer walls. There was
thick tree near the house making it seem even more remote.

A primary physician should be able to arrive as early as possible if

there was an emergency which was why Anna stayed inside of the
castle.

Although it was said that he was the Duke’s primary doctor, he

always left his position to go on vacations, never looked for the Duke,
and his residence was far away.

Somehow, there seemed to be an inside story to all of it. Just in

time, Anna finally found Philip sitting on a chair in the backyard.

“Hello, Sir Philip. I am Anna, the Duchess’ doctor. I heard

the Duke’s doctor was around so I came meet you and at the
same time, give my greetings.”

The old man with a somewhat odd air around him watched Anna
slowly, as though he were searching her face, then displayed a good
natured smile.

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“Nice to meet you. You can just call me Philip.”

“For me too, just call me Anna.”

“You’re a precious guest, come in. I will bring out some

tea.”

Philip’s friendly response caused Anna’s heart that was little

nervous to relax and she

They drank tea, exchanged a few meaningless pleasantries and

after a few words, the conversation became increasingly more about
topics related to medicine.

Because they were both doctors, it was a common topic that they
could talk about for even a whole day. During the conversation they
had, Anna admired two things.

Philip’s polite and elegant attitude and his medical knowledge. It

was an occasion where the occupation of a doctor and the status of a
noble Baron were impeccable.

Although, as a doctor, Anna was more focused on Philip’s medical

knowledge.

‘This person is skilled.’

Anna couldn’t keep up with Philip’s intelligence. Doctors usually

have a unique treatment method that only themselves know about or
have some understanding concerning diseases but when Philip began
to speak, there was nothing he didn’t know.

Or rather, he would even suggest an easier treatment method.

‘If it’s him… he might know about her Grace’s symptoms.’

From the start, Anna’s original purpose was to seek advice

regarding the Duchess’ symptoms. However, unlike the general

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sicknesses, her Grace’s symptoms were a personal secret.

It continuously bothered her conscience as a doctor because a

patient’s secret must strictly be protected.

Even if they were doctors that worked in the same place, she
couldn’t readily talk about the symptoms.

And if Anna looked at another patient, she was still the primary
doctor of the Duchess. It wasn’t something that she could just close
her eyes and deny.

Anna eventually decided on just studying as much medical books

as she could then departed from Philip’s residence.

As Anna was returning from meeting Philip, she

“I called you because I have something to say. It seems you

met Sir Philip today.” (Jerome)

“I…Are you monitoring me?”

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. The one under surveillance isn’t

you, Anna but Sir Philip.”

In the past, the Duke had appeared quite displeased when he’d
heard of Sir Philip living within the castle. It was very rare for his
master to reveal his feelings.

Jerome didn’t know the details but he could tell that there was
something so Jerome placed more eyes around Philip to watch him
closely.

Jerome’s tight surveillance started some time ago, from the

moment Philip arrived at the city of Roam. But Jerome did not know
that there was another set of eyes monitoring Philip.

They were hidden guards at Damian’s side and one of their

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missions was to block Philip from approaching Damian. Because
Damian had returned to Roam, Philip was now under double
monitoring.

“I’m not saying that you cannot meet. You also don’t have
to say what you’ve talked about. But you cannot allow Sir
Philip meet her Grace or mention him to her. I have been
instructed to not allow her Grace to learn of Sir Philip’s
existence.” (Jerome)

Anna wanted to ask why. There was many things about this that
she couldn’t understand but Anna was just a doctor. If the ones
above say so, she had to follow.

“If you don’t mind us meeting then…Sir Philip is a

competent doctor. Is it okay for me to ask for advice on
treatment methods for her Grace?”

Jerome thought about it for a moment.

“If it’s just that,

“…I understand.”

As being under surveillance from the ones above was an extremely

uncomfortable thought, Anna did not go to find Philip for a few days.

But when she began to think that if Philip were to go on another

trip, the day they meet would be in the distant future, she grew
nervous. Eventually, she went back to see Philip.

“Anna, welcome.”

Philip looked happy to have a guest and his expression was very
kind. All the way here, Anna had been full of anxiety.

What kind of person was he that he had to be monitored? Did he

commit a great evil?

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She was nervous and worried that she might be dragged into this
pointlessly but in the face of Philip’s hospitality, she felt
unnecessarily guilty.

‘If he did something evil, then surely he wouldn’t just be

under surveillance. Sir Philip is a doctor but he’s also a
baron, therefore it’s probably some kind of political issue.’

And so, afterwards, Anna steadily visited Philip. A doctor’s

knowledge was practically their property so Anna grew to sincerely
respect the Philip that taught her freely.

As for Philip, since he was always alone, having a friend that he

could have a conversation made his life much more enjoyable.

He folded his thoughts of leaving soon and spent his time

conversing with Anna or sometimes going outside the castle with her
and offering their medical services to the poor.

The relationship between the two was very similar to one between
a master and his disciple.

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Chapter 33 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (4)

TN: Ha-ha, sorry bout the mobile theme. Was tweaking the site a
bit but it should be up for good now.

After Damian arrived, the serenity in Roam remained the same as

usual. Lucia’s life did not change either.

During the day, she would take care of the garden and in the
evening, she would read books in the study.

Since the Lady of the House was the same as usual, the employees
that were a little nervous went back to normal.

Meanwhile, Damian was busy studying hard. He spent the most of

the day alone in his room looking through books.

For the boy, the Academy was the only thing that could prove his
existence. He could never relax on it.

The boy who had been completely absorbed in his books lifted his
head to the sound of knocking coming from his door.

A while after, a servant came in, stood by the door and spoke.

“Young master, dinner is ready.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t realize that much time had flown by. Damian close the
book without any hesitation and stood up.

He walked out of the room and his steps towards the dining room

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were light. Twice a day, he had lunch and dinner with the Duchess.

It was just sitting down, facing each other and having a meal but
as time passed, Damian began to look forward to this time.

When Damian arrived at the dining room, no one had arrived yet.
He sat down and waited for a bit then Lucia came in. Damian quickly
got up, took out a chair and helped Lucia into her seat.

“Thank you, Damian.”

Lucia smiled, greeting him and in response, Damian bowed his

head slightly then returned to his seat. It was quiet throughout the
meal.

There was usually next to no conversation between them as they

ate. There were even more times when they didn’t utter a single
word.

Damian was unlike a child as he was reserved and Lucia was also
not the talkative type. But neither Damian nor Lucia felt the silence
was uncomfortable.

While they were eating, Damian accidentally

Damian glanced at the maid that had moved to serve him. He

could feel that the attitude of the employees that attended to him
were very careful.

It didn’t mean that there was an employee that was rude to his
before he left for boarding school. Even though people said all sorts
of things about his illegitimacy or what not, from the point of view of
the employees, he was in a very high position.

However before, they seemed like a sturdy robots that only fulfilled
their duties. In comparison to that time, they showed a bit more
enthusiasm as they served and complied with his wishes.

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Damian knew all about the Duchess’ favor and the Duchess did not
conceal her goodwill towards him. And since the employees watched
and listened as they served them, they acted a lot more careful with
Damian.

The amount of time that Damian met the Duchess in a day did not
amount to much. Most of the time, he studied then it was meal time
and after which they would take a walk.

The Duchess’ favor was not excessive and she did not try to stir up
his mind or pull it down. As time passed in this manner, Damian’s
boundaries relaxed.

If Damian was even a little bit older, the door to his heart would
have been tightly shut but he was just eight years old. He was a
young child that missed affection but had never even learnt what it
was.

After dinner, neither of them said a word about going to the garden
together for a walk but they naturally began to walk there together.

“You are eagerly studying most of the time, right? I find

that admirable.” (Lucia)

The tips of Damian’s ears grew slightly red.

“That’s because…I don’t want to lag behind when I return

to the Academy.”

“You said this wasn’t a vacation but an outing, right? Can

you go out at any time?”

“You have to

Damian’s expression got a little darker.

The 30 days limit was not going to be a big issue. The Duke would
be able to deal with any problems of that sort but the semester

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would have already flown by.

“Why don’t you call him father? Did he say you have to call
him that way?”

“…It’s not like that. I just…thought he’d dislike it…”

“Why do you think so? That’s just your presumption. Try

calling him father, he definitely would not dislike it.”

“…”

“And Damian, you haven’t called me by my name. Did you

think I wouldn’t notice you were deliberately omitting my
name? When you call me, will you go, ‘hey’, ‘you there’. You
aren’t doing that, are you?”

The red eyes of the boy shook.

“No. I don’t do that…”

“Then you can say it. I call you Damian, don’t I?”

“…Yes…Lucia.”

Damian grew silent then spoke abruptly.

“May I ask you a question?”

“Any time.” (Lucia)

“Don’t you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you.”

Without any pause, Lucia responded lightly, as though it was an

everyday conversation.

“Do you think I should hate you?” (Lucia)

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“…I think if you must, you should.”

“Where is there such a saying? The feeling of hate hurts

one just as much as it hurts one’s enemy. Why would I bother
myself with such an unnecessary emotion? I don’t hate you
and I don’t have any plans of doing so in the future.”

“…”

But if the Duchess gave birth to a child and he becomes a

roadblock in the future of her child, from that moment onwards, her
goodwill towards him would change into hatred.

Damian couldn’t believe the words of the Duchess.

“Damian, ever since I got married, I’ve known about you.

Your father married me on the condition that I acknowledge
you.”

Damian couldn’t believe it.

“That man is probably not an affectionate father but don’t think

Damian couldn’t believe it but he wanted to believe. Nobody’d ever

told the boy something like this before.

There was contempt and disapproval towards the crude illegitimate

child and faced with the indifference from his father’s cold gaze, he’d
clenched his teeth and worked harder. So, Lucia’s tender comfort
squeezed into the gaps in the boy’s heart.

“Do you hate your father?”

Hate. He’d never dared to think that way. Damian knew just how
much what he had was beyond his means. He was just an illegitimate
child with a non-noble biological mother but he was given recognition
by his high ranking noble father and was appointed as his successor.

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[Just graduate. Then this place is yours.]

The Duke sent Damian to boarding school with only this condition.
It was a ridiculously easy condition.

And because of his scary father, even though there were many
hateful gazes, nobody tried to harm the boy directly.

Of the Taran bloodline, excluding the Duke, there was only Damian
so there were no competitors. So, harboring complaints was
something Damian wouldn’t do.

“No. He is…someone I admire.”

The boarding school where the boy was attending was a

prestigious academy where nobles and those of royal blood gathered
from various countries.

Because the school system was personalized for each student,

there were students like Damian who boarded long term and while
the shortest course of study could be two years, it varied greatly.

There was no one among the people that came from all over the
world that did not know of Xenon’s Taran Duke. His remarkable
prowess in the war that ended not too long ago was more famous in
other countries, especially in enemy countries, than in his home
country.

Damian had heard that his knights were revered almost like gods.
That his father was so great, no one could surpass him.

In the Academy, Damian lived without revealing who his father

was, as well as his country of origin. It wasn’t that

But that Damian was afraid of the gazes that might follow. Gazes
that would say, ‘Ah, an extraordinary person like that merely has son
like this.’

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The boy’s goal was to safely secure his status as the successor and
one day, succeed the Duke.

But he’d never thought about why that is or what he would like to
do after he became the Duke. He only feared he would be abandoned
if he wasn’t useful because his father just needed someone to inherit
his title.

Damian never hoped for his father’s affection. He was satisfied

with even a little recognition.

That way he knew he wasn’t completely useless. If he was

accommodated that much, then he had nothing more to ask for.

“I see. It is a desirable thing for a son to admire his

father.” (Lucia)

Lucia seemed to have something pressing down on her chest the

entire time. The tragic case of the Taran family was an unpleasant
incident and it seems like the relationship between father and son
wasn’t very good, so she was inwardly worried.

“What part of him do you admire? That he’s a great Knight?

Or that he’s a powerful lord that rules over the vast North?”

“…Because he’s strong.” (Damian)

It was a statement that sounded like pure nonsense but Lucia

agreed. He was correct. To Lucia, it didn’t seem like there was
anyone under the sky stronger than him.

He was a man that made one want to lean on him, both physically
and mentally.

“Yes. He is indeed strong.”

Like a colossal tree, standing firm and unyielding; enough to make

one want to lean on its base and seek refuge in its shadows.

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“Damian, do you wish to become strong?”

“Yes.”

“You could be. You are your father’s son.”

“…Yes.”

The wind blew softly, lightly brushing past the two of them. The
scent of flowers carried by the wind was so sweet, it filled Damian’s
heart with pleasure.

There were no words but there was a smile on their faces as they
continued to walk. It was another peaceful day.

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Chapter 34 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (5)

TN: Hope you guys enjoy this one, not a lot happens but I had a
blast translating it.

Lucia had rarely gone horseback riding ever since Damian arrived
and as she was preparing to once again go riding for a bit, Kate came
to visit.

The two greeted each other with a light embrace.

Kate had not been able to visit for a while as she’d been taking
care of her injured grand aunt, Countess Corzan.

Perhaps she’d been weakened because of old age for Madam

Michelle fell down the stairs and terribly sprained her ankle.

It was to the point where she could barely move so she chose the
one she dotted on the most, her niece, Kate, to be her care-taker.

Even though her grandaunt was usually nagging and strict, Kate
stayed by her side and took care of her.

“How is Madam Michelle?” (Lucia)

“She’s limping a little but she can walk around now. She
asked me to tell you she’s thankful for the medicine you sent,
they’ve shown great efficiency.”

“It’s my pleasure to be of help.”

At the beginning, Madam Michelle was a frequent visitor to Roam

but after Lucia opened tea parties several times and handled her

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socializing effortlessly, Madam Michelle’s visit came to a stop due to
her poor health.

And ever since Kate became a frequent visitor, they’d been

exchanging words to and from through Kate.

If you aren’t

“This is my real purpose of coming to see you today,

Lucia.”

Kate placed the basket that she came in with on the table.

“It’s the present I promised you last time. Open it.”

Lucia carefully removed the cover of the basket and exclaimed.

“Oh my!”

Suddenly, a blinding bright light came in causing a certain pair of

big black eyes to blink. The disheveled fox with fluffy light yellow fur
shook its big ears.

It was conscious of Lucia’s gaze on it for a short moment then soon

enough it yawned and closed its eyes. It moved its bushy tail and
wrapped it around its body for cover.

The lovely creature that was small enough to fit into both hands
instantly captured Lucia’s heart.

“Goodness! It’s lovely!”

Lucia placed her hand on her chest to pace her thumping heart.
She’d gone to the fox hunt and seen the foxes that the ladies raised
but none of them was as adorable as the one in front of her.

“It’s also my first time seeing such a beauty. Even when it

grows up, it will be beautiful.” (Kate)

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Kate had promised to obtain a fox for Lucia for fox hunting.

“You have to obtain them when they are young to tame

them. Look after it frequently, it has to recognize its owner
before its growth phase. If this time passes, you can’t give
any excuses.”

“I

“I understand.”

“I’ll send you a list of things you need to watch out for
when raising a fox later.”

“Thank you, Kate. It’s such a wonderful gift…”

The two women descended into conversation about fox hunting for
a while.

“Oh, where is my mind? I was about to go horse-riding. Do

you want to join me Kate?”

“I didn’t plan on doing so at first, but I’ve been wanting to

go riding for a while. I’ll go.”

“Ah, and I have someone I want to introduce to you.”

Lucia called a maid and instructed her to call Damian.

“Damian is here. He’s home for a change but I’m not sure if
there would be another time to introduce him to you.”

“Who…?”

“I’m talking about his Grace the Duke’s son. Well, he’s also
my son now.”

Kate’s expression instantly stiffened.

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“…What?”

“Could it be you’ve never heard of it? From what I know,

the fact that Damian is his successor has already been made
public.”

“…ah…well…I’ve heard a little…”

The life of the Duke was a taboo topic amongst northern nobles. It
wasn’t like someone ordered them to keep their mouths shut but
they knew to be careful with what they said.

It was thanks to the efforts of the Northern people that no rumors

of the son and successor of the Taran Duke had spread in the
Capital’s noble circles.

Meanwhile the Taran duke didn’t care whether one deliberately

spreads a rumor or one watches what they

“You called for me?”

Looking at the black-haired, red-eyed boy that had walked into the
drawing room for a while, Kate swallowed tensely. She hadn’t
finished preparing her mind.

“Say hello, Damian. This is pretty much the only guest that
visits me in Roam. My friend, Kate Milton.”

Damian looked indifferently at Kate who was unable to hide her

puzzlement. He was familiar with such looks and expressions towards
himself. He was deluded for a moment due to the innocent goodwill
the Duchess had shown to him all this while.

As his mood sank a little, he lowered his head in a nodding

manner.

“It is an honor to meet a beautiful lady like yourself, Lady

Milton. My name is Damian.”

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“Ah…yes. I…I am also honored, Young Lord.”

Kate hadn’t ever had such a hard time managing her expression.
Even when in the past she was walking around the city and stepped
on her dress ripping it, she could manage her expression.

As for the Duchess sitting next to her,

“Wow, your words are so… geez. Who would say you aren’t
your father’s son?”

After saying so, she burst into laughter. It was a feeling of seeing a
comedy and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Do you know how to ride a horse, Damian? Or shall I bring

a colt?”

“I know how to ride a horse. I learned at the Academy.”

“Seems like there’s nothing

“Ah…yes. It’s…great.”

It was definitely not common for an eight year old to know how to
properly ride a horse but it was very possible for someone of the
young Lord’s huge stature as he exceeded that of the usual eight
year old.

Moreover, he was the son of the Taran Duke whose name was
hailed among Knights.

However, Kate didn’t have any intention of diminishing Lucia’s

feeling of pride so she just humored her.

“Damian, we were going to go horseback riding now but we

can all go together.”

Damian took a glance at Kate’s stiffening expression. He tried to

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laugh but it was a sign that told him he was an unwelcome guest.

“No, it’s okay. I still have books I have to read.”

“While studying is good, you can’t keep studying all the

time, especially when you’re at the prime of your age. Don’t
you want to grow bigger?”

Big. Damian flinched at the sensitive topic.

“You have to grow as big as your father, right?”

Damian nodded his head.

“Kate, would it be okay if Damian joins us? Sorry I didn’t

ask for consent beforehand.”

“No…It’s fine. But Lucia, the horse-riding field we’re going

to… only women can enter.”

“I know.”

Lucia tilted her head as though asking ‘What’s the problem?’

“Damian is just eight years old. He’s not a man.”

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Chapter 34 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (5)

TN: So I’m sensing a bit of confusion but Lucia and

Hugo have reconciled in 29[part 2].

It was only for an instant but Kate witnessed the distorted

expression of the young Lord of Taran.

The boy that looked unlike his eight-year-old age with his upright
and huge build, suddenly seemed his age when he heard those
straightforward words.

Kate turned her head away slightly and let out a small laugh. She
felt a bit sorry for the boy’s broken pride.

In the horse-riding field, when the noble ladies came up to greet

Lucia, she had them greet Damian.

The noble ladies were as though they’d all bitten an unripe fruit for
they all had sour expressions as they begrudgingly gave their
greetings.

Some looked at Lucia unable to understand it at all, some looked at

her with gazes that said she was too young to know about the world
while some looked at her with worried gazes.

Lucia was indifferent to their gazes and acted as though she didn’t
notice them. From time to time, Damian gave Lucia a peculiar gaze.

“This child is Emily.”

Lucia introduced her favorite horse to Damian. Damian took in its

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entire appearance and so as to not surprise it, he walked slowly to its
front then stroked its back.

“It’s a good horse.” (Damian)

“You know how to discern horses?”

“I only know how to tell if it’s a good horse or not. I’m not
an expert.”

“But I don’t know how to do even that. To me, because

Emily is my horse, she’s the prettiest but all horses look the
same to me. Kate, isn’t it great? Damian is very young but he
knows a lot.”

Looking at the face

At first, Kate couldn’t understand why Lucia was like this but
eventually decide to just accept it since it wasn’t a bad thing for their
mother-son relationship to get better.

After a few rounds of circling around the riding field, they ended
their light session of horse riding and the two women went into the
lounge (break room). As Damian had opted to keep riding, he was
still outside on the field.

Every table in the lounge was filled with women, seated in groups
of twos and threes. Unlike the original intention for building it, the
lounge of the horse-riding field had increasingly become an active
social gathering spot for women.

“People’s gazes on Damian were much colder than I

expected.” (Lucia)

Kate was unsure of what reply to give so she just listened.

“Even though he’s the successor that his Grace the Duke
personally chose, why are they like that?”

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“That’s… probably because of the unwritten rules.
Although the law states that a son would be recognized as a
qualifier once they enter the family register, in reality, there
are next to no cases where a son that enters the registry like
that inherits the title. The ones that become Counts are
barely a handful and there’s been no precedence where
they’re titled higher than Marquis.”

“I see. I didn’t know that.”

In Lucia’s dream, she didn’t have any children so when she lived as
the Countess, she didn’t pay attention to matters concerning
succession.

“Then what happens if

“Most people adopt a son from among their relatives.”

It was the so-called noble pride.

It is said that an illegitimate child should be extremely grateful to

even be recognized as a qualifier. Although Lucia was of the royal
family, looking closer, she was also an illegitimate child so it left a
bad taste in Kate’s mouth.

An elderly noble woman walked up to Kate and Lucia’s table. She

was Countess Philia, a woman extremely healthy for her age and not
inferior to anyone in her enjoyment of horse riding.

Lucia remembered hearing that when the women-only

equestrian(horseback riding) practice field was created, the Countess
had praised the Taran Duke till her mouth ran dry.

They went through the usual ceremonial motions of greeting each

other and sending their best regards then the Countess placed two
flower baskets on the table.

“I got a granddaughter just recently and it is a northern

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tradition to present yellow flowers to people around me as I
wish for my granddaughter to be healthy and to grow up
beautifully.”

“Oh my, Congratulations. Your granddaughter will grow up

beautifully and healthy just like the Countess.”

When the Countess turned around to hand out flower baskets to

other people, Kate spoke.

“It is a northern tradition but these days there aren’t many

people that do it. Countess Philia seems quite trusting of this
tradition. It is indeed correct to give out yellow flowers
but…it isn’t common to give out this flower…its prices are
tremendous. Countess Philia looks very happy, she must
have spent a fortune.”

Lucia glanced at the flower basket and smiled ambiguously. The

beautiful yellow roses looked as

***

The employees were lined up outside as usual to welcome the Lady

of the House as she returned from her outing to the horse-riding
field.

The door of the carriage opened and Lucia stepped down from the
carriage. When Jerome discovered the basket of yellow roses in her
hands, he grew frightened.

“Kkuk!”

Jerome let out a strange sound in spite of himself but was quick to
cover it up by dryly clearing his throat. The employees that noticed it
acted like they didn’t hear anything.

Lucia gave him an odd look then held out her basket of flowers.

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“Countess Philia said she’d gotten a granddaughter and
gave me a present.”

“Ah, yes…”

After accepting the basket of flowers, Jerome heaved a long sigh.

He didn’t want to see yellow roses anymore.

Lucia and Damian sat face to face in the receiving room, drinking
tea while Jerome stood at the side, waiting on them with more tea.

“Now that I think about it, there are no roses in the garden.
I’m thinking of making a rose garden next spring, what are
your thoughts, Jerome?”

Jerome’s expression froze.

“About roses…can you think over it again…?”

“Why?”

“Master doesn’t… particularly like them.”

Lucia’s eyes grew round as she looked at Jerome then she spoke to
Damian.

“Damian, tell me honestly. Did you know that there were

no roses in the garden?”

“I didn’t know.”

“See? Jerome, unless a man is particularly interested in

flowers, he wouldn’t really know that. I doubt if my husband
is able to differentiate between varieties of flowers. Although
I’m sure there’s one flower he can distinguish. Yellow…”

“K-hm. K-hm.”

Jerome overdramatically cleared his throat causing a small laugh to

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escape from Lucia’s mouth.

“Don’t worry, even if I plant roses,

The color itself wasn’t the problem but the Duke had ordered that
he didn’t want to lay his eyes on any roses. This was serious.
Jerome’s back broke out in cold sweat.

Damian returned to his room and Jerome finally said what he’d
been hesitant to say for a while.

“Milady, about the yellow rose I talked to you about the

other day. You asked me who the last recipient was, right?”

“Yes, I did. I remember.”

“Under Master’s orders, I sent a yellow rose to the

Countess of Falcon.”

Jerome became nervous when she didn’t say anything in reply.

‘I said something useless! What if I offended her?’

“Why so suddenly? They must’ve met?” (Lucia)

“No!! Absolutely not. I informed his Grace that Milady was

curious about it and… he asked me to send it.”

“I see.”

Lucia’s expression was indifferent and she replied as though it was

a trivial matter. Jerome grew restless as he tried to comprehend,
even if it was just a little bit, the feelings of his Mistress.

Lucia really did think it was a trivial matter. Was her husband
taking care of an old lover so great that she had to jump up in joy
about it? However, Lucia felt as though something had been lifted off
her chest and her heart grew soft.

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The longing that had been satisfied in the meantime thanks to
Damian once again rose up in her heart.

‘When are you coming back? I want to see you…’

One month after leaving to subjugate barbarians, the Lord of Roam

who’d been away from his seat returned.

Translator’s Corner:

(1) Just in case, a receiving room is a living room. Pretty much, the
place you receive guests hence receiving room.

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Chapter 35
Source: Imported

— Damian — (6)

The time struck midnight. Unlike how he was usually, the Duke
reeked with the strong smell of blood.

Due to the murderous atmosphere surrounding his master and the

smell of blood, Jerome was frightened for a moment then he masked
his expression.

“Milady is asleep and the young master had arrived.

There’s nothing else of particular importance that needs to
be reported.”

Jerome gave a brief report of what his master mostly wanted to

know. Hugo simply nodded at him, turned around and walked away.
As Jerome watched the further moving back of his master, he once
again ordered a maid to prepare a bath for his master.

After which he turned around quietly and quickly chased after the
group of Knights that were leaving the castle.

“Sir Heba!”

One of the Knights stopped walking and waited until Jerome had
reached him.

“What’s wrong?” (Sir Heba)

Dean wondered quizzically as he looked at Jerome who seemed

somewhat serious.

“Did something happen? The Lord doesn’t usually return

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covered in blood…”

“Ah, we met a group of thieves on our way back.”

“Thieves in the vicinity? I don’t think the security here is

that lousy…”

“Tell me about it, I don’t know where they came from but
they were robbing nearby peddlers and the Lord discovered
it.”

“…I see. Did his Grace personally punish them? It seems

they weren’t usual robbers.”

Instead of replying, Dean gave a wry smile. They weren’t

professional robbers. It was unfortunate for those roaming beggars
that were trying to steal and were caught.

Punishment? The Lord didn’t ask of their crimes. He just blew their
throats off on the spot. Thanks to that, the peddlers that were able to
escape from their robbers were much more afraid than they were
grateful.

Through they were robbers, among them were young men that had
not yet reached maturity but the Duke didn’t tolerate such charity.
Rather than call it a punishment, it was more of a slaughter.

Dean would think that he’d gotten used to it but every time he
witnessed the cruelty of the Duke, he would recoil. Just like today.

“So, you’re saying nothing else happened?”

“Yes. Pretty much.”

Dean shrugged. Apart from the death of a few thieves, there

wasn’t much else that needed to be mentioned.

“When he was subduing barbarians, did his mood seem foul

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or…?”

When they were subduing barbarians, the manner in which the

Lord killed them off was extremely cruel. It was on an entirely
different level from the way he killed enemies in the past war.

Only the seasoned knights that accompanied him to subdue

barbarians were able to see this side of him. It was not a situation
that could easily be described with ‘he was in a bad mood’ or what
not.

Dean was unable to put it in words so he just shook his head.

“I understand. It must have been a tiring journey. Please

rest.” (Jerome)

“I will. Farewell”

***

Hugo spent a lot of time soaking in the bathtub as though to wash

off the pungent smell of blood. However, the sickening bloody smell
under his nose still didn’t disappear.

Before, such things had never bothered him but when he saw
Jerome’s hesitant-to-draw-closer face, the face of his wife came to
mind.

When he imagined her seeing him and stepping back in fear, his
heart sank.

‘I don’t want to show this to her.’

The moment he reached that conclusion, the feeling of blood that

he’d never felt anything wrong with before suddenly felt disgusting.

‘An Honorable Noble? A Mighty Knight? What rubbish.’

When he stripped off his shell, he was no more than a hunter. A

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slaughterer that hunted humans.

Hugo knew of the madness that flowed within his blood. It was
tenacious as it urged him into that madness, for it wished to see
rivers of blood.

If it weren’t for the past war, he would have probably become a

notorious murderer. The dull feeling of a person’s neck flying off filled
him with thrill, the smell of blood gave him a sense of liberation.

Even when he could see the desperation in the eyes of the people
as they faced death, he didn’t feel any sort of guilt. He’d never had
any nightmares either.

For generations, the Master of Taran was a mighty knight and a

brilliant Lord. The Taran lineage had a special blood that passed
down superior physical abilities and intellect to

According to the words of Philip, Hugo was a successful product.

However, he’d never felt proud of that fact.

[This cursed blood. I will gladly end it here.]

Although he performing solemnly at his conferment ceremony,

inwardly, Hugo was grinding his teeth.

He wanted to trample the cursed Taran bloodline and not leave

any traces. He wanted to revel in delight as those dead ancestors of
his ran amok in hell with anger.

‘If only that old geezer didn’t come with Damian.’

When Philip appeared with Damian, Hugo’s resolve to end his own
lineage became all for naught.

***

After Hugo was done with his bath, he walked to his bedroom then

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stood holding the door knob. After worrying for a while, he turned
around and walked to his wife’s bedroom. After entering, it didn’t
take long for his eyes to adjust to the darkness in her bedroom.

He walked to the bed and for a while, he stood, watching her

sleeping figure on the bed. Although he was just looking at her, his
heart felt somewhat strange.

It was as though his heart was sick for it because somehow, he

found it difficult to just keep watching her.

He lifted up the blanket and slid in beside her. He wrapped his

arms around her waist and pulled her soft body into his arms.

He then buried his nose in her neck, breathing in her fruit-like

fragrance. He closed his eyes and after a while, he could feel his
sharpened nerves calm down.

Within Hugo, there were two sides that existed. The reason he
could return to being the Taran Duke as though nothing happened
after he’d hunted and soaked himself with the blood of humans was
because he’d separated himself into two.

Perhaps a normal person would have gone insane but Hugo’s spirit
was abnormally strong and tenacious.

However, it took more time in order for him to fully return to being
Duke Hugo after becoming Hunter Hugo than when it was the
opposite way around. He needed more time to calm down the
madness in his blood as it got excited by slaughter.

Surprisingly, this time, perhaps because of the warmth in his arms,

he was calming down much faster than usual.

Now that the excitement from slaughter had subsided, the heat in
his lower abdomen began to spread throughout his body. At first,
he’d just wanted to embrace her and fall asleep however after feeling
her warm temperature, her soft skin and breathing her in, he couldn’t

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stand it anymore.

‘I’ll feel just a little bit…’

He slipped his hands inside her nightwear as he kissed her neck

then he carefully squeezed her breast, watching for her reaction.

‘Will she wake up?’

Betraying his expectations, she was still fast asleep.

‘Why is she such a heavy sleeper?’

He grumbled. Her husband had been away for a long time and just
returned, kissing and touching her yet she stayed asleep. He was
dissatisfied. He refused to hold back anymore.

He sat up on the bed and kicked the blanket covering her to the
ground. He lowered himself to her legs, lifted up her slender ankle
and kissed the tip of her foot.

He put her small foot into his mouth, licking it with his tongue then
sucked and rolled his tongue around it like candy.

He kissed and licked her ankle then moved his lips to her calf,
sucking on it before giving it a light bite and kissing it.

He didn’t know if she was going to wake up even with all these
caresses. He usually had a lot of work so he would retire late to the
bedroom and sometimes he would wake her up after she slept off
first.

She usually would have woken up at this point but today, it

seemed like she was in a remarkably deep sleep.

However, seeing her like this only triggered his obstinacy. He lifted
his hands to her waist and stripped off her petite lace panties.

He then grabbed her thighs and spread them apart causing the
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mouth of her bashfully concealed petal to open slightly. His lower
abdomen began to throb at this sight causing him to frown.

He had to suppress his throbbing member that was begging to

enter.

He lowered his lips to the pale, tender flesh of her thighs, suckling

Because it wasn’t in an easily discoverable location, she wouldn’t

be able say anything.

‘When would she find this mark?’

He really wanted to see her expression the moment she did. She
would probably panic. Her face would go red and she wouldn’t know
what to do.

He looked up again only to find her still fast asleep.

“Sleeping so well you wouldn’t even know when you’re

carried away.”

‘Let’s see how far you can endure.’

He lowered his head again, kissing her hot spring that was hidden
within her forest. He licked, suckled, swallowed and repeatedly
swirled his tongue around it then slipped the tip of his tongue into
her slightly open entrance.

As he licked her tender flesh and continuously ravaged her insides

with his tongue, her dry spring began to flow.

— Damian — (6)

TN: Sorry for the cliff (I think?).

Lucia awakened to the feeling of strange heat spreading through

her lower regions. In her half-asleep, half-awake state, she felt an

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external stimulus exciting the sensitive junction between her thighs.

Before she could grasp the situation, she felt an intense

stimulation travel through her as something plunge inside of her.

“Hk!”

Both of her legs were held firmly apart and her most delicate part
between her legs was being sucked up. She managed to lift her head
and look down only to find his head buried between her legs.

Lucia forced her still asleep brain to function.

‘Is he back? Since when?’

However, she wasn’t able to contemplate for long. His pointy

tongue touched her petite vaginal entrance and pierced into her. A
tingling sensation travelled up her spine.

Lucia shuddered as though stuck by lightning and couldn’t help but

utter a cry.

“Ah!”

His tongue wasn’t as hard as his fingers but it was a lot more
accurate. Lucia felt intense excitement from the unseen stimulation.
She grabbed the sheets tightly and her head trembled as she
moaned.

Her waist swayed and she tried to close her thighs but he held her
legs firmly apart so it didn’t turn out as she wished. He spread her
legs strongly and violated her insides with his tongue.

He sucked intensely on her drooling entrance like it was an oasis

discovered in a desert. He tasted her soft and moist inner flesh then
explored deeper with his tongue, exciting her and enjoying her
reactions.

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As fluids gushed from her oasis, a thick smell spread out and he
could see that she was fully awake. He fondled the small protrusion
on her center with his tip of his tongue then poked and prodded
before finally lightly biting down on it.

“Hk! Ah! Ang!”

Her small moans transformed into passionate cries. Until those

cries turned to sobs, he did not take his lips off her vagina. He kissed,
licked, suckled and swallowed.

He couldn’t stop himself savoring from the odd flavor and aroma of
her body fluids. He sucked as though to swallow her aroused fleshy
mound and in response, her waist shook excitedly in the air then
flopped down.

Hugo licked from her lower abdomen and traveled all the way to
her breasts. Her eyes were unfocused as they blankly stared at him.

It was a pity. If only the surroundings were a bit brighter then he

would have been able to see her flushed appearance.

He wove his hands into her negligee and squeezed her chest. He
grabbed her soft and tender breasts with his palms that were coarse
from wielding the sword.

Her skin felt as smooth as the finest silk and every time he touched
her he felt good. Whether it was her face that was without the
slightest blemish or her milky teeth that had no defects.

The fact that only him, her husband would be able to feel and see
such a sight satisfied his possessiveness.

He lowered his head and took a mouthful of the appetizing fruit in

front of him. Stimulated by his caresses, her nipple stood firmly as it
was fondled and swallowed by the anxious tongue.

She gave off a delicious fragrance. It was such a captivating smell

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that if he could, he’d swallow it all.

As he listened to her gasping and moaning sounds, he couldn’t

help but admired how he was able to hold back and endure all this
while.

From the

From the first day of the hunt, he suffered from an overpowering

sense of hunger (desire) and thirst. No matter how much he hunted
barbarians, he was not satisfied.

[Whatever, I don’t give a damn.]

He tried to break off the string that had tied up his heart.

Wavering? So what if I waver?

He alone was intoxicated with her and didn’t know what to do and
she’d never tried to make him waver.

He reached out with one hand and spread her closed thighs apart.
His member had hardened to the extent that it ached and was
begging to be released.

He took a place between her legs and quickly lifted her weight. In a
single thrust, he penetrated into her without any hindrances, hitting
deep into her womb.

Her body flinched slightly as it accepted the intruder.

“Ah!”

“Haa…”

His hand supported her body while his other hand on the bed
squeezed the sheets of the bed tightly. A grunting moan flowed out
of his mouth.

This was it. Her slippery insides wrapped perfectly around his
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manhood as they squeezed. Their point of union fit tightly without
any gaps.

As he burrowed his desire into her warm and wet insides, he was
filled with a sense of perfect satisfaction. Her breasts under him
bounced up and down with the little movements he made.

Her pink nipples, wet from his saliva and her glossy fair chest were
littered with marks from him. Her taste that had been in his mouth till
now still excited him.

He flicked her nipple with his tongue then licked it softly. He

fondled and played with it a few times then took the whole thing into
his mouth.

“Ung…Aah!”

He teasingly chewed on it before sucking with great force. He

loosely rolled his tongue around it, lightly bit it then repeatedly
suckled strongly.

Her body shuddered in excitement as she released a small moan

and her inner walls clamped down on him tightly. Although it was
good to taste her soft breasts, he couldn’t stay still anymore.

“Lift your waist.”

Only the end of his sentence flowed into her ears. Lucia who’d
been moaning due to his persistent caresses felt thrill at the vague
sound of his deep voice.

Vividly remembering his movements when he’d thrust deeply into

her, her insides throbbed and squeezed at him.

Lucia watched as a suppressed groan left his mouth and her mouth
felt dry. Her heart grew desperate and she reached out, grabbing his
hand that was next to her while placing her other hand under the
pillow then she wrapped both of her legs around his waist.

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Hugo grabbed her buttocks, moved closer on his knees and lifted
her waist into the air. He pulled out from her anxiously soaked inner
walls and heavily drove his searing hot member deep into her.

“Huuu…”

Maybe because it had been a while, she felt that his thing was
much bigger. It completely filled up her body as it entered and she
felt like she couldn’t breathe.

She put more force into her hands, clenching tightly on his hands
and when he saw the slight grimace on her face, he spoke.

“Slowly?”

Lucia pursed her lips and nodded her head. He slipped out then
slowly moved his waist as he re-entered. The feeling of his desire
hitting her deepest spot was numbing and she let out a moan-like
sigh.

“Ah…hng.”

His firm member repeatedly penetrated her, heating up her

insides. Deeply and at times, shallowly. As his movement to control
the intensity continued, her tender, relaxed insides tightened and
swallowed him.

“Haa…Really…”

He muttered with a murky subdued voice.

“Your insides are practically devouring me.”

As she drew closer to her climax, her tight squeeze on him began
to lessen. He couldn’t hold back his impulse to rampage deeper
inside of her. He felt good when he put it inside of her but when he
began to move, the feeling was amazing.

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The movement of his waist quickly increased in speed, plunging
deeper without reserve.

“A-! Aah!”

Her body shook in accordance with his movements, swaying

rhythmically with each thrust. Her body twisted and twitched as she
mewled in pleasure.

When he slowly pulled outwards, it felt like her insides were pulling
away with him and when he thrust hard, the heavy force caused her
body to tingle.

He lowered his head to kiss her wet eyelashes then he moved to

her earlobes, licking and biting then he whispered.

“Do

“Do you know your expression right now…is a little crazy?”

He held her waist firmly so she wouldn’t move up to the head of

the bed and thrust powerfully. Every time he rammed into her, her
eyes glistened and flickered and his rough breathing echoed in her
ears.

“You look like you’re about to cry but…your insides won’t

let me go…ha…hng…this…do you like it? Does it feel good?”

“Ah! Ang!”

“Tell me, do you want me to go deeper? Does you like when

I put it this way?”

He didn’t feel embarrassed by his teasing words. Just like he’d said,
her insides were actively sucking and wrapping around him. Her
sensitive inner walls moved with him as though attached to his penis
and the movement excited her immensely.

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“A-! Hugh! Too-! Hng!”

The stimulation was too intense. She felt short of air as though she
was falling from an incredible height. His hard penis ravaged her
vigorously and when he moved outwards, she felt like she was losing
her mind.

As though to split her into two, his heated shaft repeatedly thrust
in and out of her. And every time her deep inner flesh was prodded
and rubbed, she screamed at the pleasure that filled her brain.

Her body twitched and gasped at his seemingly never-ending

thrusts.

“Haa-! Aak!”

Reaching her climax, Lucia lowered her head and screamed

seductively. As her inner walls viciously clamped down on him, a wild
roar burst forth from within him. She spasmed in pleasure and he
continued to burrow into her.

“Hng…ng…Hugh…just..a sec…a moment…”

Lucia teared up from the intense stimulation. She wanted him to

pause for a moment but it seemed as though her pleas had excited
him as his movements grew fiercer.

His hip muscles contracted and relaxed as he frantically thrust into

her. Her legs that were wrapped around his waist seemingly lost
power as they slipped off his waist.

He grabbed both of her legs and drew her closer to him then he
lifted her buttocks and plunged even deeper inside her. After several
attempts, he held her ankles side-by-side in one hand then his stiff
enthusiasm entered her narrow entrance, repeatedly advancing and
retreating.

“Uue-! Hk!”

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It was exhausting. But it felt good. His powerful force as he
penetrated her, his passionate movements as though he wanted to
eat her up, his muscular movements that she could make out
through her blurry eyes, his low moans that slipped out intermittently
too, she liked them all and they excited her. Her body had learnt the
joy of a union with a man. Her buds blossomed, her petals grew and
as time flew by, she was in full bloom. Her ecstatic body was open to
the one she loved.

As the wall that she’d built against him disappeared completely,

her body reacted more actively to his coupling. Her body sensed his
body and instinctively reacted to him and this change was driving
him crazy.

He let her legs fall to one side and grabbing her behind, he
penetrated her slowly. As he was enraptured by the churning of her
tender insides, she closed her eyes and gasped for breath.

Whenever his moving penis hit and stimulated a sensitive spot, her
forehead would wrinkle slightly.

He once again grabbed her ankles and positioned them upwards

then began to burrow deeply into her vagina. Again, her body
trembled greatly and she uttered a cry of pleasure.

Her lingering hand on his shoulders felt as though it would slip so

she clasped down firmly with her fingers. The painful sensation of her
fingernails digging into his shoulders as she held on with all her
might infused more heat into his underbelly.

“Hng!”

“…Ku-!”

His body stiffened momentarily as he released deep inside her

womb. Lucia felt a hot fluid spreading and filling up her insides and
she shut her eyes. Her vaginal walls clenched and squeezed him

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tightly.

His arms shook and a growl escaped his throat while her body
twitched and spasmed with pleasure.

“Hha…Hha…”

His weight came down on her as he stopped to catch his breath. He

wasn’t completely leaning on her as he held some of his weight with
his elbow but his body moderately pressing down on her gave her a
pleasant feeling of comfort.

Lucia placed her shivering hand on his head and the sensation of
running her hand through his slightly wet hair felt good.

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Chapter 36 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (7)

In the quiet bedroom, only the sound of two people breathing could
be heard. Lucia’s breathing was calming down to an even pace and
Hugo lowered his head, turned her body sideways then wrapped his
arms around her waist, pulling her into his arms.

He simply embraced her for a while then he began to cover her

lips, eyes and forehead with kisses.

“Ha-ha, that’s ticklish.” [Lucia]

“Shall I make it not ticklish?”

Hugo whispered softly then bit her neck. His hand stealthily slipped
from her back to her waist but Lucia twisted her body and naturally
pushed his hand away.

When the smooth sensation of her skin disappeared from his palm,
he reached out stubbornly and grabbed her buttocks. This time, Lucia
pushed away from his chest.

“We can’t. I have a lot to do so I have to get up early

tomorrow morning.”

“What do you have to do?”

“I’m planning to have a garden party in three days and

since it’s a situation where I show my garden to people, I
want to increase the scale a bit. So, from tomorrow, I have to
organize the garden, prepare it and of course, there are a lot
of other things I have to take care of.”

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‘She was completely fine even though I wasn’t around.’

He grumbled inwardly.

“A garden party? The days are starting to get colder, are

there still flowers?”

“There are autumn flowers. Although they aren’t as bright as

spring’s or summer’s, I wanted to have a garden

“So, your party is more important than your husband that

just came back. Which one is your priority?”

Again, his hands stealthily slid to her waist and his lips glued
themselves to her neck. Lucia smacked his shoulders.

“Don’t be unreasonable. Do you know how childish you

sound?”

“Oh-ho. Now you’re beating your husband?”

Lucia teasingly booed as his attempt to act tough. Hugo’s eyes

strangely lit up then with huge motions, he pounced at her but
Lucia’s small body quickly rolled away and avoided him.

There were bursts of laughter blended with small screams and the
bed quickly became a mess with the two of them tossing and turning
all over.

Soon enough, Lucia grew breathless and began to pant then was
firmly caught by him. That she was able to avoid him even once on
the narrow bed meant he was going easy on her or it would have
been impossible.

He hugged her from behind, slid his legs between hers, then
placed one hand on her chest as he kissed her back. Lucia tried to
move but found she was held firmly in place so she gave up.
Although his hands kept fondling her breasts, she left him alone.

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“Did your assignment with your vassals go well?”

“Mhm. What of you? What have you been doing?”

“Nothing mu…ah, no, they is something. Damian came

back.”

Just for an instant, his body stiffened. As Lucia was wrapped in his
embrace, she could feel it.

“…I know.” (Hugo)

What did Damian mean to him?

Since even Jerome was treasuring his words, she didn’t want to
approach it prematurely. All this while, she’d been interacting with
Damian and could tell that the boy did not resent his father.

It wouldn’t have been strange if the boy’s sense of shame over his
situation and illegitimacy twisted his emotions but Damian turned out
to be an honest and innocent child.

If she had a son like Damian, even if he wasn’t a child she gave
birth to, she would put all her effort into raising him.

Now, she wanted to know how he thought of Damian. If they didn’t

have any animosity towards each other, it was be a pity for them to
keep having such a frigid relationship.

Was the relationship between them only the fact that they shared
the same blood?

Lucia believed that even though it wasn’t as intense as the love

between a man and a woman, the love between blood ties was
bound with a string that was not easily broken.

“What do you think? Lunch? If possible, let’s have a meal

together.”

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Although Lucia spoke like it wasn’t a big deal, inwardly she worried
about what to do if he rejected. If he didn’t even want to eat with the
boy, then it was the worst possible situation.

“Let’s do dinner, I have a meeting in

Fortunately, his answer was positive. Lucia gave a little sigh of

relief.

“Was there any rudeness?” (Hugo)

Lucia thought about it briefly then realized the subject of his words
was Damian but she couldn’t help but think, ‘ah, he doesn’t really
know his son.’ If he knew Damian, even a little bit, he wouldn’t ask
that question.

“Not at all. He was very polite and mature and his attitude
and manners were not out of place. I’ll co-exist fine with
Damian, you don’t have to worry about tha-”

“I’m not worried about that. Just tell me if he’s ever

impolite to you.”

Behind his back, Lucia’s eyes narrowed as she listened to his tone
that sounded like an officer talking about a recruit.

“What would you do?”

“Advise him.” However, Hugo’s type was advice was never one
from the mouth.

“That won’t happen. While you weren’t here, we’ve gotten

along very well…”

Her voice was getting increasingly drowsy.

“…We?” (Hugo)

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The lingering question was not heard by Lucia’s ear that had fallen
asleep.

“Ah…my greetings…are late…Welcome back…” (Lucia)

He kissed her lips close to the end of her mumblings. Not long
after, Lucia fell asleep, her breathing calm and even.

“I’m back.”

Once again, he lightly kissed her lips, then closed his eyes to sleep.

***

When Lucia woke up in the morning, she was alone. His waking
hours were quite early so she’d grown accustomed to waking up
alone.

The lingering sensation in her body told her that last night was not
a dream. It had been a long time since they’d united

“Ah…”

After she stood up, his viscous body fluids flowed out from
between her thighs. No matter how many time she’d experienced
this, Lucia covered her face out of embarrassment.

When she calmed down, she called the maid and ordered for a
bath to be prepared. The maids waited on Lucia as she entered the
bath full of warm water.

Her dazzling skin that was enhanced by the bright morning sun
was littered with red marks. The maids kept glancing at those red
traces and their faces grew flushed.

Their master returned late last night and no one could catch a
glimpse of him but now they knew he went to their Mistress’ room. It
was almost certain that after the bath, this rumor would spread

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among the maids.

“Is he in the office?” (Lucia)

“His Grace is in a meeting.”

“Already?”

“His Grace suddenly issued a summon before sunrise.”

He was a really energetic man. The ones that works below him
could only suffer. To him, as soon as he’d returned to the castle,
having a meeting was only a natural procedure. Even though he did
the most work, he was the most energetic.

Lucia’s face reddened as the events from the previous night

floated to the top of her mind. She was happy to see him again and
glad that he still wanted her as passionately. Her mood became as
light as petals floating on water.

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Chapter 36 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (7)

It was the first dinner together for the three people that had
become family. Damian was the first to arrive at the dining room and
sat waiting. When Lucia arrived, he got up and helped her into her
seat as usual.

“Damian, have you seen your father?”

“I have not yet sent my greetings. His Grace was

continuously occupied.”

“You’re right. He seems very busy today.”

Lucia pouted slightly as she replied.

‘No matter how busy he is, calling the boy in for a short
greeting wouldn’t be too hard. Now look, this meal ends up
being the first time they meet.’

Really, he was so inconsiderate. It was really admirable that

Damian managed to grow so big without having a twisted mind.

Lucia had also been busy today and the fact that she was unable to
have lunch with Damian as usual was constantly on her mind.

“What did you do for lunch? You didn’t skip it, did you? I
had a lot of work today and couldn’t pay attention.”

“I ate and I know that you’re busy preparing for your

party.”

After a while, Hugo arrived. His gaze fell on Damian, pausing on

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the boy for a little while then he sat down.

Without a simple word of greeting, the first family meal began. In

the suffocatingly quiet dining room, Lucia proceeded to alternate
glances between father and son.

‘Both of them are quite extreme.’

She didn’t expect an

‘Damian said he admires his father and…he wouldn’t have

made Damian his successor if he hated him…’

The dreary atmosphere between the two was as cold as the

weather but Lucia had no idea what to do so she decided to not
worry about it.

The atmosphere between them wasn’t murderous or threatening

and Lucia didn’t have any problems with either of them so the
thought that it was serious didn’t occur to her.

‘It will probably be better if I am in the middle.’

Lucia didn’t think that a relationship like this could be changed

overnight. If one tries to forcefully improve a relationship, the side
effects could be huge.

When Damian returns to boarding school, the memory of his time

here would remain a good one and if Hugo became more conscious
of his son than before, that would be good too. For now, she would
consider that as the first step.

‘Although…it’s really nice to see them side by side.’

It felt as though there was a big Hugo and a small Hugo together.
Just looking at the two of them made her feel content. Meanwhile,
the employees felt the

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“Is the preparation for the garden party going well?”

Hugo asked a few moments after they had finished dining.

“Yes, it’s going smoothly. And about that, I have something

to tell you. I was thinking about having Damian attend, what
do you think?”

Damian who was drinking water made a small choking sound.

Hugo glanced sideways at Damian then moved his gaze to Lucia.

“Isn’t it a party for women?”

“But Damian isn’t a man, he’s just 8 years old.”

For a moment, there was silence then Hugo let out a small laugh
while Damian’s ears flushed red.

“As you say, Damian is not a man. Do as you please.”

“Damian, what do you think?”

“I-!”

Damian suddenly opened his mouth but when Hugo’s calm gaze
moved to him, he shut his mouth and lowered his head.

“…Yes. I will do so.”

‘Wow.’ (Lucia)

Lucia could feel the absolute power difference between father and
son. Sometimes, Damian was so mature it was hard to believe he
was just eight years old.

With his huge, sturdy build, his stiff but polite manner of speaking
and his vocabulary that was on the level of an adult, one could barely
see the signs that he was a child.

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Lucia tried to remember her childhood as an eight year old but
found she could barely even remember. Perhaps she had spent her
time playing with the other children in

But beside Hugo, Damian became a cub lion. In comparison, Hugo

was the lion king, seated on the highest throne and looking down
below. It seemed as though even if Hugo’s giant paw pressed down
on him, Damian wouldn’t even make a sound.

‘It’s a good thing for a son to admire their father but they
could also have difficulties to some extent.’

Lucia’s mood improved when she began to think that there was
some possibility for improvement in their relationship.

‘The great lion king and his cub lion…now that I think about
it, the banner for the Taran family is a black lion. How
fitting.’

“Did you have something planned after the meal?” (Hugo)

“Nothing special, I wanted to go to the study and read a

book.” (Lucia)

“Is it a book you have to read today?”

“Not really. Are we having guests?”

“At this time? There’s no need to attend to such rude

guests.”

“Then…?”

“Take a light stroll to digest your meal and take a bath.”

“…What?”

“I’m saying if you want to wake up early tomorrow, you

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have to retire to bed early.”

As Lucia looked her Hugo, her face gradually became red.

‘So someone’s face can get this red.’

Damian thought with an expressionless face.

“… what the hell are you saying in front of the child?”

Lucia’s face was crimson and she spoke in hushed tones. Seeing
Lucia this way, Hugo couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What did I say?” (Hugo)

“You-!”

Lucia glared at him then stood

“Where are you going?”

“Going for a walk!”

Her footsteps thudded as she rushed out of the hall with huge
strides.

Damian stared blankly at her departing back. The boy could not
understand the situation itself.

What part of that conversation caused Lucia to have such an

excessive reaction? The smart boy couldn’t figure it out at all.

As the boy was mulling over it in his head, he heard the sound of a
small laugh and turned his head in that direction, only to see the
Duke laughing quite pleasantly.

The boy had seen the Duke’s cold smile or his ridiculing smile but it
was his first time seeing the Duke laughing like this.

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It was fascinating to see and at the same time, shocking. His father
that was as fierce as a sword suddenly seemed human.

After a while, Lucia came back into the dining room.

“Damian, let’s go together.”

Damian glanced sideways at the Duke then stood up and followed

after Lucia. The suddenly alone Hugo’s expression didn’t look so
good.

The word she’d said the previous night.

‘We.’

He began to worry over that word. He recalled her appearance as

she called for Damian without any inhibitions or hesitation and it
seemed like the two of them had grown pretty friendly while he was
gone.

It wasn’t as though he wanted them to have a terrible relationship

but for some reason, he didn’t quite like it.

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Chapter 37 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (8)

TN: Nothing to see here, move along~

As they walked through the garden, Damian continuously stole

glances at Lucia.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“It’s kind of…amazing. You aren’t afraid of his Grace…”

“Is there any wife that’s afraid of her husband? Damian,

when you grow up and get married, would you like for your
wife to be afraid of you?”

Damian shook his head. However, the young Damian was yet to
fully grasp her meaning.

It was a huge shock to Damian that Lucia could treat the Duke
whom he saw as someone on the peak of a distant mountain, very
comfortably.

In Damian’s eyes, Lucia was a small, gentle herbivore. On the other

hand, the Duke was a large, ferocious carnivore.

The boy was confused at the fact that the two beings, who in
normal circumstances could not match each other, were seemingly a
perfect fit.

“And here. Repeat after me. Father.” (Lucia)

“…Father.”

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“Good job.”

Lucia subconsciously reached out to stroke the boy’s head. Damian

was surprised and reflexively moved away and Lucia was also
surprised and withdrew her hand.

They stopped walking and awkwardness filled the air.

“…Sorry, my body moved on its own…did I upset you?”

“Ah…no. I was just a little surprised.”

Damian had never had such close contact with anyone else before.

“I’m not upset or anything…” (Damian)

“When a child does something praiseworthy, one can

compliment and also pet them. I won’t do it if you don’t like
it.” Damian hesitated a bit then spoke in a tiny voice.

“I don’t…hate it.”

“Really? Then, is it okay if I pet you right now?”

Damian nodded. Lucia slowly stretched her hand towards the boy
as though saying, ‘I’m not your enemy’ and

She stroked his head a few times before withdrawing her hand.
She felt excitement as though she was given a present because she
had finally accomplished what she’d been wanting to do ever since
she laid eyes on the boy.

‘When will I get to pinch his cheeks?’

Lucia began to walk with a joyful heart and Damian quickly

followed, walking beside her.

“Lucia.”

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“Hm?”

“Earlier, in the dining, why did you get angry?”

“Huh? That…I wasn’t angry…that was…umm that is to

say…”

Lucia didn’t want to explain it nor did she know how to explain it so
she began to rack her brain on how to naturally shift the topic. Just at
the moment, she finally recalled something she’d been forgetting.

“Ah! Damian, you don’t have a tail-coat to wear to the

party. I didn’t think of that. Do you by any chance have
anything?”

“I do not.”

“Right. There’s no way you would, you were at school all

the time.”

“Lucia, I don’t have to attend…”

Damian wanted to use this chance to one way or the other, remove
himself from this occasion. He’d already had his fill of the women’s
gazes in the horse-riding field.

He didn’t care how they saw him but he was unhappy when Lucia
became the target of those strange gazes. He didn’t want Lucia to
receive those gazes because of himself.

“No, you have to attend. Mmm…who can I ask about this?”

Lucia did not want to go against Damian’s intentions as much as

possible but this time, she wanted to make sure Damian attended
the garden party. She’d taken him to the

The garden party would be a formal social gathering. The scale of

the party this time was big and all the renowned noble women in the

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northern social circle were invited.

If she were to formally introduce Damian in that gathering,

Damian’s position would change.

Of course, Damian was still young and as it was a women-only

garden party, it could not be his official social debut.

However, oftentimes children would appear in social circles in

advance as it would be helpful to them later if they were put in
people’s memories beforehand.

There was a reason noble ladies threw parties even though it was a
hassle and cost a lot.

“You can purchase ready-made tail-coats for children.”

Lucia and Damian stopped walking at the sound of this voice and
looked backwards. It seemed like at some time, Hugo had begun
walking behind them. Seeing them stop, Hugo closed the distance
between them.

For the first time since he came to Roam, Damian stood beside his
father so he was stunned and stared at his strong father. He couldn’t
remember how long it was since he’d seen his father so close.

“Since it’s a garden party, there’s not need to think of it so

complicatedly.” (Hugo)

“What a relief, thanks for letting me know. If it’s ready-

made garments then… for Damian, we have to get garments
for children around twelve years old.”

“He’s eight.”

“Damian is much bigger than usual eight year olds.

Compared to his peers, he’s a giant.”

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Hugo’s gaze moved and fell on Damian. ‘This little guy?’ was what
his gaze was saying.

“You never know, someday he could be bigger that you.”

“Hmm…”

His

“Hmm…”

His tone of his mumble was somewhat odd however, Lucia didn’t
catch it, rather it was Damian that noticed it.

‘There’s no way I’m growing bigger than father.’

While thinking this, Damian began to worry whether Lucia might

have annoyed his father.

“I think you were much bigger that he is when you were his
age, right?”

“…I don’t know.”

Hugo wasn’t fated with a good life where he compared heights with
his peers. When he was around Damian’s age, most of the slave
children around him did not know his age and for him, he also didn’t
know his exact age until he was kidnapped and brought to Roam by
the now dead Duke.

“Didn’t you have a lot of work? I thought you would return

to the office right away.” (Lucia)

“Am I interrupting?”

Hugo replied sullenly.

“Usually when you leave for a while and return, you get
busier. Actually, you came at the right time. I don’t think

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Damian has greeted you officially. Damian, go ahead.”

Damian hesitantly looked at Lucia then bowed his head.

“I’d like to extend my greetings, it’s been a long time, have

you been well?”

He lifted his lowered head and stealthily glanced at Lucia only to

see her mouthing the words, ‘father’.

Damian squeezed out his courage.

“…Father.”

Hugo’s eyebrows jumped. The title didn’t exactly make him

uncomfortable or displeased but he wasn’t used to it.

Perhaps because of Hugo’s hatred and disgust towards the

existence of a father, it was a word that had never come out of his
mouth.

Even when he lived under the previous Duke, he had never

officially called the man father.

As his silence grew longer, Lucia secretly pulled his sleeve. He met
her eyes and she was smiling so

Although he was indifferent, he wasn’t dense. He opened his

mouth and gave a soft reply.

“…Yes.”

The boy’s neck flushed red and seeing that, Lucia felt pleased.

‘I wish he learns of Damian’s cuteness quickly.’

But for today, it was fine. There was still a lot more time so she
would take it slowly.

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“So you’re taking a walk? Aren’t you busy?”

“I’m out for a walk.”

Hugo replied sourly, feeling as though she was trying to get rid of
him again. On the other hand, Lucia was thinking that maybe he was
tired since he was having meetings all day long so she gave in and
put it off her mind.

“Then the three of us can walk together. This would be the

first time for the three of us.”

“…Together?”

Hugo glanced down at Damian. When his father’s eyes landed on

him, the boy flinched. Damian didn’t know why but he felt as though
it wouldn’t be good to keep staying there.

The rare species of herbivore, Lucia didn’t sense anything wrong

however, the carnivore cub, Damian was able to sense the subtle
snarl of the great lion.

“I’ll be going back inside. There’s a book I have to read

so…” (Damian)

“Damian, if you go to your desk right after eating, it’s not

good for you. Your food needs to digest.” (Lucia)

“I’m done digesting. I must read this book today.”

Damian bowed his head then quickly disappeared like he was

running away. Lucia wistfully watched Damian’s departing back
meanwhile Hugo had an expression full of satisfaction.

‘This boy, he’s not useless at all.’

The recognition the boy wanted to receive from his father was very
easily obtained.

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Chapter 37 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (8)

Hugo opened his mouth after Damian left.

“Your relationship with the boy is pretty good.”

“I thought you wanted me to get along with Damian.”

Hugo had figured they should at least know each other’s faces so
he’d called Damian back but he didn’t have any intention in
particular regarding their relationship.

His wife was still young and he’d considered that it would be a bit
difficult for her to tolerate an eight year old child, also, since Damian
was a stiff child, if the both of them weren’t put together on purpose,
they wouldn’t ever get involved with each other.

“Why are you taking him to the garden party?” (Hugo)

“Because they aren’t many chances to introduce him to

other people. He’s your son and now, he’s my son too so it’s
troublesome if people don’t even know his face.”

“…Easy.”

“What?”

“It’s very easy for you to call him your son.”

Lucia did not know the exact intention behind his words so she
stopped walking and looked at him. When she stopped walking, Hugo
also paused his footsteps.

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“Do you dislike my interest in Damian? Do you perhaps
think I have some other intention behind this-”

“No, Vivian. It’s not like that.”

He sighed softly.

“Honestly, I didn’t think

Hugo recalled the scene from earlier where she’d stroked Damian’s
head. The appearance of Damian as he offered his head like an
innocent puppy was an unfamiliar yet familiar scene causing Hugo
stop and look at it.

Without warning, a piece of memory from his past surfaced in his

mind.

[Hey! I said don’t touch my head!]

Hugh screamed frantically at Hugo that had carelessly touched his

head.

The head was the most important weakness of human beings. The
moment it was exposed to the enemy, it was a direct gateway to
death.

Mercenaries never touched each other’s heads unless they wanted

their wrists to fly off.

[It’s a sign that we’re friendly.]

Even though Hugh screamed frantically, Hugo laughed and replied

in his usual manner.

[Inconsiderate jerk. What’s so funny you’re snickering

everyday?]

[Smile. If you smile, you’ll get good fortune, Hugh.]

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[Ha…weakling.]

Hugo suddenly pushed his head in front of Hugh.

[You can touch mine too.]

[Move that thing away.]

[Just try it. I heard this is what parents usually do for their
children but since we don’t have anyone, we have to do it for
each other.]

[I’m fine without that crap.]

[But I want someone to do it for me. Come on.]

Hugh stretched out his hands, his expression

Watching Hugo laughing in delight, Hugh couldn’t help but think it

felt nice as he stroked Hugo’s head.

“I mean…what I’m trying to say is, just tell me if he’s ever

rude to you.” (Hugo)

“That won’t happen!” (Lucia)

Hugo fiercely pulled her arms, drawing her into his embrace. He
hugged her small figure tightly in his arms.

Although she was a bit taken aback, she returned the hug, placing
her hands on his back. Feeling her small hands holding onto his back,
Hugo couldn’t help but smile.

From time to time, when memories of his brother surfaced, he felt

both sweet happiness and heart-aching torture.

The pain of it was the same as usual but when he felt her body
temperature, the heart-wrenching pain in his heart was relieved to
some extent.

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[There’s a woman I want to marry. I’ll introduce her to you
one day.]

One day, his brother had told him so as he laughed happily.

If his brother was still alive, then he would have told him this.

[I have someone like that too. We’re already married

though.]

***

That evening, Hugo sorted out data from the meeting he’d been
having all day then he looked at the report from

Fabian’s reports was usually about the capital. They contained

information about movements of major powers, the arrival of foreign
key figures, who they came in contact with and so on and so forth. At
times, the visible status of the trading giants were also included.

Although Fabian knew his master wasn’t very interested in this

kind of thing, he still looked into rumors floating around social circles
and included it since it was still sort of a formal report.

When it came to his work, Fabian was really thorough. Even when
gathering information of rumors, there were no gaps and even if it
was a rumor that would displease the Duke, he did not exclude it.

If Fabian was overflowing with work concerning the duke and

repeatedly worked overnight, he would gather rumors even more
diligently for the Duke. That kind of work was more like stress
reliever to him.

And so, Hugo was mostly up-to-date on the rumors concerning him.

Hugo casually flipped through the contents of the rumors as usual

then suddenly, he knit his brows. The contents of the document read
that rumors concerning his dowry had spread throughout the capital.

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“Tsk.”

Hugo unhappily clicked his tongue. The King’s lips were too light.

‘If that old man acts

Kwiz had once given such a review to the King. Then said,

‘I mean, it would be nice if it wasn’t just going wrong but

he breaks his ankle in the process.’

After saying so, Kwiz had proceeded to laugh like a devilish

underground boss.

Hugo’s expression as he read the following rumors became

increasingly strange. The contents read that duchess was such a
celestial beauty that the Duke had dragged her off to his manor
before anyone else could see her.

“Hmm…”

Although Hugo felt a slight sense of discomfort with the rumor that
portrayed her as a colossal beauty…

‘Well, they’re not entirely baseless…’

Was what he was thinking. According to the rumors, they married

in secret so that no one else would see her.

‘It doesn’t exactly match the facts but they’re pretty close.’

His actions, such a building a horse-riding field or restricting

boating so that no other man would see her was an ongoing process.

The part of the rumor that said he dragged the Duchess to his
manor was also not completely wrong either because right after they
got married, she came to his estate.

‘It’s not a rumor that matters.’

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He judged and closed the document.

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Chapter 38 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (9)

TN: Let’s start off the week with a ‘bang’ *cough*

Lucia walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her
damp hair. When Hugo was gone, the maids would wait on her till
she was dressed but as soon as he returned, they only followed her
to the bedroom door before taking to their heels.

She sat on her dressing table, pressing the soft towel around her
hair in an attempt to dry it.

She’d left drying her hair in someone else’s hand for over a month
so she was a bit slow doing it herself. Still, she couldn’t compare to
the meticulous drying of several maids attending to her hair.

She acknowledge Hugo as he walked into the room then returned

her gaze back to the dressing table. He headed straight towards her
and embraced her from behind. Surprised, Lucia let go of the towel
causing it to fall to the ground.

“Hugh! I have to dry my hair more.”

If I sleep like this, my hair will be a lion’s mane tomorrow!

“Do it later.”

“It’s not something I can do later!”

No matter what she said, he lifted her up, moved straight to the
bed, placed her down on it then kissed her still complaining lips.

Like biting into a fruit, he softly bit her lower lips and swiftly

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inserted his tongue into her mouth. He held her flouncing wrists
down on the bed and pushed his tongue deeper into her mouth.

She still didn’t know that her rebellious reactions tended to incited
him more. He licked her soft lips with his tongue, enjoying the
enticing taste.

He re-inserted his tongue into her mouth and the feeling of her soft
and tender tongue surprised him, causing him to flinch. Perhaps
because she had just taken a bath, the insides of her mouth were
feverish.

When he thought of her inner thighs being as

He let go of her wrists he’d been holding onto and she wrapped her
arms around his neck, clinging to him. His tongue rummaged
throughout her mouth, sometimes strongly, sometimes softly. Her
fleeing tongue was easily overwhelmed by him.

As he teased the insides of her mouth and kissed her deeply, Lucia
couldn’t focus and fell into a trance. His hot member pressing on her
delicate part as though they would instantly unite made her feel
somewhat anxious and excited her more.

The moment he entangled her hot tongue and sucked on it

strongly, Lucia felt her insides throb and unconsciously lifted her
waist.

Her movements rubbed against his penis that was pressed against
her inner thighs. He released her lips and a low moan escaped from
his mouth.

With the long swooning kiss over, Lucia stared at him trying to
catch her breath.

“So I’ve thought about it.”

His voice was seemingly calming down and his eyes lit up as he

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saw her red lips, swollen from their kiss.

“And I think the reason you tire out so fast is because I do

it all at once so let’s change that. We’ll do it once, rest a
little, do it again, rest, then do it again, just like that. What
do you think?”

Red-faced, Lucia gathered her breath before giving him a frown.

“Please don’t think about things like that.”

“Things like that? This is important.”

He kissed her swollen lips lightly.

“Okay then, we’re trying a new way today.”

As his gaze was like that of a predator before it leaps on its prey,

“I haven’t agreed to this…”

“Umm…then today is the trial version.”

“How is that different!”

He acted like he didn’t hear her and grabbed the front of her robe,
spreading it apart. He enjoyed her body with his eyes for a moment
then grabbed her bountiful breast with both hands.

He grabbed it a bit strongly causing her to flinch. He lowered his

head and began licking from her navel, making his way down her
body.

It was the beginning of a long and intensive night.

Her legs hung on his shoulders and her butt was raised as he
penetrated deep inside of her, stimulating her. She held onto his
arms to support her body and every time his penis entered her, she
shut her eyes tightly and bit her lips.

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Every once in a while as he thrust into her, a strong tingling feeling
assaulted her from the insides and her body shivered with hypnotic
pleasure.

He noticed a frown on her face and clenched his teeth. Her tight
inner walls swallowed him up completely and spasmed, exciting him
and he barely managed suppress his desire to ravage her insides.

“Is it difficult?”

Lucia nodded her head. It was a position that was difficult to

maintain for a long time. His deep penetrations that reached deep
enough to hit her womb was too stimulating for her however for him,
he was in a good position.

The feeling of her vagina tightening all the way inside gave him a
sense of ecstasy. He grabbed her ankle and lowered it to the side
then in that position slid inside of her thighs, plunging into her
vagina.

He moved his waist in a controlled rhythm, at time swiftly and at

times slowly.

“Ung…Huu…”

Her body lay slightly to the side as she moaned in pleasure. The
rims of her eyes grew red as he excited her with the right amount of
stimulation.

She responded weakly

Inwardly, she grumbled that he liked to torment her and was too
much but she didn’t know. She didn’t know how much he considered
her and controlled his desire and greed for her as much as he could.

If he were to ravage her as he pleased, she wouldn’t be able to get

up for a days and her body would suffer. In an effort to embrace her
every day, he was carefully tempering himself.

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It was also one of his endeavors towards keeping the doctor’s
‘once-every-five-days’ advice.

“Hk!”

Her body trembled intensely and her insides clenched. With the
continuous stimulation, her pleasures peaked and she reached a
pleasant orgasm.

He stayed still, keeping his hot member buried inside her

contracting vaginal walls till they relaxed.

After a while, he rolled her body, turning her to lie on her belly. As
she leaned downwards, he placed some of his weight on her body
then swiftly and intensely plunged into her.

“Ah!”

As though following a tempo, he continuously thrust in heavily and

pulled out slowly. She let out a brief scream and each time he thrust
into her, she gripped the bedsheets tightly.

“A-!”

The feeling of his weight pressing down on her also gave her
pleasure. She could vividly feel his movements with her butt as he
thrust into her vagina.

It didn’t hurt but she couldn’t stop herself from screaming.

Sometimes, she felt as though his tenderness was rather rough. It
made her feel like a helpless wild animal shaking its neck but at the
same time, the feeling of his intense and eager desire for her was
electrifying.

Lucia placed her hand on his head, her fingers grabbing his hair.
She felt his slightly damp

He kissed her neck, slowly making his way upwards then he pulled

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her arms causing her to lean on him then lightly kissed her eyes and
lips several times.

“…about Damian.”

Hugo grabbed her thighs and drew her closer to his waist. Once he
pulled out, her insides were like inertia, her vaginal walls narrowed
and returned back to how it was at the beginning.

He had to constantly make new paths in her tightly packed vagina.

Her dense and throbbing inner walls never ceased to excite him.

“When I saw him…I was…so surprised. He looks…so much

like you…Uk…”

He pushed his waist forward, slamming into her with one big thrust
and in response, Lucia shut her eyes. Within seconds, he began to
move, slowly increasing the intensity of his thrusts.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and her body swayed in
accordance with his movements.

“Ah…s-…so…”

Lucia paused to gather her breath before continuing.

“I was…a little excite-hk.”

Hugo fiercely thrust in and out of her and she clung to him, her
nails digging into her shoulders.

He took her lips into his mouth then pushed his tongue into her
mouth, rummaging inside and exciting her. He ended the kiss shortly
and covered her neckline with kisses, trailing down to her shoulders.

“…you saw the boy and felt excited? …why?”

“It…felt like I was seeing you.”

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“The kid will look like me for quite some time.”

“Quite some time? I think he’ll still resemble you in 10

years…Ah!”

The conversation could no longer continue. His movements

intensified and Lucia could do nothing but scream coquettishly.

Translator’s Corner:

1) I know no one reads too deeply into smut but here she didn’t
rotate her hand 360° to touch his head. In the raws, there’s a space
before this paragraph signifying scenery change (well rather than
scenery change, it’s more like ‘some time later’)

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Chapter 38 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (9)

TN: Been gaming all day and I may have just taken some
coffee….it’s 11p.m. T^T (Lost track of time ahahaha). Oh and this is
NSFW

Hugo placed the pillow behind him to support his back and leaned
halfway on the pillow. Lucia sat on his thighs, her upper body
sprawled across his abdomen and chest.

Her head leaned on his chest, her arms and legs hung apart and to
the side while his hand slowly moved up and down her back as
though comforting her.

The fervent passion had dissipated to some extent but the

lingering passion was just as before. Above all, his erect member was
still fully buried inside her body.

His huge rod stirred a bit inside of her, as though reminding her of
its presence. Lucia felt slightly nervous as she didn’t know when he
would resume moving inside her.

She didn’t find the new way he tried particularly likeable. Although
she could rest, she couldn’t sleep and they’d vigorously gone at it all
night.

“Why did you send Damian to boarding school?”

Young noble children were usually taught by a private tutor. These

days, it was trendy to send children to an academy but that was
usually to gain experience when they were around 15 years old and
for about three to four years.

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Rather than for studying, the purpose was for noble children to
build a network while interacting with several other noble children.
There wasn’t a case where one with a status such as successor to a
duke completed a boarding school course.

They were usually not allowed as courses were taken by second

sons who weren’t successors and wished to select a course purely for
studying purpose.

“Because I couldn’t take care of him.”

When Philip brought Damian,

He had been slightly fascinated at how fast the boy grew every
time he saw him but to him, the boy was like a pet.

To the Hugo who had no intention of becoming a father, the child

that had appeared all of sudden held no special meaning for him
however, he had instinctively known that the child needed a safe
home.

It was very possible that if there was no Damian, Hugo would have
abandoned the Taran family or trampled it to pieces.

It was only after quite some time had passed that it occurred to
Hugo that perhaps Philip had brought Damian to him because he’d
realized his thoughts towards the Taran family.

It was also around this time that the war was beginning to slow
down, Damian had turned five years old and Hugo had more room
and time for his thoughts.

With time to think, he considered the situation on the warfront and

concluded that the war didn’t seem to be expanding any further. He
was a perfect match for war and the thought of going back to the
north and dealing with boring paperwork was loathsome.

Why do I have to? He’d questioned himself.

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It wasn’t any of his concern what happened to the likes of the
Taran family but he liked the northern land. He didn’t want to leave
the wild and coarse land and it was general knowledge that the Taran
family had to be doing well for the north to be prosperous.

He ended up reaching the conclusion that all he had to do was find

a useful person to hand over the family to and so he

Later, he realized he’d thought too simple of it. The northern

nobles and of course, his vassals, did not like it.

They questioned why the boy was recognized as successor and

said that there was no precedent but in response Hugo laughed
scornfully at them.

No precedent? Then he would do it and become the precedent.

Hugo didn’t care what the nobles were grumbling about but he kept
thinking of the darkness he’d seen in the boy’s eyes when they’d met
after a long while.

Placing the boy under the public eye seemed to be harming his
mind so Hugo figured that since he couldn’t embrace the boy
properly and raise him then it would be better for the boy to be
educated in a place with no prejudice.

And so, Hugo sent the boy to boarding school where no one’s eyes
or hands could reach him.

‘You don’t hate the child, do you?’ (Lucia)

Lucia held back what she wanted to ask. It would be too much to
question to that extent. She still didn’t know exactly how he felt
towards Damian and making a judgement in advance was more likely
to make his feelings towards the child worsen.

“Then…since I can take care of him now, can’t he keep

staying in Roam?”

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He reached out and grabbed her butt firmly with both hands
causing Lucia to reflexively lift her head.

“I promised the boy.”

Hugo lowered his head, placing his teeth on her neck and biting
down causing her slender body to flinch. He licked her neck, his
tongue sweeping over the light bite mark

“I told him, when he graduates in the future, I will hand

over my position. If I tell him not to go to boarding school
anymore, he would think I am pushing him out of the seat for
succession.”

He lifted his head, meeting her gaze.

“Do you think his staying here would benefit him?”

“…No, I didn’t think it through.”

A crescent line formed across his lips. He thrust his head forwards,
placing his face very close to hers.

“Although it’s nice and cute.” (Hugo)

His lips touched hers briefly and he moved away.

“Don’t go too far.”

Lucia interpreted his words as telling her to not get in involved in

his child’s affairs. Hugo’s meaning in asking her to get along with the
child but limiting her some was that he did not want the child to
come between their relationship.

Unfortunately, the misunderstanding that had risen through their

conversation could not be solved now.

He captured her lips in his mouth then held her butt and thighs
firmly with both of his hands and repeatedly lifted her up and down.
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Her smooth waist curved and her head fell backwards.

Her hand moved backwards, grabbing onto his legs for support and
her body shook with his intense movements.

“Ung…ah! Hugh!”

He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her forward as he hurriedly

pounded into her several times, the motion bringing his lips to hover
around her ears and his rough whisper floated into her ears.

“Haa…Vivian…”

The way he said her name sent tingles up her spine. She didn’t
know since when but when he called her Vivian it no longer felt
awkward. Rather whenever he called her…

‘Vivian.’

She felt like she’d discovered a new side to herself. As her insides
throbbed and squeezed, he suppressed a moan and quickly flipped
her to lie down

He immediately re-capturing her lips and at the same time,

repeatedly plunged in and out of her deep fleshy insides. While
holding onto his arms, Lucia’s body trembled with the tingles of
pleasure.

She vividly felt his full length inside her body and instinctively
widened her legs, lifting her butt to accept him deeper.

Hugo ended the breathless kiss, lifted his head and began to
concentrate more on the movement of his waist.

He moved slowly at first then abruptly increased his speed, heavily

thrusting in and out continuously.

A coquettish cry escaped from her mouth in response to the

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vigorous movements in her lower body and she watched his solid
chest move as he devoured her.

His ripped muscles and tiny nipples moved as he thrust into her,
enticing her to touching them. When his movements slowed down a
little, she stroked his chest with her hand, feeling the movement of
his muscles.

She lifted her head, lightly licking his chest and his body instantly
jerked in response. She once again stuck her tongue out, this time
licking around his nipple for a while.

Hugo swallowed back his curses and fiercely re-captured her lips.
As he wildly drove his member into her, her body shook back and
forth and her screams were blocked by his lips covering hers.

Her sight repeatedly brightened and blurred and she felt like a
firework had exploded in front of her. She wasn’t even sure herself
whether she was closing or opening her eyes.

Tears flowed down from her eyes and Hugo lowered his head to
lick them up. The scalding heat that filled up her head and the
passion that felt like it would burn her to ashes was exhausting but it
also felt good and Lucia clung to him.

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Chapter 39 Part 1
Source: Imported

Lucia tussled with him all night and was barely able to sleep at
dawn. By the time she woke up, it was already daylight.

She was against his new way. His tenaciousness was inexplicable
and she’d already given up on explaining his endurance.

Lucia continuously thought about getting up from bed, but her

body did not listen to her. She had such a hard workout for two
consecutive days in a month so her body felt languid.

She fell into shallow sleep and upon woke up, she felt a soft touch
on her hair and opened her eyes. She didn’t know when he’d come in
but he was sitting on the bed, his finger running through her hair.

She was sleepy-eyed and watched him with an empty gaze. Their
eyes met and he lowered his head, lightly kissing her lips.

“I was worried since you haven’t gotten up yet. Are you

okay?”

The soft touch on her lips told her this was real. Last night, she
hated him a little but seeing him now, the hatred vanished into thin
air.

“…at least you have a conscience.”

She bluntly blamed him, closed her eyes again and heard him
laugh a little.

Hugo’s fingers ran through her hair, sweeping through it like a

comb. It felt good and a little ticklish.

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‘Isn’t my hair is completely disheveled?’

As the thought came to her mind, her sleepiness deserted her and
she raised the blanket over her

“What’s wrong?” (Hugo)

“…my head…”

“Does it hurt? The doctor…”

“No, it’s not that.”

She lowered the blanket a little, her eyes peeking at him.

“Yesterday…I didn’t dry my hair properly. It’s probably a

mess.”

It was the heart of a woman who wanted to show only a pretty

figure in front of the man she loved. He could not understand her
words, and tilting his head to the side, ripped the blanket off her. She
let out a short scream and he kissed her lightly on her lips.

“What of it? You look pretty.”

Lucia stared at him, her gaze full of intent.

“…Flirt.”

“…What?”

“Nothing.”

He felt wronged. If she’d said that in the past, he would honestly

have nothing to say. But not now.

“Vivian, did I do something wrong?”

“Aren’t you busy?”

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“Don’t change the topic. I know your list defines me that
way, but why are you saying this now, all of a sudden?”

“What list?”

“I know you have a list of all the things I’ve done wrong in
your head.”

“What?”

Lucia was dumbfounded and burst into laughter.

“There’s a list in my head?” (Lucia)

“Weren’t you steadily adding one at a time?”

Lucia started laughing again. He sourly looked on as she began to

laugh. He couldn’t see why she was laughing so much about what he
said and couldn’t understand her laughter.

“Then, when did I make this list?” (Lucia)

“Why are you asking me that? You know better than I do.”

Lucia shrugged and once again burst into

‘Things I’ve done wrong.’

Through those words, he admitted to her that he’d done a lot of

things wrong. She thought he was someone that was very unlikely to
admit it even if he made a mistake.

“There is no such list. I can’t put up with something so

complicated.”

“Then what was the word that popped up before?”

Lucia shyly pursed her lips.

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“Because you said that all of a sudden.”

“What did I say?”

“…look…pretty.”

Lucia felt a bit embarrassed to say it herself and her words weren’t
clear. She’d heard herself being called gentle or cute but she didn’t
think the word ‘pretty’ matched her appearance.

“Is it wrong to just say what I feel?”

Lucia stared at him blankly. He was flirtatious yes, but he wasn’t

the type to whisper sweet nothings into a woman’s ear so his words
came off a bit unfriendly.

He was someone who had a lot and as such, was the flirt that
women loved to cling to. Lucia reached out and rubbed her head.

As expected, just by touching her hair, she could feel it was untidy.
Even without looking at a mirror, it was obvious it was a mess.

“Pretty? This look?”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with it, you look pretty.”

His expression did not change at all. It was as though he was

looking at a tree and saying

“Is it that you don’t like that way of expression? Then, your
beauty is so bright that it seems blinding…”

“Are you making fun of me?”

Lucia replied sullenly. Hugo sighed and placing one hand on his
forehead.

“Tell me what you want me to do.”

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“…Pretty? Me?”

“You’re pretty.”

She didn’t know what he was thinking, but she decided not to think
more complicatedly about it. It was good even if it was empty words.

She felt pleased, happy, ticklish inside, and when she looked at
him, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

His expression became somewhat twisted and he spoke.

“Don’t laugh like that. It makes me want to eat (you).”

Lucia laughed even louder and looking at her, Hugo burst into
laughter too. It was hard to pinpoint it but anyhow, it was nice to see
her feeling comfortable.

After admitting to herself that she loved him, Lucia’s heart was
more at peace and the mood around her grew relaxed.

When Hugo was away from Roam, Lucia was always on his mind.
Although they’d reconciled before he left, he’d felt like it was
somewhat insufficient and was uncomfortable with it.

It seemed like they weren’t putting out the fire but simply covering
it up so they couldn’t see it. He was worried that when he came back
to Roam, she would turn away from him as the issue

Contrary to his worries, she was doing very well. Rather, she
became even brighter than before.

The thought that even without him, she would be completely fine,
made his heart feel cold.

‘I want her’

He wanted to have all of her body and mind.

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But how could he have a woman that had declared that she would
never love him. It was the biggest challenge in his life.

He’d never properly fallen in love before. The brother he loved,

said he loved him but chose death in the end.

She was going to be his first love. However, it was a tragedy that
he’d experienced too much physical love before he knew of
emotional love.

At times, love was so simple that an honest word of confession

could be the key but he didn’t know that.

“Is it okay for you keep staying here? You aren’t busy?”
(Lucia)

Hugo could sense that her voice was much clearer than before.

‘She likes being called pretty.’

Now, he began making a list in his head.

“Busy or not busy, for me, there’s no end to work so I can

rest for as long as I don’t do it.”

“So you’re not working?”

“It’s not like that, I mean you don’t have to fret over it. Is it
troublesome if I don’t work?”

“…It would be.”

“Why?”

“The husband has to feed his wife. And to do that, you

have to make money.”

Hugo couldn’t help but laugh.

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Chapter 39 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (10)

TN: Hehehe

Lucia lifted her head to look at him at the sound of laughter. At

times, he would laugh oddly when she said something and Lucia
couldn’t tell what part of it he was laughing at.

“It would be very easy to feed you. Even if I make money,

seems like you don’t really use it.”

“I do use it. You know how much money it takes to throw a

party?”

“I mean for personal spending.”

“I also use it for personal spending. I bought flowers to

decorate the garden…”

“Dresses or jewelry. Things like that.”

“I’ve spent on that. Spent a lot of money to repair a dress

but the Taran warehouse is overflowing with jewelry. I
wouldn’t be able to wear all of them till I die.”

This was because noble women tended to accumulate lots of

precious ornaments. For a family of considerable wealth, there would
be precious ornaments passed from generation to generation
however, these ornaments would be property of the family.

In the care of a divorce, the precious ornaments obtained by the

noble women were completely recognized as their property apart

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from the alimony.

The conversation somewhat failed to get his point across so Hugo

spoke a bit more directly.

“Do you not want to spend my money?”

Lucia thought about the meaning of his words for a moment then
laughed.

“It’s not like that. Did you think so?”

Surprisingly, he was quite sensitive. Discovering this unexpected

side to him was somehow so

Since she’d looked at small Hugo for a long while, looking at big
Hugo now, the previous threat level was somehow cut in half. It
didn’t occur to her that maybe this was a result of Hugo’s effort.

If Lucia recalled their first encounter at the victory ball, she’d be

able to tell just how different he is from back then. Even if out in the
world, he was the King of beasts, in front of her, he killed his
momentum, becoming more docile.

“Why’re you laughing?” (Hugo)

She couldn’t see the image of the Taran Duke, the black lion of the
war that overwhelmed people simply by being there, in the man
grumbling in front of her.

And so, the little rabbit, Lucia sat at the feet of the great Lion,
laughing and thinking he was cute.

“I was just so surprised. I didn’t expect you to have think

like that. Truthfully, I’m not fond of shopping unnecessarily.”

“Hah…right. Our ladyship is used to being thrifty and

frugal.”

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“It’s a good thing though.”

“Did I say otherwise?”

He’d never heard of a wife being criticized for being frugal. Asking
her to use and spend his money somewhat seemed like a joke now.

His wife was fragile, she felt like she’d be crushed if he held her a
bit more tightly but she had a rock-solid

Hugo needed something to hold onto her. There was already a

strong bond of marriage tying them together but it was lacking.

He wanted to find something based on her personal desires so she

could never escape from him. It was not money and neither was it
power.

As for her social activities, they were limited to the necessary

minimum amount that she had to do. There weren’t many people she
had frequent exchanges with and she hadn’t built an active rapport
with influencers of the northern social circles.

She didn’t show much interest in his work neither did she snoop
around in his office.

Money and Power.

‘If one subtracts the two, what else is there for humans to
have?’

The people of the bottom class do not have money and power yet
they have families and bear children with love.

What do they have?

‘Is it the child?’

At the sudden thought, his frame of mind grew somber. He

definitely did not want a child born from his blood to exist. Even if

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there was no reason, he couldn’t give her a child anyways.

When he thought about it carefully, he found himself doing well.

He’d been proven by many woman, and he was confident.

If he could make her toss and turn at night because she was lonely
without him then that was truly killing two birds with one stone. It
was

The problem was he wasn’t too sure if she liked it too so he

decided to garner some confidence.

“Do you like doing it with me?”

“…Huh?”

“Are you satisfied on the bed?”

Lucia’s face, all the way to her neck, gradually turned red. She
stared at his brazen face for a moment then turned around, her back
facing him.

“I need to sleep a bit more. You should hurry and get back
to work.”

Hugo was considerably shocked by her turning away. Was it

terrible to the extent that she didn’t even want to answer?

He hastily pulled at her.

“Vivian, what’s the problem? The length? Number of times?

Not enough caressing? Or is it the position…”

Lucia quickly sat up and screamed at him.

“That’s enough so please just stop! How can you?

You…you…those words…”

Her face was as red as an apple as she rambled causing him to

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chuckle. The sight of her embarrassed and shaken up made him want
to tease her.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden? I’ve said much more racy

stuff than that.”

“Th…That…the situation was different.”

“In the bedroom. On the bed. What’s so different?” “Even if

we’re in the same place, time has passed so the situation is
different. Now, it’s morning…”

Lucia jerked as he climbed over her knees and onto the bed. Even
though there was no place to escape to, she was thinking of
escaping. However he was

His arms intercepted her body on the bed, closing up any gaps for
escaping.

“It’s not like we’ve never done it in the morning before.”

“You also overslept then…”

“Your criteria’s pretty unique. It’s okay to do it from night

to morning but not in the morning?”

He lowered his head and covered her lips with his own. The kiss
which started off gently quickly flared up as their tongues tangled
with each other.

His tongue rummaged inside her mouth, caressing her gums,

stroking the inside of her palate and rolling her tongue like a ball.

Their lips separate for a moment then were glued together again.

When his hands flew to her chest, grabbing her breasts and
rubbing with his fingers, Lucia suddenly came to her senses.

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“Look here, Beast-ssi.” (1) (Lucia)

His red eyes widened in surprise.

“If you go any further than this, you’ll have to explain to

the guests tomorrow why they have to leave as soon as they
arrive.”

“Ha-ha. You really…”

He burst out laughing and took Lucia into his arms. Lucia felt her
body tingle at the sound of his laughter.

‘Ah…’

Lucia sighed inwardly

‘I’m happy now.’

She was so happy that her heart felt numb and tingling. She felt
the edges of her eyes sting and buried her head in his chest.

Translator’s Corner

1) For here, I don’t usually leave Korean terms in my translations

but Mr. Beast or Sir. Beast felt so awkward. Think of it like Beast-
kun… Well, not exactly but something like that. It’s a honorific.

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Chapter 40 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (11)

It was afternoon and Hugo was busy working on documents in his

office when the scent of tea drifted into his nose. He knew someone
had come in but he was focusing on something else so he didn’t pay
much attention.

After a while, he looked up, glancing at the cup of tea that Jerome
had placed quietly before leaving then he put his pen down on the
table and leaned back in his chair. He picked up the cup of tea and
walked into the balcony, deciding to take a short break.

Because of the incoming party, the garden was filled with a lot of
people busying around. He looked around the garden, searching for
his wife.

He found her soon enough at a corner of the garden but she was
not alone. She was with a black-haired child-Damian.

‘They’re really friendly with each other.’

He muttered to himself, frowning slightly. Looking at it objectively,

their relationship was one where they could never get too close to
each other.

He was a little worried about her taking Damian to the garden

party because a considerable amount of people would be suspicious
about her intentions.

He considered telling her about his thoughts but shoved that idea
away. She would know at least that much, she wasn’t a foolish
woman.

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Although it was interesting that Damian was getting along

Even his butler Jerome was the same. ‘Milady’, ‘Milady’, was all he
could say.

She seemed to have the amazing ability to turn people to her side.
Even though many people liking her was definitely much better than
their being her enemy, for some reason, he felt displeased inside.

‘What are they doing?’

For a while now, the both of them had been crouched low and their
heads were facing each other. He couldn’t see what they were doing
and he couldn’t see their faces properly because he was too far
away.

‘What the heck are those two doing?’

He grumbled inwardly.

‘Without me.’

The last words were what was truly in his heart but because he
was so childish, he couldn’t even bear to say it to himself.

***

Lucia and Damian were so engrossed in watching the amusing

baby fox that they weren’t paying much attention to anything else.
The big-eared yellow fox had awkward steps, toddling as it walked.

Whenever it tried to escape from between the two of them, it was

gently blocked with one hand. It didn’t take long for it to give up on
escaping, sit down and begin chasing its tail.

[He’s a rare mild and gentle guy for a fox. He’ll be easy to
tame]

This was the common

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“Did you decide on a name, Damian?”

“Lucia, is…is it really okay for me to name it?”

“Of course. I’ll be happy if you name it.”

After Lucia asked him to give the fox a name a few days ago, he’d
worried about it for a while and rummaged through all sorts of
dictionaries while his studying took a back seat.

“Then…Asha.” (Damian)

“Asha? Does it have a meaning?” (Lucia)

“Just like names… I want it to have a strong vitality and

last long.” (1)

“Asha. That’s a good name.”

Lucia lifted the fox and held it out to Damian.

“Since you’ve given it a name, hold it. Don’t just look at it.”

“Lucia, I…”

“Hurry up. I’ll drop it.”

As the time it was held up in the air grew longer, the baby fox
began to struggle and wriggle around in her hands. Once he heard
her say she’d drop it, Damian quickly reached out and carefully took
the fox into his arms.

Asha lifted its long snout, looking at the boy for a moment, then it
relaxed in his arms. The body temperature and the sound of fast-
paced heartbeat of the small animal in his arms shocked Damian. It
was a new sensation to him.

His emotions felt complicated and his body trembled. He felt like
he hadn’t know what it meant to

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“I feel…strange.”

“Why?”

“Just…It’s not like I hate it but I feel weird. My chest feels a

bit prickly…”

Looking at Damian who didn’t know how much strength to put into
his arms as he held the fox, Lucia smiled.

“Damian, that feeling means you think it’s loveable.”

“Love…able?”

“Yes. It’s the feeling your mother must have felt when she
held you after you were born. You feel something is so
loveable, your heart hurts.”

Damian stared silently at the fox with for a while, his expression
unknown. The fox squirmed in his arms, adjusting itself to a more
comfortable position then it placed its chin on the boy’s arms,
blinking its eyes.

Damian lifted his head to look at Lucia, smiling brightly. It was the
clear smile of a child, no darkness hidden within it.

The first carefree smile of the boy who was always stiff and
brusque sent a burst of emotions through Lucia, deeply touching her.

Her gaze met Damian’s and she smiled at him.

A little far away, Hugo’s red eyes gazing at them trembled

strongly. Unable to curb his curiosity, he finally left his office.

He walked towards the corner of the garden where they stayed

crouched and at some distance, he was able to see why they weren’t
paying attention to anything else.

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‘What is that?’

The sight of the little beast wriggling around and the two of them
concentrating

As he drew a little closer, he was able to hear their conversation.

‘Giving a beast a name? a useless act.’

The white horse he’d ridden for so many years still had no name.

‘…Lucia…?’

He furrowed his brow.

When he heard the name the evening when they were taking a
walk, he’d thought he heard wrong but he was still somewhat
sensitive to the name and this time, he definitely heard it and clearly
too.

Why would Damian call her by that name?

It wasn’t Duchess, it wasn’t Mother and it wasn’t even her name.

He stopped walking, standing still to think about it but couldn’t reach
a conclusion so he resumed his journey.

However in a couple of steps, his footsteps paused again.

Looking at the boy’s smile that was as bright as sunshine, his heart
clenched, filling his chest with biting pain.

‘Hah…’

He sighed mournfully.

‘It’s you.’

He smiled powerlessly. The child’s smile was very similar to the

one his brother had given him on the day they’d met.

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He just hadn’t realized it but it seemed the brother that he’d been
missing had always been by his side.

Translator’s Corner 1) Very loose translation here. This was the

only way for it to make sense in English.

*There’s so much cuteness and fluff that I’m getting worried.

*Also, is Hugo developing eavesdropping tendencies? hur hur.

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Chapter 40 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (11)

TN: Throughout this chapter’s flashback, the author barely refers to

‘Hugo’ as Hugo during the conversation. Author mostly just says ‘he’.
I’m gonna leave it that way and I don’t think it’s confusing but tell me
if it is.

Hugo’s memory returned to the first day he met Damian, the scene
vividly drawn out before him.

One day, Philip brought in an awkward young child that was yet to
walk smoothly. Even without being explained, the child’s black hair
and red eyes were traits unique to the Taran bloodline.

He left the child in Jerome’s hands and when he was left alone with
Philip, he question fiercely.

“What is that?”

“He is young master Hugo’s son.” (Philip)

At first, he was at loss for words then he became enraged. A male

child? Without a relative, a boy of Taran blood could never be born.

“Don’t be stupid. That dead old geezer must’ve planted a

seed somewhere, who are you trying to fool?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of young master Hugo having a

lover?” (Philip)

He cursed furiously before retorting.

“What? The old fool’s tricks?”

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He was so angry that he felt like he was going crazy.

“No, it is not . Young master Hugo and the miss fell in love
without knowing each other’s identity and young master
Damian is the result of their love.” (Philip)

“Love?!! Bullshit!”

In that moment, he hurled curses at his dead brother.

‘Fucking idiot. After acting like you know it all, you’ve

finally done it.’

“Why didn’t he know his child was born?” (Hugo)

If his brother knew he had a child, he never would have chosen to

kill himself.

“Young master Hugo passed away without knowing young

master Damian was conceived.” (TN: He didn’t know the

“Did the old geezer also not know?”

“Yes.”

‘Hah. Serves him right, the old fool needs some retribution
in hell.’

He(Hugo) muttered to himself, chuckling insidiously.

“What of the child’s name? Did you give it to him, old

man?”

“I wouldn’t dare. Young master Damian’s mother gave him

his name.”

“Mother?”

He(Hugo) remarked mockingly.

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“She must be my half-sister. Here I thought they were all
dead but there’s a half-sister. How many children did that old
fool make?”

“Just as you know it, however from childhood, the miss had
a weak body and was frequently ill. The deceased Duke
determined that she would be unable to have a healthy child
and decided to dispose of her. Hence, the deceased Duke
believed the young miss to be dead.”

“Disposal. Ha! That’s exactly the type of thing that crazy

old fool would do.”

He ridiculed icily.

“So? This half-sister of mine that’s supposed to be dead,

how did she meet him, do this love play and give birth to a
child?”

“I can only say that destiny is indeed something that

cannot be predicted. I can also assure you that there was no
ulterior motives or interference in their relationship.”

“Destiny? What crap. Where’s the child’s mother?”

“She passed away after giving birth. If you want a more

detailed explanation…”

“Enough.”

As to whether or not they really knew each other’s identities, or

whether or not there was outside interference in their relationship,
there was no way for him to know.

No matter how long Philip rambled on, he couldn’t guarantee that

it was the truth. Rather than listening to the old man’s bullshit, he
switched his focus to the problem at hand.

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“So? what? Why did you bring him to me?” (Hugo)

No matter whether it was his brother’s child,

His brother was born the son of the loathsome former Duke and
had a completely different personality like the different entity that he
was.

Moreover, his brother wasn’t informed that the child was born so
bringing the child now made him suspicious.

“He’s young master Hugo’s flesh and blood. It is only right

to hand him over.”

“Don’t blabber that rubbish in front of me, take him and

leave. I don’t know when I’ll want to kill it if it stays around
me.”

However, Philip left Damian and secretly disappeared. He hid

himself so well, not a trace of him could be found.

‘Then I’ll make sure the bastard doesn’t see a hair on the
child’s head till the day he dies.’

Hugo gnashed his teeth in rage and invoked a ban against Philip
approaching Damian.

Time went by and sometime later Philip secretly returned and tried
to meet Damian but after seeing the guards placed around Damian, a
report came back that Philip had once again disappeared.

Although it (the ban) was something done in a fit of anger at the

time, when he thought about it, he realized it was a good thing.

Because of the war, Hugo was swamped and extremely busy so he

got someone to mostly look after the child. There was almost no
difference from neglecting the child.

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When he returned to Roam several months later, they were all
accepting Damian as his son. He’d never personally said that Damian
was his son but no one thought was an issue.

This was because of how much they resembled each other. Both of
them looked so much alike, leaving no room for doubts.

However, Damian’s appearance caused Hugo’s intention of ending

the Taran

Hugo’s feeling towards Damian were delicately complex. His

brother’s only mark left in this world and mass of burden.

It wasn’t love and hatred, he liked the boy just as much as he

disliked him.

However, when he saw that smile on the boy, the smile that was
exactly like his brother’s, he realized something.

Just as he’d intended, the cursed Taran blood would end with him.
His twin brother was a mutation that should have never been born of
Taran blood.

He was supposed to be born with a blood full of cruelty and

madness yet he was very unlike the Taran bloodline, he was gentle,
pure and loved life.

And Damian inherited the blood of his brother.

The Taran Family, led by Damian would be reborn in a completely

new way.

Damian noticed Hugo approaching and quickly stood up. The fox
was still in his arms and he was flustered by the sudden appearance
of Hugo.

Since he wasn’t studying at this time and was busy chattering, he

was afraid he would be scolded.

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Hugo indifferent glanced at the fox in the boy’s arms then spoke to
Lucia.

“Wasn’t the fox hunt just for sightseeing?”

“I meant to do that but Lady Milton told me she’d help me

obtain a fox. I hasn’t been long since I got it as a gift.”

Hugo was unhappy with the trivial creature rolling around in

Damian’s arms.

‘So now, she’ll be going around with a beast in her arms

too.’

First, frequent outings with Damian, now it’s a fox. The road to
keeping her by his side was so difficult. In his heart, what he really
wanted to do was keep her only to himself so only he could see her.

“Damian.”

“Yes?

“Damian.”

“Yes? Yes!” (Damian)

It was the first time Hugo had used Damian’s name directly in front
of him. Before when he called Damian directly, he said

‘Kid.’

And when he was conversing with other people and talking to

Damian, he said.

‘Boy.’

“Fox hunting is not a game for men. It’s a trifling game for
women. Return the fox to its master.”

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He commanded arrogantly.

Lucia was dumbfounded and glared at him. A trifling game for

women??? Damian alternated glances between the two of them then
quickly handed over the fox to Lucia.

As he handed it over, there was none of the emotions from a while

ago. He didn’t even show the slightest dismay or lingering
attachment.

Lucia gave a hollow smile.

“Follow me.” (Hugo)

“Yes.”

The boy quickly replied like a soldier with military discipline.

“Where are you taking him?” (Lucia)

“We’re going to have a talk. Between men.” (Hugo)

Hugo began to walk ahead and again, Damian repeatedly

alternated glances between the two of them then bowed his head in
Lucia’s direction.

After which he quickly ran after Hugo. Unlike the usually calm
Damian, this one was obviously excited.

“My goodness. What? Are they excluding me?”

Lucia was speechless. She felt a sense of betrayal from Damian

who never looked back. The thought that all her efforts were less
than one word from his father made her feel dispirited.

As she watched the departing backs of father-and-son, her

dispirited heart didn’t take long to disappear. Their very alike behind
view was very adorable. Damian’s figure as he took exceptionally
light steps was also fun to look at.

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“Please, get close enough that I’ll get jealous.”

While chuckling to herself, Lucia turned towards the workers in the

garden. There was still a lot to do for the garden party tomorrow.

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Chapter 41
Source: Imported

— Damian — (12)

TN: Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ Enjoy~

He’d ultimately asked Damian to follow him but quite frankly, he

had no idea what he could do with the child.

Roughly looking over the boy, he could say the boy had grown up
well but properly examining the child felt awkward.

“Do you read a lot?”

“Yes, I like books so I read a lot.”

Hugo took Damian to his study. Before this, she’d been the only
one allowed access to his study.

As soon as Damian entered the study, his eyes widened, his mouth
fell open and his head swiftly turned left and right.

The huge library in his academy had a lot of books but it wasn’t
stylish. Owned by an individual, the magnificent scale and superb
atmosphere lit up a soft light in the eyes of the fascinated boy.

“Is that place part of the study too?”

Damian asked, looking at the firmly closed door at the right of the
study.

Hugo’s eyes sank. The place where he was able to enter after
succession. The place where only the head of the Taran Family could
enter. It was a secret room that contained all the truths about the
Taran family.

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“Don’t concern yourself with that one. It’s full of garbage.”

Hugo had no plans of passing down that room to Damian. He would

burn and erase all traces of it sometime before Damian takes over as
the master of Taran.

This was what he’d made up his mind to do for a long time. The
secrets of Taran would end with him alone.

“You can look around as you please. If you want to read a

book, you can come in and read at any time.”

“Yes! Thank you.”

The boy had been jittery for a while because he wanted to look
around so as soon as permission was given, he quickly bolted away
and began to look all over the place.

There was warmth in Hugo’s eyes as he watched the boy

frantically move from place to place, scouring the study.

Sometime later, Hugo left the study, leaving the boy alone as the
boy had taken out a book from the shelves and was completely
engrossed in reading.

When he was about to enter his office, the name ‘Lucia’ once again
crossed his mind. He knit his brows and stood holding the door
handle. After a while, he went inside.

***

From morning, there was a line of carriages heading towards Roam

to attend the garden party hosted by the Duchess.

Because the Duchess always held small tea parties and never a
ball, this garden party reached many generations.

The age group were diverse, ranging from elderly women to

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unmarried girls, the attendees were also diverse, composed of well-
known people in the northern high society, those who were not well-
known, families of vassals and those who were not families of
vassals.

Everyone invited today had at least been invited to one of the

Duchess’ previous tea parties once.

The tea parties of the Duchess were not repetitive exchanges with
a small group of people but were distinctively broad meetings with
various groups of people.

The evaluation of the Duchess in the high society varied from

person to person.

Those who dreamt of a grand and luxurious ball expressed their

regrets while influential figures in the established high society
favored the non-aggressive manner of the Duchess.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“Welcome. I’m glad you could come.”

Lucia welcomed the ladies as they arrived one at a time, greeting

them with a light embrace.

It was hectic constantly meeting the eyes of people and smiling at

them as they entered but once there was a little gap, she

“Damian is running late. Go check if he’s still far away and

report to me.”

“Yes, Milady.”

There were dozens of round tables arranged in the extensive space

of the garden. They were covered with white lace tablecloths and
each table was decorated with a vase.

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There were no designated seats, allowing people to sit freely. The
attendees understood this and they made groups of twos and threes,
taking up tables one at a time.

In the blink of an eyes, the garden was filled with the talk and
laughter of women. It was a really good weather to schedule an
outside program.

The sunlight was moderate and there was next to no wind. Even
though they had already entered the cold season, it was quite cozy
today.

The elevated atmosphere filled the face of the ladies with laughter.

“Lady Milton. Welcome, come on in.”

“Thank you for the invitation, the weather is very good

today and I know the party will be lovely.”

After confirming that Kate came alone, Lucia expressed her regret.

“Madam Michelle did not come with you.”

“Yes, she wanted to come but her health isn’t very good
these days.”

Countess Corzan was weakening in energy day by day due to old

age and as Countess Corzan was like a teacher to her, Lucia’s heart
felt uncomfortable.

“I have to go see her sometime.”

“Great-aunt will be very pleased if you do.”

A maid quickly went up to Lucia and informed her.

“Young Master is waiting in the first floor hall.”

Kate looked on worriedly as Lucia asked to be excused and went

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inside. She knew ahead of time about Lucia’s plan to introduce
Damian at the garden party.

Kate had cautiously expressed her concerns but Lucia’s thoughts

on it were firm and she couldn’t change her mind.

‘I don’t know if this will turn out okay.’

The problem of illegitimate children gaining peerage was more

determined by the attitude of women than the attitude of men. No
one wanted to be in a situation where an outsider comes in out of the
blue, kicks away their good fortune and overtakes the child of the
legal wife.

‘Lucia was born a princess and then became a Duchess. She

doesn’t seem to know of the noble wives’ mentality to an
abnormal degree. Although, rather than not knowing their
mentality, should I say she’s detached from their desires?’

Kate had interacted with a wide range of people. If they were of

like-mind, they didn’t discriminate between people, regardless of
their status.

So, naturally there was a lot to compare between how a person

with a high status and a person with a low status differ in basic
attitude.

The typical daughters that were born noble ladies, had never
experienced a rough day, married that way, lived as noble ladies,
and had a very narrow view.

It wasn’t that they had malice but from the outset they didn’t know
anything else. They were arrogant, fussy, immensely prideful and
selfish. Apart from a difference in degree, they were pretty much the
same way.

It wasn’t like Lucia did not know the attributes of such ladies.
Sometimes during conversation, she was surprisingly sharp.

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However, understanding with one’s head differed from accepting it
with one’s heart. To Kate, Lucia was intriguing.

It was her first time seeing someone like Lucia in such a position.
Lucia wouldn’t reveal herself of her own accord nor would she stand
on top of anyone. She wasn’t pretending to be humble, it was her
nature.

There were no pretenses, no fabrications, even when saying

something, she took the recipient of her words into consideration. So,
Kate felt most comfortable when she was

Kate’s expression grew dark when she saw an elderly noble woman
with her head stiffly raised high amongst the cluster of guests.

The Countess of Wales was a well-known figure in the northern

high society. Even though her (Kate’s) great aunt was respected by a
lot of people, her great aunt’s actual influence was not that
significant.

This was because her great aunt did not like this woman. The
Countess of Wales and her great aunt were extreme polar opposites
on everything. In fact, the relationship between the two was not good
at all.

The Wales family was considered one of the most prestigious and
wealthy families in the North. The Countess of Wales wielded her
influence to her heart’s content and enjoyed people flocking towards
her.

‘Great-aunt said her activities have come to a lull and these

days, she flaps her wings around more.’

As the Countess of Wales did not enjoy horse riding, she was never
found in the horse-riding field. However, according to the rumors
spreading around, when she heard that Lucia had brought Damian to
the horse-riding field and introduce him to people, she’d remarked,

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[She’s young. She should have someone close to her,
giving her wise advice.]

‘I hope she doesn’t stir up pointless drama today but…’

Kate knew inwardly just how smart and firm the seemingly docile
Lucia was. Hence, although she was worried, she wasn’t anxious.

— Damian — (12)

TN: ~(⁰▿⁰)~

Lucia entered the central tower and found Damian lingering around
the same spot then she approached him.

“You look splendid, Damian.”

Damian was dressed in a small sized adult-like tailcoat size and

looked like the perfect little gentleman. Lucia wished father and son
would wear tailcoats, standing side by side as she held them in each
arms and entered the party venue.

The ladies wouldn’t be able to take their eyes off them. Just

imagining it made her smile happily.

“It’s a bit…stifling.” (Damian)

“You’ll get used to it soon. The guests have arrived, let’s

go.”

Damian stood still and did not move as though he’d been nailed to
the ground.

“Lucia, no matter how I think about this, I…”

“Damian, from now on, you’ll have to stand in front of a lot

of people. Today is just the beginning. There is no need to
feel pressured, if anyone misbehaves around you, just tell

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me. I’ll teach them a lesson.”

Damian stared blankly in response and Lucia put her hand on her
waist.

“You don’t believe me? All right. I’ll tell your father
instead. He’s a scary person so he’ll teach them a good
lesson.”

A little smile floated onto the boy’s lips.

“Let’s go.”

Lucia reached out, grabbing Damian’s hand and pulling at it.

Damian flinched at the sudden contact. He gazed at the hand holding
his and obediently followed, walking along. It was a soft and warm
hand.

His gaze slowly moved from her hands to arms to her back. There
was no light coming off of her but his eyes felt dazzled. He was dazed
by her brightness and couldn’t move his eyes away.

When the hostess of the party, the Duchess appeared, the noise
gradually subsided and the venue became quiet.

Lucia glanced through the ladies of various ages sitting in

gorgeous and colorful attires and announced the start of the party
with a greeting.

“I would like to extend my thanks to all of you who were

willing to attend today. It is my first time having so many
people in one place so there might be some immaturity but I
hope we all have a good time.”

Amongst the ladies attending today, the ones that were older and
more influential than Lucia

“And, there is someone I would like to introduce to you all

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today. Damian, come on out.”

Damian who was hidden from people’s sight, walked up and stood
beside Lucia at her call.

“You are all well aware of him. In the future, the Young
Lord will be the master of Taran after the Duke. He’s still
young but I wanted him to give his greetings so I called for
him.”

Most of them could not hide their confusion at the boy’s

appearance. After a moment of silence, the crowd stirred. The
confused ones were mainly the singles or young wives while the
expressions of the older wives stiffened.

In the midst of this, one person placed down their teacup heavily,
making a loud noise. It was the Countess of Wales.

Her expression was cold and she lowered her hand to her knees,
her mouth tightly shut. People’s gazes traveled over to the Countess.

The Countess’ expression did not reveal any displeasure. She just
remained silent and expressionless. As the Countess’ silence grew
longer and longer, the expression of people around gradually
stiffened.

***

Around the time when the garden party started, Hugo was working
on documents in his office. When Jerome came in with tea at his
usual time, Hugo questioned him.

“Is the party going well?”

“Yes, I heard almost all the guests have arrived.”

“Anyone that was invited and didn’t show?”

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The act of receiving an invitation and being absent without
previous communication was an insult to the organizer. Unless one
was without fear, they wouldn’t do such a thing but because she’d
said she would introduce Damian, Hugo was somewhat concerned.

“Apart from two people who informed me of their absence

due to health issues and two others who sent word that they
would be arriving slightly late, they are all in attendance.”

Hugo nodded and shifted his eyes back to the paperwork on his
desk.

Suddenly, the name ‘Lucia’ popped up in his head again. He would

forget the name for a moment then it would pop up in his head
again, the name just kept hovering around his head.

He was curious but he didn’t want to ask her, it would be too

embarrassing to ask her directly. After all, it had come to mind that
perhaps it was just a nickname that the both of them shared between
themselves.

Last night, he couldn’t have his wife. Because of the garden party,
she had to get up early and had him promise not to touch her at all
so he really only hugged her and slept.

She slept sweetly, not caring about him who was too flared up to
sleep. Without any power or energy, what bait could he throw to
catch her?

“By any chance, have you heard of the name, ‘Lucia’?”

Hugo was spewing these words bitterly, like a complaint, but when
Jerome replied with ‘Yes’, Hugo quickly lifted his head.

“You’ve heard of it? Who is it?”

Jerome tensed up in the face of his master’s unusual reaction.

While thinking that there was no way his master didn’t know, he had

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answered indifferently but his master didn’t seem to know.

‘Oh dear. Milady, why is Master not aware of this?’

Jerome expressed his frustration to the madam inwardly.

“…That…I heard it was Milady’s childhood name.”

His master gave no response to that.

Jerome broke out in cold sweat. His master really did not know. He
began to get worried as to whether the two of them would have
another serious fight like last time.

“Did my wife tell you directly?”

“No, I chanced upon Lady Milton calling Milady by that

name so I asked Milady about it.”

“Okay.

“Okay. You may go.”

After Jerome left, the office was quiet and Hugo sat staring at a
paper but none of the words on it were entering his brain.

The daughter of Baron Milton knew, Damian knew, even Jerome

knew but only he didn’t know.

Hugo was yet again shocked. Her heart was still firmly shut and
under lock and key. Perhaps it will keep being so in the future.

[I will never love you]

[There’s nothing after it ends.]

He put the pen and paper in his hands down, clasped his head with
his hands and let his head drop onto the desk. His chest felt stifled,
like there was a huge rock pressing down on it.

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It felt like wandering in a desert and the end could not be seen. He
found something he wanted for the first time since his brother’s
death but it was something he could never get.

Perhaps it was comparable to the desperation of a man dying from

hunger as he looked at a fruit that was simply out of reach. Even
though he took deep breaths, his clogged up chest did not ease up.

After the death of his brother, his world slowly became colorless. It
was boring and meaningless. However, he didn’t know when it began
but recently, he hadn’t thought of the world as tiresome.

At some point, his world was full of color and his seemingly
stopped heart began beating again. If he were to lose her, his world
would die again. As long as she was his wife, she could not leave him.

However, marriage could not bind the heart. No contract in the

world could do that. If her heart had not yet been given to another,
he could bear it.

However, what if she gave it to someone else? What if she gave

her body to him while sharing her heart with another?

He closed his eyes as he hazily sank into the darkness within his
mind. The sound of knocking on his door pulled him back into reality.

The one he didn’t want to answer the most, Ashin, hurriedly

entered his office.

“Your Grace, urgent report on the outbreak of an

epidemic.”

He sighed. How exhausting. He wasn’t even allowed time to get

sentimental. The northern land was a very large land so incidents
happened without rest.

Just like riding on an old ship with water leakage, when one blocks
one of the holes, the water comes in from somewhere else. He barely

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managed to get his heart that wanted to throw it all way under
control and summoned some enthusiasm.

“What epidemic in this weather?”

“Reportedly, dozens of people in the fief complained of the

same symptoms and the disease occurred in batches. Since
it’s a place that’s only three to four hours away on horse, I
didn’t continue monitoring the situation and contacted you.”

Hugo stood up immediately. If it was really epidemic, the

consequence of it spreading to Roam would be the worst of worsts.

“I will head out immediately. Have the knights on standby

and get physicians that can ride.”

“Understood. Since Sir Philip is opportunely staying in

Roam at the moment, shall I request for Sir Philip to get
ready?”

Hugo frowned.

“Except that old g… except Philip. Find another doctor.”

Ashin acquiesced and withdrew.

Hugo roughly arranged the documents on his desk and after a

while, he left his office. After being informed of this news, Jerome
quickly brought his master’s white unnamed horse outside and
waited for him.

Hugo urgently ordered one of his hurrying knights to find and bring
a doctor along, then he departed first with the rest of his knights.

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Chapter 42 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (13)

TN: Couldn’t find an emoji that suited my mood translating this

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

It was a place that held more than a 100 people but it was quiet to
the point that even the sound of breathing could not be heard. No
one opened their mouth, laughed or touched their cups.

Covered with bright makeup and colorful dresses, these women

eerily spotted the same wooden expressions. This all started with the
Countess of Wales.

“What seems to be the problem, Countess Wales?”

“I understood today’s party to be one for women. This

purpose doesn’t seem to fit that.”

“It is just a child. Although a male child, one cannot say

there has been no such precedence. Especially in the
capital.”

Lucia replied with special emphasis on the last word. The northern
high society could not compare to the capital’s high society whether
it was in scale or people.

Even if one brags about being famous in the northern high society,
one is simply big fish in a little pond. Lucia chose words that would
hurt the Countess’ pride to give her a strong warning. How about
withdrawing at this point?

“If you put it that way, then I have nothing else to say.”

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The Countess of Wales answered, deliberately displaying a sullen
expression. The sly Countess found the Duchess’ provocation about
the capital ridiculous.

‘Just as I thought, the Duchess has been hiding her true

colors.’

The gentle and docile appearance she showed at tea parties was
also a lie. The Countess thought the Duchess acting as though she
wasn’t interested in the northern high

To say she had no desire to use her status as the Duchess to

control the high society? That was no way she didn’t have such
desires. Sure enough, she was obviously in the process of passively
exploring for now.

‘Duchess, if you think you can seize the north high society
with just your status as a Duchess, you’re heavily mistaken.’

If there was world where status and rank did not have absolute
reign, it was the high society. Just like the Queen could not dominate
the capital’s high society with just her status, the northern high
society also couldn’t be dominated with just status.

‘Becoming a Duchess after being a princess merely appears

good.’

If the Duchess thought about it a little more, she would know that
much. The Countess held a lot of interest in the capital’s high society
so she was well-informed on the rumors in the capital and she knew
what rumors were currently spreading in the capital about the
Duchess.

Not all rumors were true but the Countess knew many things that
the northern people did not know. For instance, she knew that the
Duchess did not have a single relative and was merely one of the
many princesses in the castle.

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There was also many suspicious points about her marriage to the
Duke. According to a credible rumor source, the King and the Duke
had some sort of contract.

When the Countess heard the rumor depicting the Duchess as a

celestial beauty, she laughed her head off. She also deemed the
rumor that the ducal couple led a

The Countess knew of the Taran Duke’s female exploits very well.
The Duke was never a man to settle for one woman.

‘Duchess, if you want to hold on to that seat for long time,

you have to keeo helpful people by your side. Not that old
thing on her last legs.’

The fact that the Countess of Corzan was the first person to meet
the Duchess and was requested to teach the Duchess about the high
society, was pretty much the topic of discussion in the high society.
Due to this, the Countess of Wales was dissatisfied.

Her influence was far superior to the Countess of Corzan yet

people looked up to the Countess of Corzan and called her
Godmother.

‘Nothing but an old thing in a back room teaching bridal

lessons at best.’

Acting aloof and admonishing while using the reason that she was
much older, the very sight of Countess Corzan sickened the Countess
of Wales. Not being able to see the Countess of Corzan these days
made her feel completely refreshed.

So in today’s garden party, the Countess of Wales intended to

highlight her existence to the Duchess, no matter the means and just
in the nick of time, the Duchess gave her a very good means.

The moment the young lord appeared, the countess made all her
calculations in an instant then she began a silent protest. Her

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justification being the party’s purpose.

Damian had been announced as the successor to the Duke and it

wasn’t something one could not formally question it. Hence, there
was

Beginning with the Countess, the elderly women acted together,

the young ladies chatted cluelessly at first but as time passed, they
became conscious of their surroundings and followed passively.

It had almost been an hour and a half since the party was declared
as started but people sat like dolls without any expression.

Not everyone was in sync. In this situation, Kate appeared very

casual, deliberately making loud noises, drinking tea and eating
sweets. However, she lacked the ability to overturn the situation
alone.

The Countess of Wales was too strong an opponent for Kate. Kate
had her great-aunt behind her so she could openly oppose it but the
other young ladies could not.

Party-breaking.

It was an event of power struggle between the organizer and the

attendees. (1). Or in the case where an organizer commits a mistake
that should be socially or ethically criticized, the high society
punishes them in the manner of party-breaking.

The method was simple. The attendees would just remain silent.

If the party-break wasn’t for the purpose of punishment but for a

problem that occurred during the party, until the problem was
resolved, the attendees would keep their mouth shut, as if declaring
their absence.

When a person began to lead a party-break, unless someone else

with similar influence to the leader opposes them, it was the rule that

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other people would turn a blind eye and follow along.

‘If great-aunt was here, it wouldn’t have become like this.’

Kate was overwhelmed with regret. Party-breaking was a war for

Also unlike a man’s war, in the high society’s struggle for power,
status and rank were not absolute. If one approaches a situation by
throwing down one’s status, gradually one would be treated as an
outcast in the high society.

Lucia looked over the crowd with a frosty expression. The maids
were pale with fright and had crowded themselves in a corner.
Contrarily, Damian’s expression was the very placid.

Lucia had once witnessed the sight of a party-break occurring in

her dream. A party-break was impossible in a very small tea party or
in a grand ball where many people, both male and female, were in
attendance. It was only plausible in a moderate meeting were only
women were in attendance.

The party-break she witnessed happened just like today. From her
experience in her dream, there had never been a party-break for
rational or reasonable purposes.

A high society faction dispute, a confrontation between women’s

cliques, a revenge led by the wife to punish the adulterous organizer.
These were the reasons for most of them.

Lucia knew the way to conclude a party-break. If the organizer and

the attendees appeared to have a plausible reconciliation, the party
could finish up safely.

Usually, it was the organizer that took a step back. This was
because if one’s party fails in the middle, it was a huge disgrace.

The way to resolve this situation was clear. Damian had to be sent
out of the party.

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Chapter 42 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (13)

TN: Σ(゜ロ゜;)

The way to resolve this situation was clear. Damian had to be sent
out of the party.

However, Lucia had no thoughts of doing so. The Countess of

Wales had the wrong idea from the beginning. Lucia held no
attachment to the high society. She already had her fill of acting
graceful and conversational at social activities in her dream.

Lucia turned to face the crowd and declared in a cool voice.

“Everyone, I’m afraid we cannot have an enjoyable time

today. This event is now dismissed.”

The ladies stirred.

“I won’t see you off, you don’t deserve it.”

Then she gave an order to the maids.

“Please show the guests out.”

The maids in the corner straightened up and answered resolutely.

The confidence of their madam became the saving grace to the pride
of the employees. When the maids began to move around in a
bustling manner, the masks of the women broke and they started
exchanging glances.

“Today, you have all deceived me, the Duchess and Lady of
Taran. You will soon realize that this was not a wise move.”

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Lucia’s cold threat did not conform to the rules of the high society.
The expression of the older women in particular sank inwardly.
However, no one revealed their discomfort.

Even if the Duchess had no influence over the high society, if one
were to commit an act that disregarded her rank openly, one had to
be fearful of the

“Someday, your son or grandson will have my son as their

master. I can see the saying of ‘parents ruining the futures of
their child’ refers to a case like this.”

Lucia thundered icily then turned around and headed straight for
the central tower, abandoning the crowd. After the Duchess
disappeared, the buzzing of the ladies grew louder.

“Ah? What in the world is this?”

“Tell me about it, I didn’t think about the aftermath and

just committed.”

“The Duchess is not the usual type to get angry. It’s scary
when a normally gentle person gets angry. What should we
do?”

The criticism was concentrated on 10 elderly women including the

Countess of Wales who led the party-break. Ignoring their faults in
following along, they shifted the blame to another, despite this
pathetic behavior, they didn’t dare to voice their criticism to the
Countess of Wales.

“Keu-heum.” (TN: Clearing of throat)

As the recipients of those uncomfortable gazes, the leaders were

the first to leave with sour expressions.

The Countess of Wales’ expression stiffened.

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‘It shouldn’t have turned out this way, why…’

This was because the Countess had purposefully tried to calculate

the probable outcomes of the party-break. Even if one is seasoned
and experienced in socializing, when actually faced with a party-
break, one would fall into confusion.

The Countess saw that the newly married young Duchess had little
experience in the high societal socializing and thought that she
would be unlikely to know what a party-break

The Countess thought that the Duchess would be flustered and

would surely send the young lord out to fix the situation. After all, the
young lord was not the Duchess’ biological son.

When the Countess heard one day that the Duchess was carrying
the Duke’s extramarital child and going around, she thought it to be
impressive.

To her, the ducal couple was a couple in appearances only.

There was no doubt that the Duchess thought of securing her place
as the Duchess using the young lord, hence Duchess’ comely actions
to the young lord were not sincere.

After all, which sane women would do something to block the

future of their unborn child?

She was deliberately trying to figure out what the Duchess’ hidden
intentions were, so using the fact that she was young and
inexperienced, she spoke cynically. It made people think that the
Duchess was unhappy with the act of bringing the illegitimate child of
the Duke around with her.

It was amateurish to think that a relationship between one person

and another could only be achieved through meeting face to face
and having intimate conversations. A true pro is one that know the
heart of another without meeting face to face.
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When party break happens, the Duchess would be unable to win
and would have taken a step back first. Initially, her pride would be
hurt and she would fume with anger however as time goes by, she
would realize that

In the view of others, the Duchess had done her best. She was
humiliated in trying to defend an extramarital child, so no matter
how one looked at it, she was be a generous mother with ample
tolerance.

When the Duchess’ mind calmed down, the Countess would then
lessen herself and secretly swoop in. After which the hurt pride of the
Duchess would be restored and they would be able to cultivate a
close relationship. This was all the Countess of Wales had calculated
inwardly.

However, the Countess’ biggest mistake was not properly

understanding what kind of person Lucia was. No matter how often
the two of them met, the Countess and Lucia could not fully
understand each other. The thoughts and beliefs of the two were
inextricably parallel.

The tycoon of the northern high society who seemed to have shot
herself in the foot by taking it a few moves too far was now putting
her brain to work.

(TN: Random gossip)

“What should I do? If my husband finds out about this, he’ll

give me a hard time.”

“Look at the place to lie before stretching your legs. You

know very well what kind of person the Duke of Taran is, so
why did you do it?”

“It’s a social thing for women. It’s not the case for a man to
meddle.”

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“Does everything always follow the same principle? Rumor has it
the ducal couple’s conjugal relationship is

“Ah, I don’t know. I’ll have refuse any outings and stay
quiet for a while.”

“Why ever did Countess Wales flare up over the Duke’s heir
like that?”

“Did you not know? The Count of Wales took in an

extramarital daughter like that and went around with her. In
the end, the extramarital daughter was married off to the
Count.”

“Oh my, then the Count and the daughter of the in-laws…”

“The funny thing is, the Countess of Wales squeezed out

some tears from her daughter-in-law and then not long after,
two extramarital grandsons were entered into the family
register.”

“My goodness.”

Damian watched with cold red eyes, saving the actions of the
noble ladies with his eyes and ears. Today, the boy graphically
witnessed the figures of those he had to step on to advance in the
future.

It was a completely different direction from what Lucia had hoped

for but it was a great lesson anyways.

Some women unintentionally locked eyes with Damian, causing

them to flinch and turn away. After clamoring in groups, the
remaining women began to depart from their seats.

When the number of people in the garden decreased a lot, Damian

also left the event.

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Translator’s Corner:

1) The Korean saying, ‘look at the place to lie before stretching

your legs’ means do something if you’re sure of it or you can perfect
it, otherwise don’t do it.

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Chapter 43
Source: Imported

— Damian — (14)

TN: (๑ơ ₃ ơ)♥

Lucia entered the central tower and checked behind her. The
Damian who said he would be following shortly was nowhere to be
found.

She asked a maid to fetch him and went into the receiving room.
She sat down, placed her head on the sofa and closed her eyes. Her
head was hurting.

‘I was too complacent. To think it would be a party-break.’

She thought too lightly of the women’s stubborn pride that

wouldn’t break even if their neck was snapped. She let her guard
down at the fact that the atmosphere here was distinctly different
from the one in the capital’s social circles.

She also might have been conceited about the fact that she was a
Duchess without even realizing it. Even though she knew that in the
high society, one’s reputation and personal connection accumulated
over the years was much more important that status, she had
foolishly overlooked it.

‘From the first time I saw that woman, I didn’t really like
her.’

Lucia was deeply impressed by the character of Countess Corzan,

the godmother of the northern high society so she had high
expectations before meeting the Countess of Wales, whose influence

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was much greater. However, her expectations quickly turned into
disappointment.

In Lucia’s eyes, the countess of Wales that was invited to her tea
party a couple of times was like a snake in human skin.

It was mistake to just smile in the past because she wanted to

avoid unnecessary confrontation. Because now, the countess took
her to be a joke and led this kind of thing.

‘Although I knew it wouldn’t be easy.’

Which is why she’d asked Kate to definitely bring the Countess of

Corzan if possible. She wanted to have a safety shield. There was no
way the countess wouldn’t know how to build up a frontal
confrontation when faced with a party break. Her mistake of not
being careful was painful.

‘Is Countess Wales wrathful because of her extramarital issues?’ It

would be too shallow to just see it as a crafty high society greeting. If
she particularly wanted to humiliate Lucia using the party-break, she
had a lot more to lose than to gain from it.

Even if one’s status was not absolute in the high society, status
could never be ignored. Moreover, the Duke of Taran’s absolute
influence in the north was not inferior to that of the King’s in the
capital.

The Countess of Wales wouldn’t have thought to do such a thing if

she hadn’t assumed what was in Lucia’s mind and calculated off of
that.

One villain recognizes another. No matter how much Lucia

observed the behavior of groups in the high society, she did not have
a mind twisted enough to grasp the psychology of the people who
were capable of scheming and conspiring.

‘A person’s actions can’t be judged with only rationality.’

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It was unprecedented that an illegitimate child entered into the
family was selected as a candidate. Lucia began to mull over the
problem a bit more seriously.

‘If the northern atmosphere is like this then the capital’s

must be formidable as well.’

She wondered if he had any idea on how to resolve this issue.

Seeing as he didn’t think bringing Damian to social party was a big
deal, he may not have any ideas.

‘Damian taking over the title may the beginning of a

different flow in the future. That’s probably why people are
resistant.’

She was too hasty. She didn’t want to miss this chance since
Damian might soon be going back to the Academy. She introduced
Damian

She opened her eyes and checked around but Damian was still
nowhere to be found.

‘Hasn’t it been a while since I asked the maid to get him?’

The headache was making her irritated. She called for another
maid.

“Why is it taking so long to fetch the young lord?”

The maid immediately left in haste then returned after a while.

“Milady, the young master did not answer when asked to

come in. The one who receive Milady’s order first is by the
young master’s side not knowing what to do.”

“What is Damian doing outside?”

“Nothing…just looking at people.”

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“…Alright.”

What could the child be thinking as he watched those people? She

had to ask him when he came in.

Lucia closed her eyes again.

“Lucia.”

At some point, Kate had entered and was sitting next to Lucia,
holding her hand. Lucia opened her eyes and seeing Kate, she gave
her a smile.

“Thank you for today, Kate.”

“No, I was of no help at all. Don’t be too upset. By all

means, just think of it as a rite of passage.”

Kate was worried that Lucia would be overcome with shame

because of her broken pride. However, Lucia did not care about
things like an organizer’s pride. Even though it was in her dream, she
had worked as a nursing maid for a noblewoman. This type of thing
wasn’t enough for her pride to feel humiliated.

“It’s okay. And I’m sorry Kate but do you mind going back
for today? I have a lot to think about.”

Kate replied that she understood, spoke a few more words of

warmth and comfort then left.

Lucia called Jerome who was continuously lingering around.

“Is he in the office?”

“No. An urgent message arrived and master had to head

out. There was no definitive reply as to whether master
would return today.”

Lucia felt both slightly sad and relieved at the same time.
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“I will inform him of today’s matter so don’t tell him
directly.”

“Yes, Milady”

“Also, will you call Anna for me?”

The headache was getting worse so she thought to have some

medicine. After Jerome went out, Lucia sent all the maids away.

She looked at Damian who had come in some moments ago and
beckoned him over.

“Damian, come here.”

Damian approached and went on his knees before Lucia. Lucia

sprang up in surprise.

“I’m sorry. Because of me…” (Damian)

The boy did not care how others looked at him. No matter how
intense the unfriendly gazes were, they did not cause any direct
harm. However, he didn’t want them to send such gazes to Lucia.

Damian didn’t know the high society very well, neither did he know
what a party-break was but he knew the earlier situation had
humiliated Lucia.

Anger. He felt anger at his weakness. The situation would have

turned out completely different if his father was there.

“No, Damian. Why do you have to apologize?”

Lucia felt tears threaten to break out and reach out to lift Damian,
taking him into her embrace. Damian said he didn’t like it from the
beginning, she was the one that persuaded him and eventually the
result was such.

‘I should have gone about it a different way. It would have

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been okay to introduce him just about when the party was
finishing but I was too greedy.’

“I’m sorry, Damian. I didn’t think of you. I didn’t think that

you could be hurt and only thought of myself.”

As he liked the nice fragrance and soft feeling of the embrace,

Damian was holding his breath and doing his best to

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” (Lucia)

“I…It’s all right.”

Damian was really fine. He had completely forgotten about the

meaningless gazes of those women that didn’t know anything the
moment Lucia said, ‘my son,’ earlier. The words were still replaying
in the boy’s head and touched his heart.

“It’s not your fault, Damian. What people do is not your

fault. Adults are not all wise.”

Lucia’s voice grew shaky at the end. At the sound of small sobbing,
Damian stiffened.

‘Don’t cry because of me,’ the words in head were stuck in his
throat, refusing to come out. Little by little, he carefully inched
forward, placing his forehead on Lucia’s shoulders.

It was the first time someone cried for the sake of the boy. His
throat felt as though it was hot and constricted, and his eyes felt
flushed.

It was just a little. But the boy’s eyes were wet.

— Damian — (14)

What ended up happening was different from what Hugo was

worried about. It was not a mass epidemic but a mass food

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poisoning. In this weather, whether it was an epidemic or food
poisoning, both of these weren’t common occurrences but the Duke
didn’t have to come in person.

The expression of the village lord that sent the report and hence
wasted the Duke’s time was dark.

“A poisonous mushroom?” (Hugo)

“Yes, your Grace. This mushroom looks edible on the

outside but once eaten, it cases stomachache, diarrhea,
vomiting and red spots all over the body.”

As soon as the doctor familiar with poisonous herbs and poisonous

mushrooms was brought in, he looked at some patients and asked a
few questions then found the mushroom in the remaining food
reserves. In a short moment, the problem was instantly resolved.

The villagers who were shaken by the fear of an epidemic were

frightened out of their wits by the sudden appearance of the big-shot
Duke however when the issue was resolved within a couple hours of
the Duke’s arrival, their expression changed to that of wonder.

Their gazes were full of awe as they looked at the Duke inwardly
saying to themselves, ‘as expected, that’s our Duke.’

“If the mushroom is from around here, there’s no way the

people wouldn’t know about it.”

“Yes, your Grace. This mushroom is not one to inhabit this

area. One has to go a bit more to the north with colder
climate.”

“How did this happen?” (Hugo)

“Speak truthfully.” (Village Lord)

In response to Hugo’s question, the village lord urged an old man

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that was tied up with a rope and prostrated on the floor. The old man
was a shop owner that ran a food store in the village and was the one
to supply the mushrooms.

“Yes..yes…Uh…a few days ago, I bought a large quantity of

food stuff through the upper channels but I don’t know what
happened…”

“Enough. You made this situation happen, did you not?

What feelings in the world did you have to unleash poisonous
mushrooms on your people?”

“Ai! I’m innocent, my lord. This one would never do such a

thing on purpose.”

As the Duke watched the situation unfold with the old man
tearfully expressing his innocence with a runny nose, an official came
to report to him.

“I think the upper channels will have to be placed under

watch and tracked. The mushrooms cannot be distinguished
properly hence one cannot tell if the supply is
indiscriminate.”

“Dispatch and track immediately. Investigate along the upper

levels to see if they have suffered any similar damage. The doctor
will

“Yessir!”

Responses came from all over the place.

“Your Grace, I made a mistake judging the situation and

have caused you unnecessary trouble.”

The village lord apologized somberly.

“No, the quick reaction was excellent.”

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The expression of the lord that had readied himself to receive the
Duke’s wrath brightened considerably.

“Deal with the rest of this.”

“Yes, your Grace.”

There was nothing else to see in the village. Although their horse
riding for three hours straight ended up in vain, the situation here
was much better than an epidemic occurring.

Hugo and his Knights left for Roam, leaving a few people to handle
the remaining affairs. The day was getting darker. When they weren’t
too far from Roam, Hugo and his Knights gathered around a small
fountain to quench the thirst of both horse and man.

Hugo took a guess at the time and by his estimate, by the time
they reached Roam, it would be quite dark. It was likely that dinner
time would be adjusted or it would be a little later than that.

Hugo called for Dean.

“Go ahead and tell them not to blow the horns when I
arrive.”

It would be good if he could arrive before the meal began but if he

was a little late, he didn’t want her come out and meet him during
her meal. Dean received his orders and departed earlier. After a
while, Hugo and his Knight took their horses and began heading back
en masse.

They ran without rest and arrived at Roam. Hugo rode his horse all
the way inside the castle before stopping. One of the servants was
surprised to see Hugo coming down from his horse and quickly ran
inside. After a while, Jerome came running out.

“Your Grace arrived the castle yet there was no

announcement…”

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“I told them not to make a fuss.”

Hugo immediately started heading to his office followed by Jerome.

After a while, the three siblings dedicated to serving the Duke came
into the office with a change of clothes. They waited on Hugo as he
changed out of his dusty clothes.

“What about dinner?” (Hugo)

“It’s almost ready.” (Jerome)

“I didn’t come late then.”

Hugo went straight to his desk and sat down. There were several
documents laid out for him to look through. There were also
documents in the corner, marked red for urgency.

‘No time to breathe,’ he muttered to himself as he picked up a

document and opened it.

“Did the garden party go well?”

Because of the party, the atmosphere in the castle was gloomy all
day. Remembering the words of the madam telling him to say
anything directly, Jerome replied,

“Yes.”

“Call me when dinner is ready.”

Hugo leaned halfway across his desk, his butt sitting halfway on his
chair and began to read through the document.

***

Lucia slept off after taking the headache medicine and when she
woke up she continued to remain lying on the sofa. Even though she
took some medicine before she slept, the headache hadn’t eased up.

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Her throbbing head was irritating and she didn’t feel well so Lucia
lay sniveling and unmoving on the bedroom sofa.

Around when dinner was almost ready, her headache had settled
down so she began to move then a maid came in to tell her that the
Duke had returned.

“What? He’s back?”

Lucia thought he wouldn’t be returning today. She asked the maid

to bring a mirror and as expected, her eyes were swollen. If she knew
it would be like this, she would have placed a pack on her eyes.

“Bring me a

“Bring me a cold towel.”

Lucia could only use this as a temporary measure. However, there

was not a lot of time. It was announced that dinner would be out very
soon.

“How is it? Do my eyes look very bad?”

“It has settled down a lot better than before. At first

glance, one cannot tell.”

If he didn’t notice during dinner then it was fine. After dinner, he

would be going back to his office after all he usually got busier when
he returned from an outing. She kept the towel for a bit longer,
hoping that her eyes would settle down a bit more. She didn’t want
him to know that she cried for nothing.

When she went down to the dining hall, Damian was already there.
Hugo came in a little later and sat down. Hugo picked up his spoon
and his gaze naturally fell on her. His forehead wrinkled and his hand
froze.

As soon as he placed the spoon down loudly on the table, the

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atmosphere in the dining hall froze over. He quickly got up and
approached her figure that was looking rather embarrassed.

His one hand clutched the table while his other hand held her jaw
to face him. Her reddened eyes were clearly revealed to him. His
gaze deepened and his eyes looked like they would burst into flames.

“What happened?” (Hugo)

Lucia was conscious of the surrounding gazes on her and naturally

turned her head, dropping her gaze. She didn’t know he would react
like this. She thought that even if he noticed something he would ask
her questions later. She was deeply embarrassed because the
employees as well as Damian were in the room.

“Let’s eat first…”

He firmly grabbed her chin again and lifted her head backward to
look over more carefully. Her clear amber eyes were heavily red. Did
she cry? Why?

“Jerome!”

The always ready butler, Jerome, gave his master the answer he
wanted.

“At the garden party, the ladies performed a party-break.”

“Party break?”

“It is an act of artificially ending a party where many of the

attendees keep silent.”

“Reason.”

“…Young Master Damian.”

Hugo didn’t need to hear any more, he could roughly grasp the

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situation.

“What did they do to you?”

There was violence within his soft voice.

“Noth…didn’t do anything…”

They merely rejected the party with blank expressions and silence
but didn’t do anything to Lucia directly. She didn’t feel displeased at
all and it wasn’t enough to make her cry. It was just that she felt
sorry to Damian and was crying because she was upset. She had also
already cried to her heart’s content.

However the moment he asked her what the matter was, her nose
got sore. It was the same principle as tears coming to one’s eyes
when seeing someone else tear up. She was going to calmly explain
to him the events that transpired when he came back but his words
were bringing her to tears.

Hugo’s expression stiffened as he watched tears begin to fill her

eyes. He lifted her from her seat and took her into his arms. Like
carrying a child, one arm supported her thighs while his other arm
was wrapped around her back so her head could be buried in his
chest.

“Move our dinner to the second floor. Damian, eat and go

to your room.”

“Okay.”

Damian looked on worriedly as the Duke carried Lucia out of the

dining hall in his embrace. He was worried about Lucia who hadn’t
come out of her room almost all day and his heart had felt
uncomfortable all day long.

Damian hoped to see his mother smiling just as usual when

tomorrow comes.

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Chapter 44 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (15)

TN: Yes! it’s another chapter~ I’m in a good mood!

Hugo carried her in a hug as he entered the bedroom and sat on

the couch. Lucia buried her face in his wide chest and burst into
tears.

Hugo stroked her head as he rhythmically patted her back. Her

sobbing did not stop, rather it grew even louder. The crying was not
only because of the garden party. Lucie herself did not even know
why she was crying so much.

She was just sad, and in the face of his gentle comfort, her tears
refused to stop flowing. She hadn’t been able to cry since she
entered the palace at the age of 12 and crying so much now was as
though she was washing all that away.

Hugo gently stroked her back without saying a word however he

was seething inside. Even though she seemed weak, he knew just
how strong of a person she was. What in the world could have
happen for her to cry like this?

Those wives that have nothing to do with their time must have lost
their minds. To his woman that was too precious to even touch, they
dare? He will make them regret it. His deep rage was continuously
increasing.

After a long period of time, Lucia leaned forward in his arms and
her crying was starting to come to an end.

Lucia lifted her head, fixing her gaze on him and he looked down,

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meeting her eyes.

“No more crying?”

Lucia felt more or less embarrassed as she nodded her head. After
crying like that with no restraint, she felt somewhat lighthearted.

“I have to…wash up…”

She felt ashamed to show him her face smeared full of tears. He
grabbed her as she tried to get up and held out a wet towel. Lucia did
not know because she was crying but in the meantime, a maid had
come in and tactfully placed it by the side. She took the towel and
meticulously wiped her face then she looked down and found the
front of his shirt wet from all her crying.

“It’s wet…because of me.”

Lucia hesitated for a moment then she reached out and unfastened
a button on his shirt.

As she unfastened it one by one, his well-defined chest muscles

were gradually revealed and her hands began to tremble more and
more. When she got to the middle, her heart was pounding too hard
and she took her hand off.

“Bring a change of clothes…”

Hugo grabbed her wrists mid-speech. She looked at him in surprise

and found his eyes shining dangerously.

“Finish taking it off.” (Hugo)

She glared at him with trembling eyes then she

When the last button was undone, she subconsciously swept her
hands across his naked chest. She was impressed by the firmness of
his skin and her heart throbbed at the sight of his refined and

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beautiful muscles.

Suddenly, shame washed over her and she quickly took her hands
off and began to turn around as if to get up but his hands were faster
as they moved to catch hers. His lips quickly met hers and his tongue
swept over her lips then he smacked his lips as though mulling over
the taste.

“Salty.”

Lucia’s face instantly turned red. There was an obvious spark in his
red eyes that were fixed on her. His always passionate and wanting
gaze was glued onto her and her body reacted sensitively to this
gaze.

It was a cute and innocent reaction to the extent of a loud

pounding heart. Her body felt hot, her breathing quickened and the
deep part between her legs felt electrified.

As she gazed into his red eyes, she recalled once thinking that the
red color was very cold. However, she couldn’t remember when she
had that thought. At some point, his gazes on her had become
heated all the time.

‘Does he…always look at women he’s in the bedroom with

this way?’

She recalled the scene of Sophia Lawrence desperately clinging to

She didn’t think a day would come where she could understand
Sofia Lawrence’s feelings like this. She wondered if there was any
woman who could receive such a gaze and bear it when it suddenly
turns cold. As time went on, her love of him gradually grew bigger
and bigger.

Her determination to love him and not hope for a requital was
strangely shaken the more tenderly he treated her. She was afraid
that one day she would become the type of clingy woman that he
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despised.

‘It’s fine like this.’

For now, she was happy enough. He was a very tender and
passionate husband. To ask for more would be greedy. In this way,
she comforted herself.

Lucia placed both hands on his shoulders and pushed down, using
it to propel her body upwards. As his eyes were fixated on her, his
head naturally went up to meet her eyes. The feeling of looking down
on him from above gave her a strange and odd sense of superiority.

She pressed down more on his shoulders and lowered her head to
kiss him. She gently bit his lower lips

When their lips separated, the embarrassment from what she just
did seemed to flood over her and the heat from her face spread
throughout her body.

“You haven’t eaten because of me. You must be hungry…”

Before her sentence could finish, he grabbed her neck and greedily
devoured her lips. Her lips were swallowed at once and his tongue
dove into her mouth. As his tongue rummaged the inside her mouth
without reserve, her hands grabbing onto the collars of his shirt
trembled.

The kiss was long enough to leave her breathless. When he moved
away, she began to gasp for air.

“You’re talking about food now?”

After stirring me up like this? He growled, feeling the heat in his

body rising.

“…I’m hungry too.” (Lucia)

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Hugo sighed heavily. Although it didn’t matter to him if he didn’t
eat once or twice…

“…Can’t have you go hungry.” (Hugo)

Hugo carried her like that and went out into the drawing room
connected to the bedroom. There were meals for two people already
set out on the table. The meal was over shortly.

Lucia, the hungry one, couldn’t eat any more and lay down the
fork. Around the same time, Hugo also finished his meal.

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Chapter 44 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (15)

Lucia called the maid and asked for a change of clothes to be

brought for him. For a while, she sat on the sofa, completely
absorbed in watching him as he changed out of his shirt. Looking at
his revealed upper body, she fell into delusions.

Just like how he caresses and licks all over her body, she wanted to
lay him down and taste him. When such a thought arose in her mind,
she was startled and jumped in surprise.

‘You really are crazy.’

It was fortunate that no one could look into her head. While she
was adjusting her breath to calm her pounding heart down, Hugo
came up and sat beside her on the sofa.

“Still not feeling well?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Lucia leaned her head on his shoulder. His arms went across,
lightly grabbing her shoulders and wrapping his arms around her.

“Thanks to you, it’s okay now. After crying so much, I feel

quite refreshed. Have you ever had such an experience?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never cried before.”

When his brother died, he felt like his heart was being ripped out
so he ran away from his horse to be alone and screamed, however no
tears fell from his eyes.

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Lucia was not surprised to hear that he had never cried. Since it
was him, it was quite reasonable.

“Now, tell me. What happened?” (Hugo)

“…Just as you heard earlier. The garden

“If it’s a common thing, why did you cry your eyes out?”

“That…wasn’t just because of the party. I was a little upset

because I felt that Damian was hurt by my wrong judgement
of the situation.”

Does one cry till they’re exhausted because they feel a little upset?
Hugo could not understand her psychology behind bursting into tears
so even though he wasn’t convinced, he let it pass.

“The boy is not that weak.”

“Yes. He is your son, after all. But he’s still only eight years
old. He’s young.”

“Who was the initiator?”

Ferocity lay hidden beneath his soft and calm tone. From deep
within his red eyes, brutality overflowed as if he would pounce and
rip someone’s throat out in an instant. The normally hidden nature of
Hugh was awakened. He felt the desire to find the person who gave
her pain and make them taste blood.

The savage beast in his eyes hid itself the moment Lucia lifted her
head.

“Don’t do anything.” (Lucia)

“…Don’t do what?”

“High society is a woman’s matter. You shouldn’t

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interfere.”

If he interfered, it would be utter chaos. The very foundation of the

northern high society would be shaken. If such a situation occurred,
not only

“…”

When he became sullen and did not reply, Lucia appealed to him.

“Please promise me. Promise me that you won’t interfere

with this.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Hugh! No, don’t do this for me. I won’t blame you nor will
fingers be pointed at me.”

“Who dares?”

“Hugh!”

He couldn’t resist the sight of her quivering eyes as she implored

him.

“…Okay.”

“You promise?”

“I said okay.”

Inwardly, he was grumbling. He didn’t want to idle around and do

nothing. She didn’t have the heart to completely step on them till
they couldn’t make a sound.

Hugo didn’t know about other things but he was very confident in
crushing people under his feet. However, he couldn’t even show that
off to her and prove his skill.

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“What are you going to do?” (Hugo)

“I’m still thinking. I don’t plan on having a hasty

retaliation.” (Lucia)

“You don’t plan on letting it cool down and blow over,

right?”

“I’m not a fool to overcome this by remaining silent. I’ll

deal with it nicely, don’t worry.”

“What’s so complicated? Bring a few instigated…”

Lucia’s head abruptly shot upright, revealing narrowed eyes and

Hugo closed his mouth.

“I’m saying this again, but don’t ever do something like

that. This is different from men’s. The world of women is not
that simple.”

Whether man or a woman, they both die when they lose their neck
so Hugo couldn’t understand why it was so complicated. However,

“So you really don’t need my help.” (Hugo)

She looked really energetic. Even if he didn’t want it to the extent

of clinging and whimpering about it, he would like it if she
complained to him.

“I will tell you if I need it.” (Lucia)

Hugo couldn’t help but wonder if such a day would come. He felt
bitter as he’d seemingly once again confirmed that she would be
completely fine, living without him.

“Why didn’t you ever ask about Damian before he came?”

Argumentatively, the cause of the garden party situation was

Damian. Hugo had known that she thought the child to be cute but it
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seemed that her feelings towards the child were much deeper than
he thought. That’s why it was surprising.

Until recently, he thought she held no interest in Damian because

she’d never asked him anything about the child.

“You never mentioned the child to me first so I didn’t think

I should talk about the child.” (Lucia)

“Why?”

“The day I went to find you in the Capital, you warned me

when I mentioned Damian.”

“…Did I?”

“And I knew that even if I asked out of pure curiosity, it

would be hard to see my intentions as pure. It is likely that if
I had asked about details on Damian, you would have
wondered what my intentions were.”

“…”

Hugo was

“…”

Hugo was thrown off guard and couldn’t say anything. She was
right. If she had shown interest in Damian shortly after they married,
he wouldn’t have taken it as a natural interest. Even though her
personality wasn’t one to keep everything locked inside, her
considerations were deeper that he’d thought.

“I called Damian back because of the status elevation

process.”

“That hasn’t been processed yet? Is there perhaps,

something else I need to do?”

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“There is no such problem but since he’s becoming your
legal son, I thought you should at least know the boy’s face.
And no matter how long ago I was provided the documents, I
won’t process it without talking to you.”

Lucia’s eyes grew round as she stared at him. He looked somewhat

disgruntled.

“I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to say you

thought I would handle it without asking you, right?”

Lucia gave a slightly bashful smile. Hugo sighed.

“That’s right. I am a rogue. I know you think so.”

Lucia felt somewhat sorry as she looked at his slightly crestfallen

appearance.

“…I don’t think of you like that. Really.”

“…Then what do you think of me?”

“You are a very competent lord. Before I came here, I

didn’t know the north was such a comfortable and steady
place to live in.”

“Is that so.”

He replied dryly. Her praise wasn’t very pleasing. A competent

lord? Those words weren’t the ones he wanted to hear from her.

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Chapter 45 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Damian — (16)

“The family registering process isn’t that complicated so it

should be done within a day or two.”

“I see…”

Lucia’s heart fluttered. Damian was really becoming her son. Now
that Damian was on the register, he was family now. It wasn’t an
adoption but an entry as a biological child so their relationship
couldn’t be dissolved.

Even if she divorced her husband, her son in the family register
was forever her son. She couldn’t claim custody rights over Damian
as she had already handed over those right but whether or not she
had those rights would not affect their mother-son relationship.

“He’s my son…”

“That is correct. He’s you son so you can do as you like.

Can bully him if you want.”

“…Hah? You are such a bad father.”

Lucia’s eyes widened and she criticized him.

“What?”

“Are you trying to persuade me to be the evil stepmother

now?”

Her word choice made him laugh.

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“Do you have the ability to be hard on him?” (Hugo)

“What do you mean?”

“I mean it’ll be the boy causing you distress instead.”

“Damian will not cause me distress. You still don’t know

Damian, he’s such a nice child.”

Hugo chuckled lightly. Even if the boy looked meek and docile, he
was of Taran blood. His brother seemed like the kindest person one
could ever meet but had enough malice to murder his biological
father.

“Plus he’s your

Lucia thought she had mumbled that to herself but when he fixed
an odd gaze on her, she realized she had spoken out loud.

“…to whom do you have faith in?” (Hugo)

“…Damian…who is very much…like you.” (Lucia)

He moved closer placing his head close to Lucia’s face. Then he

spoke in a subdued tone as though making a threat.

“If he is like me then you should be more careful. Haven’t

you heard the rumors about me?”

“…rumors that you drink blood?”

“…What?”

Lucia was flustered. She didn’t mean to say that but the words
suddenly escaped from her mouth.

“Ah, erm… I mean…the rumors of you…”

“Say that I drink blood?”

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Hugo studied her face as she nodded her head then he turned
towards her, took her into his arms and buried his head in her
shoulder. Then he began to laugh.

Thanks to Fabian’s constant reports, Hugo knew all sorts of rumors

concerning himself but as for someone telling him directly that he
drinks blood? She was the first.

“I know it’s just a rumor.”

Lucia’s face was burning with shame and she gave an excuse.

“It’s not completely a lie. When at war, sometimes one has

no choice but to take it in.”

“Ah…I see…”

“Were you curious about that?”

“No…maybe a little…but that was a long time ago. I

definitely don’t think about that now.”

He just kept on laughing. Lucia was glad he wasn’t offended but

she didn’t

“What of other rumors?”

“…I don’t know.”

“You are really such a daring woman. What were you

thinking asking a blood-drinking monster to marry you?”

Listening to his teasing, Lucia blushed in silence. Since she was the
one that misspoke, she couldn’t say anything.

“Is it really okay if I meddle with things concerning

Damian?”

“Do as you like.”

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“You told me not to last time.”

“When did I?”

“You said, ‘Although it’s nice and cute, don’t go over the
line’.”

“Like I said, when did I?”

Lucia blinked, studying his expression which had ‘what in the world
are you talking about?’ written all over it. His expression was telling
her that he really had never said that before.

Lucia carefully scoured her memory. When she thought about it, he
really did not use the expression ‘go over the line’. But he did say
something like that.

She’d had a hunch about something and had been wanting to ask
and she finally realized that instead of guessing his thoughts or
words, it would be much better to just ask him outright.

“By any chance…do you hate Damian?” (Lucia)

“I do not.”

Lucia gathered her courage and asked this question very carefully
and in return he answered very readily.

“Then…why did you send Damian to boarding school?”

“I already told you. I couldn’t take care of him so I sent him

there.”

“But

“But still, there hasn’t been a precedence of one being sent

to boarding school. Moreover, one that is a duke’s heir.”

“I don’t care what others do.”

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“…What you mean is that you determined that to be the
best course of action to take.”

Hugo nodded.

Lucia felt as though something had been lifted off her chest. Like
she’d been wandering in the dark and her fingers finally grasped onto
something.

‘I think…I know about him a little bit more now.’

When one thought about it, when Lucia asked, he did not delve
into a generous explanation but most of his answers were concise.

“Why did you send Damian to boarding school and not

contact him once?”

“A report on what the boy does arrives on my desk every

week so I know he’s doing fine.”

It was fascinating. His incomprehensible actions all had a reason

behind them and when she asked, he told her everything.

Lucia’s mind was racing. To what extent would he keep answering?

Would it be okay to ask a little more difficult questions?

“Then…”

He lowered his head, biting her neck and she let out a little scream
in response.

“Can you stop talking about another man?”

“…What? He’s your son, an eight year old child. He’s not a
man!”

“So ruthless. Do you know how much those words have

crushed the boy’s pride?”

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“…Goodness me. I was too rash.”

Even though Damian was a child, he was a

It was unintentional but she couldn’t help but wonder how much
she must’ve hurt Damian’s feelings.

‘Truly this child. He could speak his mind and tell me he

didn’t like it.’

When she thought about it, Damian wasn’t the type of child speak
up on something like that. Then, could it be that he told Hugo? When
did their relationship become so close?

“Did Damian say so?”

“No.”

“How do you know then?”

“If I were in his position, that’s how I’d be.”

Lucia narrowed her eyes at him. But he wasn’t wrong. Since he’s a
man, he would understand the male mind better. Lucia began to
wonder if she’d made any other mistake with Damian. In the
meantime, Hugo’s hand kept wandering around.

His sneaky hands fumbled across her waist, while his lips trailed
persistent but light kisses from her ear to her neck.

“You should get back to work.”

At the same time, her words came out spoiling his exploration and
his expression crumpled intensely.

“You went out due to an urgent matter, didn’t you? And

after you return from outings, you get busier.”

“…”

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Translator’s corner

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Chapter 45 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Damian — (16)

Hugo’s expression was full of obvious complaints but Lucia simply

took his hands off her waist and stood up . She knew what he wanted
but she was exhausted all day due to a number of reasons and had
no confidence in handling him right now .

“Vivian . ”

“My head feels a little heavy so I want to take a walk . ”

Hugo tries a few more times but was turned down so he eventually
headed to his office with unwilling steps . He hadn’t found work
enjoyable before but today, he really did not want to work .

He didn’t comfort her in hopes of being rewarded but still it wasn’t

right to repay one for one’s services in this way . He continued
grumbling till he reached his office .

***

Later that night, Lucia said to the man who came into her bedroom
after she finished bathing .

“Go to your bedroom and sleep . ”

“Today again? Why!” (Hugo)

Lucia stared at her complaining husband .

“I have no energy so I won’t be able to handle you today .

Hence, I don’t think it’ll be quite enjoyable . ”

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I have no energy . It won’t be enjoyable . Two times, she
mercilessly and consecutively struck him down .

“…Alright . Fine . Today again, I’ll sleep next to you, won’t

do anything . ”

He muttered gloomily . Those damned noblewives . They definitely

won’t be getting off easy . He ground his teeth in anger .

“Really?”

“I kept my promise yesterday, didn’t I? . ”

All the more reason not to believe . Her gaze was telling him that
she didn’t believe him at all . Hugo abruptly took her into his arms
and fell onto the bed with her in tow .

“Hugh!”

He hugged her tighter the more she flounced around .

“I’m sleeping like this . Enough, stay still . You’ll get me

excited if you keep moving . ” (Hugo)

“Where are you touching!” (Lucia)

After tossing around for a while with no result, Lucia finally went
silent . She

“Vivian . ”

It was especially nice to hear him calling her name right next to her
ear . Lucia’s lips curled slightly .

“Yes . ”

“Vivian . ”

“Yes . ”

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Again, he said,

“Vivian . ”

And this time, Lucia said,

“Yes?”

And turned to look at him, her gaze asking why he was doing that .

“When I first called you by that name, you felt awkward,

right?”

“Mm…Yes . I did . ”

“When I call you now, you’re unaffected . ”

“Well, yes, I’ve been hearing it for a while so I’ve gotten

used to it . ”

Now, Lucia did not hate the name ‘Vivian’ as before . The name of
the Duke of Taran’s wife was Vivian, not Lucia . She had found new
happiness in her life as Vivian . The life of Vivian that was full of pain
ended within her dream .

When he called her ‘Vivian’, it made her feel like she was his one
and only ‘Vivian’ and her heart would throb . He was the only one
that could call her Vivian . Whether that was now or in the future .

“…Is that so?” (Hugo)

Why didn’t you tell me your childhood name? Hugo wanted to ask .
However, he was afraid to hear the answer to that question . If she
said something like ‘I didn’t want to . ’ Or ‘Don’t call me by that name
. ’ his heart would sink .

‘You don’t hate me, do you?’

‘Or it is that we’re married so you simply tolerate being

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with me in bed?’

‘Is there absolutely no leeway in your decision to never

love me?’

All the things he wanted to ask suddenly rose up in his throat,

hovering at the tip of his tongue . It was a very strange and
unfamiliar experience of holding back the words he wanted to say

[I will never fall in love with you]

He felt like if he heard those words one more time, he would lose
his mind . He dreaded the thought of not knowing what he would do
to her if he lost his mind . If he were to hurt her in any way then he
would really go crazy .

“Vivian . ”

He held her even tighter and buried his nose in her back . He loved
her scent that always intoxicated him and drew himself closer to her
skin .

“Yes…”

It was strange . Even though he was holding her, it felt like he had
lost her forever . His chest was overwhelmed with pain causing him
to knit his brows . It was as if something unknown had dug into his
heart and trampled on it .

Had he ever felt this sick before? He couldn’t remember . When he

was young and dragged away as a mercenary slave, there were
many times he had come close to death but rather than feeling sick,
he had felt relief at being alive .

He held onto her as she fell asleep, breathing peacefully but he

was unable to fall asleep for a long time .

***

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The next day, Hugo gathered his vassals and informed them that
Damian was now formally entered as his legal son .

“I have already announced that Damian will be my

successor . Even if all of you show that you don’t accept my
decision, it would be better to throw that attitude away since
you won’t be changing my decision anyways . ”

It was the first time for the Duke to officially mention the young
Lord ever since he announced that he would make Damian his
successor, so his vassals looked very tense .

“The formally registered Young Lord is now my legal son .

If you have a complaint, come and find me . I’m always ready
to talk . ”

The word ‘talking’ from the Duke’s mouth was more

Lucia had repeatedly asked him to not interfere but he didn’t want
to just sit back and watch so he order Jerome to bring him a list of
the garden party attendees .

Jerome had brought up the madam with a very awkward

expression but once Hugo clicked his tongue, Jerome promptly
brought the list . Hugo had only picked out the names of people
among his vassals .

“It will be beneficial to those whose names are on this list

to put more effort into supervising their household . ”

From Hugo’s standpoint, this much couldn’t even count as light

reprimanding . He felt satisfied with himself for fairly complying with
his wife’s request to not interfere .

When the Duke left the scene, the ghastly pale vassals ran towards
the list . To the vassals, ‘Anyone whose name is on this list can think
of themselves as dead’ was what they heard .

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They would definitely go home and interrogate their wives to get to
the bottom of this . Through word of mouth, it would soon spread
among the nobles that the noble wives who attended the garden
party at the time were taught a severe lesson by their husbands .

It was only a matter of time before rumors spread that if one

touches the Duchess, the fire-breathing dragon behind her, the Taran
Duke would come forward .

***

A week had passed since the garden party and Roam was calm as
usual . Lucia did not go out riding and was in the castle all week but
this wasn’t the first time she had stayed in the castle for a long time .

From the day after the garden party, Lucia acted as though nothing
had happened and soon enough, the people around her forgot about
the incident .

Damian sat reading a book in his room then turned his head to the
feeling of something on his feet . Damian smiled as he watched Asha
who had probably bumped into his leg as she was playing

As the week passed, Damian thought about a lot of things . Rather

than hurting him, the incident at the garden party had shocked the
boy .

He had never felt so weak before . In that moment, his first thought
was, ‘If only my father was here . ’ In conclusion, compared to his
father, his existence was comparable to dust .

Of all times, on that day, his father had gone out . Damian did not
know yet that even if the Duke was in Roam at that time, it would
have been hard for him to interfere in a women-only social event .
However the boy realized that the absence of his father could occur
at any time, and it would be up to him to protect his mother .

Damian knew very well that he was young . In the Academy,

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Damian was the youngest of his peers . Everywhere he looked, it was
filled with people older than him .

No matter the will of the boy, nothing could be done about the flow
of time but it was possible to increase his strength by having the will
to do so .

Using the reason that Damian was young and his identity was
unclear, there were many petty-minded and insignificant people who
treated him as a joke and tried to provoke him . Such sloppy and
foolish people were not even worth his time so Damian ignored them
but ignoring made them fussier .

It was Damian’s outstanding performance that made them not

want to mess with him anyhow .

Ability is power .

This was the most useful realization Damian had come to at the
Academy . Damian took Asha in his arms and stood up . He handed
the fox over to a servant and asked for the fox to be taken back to its
house then asked for Jerome to be told that he wanted to meet his
father .

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Chapter 46 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Truth & False — (1)

TN: WE ARE ON BOOK 4!!

“You may enter, young master . ”

Jerome led Damian till they reached the front of the office . Damian
took a deep breath in front of the large door then pushed the heavy
door aside and walked in . Before leaving for boarding school, he’d
only been inside this room once .

The Duke had called the boy to tell him he was going to boarding
school .

[I have done my part and declared you as my successor .

The rest is up to you . Graduate . Then this place is yours]

From that day on, it became Damian’s life goal to inherit the title of
the Duke, someday . He’d never thought of the reason or what he
would do after he became the Duke . The goal was just the boy’s
meaning for existence . It was his worth for living .

Now, Damian had found a true goal . Becoming the Duke was
simply a means towards that goal .

Power

He wanted to have power . Only with power could one protect

whom they want to protect . Just as his father was able to protect his
mother because he had the power, Damian wanted to have it too .

Damian admired his father . His father was a great knight and the

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strongest man in the world . However, he had no confidence of
becoming like his father so he had to find a possible way for himself
to become stronger . The greatest power the boy could obtain from
his efforts alone were the abilities/knowledge he could gain at the
academy .

The air inside the office was a little breezy . The unique shallow
fragrance of wood drifted off the furniture and documents were piled
up on the spacious desk positioned diagonally to the entrance . In the
quiet office, only the intermittent sound of pages being turned could
be heard .

Damian walked quietly and stopped a few steps away from the
desk . Hugo lifted his head and saw Damian then lowered his

“Is this going to take a while?” (Hugo)

“No . I came to tell you I will be returning back to the

academy . ”

“I believe it will be difficult to keep up with this semester’s

courses at this point . ”

“Yes . But if I return now, I will be able to listen to the

session for the semester break . I can replace the semester I
missed with this session . ”

“You can graduate even if you don’t complete one

semester . ”

“I want to have the best grades . ”

“I told you, you only need to graduate . ”

“I just want to do that . ”

“Why?”

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“I want to gain power by increasing my knowledge . ”

Hugo lifted his head .

Damian was a little nervous receiving his father’s gaze . Hugo

carefully studied Damian . The boy stood upright and his gaze was
lowered to the floor but there was no sign of intimidation .

It was much better than his vassals that turn timid once he laid
eyes on them . Hugo

A child of the Taran blood would not have such eyes unless it was
his brother’s child .

“Power, huh . ”

Hugo chuckled and turned his gaze back to the document . He

signed it with a pen and moved it to the side .

“Scholars do not rule the world . How do you know that the
knowledge you’ll learn and nurture from the Academy will
become your strength?”

Damian was taken aback by the unexpected problem presented to

him .

“If you graduate, regardless of your grades, this place is

yours . If it is as the Duke of Taran then that should be
significant power . ”

Whether the boy kept his grades and graduated or earned the best
grades and graduated, the position of the Duke was the boy’s .
Hence, no matter how much effort was put into it, the

Damian wanted to gain new strength, not one given to him by his
father but one he gained with his own hands . As for the greatest
strength that student Damian could gain from the academy with his
efforts alone? There was only one thing that came to mind .

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There was an organization called ‘Conference’ consisting only of
students in ‘Ixium’, the academy which Damian attended . In Ixium,
the power of Conference was remarkable . The Chairman of
‘Conference’ was called ‘Sitha’ . Damian was still quite young so he’d
had no direct encounter with them and members of Conference were
mostly senior students .

Every once in a while as he walked the school grounds, he got to

witness students watching the road for these ‘conference’ members
as though they were kings . Even when he saw that, at the time
Damian did not have much interest .

Because then, the boy’s goal was simply just to graduate .

However now, he was interested .

“I will become ‘Sitha’ . ”

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Chapter 47 Part 1
Source: Imported

Hugo’s lips turned crooked watching this scene but after a

moment, he chuckled .

‘I’ll let it slide . ’

If someone else had done that, he would’ve broken all their limbs .
Damian climbed onto the carriage and it began to set off and Lucia
stood watching until the figure of the carriage could no longer be
seen . Hugo came up to her and patted her shoulder .

“What are you doing?”

“…he called me ‘mother’ . ”

“If he doesn’t call you mother, what would he call you?”

“B-But, that’s the first time he’s ever called me that…”

‘This child honestly, till he leaves, he only calls me once . ’

When he called her mother, her sad feelings over him departing
and her touched feelings over being called mother were in conflict .

Lucia abruptly turned her head to face Hugo, revealing reddened

eyes that were as if she would start crying at any moment .

“Did you see that?”

“What?”

“He’s your son indeed . Already being a ladies’ man . ”

“…”

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Lucia looked regretfully in the direction the carriage disappeared,
mumbling about how her son must not grow up into a bad man that
made women cry and how she wouldn’t raise her son like that .

Hugo stealthily moved away from her and quickly headed to his
office .

***

‘Damian is gone . ’

When Lucia thought about it, it made her depressed .

‘Mother . ’

The memory of him calling her that floated to the forefront of her
mind and she held her reddening face .

‘But I can’t hear it anymore now . ’

With this thought, she became depressed again . After sending

Damian off, Lucia spent all day in her thoughts, going back and forth
between to opposite extremes of emotions .

“Milady, the bath water is ready . ”

The maid was already repeating it for the third time . For some
time now, Lucia had changed into her night chemise to bathe and
was sitting on the bed .

“Okay .

Lucia gave a reply but her head hung low as she continued to be
absorbed in her thoughts . The maid was cautious to not keep urging
her madam so she kept standing there, unable to do anything .

Suddenly, a strong force caught Lucia’s chin and lifted it up,

causing her head to lift . As some point, Hugo had entered and was
lifting up her chin to look at her .

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His slightly chilled red eyes swept over her face . As soon as Hugo
walked into the bedroom and saw her on the bed with her head
lowered, he was shocked . The thought that perhaps she was leaning
over to cry made him uncomfortable so immediately lifted her head
to check .

When he saw that her expression was good, the rock on his chest
was lifted .

‘Why’s he here already?’

Lucia glanced around looking for the maid but the maid had
already made herself scarce the moment Hugo entered . She then
remembered the maid’s urging while she was absentminded .

‘I haven’t washed up yet . ’

Lucia freed her chin from his grasp to vocalize this to him but
before she could speak, he drew closer and blocked her lips . He
moved to swallow her lips and grabbed her shoulders . In that
motion, he knocked her down onto the bed . She tried to push away
from his chest in surprise but her strength wasn’t enough .

He pounced on her at once . His hand lifted her chemise up to her

thighs and he placed his knees between her legs, separating them .
He did not let go of her lips, following with a deep kiss . His tongue
occupied her mouth, moving skillfully and stimulating the insides of
her mouth .

As she was drawn into the kiss, the strength in her hand grabbing
onto his shoulders gradually weakened . But when his hand began to

“Ung…!”

When she began to rebel fiercely, clasping her legs over her
excited lower body, his movements stopped . He detangled himself
from her chewy tongue, licked her lips lightly and moved a bit away .
His gaze swept over her red face and misty eyes and his eyes
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quivered with desperate desire .

“What is it?” (Hugo)

“I haven’t bathed yet…”

“I don’t care . ”

“I care . ”

“So . In this state, you’re saying you want to take a bath?”

“Yes . ”

Her expression was filled with will showing that by all means, she
must have a bath, right now . Hugo sighed .

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

“…What?”

“…Nevermind . ”

Really driving someone crazy in all sorts of ways . He lifted his

body up from the bed and at the same time, picked her up and lifted
her onto his shoulders as though carrying luggage .

“Kyaa! Hugh?!”

He wrapped one arm around her wriggling on his chest while his
other hand was placed on her back, holding her onto his shoulders as
he went forward with big strides .

No matter how much she struggled, his footsteps did not waver .

“Stay still . You said you wanted to bathe . ” (Hugo)

Just like that, he went straight to the bathroom . The bathroom was
foggy due to the steam coming off the bathtub filled with boiling

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water . When he opened the door to the bathroom, the maid inside
was surprised but he didn’t pay it any attention .

Seeing the back of the maid, Lucia mumbled, ‘I don’t know’ and
covered her face with both hands .

Hugo let her down onto the bathroom floor . She fixed him a heavy
glare with a red face while he stripped off her chemise with an
indifferent expression .

“Kyyaa-k”

In the blink of an eye she was left with only underwear and quickly
covered her chest with her arms

Seeing her in full view standing up instead of on the bed was a

magnificent view in its own way . Receiving his satisfied and
appreciating gaze, she blushed all the way to her neck and took a
step back .

He raised a brow and came closer so that they weren’t too far
apart . Then she moved backwards again . After repeatedly taking
steps backwards, her back reached the wall . He stood in front of her,
obstructing her so she wouldn’t escape anymore . He pressed his
arms against her sides so she couldn’t escape sideways .

Lucia felt like her heart was going to burst . It wasn’t like it was her
first time in his arms but the situation and her appearance were so
embarrassing and she couldn’t look him straight in the eye .

The edges of his lips curled upwards as he watched her looking

down, not knowing what to do . She really made him go crazy . He
slowly lowered his head, tilting it slightly to the side and kissing her
lips lightly . Then again, he brought his lips to hers, giving her
another light kiss . Then, he kissed her a little longer . Then, he
sucked her lower lips and swept his tongue over her lips .

Her lips separated slightly, hoping for a deeper touch and he gladly

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responded to her invitation, weaving his tongue into her mouth .

“Ung…”

Her hands that were covering her breasts had at some point
moved to lean against his shoulders . The sound of their tongue’s
entwining and their saliva mixing sounded through the bathroom and
gradually grew louder .

Hugo took off the bathrobe he was wearing and threw it onto the
floor . His hand slid down her abdomen, lightly pressing down on it as
his

His fingers gently rubbed her wet center and his finger went into
her tender entrance . Her arms, wrapped around his neck, tightened
in response . In the meantime, he persistently coveted her lips . He
lightly nibbled on her small lips then sucked strongly . In a hurry that
wasn’t a hurry, he meticulously licked over her teeth with his tongue
.

At the same time, his fingers went in and out of her moist entrance
. He felt the sensation of slippery fluid covering his fingers and he
gradually felt himself reaching the limit of his endurance . From his
fingers, he could feel her hot and narrow insides .

He pulled down her underwear and grabbed her thigh, lifting it up

a little . As her leg was suddenly in the air, she clung to his neck
tighter and her leg swayed . He hugged a little bit upwards and took
off the underwear completely . He placed her down against the wall,
pressing his body tightly to hers . His lips fell to her ears and his
breathing echoed beside her, causing a shiver to run through her skin
.

“Hugh…haven’t yet…”

“Prepared bath water is right in front of you . Wash and do

or do and wash . ”

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“How is that the same-”

“Just this once . Your husband is about to wither and die

here . ” (1)

At his exaggeration of pain, a giggle escaped from her and she

stopped pushing him aside and leaned onto his shoulders as though
giving permission .

‘Nothing like a good scare . ’

He mumbled while sighing then lifted one of her legs with his hand
.

Translator’s Corner:

1) This could be translated as ‘your husband is really thirsty’ . Just

means he wants it baaaaaaaaaaaaad .

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Chapter 47 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Truth & False — (2)

Hugo mumbled while sighing and lifted up one of her legs with his
hand . For a while now, his center had already grown extremely stiff .
He lifted up her lower body and plunged inside her with one heavy
thrust . Lucia let out a scream at the sudden force coming from
below .

“Ah!”

He clenched his teeth and shuddered at the pleasure filling him as

he entered her . Her insides always felt like a new experience . He
could endure it a little when he’d already moved his waist a few
times, but whenever he entered her for the first time, he always had
to restrain his desire to rampage inside her .

He moved his waist back and thrust inside her again . His
movements were impatient . Every time, he thrust into her vagina, it
was intense and her entire body shook .

“Ah! Hk!”

She hung her arms around his neck, clinging to him . She was
barely holding herself on the floor with one leg, and every time he
pushed, her feet barely touched the floor . The little anxiety when
she couldn’t touch the floor contributed to her pleasure . His huge
member repeatedly and incessantly plunged deep inside her .

Her ravaged inner flesh felt feverish and every time he touched a
sensitive part, she felt like she heard something snap in her head .
His desperate movements told her that he eagerly wanted her . In
this moment, he want her and she also wanted him .

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She put more strength into her hands clinging to his neck and lifted
her body up . Her hands fumbled upwards from his neck and grabbed
onto his hair . She put her lips on his ear and nibbled on his earlobe .

‘I want to taste him . ’

She stuck out her tongue and licked the rim of his ear, trailing
down to his neck .

“Ng…Vivian . ”

His body flinched and he called her name reprovingly . But she did
not respond and licked his neck with more effort . Her lips found
where his muscles moved on his neck and she bit it .

“…You started it . ”

After saying this, he grabbed her thigh, brought his waist closer
and gripped her buttocks . She let out a short scream due to the
sudden grasp and held him tighter . He lifted his head and began to
thrust in and out, quickly and intensely .

“Hk! Ang! Aah!”

Lucia let out a coquettish cry and her body shook intensely, her
eyes unable to focus . Her buttocks were squeezed tightly enough to
be distorted and ached

The sound of moaning, screaming and heavy breathing blended

together, echoing throughout the bathroom . The nakedness of both
man and woman were entwined, moving together in a rhythm . The
bathroom was full of steam and heat and their bodies were soaked
with sweat .

Hugo set her up against the wall, and tirelessly opened her up . He
wildly tore through her vaginal walls as his desire rampaged inside of
her without mercy .

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“Ah! Hugh!”

Lucia clung onto him with flushed eyes, nuzzling against his
shoulder . She wanted to hold him firmly but the sticky sweat on their
skin hindered her . She hung onto him with both arms so as not to
slip and her body spasmed with pleasure every time he thrust into
her .

“Hk!”

Her head tilted backwards as she reached an intense orgasm . Her

consciousness momentarily disappeared, plunging her into darkness
as she was consumed by the peak of pleasure . Fervent vigor coursed
through her whole body, instantly filling her with searing heat . It felt
like the insides of her body had been set on fire .

Her inner walls began to spasm like crazy . His body grew rigid and
he let out a suppressed groan . His manhood reached its limit and
released semen deep into her womb . Her vaginal walls squeezed
and clenched violently, accepting the scorching fluid .

His legs seemed to shake so he leaned a little further on the wall

for support . The pleasure filling his head was so intense he closed
his eyes and breathed roughly . Her body quivered a little and she
panted in his arms .

“Haa…Haa . ” (Lucia)

“Huu…damn . I’ll really die like this . You really…” (Hugo)

If they don’t do it, he’ll die, if they do it, he’ll die . (1)

He’d tired out the fragile body of the woman in his bosom . He
propped her up as she seemed to have lost all her energy . Hugo
hugged her to his chest and the sound of each other’s heart
pounding reverberated through their chests .

The sounds of their beating hearts blended together and he

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couldn’t distinguish between his heartbeat or hers and his emotions
were heightened . He hugged her till the heat in their bodies cooled
down a little then he stood up with her in his arms and entered into
the bathtub .

The boiling water in the bathtub had cooled down to moderately

warm during the time they were busy

Apart from the sound of the moving water, the bathroom was quiet
and Lucia deeply enjoyed the peacefulness and the feeling of being
alone with him, as if they were alone in the world .

“Why did you do that earlier? You looked like you were
angry as you checked my face . ” (Lucia)

“I thought you were crying because the boy left . ” (Hugo)

“What crying . He’s going back because he needs to study .

”

When Hugo was able to get rid of the baby fox as a free addition
with Damian, he had initially felt completely refreshed but later when
he thought about it, she had suddenly lost Damian and the baby fox
so she would probably feel dejected . He wondered if he would have
to acquire a new cub for her to be affectionate with . He didn’t want
to though, so he was worried for a while .

Finally he concluded that if she asked, he would comply but he

definitely wouldn’t ask her first .

“I will send him letters and gifts . Even if he cannot hear

me directly, I would like for him to hear a mother voice from
the letters . ” (Lucia)

‘Don’t pay him so much attention . ’ Hugo grumbled inwardly and

reached out to squeeze her breasts with his hands . Her body shrunk
a little he began to trail light kisses from her neck to her shoulders .

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His hands fumbled around her chest and he repeatedly knead her
breasts . She let out a small sigh and leaned her head on his
shoulders . He lowered his head and softly kissed her lips .

He licked her lips with the tip of his tongue and gave her several
short kisses . His fingers kneading her breasts moved to her nipples,
twisting it with light force and she let out a small moan .

As she sank into his moderately soft and stimulating caresses, she
felt the presence of something poking at her butt and her face
flushed red . She stealthily moved her butt forward but he clung to
her, drawing closer .

Since she kept inching forward little by little to avoid it but he kept
inching forward too, she put her hands behind her and grabbed the
annoying thing poking at her behind .

Instantly, his body stiffened and she realized what she had done so
her body stiffened too . She couldn’t pull the thing caught in her
hands nor could she abruptly let it go . She wished he would show
some kind of

She turned to him slightly and found his red eyes fixed on her .

“Y . . You kept moving so…”

It would be better if he laughed mischievously . In his eyes, she

could see a huge wave of fierce passion coursing through it . Vividly
feeling his manhood in her hand grow bigger, she mumbled, ‘Oh no’
and made a long face . She couldn’t bear the feeling of it stirring in
her hand as though coming to life so she let go .

The moment she did, he grabbed her arms, turning her to face him
and captured her lips . Without any time to breath, he poured kisses
and his large hand caressed her whole body . He pressed her
shoulders and lifted her waist, placing her on him .

The water made a loud noise as it lurched in response to the

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movement . Facing her, he grabbed her thighs to lift it up but his
hand slipped because of the water’s buoyancy . He wrapped his arm
around her waist and lifted her body then he turned her around and
place her hands on the bathtub’s handle .

He nibbled on her ear and whispered to her in a subdued tone .

“Hold tight . ”

Lucia pushed against the handle with shaky hands . She was swept
up in his frantic pace and felt out of breath . From behind her, he
grabbed her waist firmly . She bit her lips, readying herself for the
incoming shock and feeling the heat coming from behind her, her
breath caught in her throat and a shudder ran through her skin .

“Hk-!”

He penetrated her in one stroke from behind and her body shook
greatly . Her hands that were supporting her felt like they would
break so she put more strength into them . He pulled out and he
heavily thrust inside again and her eyes grew misty .

“Ung!”

His firm desire continuously plunged deep inside of her . It filled up

her insides completely and her inner flesh wrapped around him
tightly . The tip of his penis intensely scraped against her sensitive
part . Goosebumps rose on her skin and a refreshing tingling
sensation coursed through her body . The pain and pleasure
tormented her at the same time .

“A-! Ung! Hugh! Ah!”

Her legs and arms trembled unable to keep up with his unceasing
movements . He reached out and placed his hand over hers, weaving
them together while his other hand supported her waist .

If it weren’t for his support, she would have lost strength in her

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arms

***

Lying down on Hugo’s upper chest, Lucia placed her fingers on his
chest wanting to trace a circle but hesitant . She had something she
definitely wanted to ask him but she kept flipping back and forth
between ‘should I? or ‘should I not’ .

She was curious as to whether Damian had met his biological

mother since he came to Duke and if he hadn’t, then whether it was
because his biological mother did not want to see Damian or because
Hugo didn’t want him to see his birth mother . No matter how hard
she tried, she wouldn’t be able to overcome a child’s yearning for his
birth mother who carried and bore him .

Unless they rejected each other, it would be good for the child if he
could meet his birth mother from time to time .

“Hugh, umm…”

Lucia paused, hesitant to continue and Hugo spoke with his eyes
closed .

“What is it?”

“Damian…”

He furrowed his brows slightly .

“Don’t talk about another man . ”

“Another man? You said this last time too . He’s your son .
”

“But he’s not a daughter . ”

“…But still, we can’t just not talk about Damian at all . ”

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“Don’t do it in bed . ”

‘Then when?’ Lucia thought to herself, pouting her lips .

The time she could talk with him was limited so if it wasn’t at night
then when could they talk? He said he didn’t hate Damian but she
didn’t know why he didn’t show the loving affection of a father .
There was an extent when it wasn’t simply inexpression of affection,
his was closer to indifference .

The more she thought about it, the more she found Damian
commendable . The child grew up so sweet and honest .

“Then, just one thing . There’s something I’m curious about

. ” (Lucia)

“Mm . ”

“Damian’s birth mother…has she never asked to see

Damian?”

“…”

Was that a question I shouldn’t have asked? Lucia was a bit

nervous .

“She’s dead . ”

“Ah…”

Lucia was a little shocked .

“So you brought back Damian?”

“Something like that . ”

“Must have been a beautiful person . Damian’s mother, I

mean . ”

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“Don’t know . Never seen her . ”

“…What?”

Lucia lifted her head to look at him . At that moment, a troubled

expression flashed across his face .

Translator Corner:

1) He’s referring to sex and just exaggerating . For those who

couldn’t tell .

2) Question: Shall I rename this arc to Truths & Lies? Now that
we’re getting into it, this seems to be more fitting? Lies and False are
same words in Korean .

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Chapter 48 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Truth & Falsehood — (3)

TN: Ended up settling for falsehood because it makes you think ‘lie’
than simple ‘false’ and also cuz I realized the title is in singular form
so truths & lies wouldn’t work .

If Hugo said he didn’t remember, Lucia would have simply

accepted it . But saying that he had never seen the woman was
strange . A chilling sensation ran up her spine .

How does one make a child with a woman one has never seen?

As her silence grew longer, he grew anxious . His slip of the tongue
could not be reversed . He’d already shown her a troubled expression
and the pause was too long to fix it . If he were to make up an excuse
now, she would pretend to believe but remain suspicious .

“Vivian . ”

After calling her name, he didn’t say anything for a long while . He
didn’t know how to start the discussion and couldn’t get a sense for
how much he could tell her and how much she would be able to
accept . The thoughts in his head were getting jumbled up .

“Is it difficult to explain?” (Lucia)

“…”

“…Let’s go to sleep . ”

In Lucia’s mind, no matter what relationship he had with Damian’s

birth mother, she had no right to interfere . She knew he had a son

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before she married him and also knew that his relationship with
Damian’s birth mother was an past thing before their marriage, also
Damian’s birth mother was already dead so there was no need for
her to question the subject any closer .

Hugo felt like a dreary wind swept over

‘Act like you didn’t hear anything’ Lucia made her mind up like that
and tried to fall asleep but she just couldn’t . No matter how hard she
thought about his words, she couldn’t guess anything . There was no
way that Damian who looked so much like him could not be his son .

Was it his way of saying that he didn’t remember anything because

it was just one night of passion? After all, it wasn’t like a child could
only be born from an intimate relationship so it was possible . But
still, it was the woman that gave birth to his child so not even
knowing her face was too much .

Her thoughts simmering deep inside her mind spilled out .

“I guess…you’ll forget my face later too . ”

She projected herself onto Damian’s biological mother . His words

seemed to say that even if the woman in his past gave birth to his
child, she wasn’t worth remembering . If so, the worth of Lucia who
couldn’t bear a child would be worse .

Hugo who had been unable to gather his senses because his mind
was unsettled felt his heart jump out of his chest at this sudden
bombshell . He had to think it over several times to understand what
she was talking about .

“…How did you come to that conclusion?” (Hugo)

“You can’t even remember

“It’s not like that . ”

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Lucia always told herself over and over, ‘You must not be
impatient’ . The road to loving him would be very long and
sometimes, difficult . If she didn’t want to tire out, she had to look
ahead and take one step at a time .

Any else was fine but when she chanced upon his heartless and
cold side, the thought that his heart was still freezing cold would
come to mind and her strong will would falter little by little . It was
also like this when he behaved indifferently to Damian .

She knew now that he simply didn’t express his feelings but before
she knew this, she had thought maybe he didn’t know about feelings
of affection for someone .

And so she felt confusion at his attitude towards her . She knew he
didn’t hate her . Perhaps he might even like her quite a bit . But he
behaved excessively affectionate and gentle, like a man that had
completely fallen in love . From time to time, Lucia would suspect if
he was testing her .

“Then, what do you mean by you’ve never seen her? Can a

woman you’ve never seen give birth to your child?” (Lucia)

She felt her indignation rise as she spoke and sat up . Hugo then
sat up too .

“Vivian, I think you’re a little heated…”

“I’m sorry . I dare to get heated up when it’s not my place .

”

Hugo felt his head ache . He had seen her like this before, not too
long ago . She was usually mild

“Vivian . ”

For the time being, he held her shoulders to calm her down . She
spun, shaking of his hands off and turning her back to him . The

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moment she turned her back to him, sparks flew in his eyes . Lucia
suddenly felt a strong grip on her shoulder and scowled at the
pressure . The strong force pulled her back and in one swift motion
pressed her down on the bed . It happened so quickly and when she
came to her senses, he was above her and holding her down .

She flinched at the sight of him looking at her with a piercing gaze
.

“Don’t…turn around that way . ”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t turn your back to me . ”

His voice was level and he spoke in a rather low tone but Lucia
could somehow grasp his emotional state .

‘He…he’s angry . ’

When she thought about it, she had never seen him get angry .
When he got angry, he seemed to become calm and get rather chilly
. Why did he get angry?

‘Because I shook him off and turned away? Could he have

been betrayed by someone in the past?’

“I won’t do it again . ”

Lucia replied calmly so as not to stimulate his anger even more .

“Let me go . You surprised me . ” (Lucia)

“…Sorry . ”

His rising anger was quickly subsided in a moment .

Lucia composed her mind and thought about herself acting up on

him out of nowhere .

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‘I should apologize for being impolite…and go to sleep
already . I don’t need to put him on edge with pointless
psychological warfare . ’

“The boy…he’s not my biological son . ”

“…What?”

Hearing his colossal and blunt words, Lucia suddenly felt dizzy .

“Do you mean…Damian? That child…is not your son?”

She couldn’t help but try to confirm if the words she heard were
correct . Hugo let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair .
He didn’t her feelings to be hurt over this issue . He didn’t want her
to greatly misunderstand him over Damian’s issue and picture him
even worse in her head .

“I heard you asked Jerome about the west tower incident .

Did you hear that I had a brother?”

“…Yes . ”

“Damian is my brother’s son . In more accurate terms, he’s

my nephew . ”

In front of the tremendous truth, Lucia’s heart was pounding loudly

and her mouth went dry . Suddenly, dozens of questions came to her
mind but she couldn’t organize any to formulate a question .

“This fact…Damian…”

“He doesn’t know . Me . And now you too . Other than that,
nobody else knows . ”

To be more accurate, one more person, Philip, knew but Hugo had
no intention of mentioning him .

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Chapter 48 Part 2
Source: Imported

Lucia was surprised . The end . It was not group epidemic but
group food poisoning . Both in this weather, infectious disease or
food poisoning, it was not uncommon, but the peacock was not in a
direct run . Go to rubymaybe translations for the real deal . The
village lord who floated the pavil and gave the peacock a giggle had
a complaint .

“Hmm, something feels familiar”

“Hello, Good sir . This mushroom looks like an edible

mushroom, but when you eat it looks like a bellyache,
pooing, vomiting and a red spot on the whole body . ”

As soon as the doctor who was brought in was familiar with

poisoning and poison ivy, he looked at some patients and asked
them what they found, and found mushrooms in the rest of the
ingredients . In a short time, the problem was resolved in the
moment .

The villagers who had never eaten chicken before (what?) and
when the problem was resolved within two hours of the peacock’s
appearance, it was wonderful . It was also full of awe in the eye of
our peacock,

“If I’m a mushroom near here, Americans will not know . ”

“Yes . Good sir . This mushroom is not a mushroom that

lives in the vicinity . We have to climb to the north with more
climate . ”

“What is going on?”

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“Translator at it again”

“Oh duh . ”

“The copies strike again”

Asked by Hugo, the lord was tied up in a pose, and nibbled on the
floor, he fell on his face . He was a shop owner who had run a grocery
store in the village and supplied the mushrooms .

“Yes, yes . Uh …I am looking for my daily snack . ”

“Enough . Your SNACK is in the link at the end of this post . I’m
actually quite farmished not gonna lie . (I kid,

“Saaaaaame ”

The man who watched the situation when the elderly man was
running away with a runny nose, said to the duke .

“Chicken”

“Oh yesss . Some mac and cheese would be heaven right now . “

“Chickennnnnnn”

I answered with a voice everywhere .

“Translator-san, are you bored? “

The lord apologized with a dark look .

“You asked this last time too . No . ”

The look of the lord who was ready to live anger brightened
brightly .

“You’re talking with yourself dear, you okay?”

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“No . What of you?”

There was nothing to see here anymore . Three hours of horseback

riding was a bad habit but much better than a plague . Hugo and
Knights left for Roam, leaving a few people to do the rest . The day
was getting darker .

“You know the funny thing is aggregators still don’t copy

my links . ”

It is good to arrive before meals, but if you are a little late, you do
not want to have a break in the middle of meals during the meal .
Dean, who was named, departed a little earlier and after a while
Hugo and the knights started running .

I ran without rest and arrived at Roam, and the horse that had
loaded Hugo stopped to go inside . One of the servants who found
Hugo coming down from the horse ran in amazement, and Jerome
leaped out after a while .

“Hello everyone”

“Put your right hand in”

Jerome followed immediately behind Hugo to the office . After a

while, the three brothers, who dedicated themselves to the work,
went into the office with clothes for change . Hugo changed their
dusty clothes .

“And put your right hand out”

“In, out, in , out shake it all around”

“Do the hokey pokey and you turn around”

“I dunno how the rest goes . ”

Hugo went straight to the desk . When

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[Anita comes and steals Hugo,

Lucia is left crying alone]

“I’m just kidding guys, don’t kill me . ”

Because of the party, the atmosphere of tolerance was dark all day
today . He reminded me of the man who told me to tell him directly,

“”

I answered .

“Call me when you’re ready for dinner . ”

He sat down halfway around his desk and began to read the papers
. Lucia fell asleep with a headache pill and woke up and continued to
hang on the sofa . Even though I woke up to sleep after taking
medicine, my headache rarely sunk . Her head was sick and her
mood was bad, so Lucia kept crying while lying on the bedroom sofa .
The evening was over and the headache was gone, and the maid
informed us of the return of the peacock .

“You know someone actually recommended for me to put

the link to the real chapter in the comments . ”

Lucia thought he would not come in today . Bring the mirror to the
housemaid, and my eyes were swollen . If I knew this, I would have to
do my pussy .

“Why didn’t you?”

Lucia was fired as a temporary measure . But time was not enough
. It will be announced soon that dinner is over .

“I did”

“Plot twist . ”

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“I’m completely joking if you couldn’t tell . I’m sorry, hope
no feelings are hurt but stealing sites plus commentors on
those stealing sites are starting to get to me . ”

“Oh dear . ”

“Wish they weren’t but they are . ”

Only during meal time he does not have to know . After

He lifted a spoon and gazed at her naturally . His hair twisted and
his hands stopped . As soon as he put the spoon on the table to be
heard, the atmosphere froze coldly . He got up and approached her,
embarrassingly looking at herself . One hand clutching the table,
grabbed her jaw with one hand . Her reddish eyes were clearly in his
sight . His eyes darkened as if his eyes were wide open .

“What is it . ”

Lucia was conscious of her surroundings and naturally turned her

head and dropped her gaze . I did not know he would respond to this
. I thought I might ask you something later if you look at it . I was
disappointed that I could not even have a room with Damian as well
as my employees .

“First you eat …”

He grabbed her chin firmly and pushed his head back to look more
closely . Her clear amber eyes were red . Did you cry? Why?

“Jerome!”

Jerome the super sexy butler shot out knife sharp answers like so:

“At the garden party, your ladies broke the party . ”

“Breaking the party?”

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“They danced hula together . ”

“Reason . ”

“… . Master Damian . . ”

I did not need to hear more . He grasped the rough situation .

“What did you do to you?”

There was violence in his soft voice .

“Nothing . . do anything

They simply rejected the party with silence and a cool look, and did
not do anything directly to Lucia . I did not have an unpleasant mind
at all, but it was not enough . I was sorry to Damian, and I thought I
was already crying because I was so upset . But from the moment he
asked why, he was nose . It was the same as if there were more tears
in the room . When he came back, he tried to explain to him what
was happening today . By the way, he touched Lucia ‘s tears . The
hugo look of seeing the tears come to a standstill has set in . Hugo
pulled her seat back and hugged her in his arms . As if she had a
child, she supported one arm under her thigh and put one hand in
her chest as if she were wrapped around her back .

“Go to the second floor and eat on room . ”

“Yes . ”

“For the real chapter, please go to rubymaybetranslations .

”

Damian looked at him worriedly as he saw Lucy embrace the

restaurant . I was worried about Lucia, who did not come out of the
bedroom almost all day, and Damian heart was also uncomfortable
all day long . I hope I can see my mother who smiles well as usual .

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293 Report
Translator’s Corner :

www.asianovel.com
 294 Report

Chapter 49
Source: Imported

— Truth & Falsehood — (4)

TN: I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it but things in brackets like
this: [], are conversations from the past . Brackets like this: () just
tells you who is speaking . I mix it up sometimes but you can usually
tell .

After taking a break for a while, Lucia resumed her activities in

high society . Just as before, she opened light tea parties . Nothing
changed and just like she’d always done, she invited a wide range of
people . Except from a few of the party-break leaders, she put the
rest on the invitation list without exceptions .

Lucia showed the authority of the Duchess with her intimidation at

the last garden party now, it was time to appease them after her
oppression .

She did not wish to reign over the northern high society . But
ultimately, she needed to plant herself as an existence that should
never be taken lightly .

“Duchess, when do you plan on having a party on a huge

scale like last time?”

“My thoughts exactly . I wasn’t invited then so I definitely

want to attend next time . When the time comes, can I also
get introduced to the young lord?”

“I’m afraid the child is no longer in Roam . He left to go

study . But if there’s an opportunity next time, I will
introduce you . ”

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Lucia replied with a smile and secretly took a glance around . She
studied the uneasy expression of the ladies who looked like they
were being chased and wouldn’t be participating in the discussion
anytime soon . They were attendees of previous garden party .

This was already the third tea party but people’s behaviors
remained similar . They were split into two sides, those who attended
the garden party and those that didn’t .

The ones that attended all looked uncomfortable and helpless .

Their countenance didn’t display reluctance to attend or arrogance,
on the contrary, they looked sorry and thankful as they greeted Lucia
.

Lucia had no intentions of rebuking them . Just as a soldier’s

disobedience to command resulted in death, normal women had no
power to contest that of leading figures in high society .

And so, Lucia did not mention the events of the garden party so as
to not make them uncomfortable but they remained excessively
careful of her mood .

In comparison, the ones that did not attend the garden party raised
up the topic of Damian as though showing off . They showed no
reluctance and constantly and implicitly brought up the child’s title of
‘young lord’ .

The sudden reversed attitude of the women was surprising .

‘Is it because he announced publically that Damian is

formally entered into the register?’

That was the only guess she could make . As always, the majesty
of the Duke was amazing . Lucia did not know that the northern high
society went through an enormous stir following the garden party .

It was rumored that the Countess of Wales as well as the tempered

elderly wives of the high society that attended the garden party at

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the time were all secluding themselves at home and when one
looked at it, it seemed to be that way . Those crafty old wives
seemed to have somehow done something to upset the Duchess’
pride and thought to hide themselves .

The rumor that the Taran Duke seized and killed every last one

Hence, the explosive incident at the garden party that occurred in

the meantime struck terror into everyone’s heart . They imagined the
Taran Duke learning of the Duchess’ humiliation, and furiously
summoning them to all be clubbed to death . After all, there was a
connection between the Lady of the House losing face and the Head
of the Family’s pride .

Whether the rumor of the Ducal Couple’s intimate matrimonial

relationship was true or not, the Taran Duke had proved to at least
belong to one of the examples . Originally, the House of the Taran
Duke was closed off .

From generation to generation, the Taran Dukes were not

interested in having close relationships with northern nobles as well
as entering into politics in the capital .

The Taran Duke was an existing but intangible ruler . When the
Taran Duke was not in the north due to war, the northern nobles held
little interest in their intangible ruler . However, when there was a
show of force and someone actually died, the social circle was
shaken and people became desperate .

They wished to grasp the heart of their ruler and guarantee their
safety . Presently, the only private connection to the current Duke
was the Duchess who was engaging in social activities .

The ladies were given special instructions from their husbands or

fathers and attended the Duchess’ tea party . It was a scene of chaos
trying to secure a position on the list of invitees just before the
Duchess threw her third tea party .

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Even though her surroundings were as if attacked by a typhoon,
the one at the center of the typhoon, Lucia, was calm . Nevertheless,
the one who usually informed her in detail of the happenings, Kate,
was shutting her mouth and watching the situation unfold .

To be exact, it wasn’t that something precise had happened but

that the atmosphere in high society had become restless so what to
tell Lucia was vague . She couldn’t say to Lucia, ‘your husband is
terrifying so everyone is shaking in their boots’ .

“The Duchess shines more beautifully as the days goes on .

”

Someone leaked out flattery and a competitive spirit could be felt

rising in the air among the women .

“Oh, I have admired the Duchess’ beauty since the day we

first met . ”

“Hoho . Appearance isn’t all to a person . The Duchess has

a mind beautiful beyond appearance . ”

A flame was lit amongst the women . The shameless and smooth
tongued women heaped praises on the Duchess without exception
and the timid women could not come forward as they were indecisive
and couldn’t find a proper time to butt in . It was war .

Lucia took no regard of their overheated atmosphere and

carefreely drank her tea . She wasn’t an immature child that would
become giddy and graceless from a few words of flattery . She had
watched this situation happen enough times in her dream to be sick
of it .

In her dream, she had never been at the center . She also couldn’t
become a follower as her personality wasn’t one to beat around the
bush . However, while observing the ridiculous spectacle from a
distance, she

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‘The position of the Duchess is truly incredible . ’

When Lucia did not show any reaction, the women began to close
their mouths one by one . Those with tact gradually became aware
that unlike her appearance, the Duchess was not an easy person to
deal with .

“I’m truly thankful for all your kind words . Rather, is there
anything interesting in the circles lately?”

“Let me tell you . Some time ago-”

“You can’t call that interesting . I heard…”

This time, the women were trying to up on another with hot news
in the social circles .

Lucia tilted her head, ‘Today’s tea party is really strange . ’

Translator’s Corner:

— Truth & Falsehood — (4)

TN: Hello, hello . Enjoy!

In the afternoon, Captain Elliot submitted a report . Its contents

were related to the past poisoning incident that was mistaken for an
epidemic . The incident was resolved smoothly .

After finding the root of the problem and digging into it, there was
no sign of ill will . All the mushrooms obtained were retrieved and
disposed of . The upper-end person in charge was to be fined a large
amount of money as punishment for gross negligence .

“Any other villages harmed?”

“Apart from the two villages discovered at early stages,

none yet . Since the upper levels has been mostly examined,

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 299 Report
I don’t imagine there will be further damages in the future . ”

The report was requesting approval from Hugo so that the incident
to be finalized . The top figure at the root of the problem was under
investigation and their feet were bound .

If Hugo were to give his approval, the principal figure would have
to pay compensations plus fines and would be able to restart their
activities in the upper levels .

It was practically the same asking the principal figure to pay a

significant amount of money without complaints and expecting no
more problems . However, having a certain name enter Hugo’s eyes
was the start of misfortune for the top figure waiting for the trade
approval to come through .

“…Wales? Is the principal owner the Count of Wales?”

“Yes . ”

It was the rule that no matter the owner, upper-end affairs were to
be resolved by commercial law . A business transaction issue was
resolved with money and as long as the owner did not go bankrupt,
no responsibility was given to the owner’s family .

The fact that Hugo now knew the name of the person at the top
was related to the reason of having no need for concerned .

A dark spark was lit in Hugo’s eyes . Because he saw her crying
figure, he harbored a huge grudge towards the ringleader of the
garden party incident . Because of his wife’s beseechment, he
couldn’t interfere time and time again so he felt vexed . Since he’d
finally chanced upon a case, he clung tenaciously to the long-awaited
opportunity .

Through one channel or another, he knew about the garden party

incident in relatively good detail . Naturally, he also knew that the
prime leader at that time was the Countess of Wales . Just as he was
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 300 Report
considering how to warn the old snake, he caught an unbelievable
case .

Hugo commanded with a grave expression .

“This case cannot be passed over lightly

“Then…”

“I’m afraid I cannot erase the thought that there was a

certain intention behind this matter . Thoroughly investigate
the past transaction details, including the taxes paid . ”

“By thoroughly, you mean…”

“Down to the last detail . Shake the dust out . ”

Elliot was a typical knight, insensitive to plots or trickery however

in this matter, his Lord seemed to have noticed something to watch
for . He didn’t know why but that top figure was certainly marked by
his Lord . Somehow he felt sympathetic .

“Understood . I will investigate thoroughly . ”

Subordinates who assisted the Duke in close proximity were rather

familiar with the Duke’s character . The Duke was definitely not a
magnanimous and virtuous person . He was indifferent in most cases
however once he locked onto something and began to dig into it, he
was closer to persistent and obstinate .

In other words, he held long grudges .

***

It was a month and a half since Damian left for the Academy .
Damian was hardly gone before Lucia wrote him a letter and received
a reply to it about 20 days later .

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Today, she received his reply to the second letter she sent him .
Lucia’s heart pounded as she opened the envelope . Its contents, full
of pages fell out . When she read the first line of the letter starting
with, ‘To Mother,’ she trembled and hugged the letter to her chest .

As she read the letter step by step, her face blossomed, full of
smiles . The letter’s contents seemed like some sort or report . What
was taught in class, what was eaten, who he had a conversation with
. Lucia felt happy as she read the rigid contents that expressed no
emotions . She felt like she could see into the child’s livelihood .

― The day is getting colder . Be careful about your health .

Sincerely, Damian .

When the lengthy letter came to an end, she felt a sense of huge
regret .

“He seems to be doing well so I’m glad . ”

The end of the year was approaching so Lucia was preparing a gift
to send to Damian .

“Milady, a guest requests to see you . ”

A maid announced to her . If it was Lady Milton that came, the

maid would not say it was a guest .

“A guest? Who?”

“It is the Countess of Wales . ”

Lucia knit her brows slightly . She didn’t know why the Countess of
Wales would commit an act of rudeness and suddenly come to find
her . She considered sending her back but finally settled on listening
to what business the Countess had and if it was nonsense, to kick her
out .

The maid served tea . Lucia did not call for Jerome . She didn’t

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want to serve the delicious tea that Jerome prepares to the Countess
of Wales . Unlike Lucia who sat with a slightly chilled attitude, the
Countess of Wales looked intimidated . In the time they hadn’t seen,
her face had grown quite haggard .

Perhaps a cold? Lucia was suspicious of the Countess’ very

different complexion from the past garden party .

“What brings you here?” [Lucia]

“It was discourteous of me to suddenly request to meet

you like this . Has Duchess been well in the meantime?”

“There’s no reason I wouldn’t be well . Frankly, I am dissatisfied

with Countess .

“What can I say? When one gets old, sometimes, one’s

ability to judge falls . I came to find Duchess in hopes you can
generously overlook this matter . ”

Lucia, who’d purposefully come on strong, weakened her icy

expression at the Countess acting humble .

“Is this what today’s visit is in regards to?”

“Yes . I came to apologize . ”

Lucia didn’t know the Countess of Wales would docilely lower

herself like this . As the Countess was older and a leading figure in
the circles, Lucia tried to gradually apply pressure rather than having
a head-on confrontation .

‘Something is strange here…’

The rather unusual intimidated attitudes of the other ladies was

already weighing on her mind and since even the Countess of Wales
was like this, perhaps there was something she was missing .

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 303 Report
“If that’s all you really want, I understand . I will accept
Countess’ apology . But I do not wish to talk for too long
today . ” [Lucia]

“Ah…I…”

“Do you have more to say?”

“To Duchess…there is something I would like to sincerely

request…”

A request? Really, how shameless . Lucia inwardly chuckled

sarcastically . In any case, the Countess of Wales seemed to see her
as meek and naïve child . Lucia was not a good girl that wouldn’t
take any action . She had a fairly cold side in entering a relationship
with people .

“I do not privately take special requests . ”

“It’s not a special request, Duchess . Please relieve the

anger of his Grace the Duke . ”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about . ”

The Countess revealed that the top-levels owned by her family

were currently encountering difficulty . The explanation was lengthy
and mostly self-justification . However, from the congested story,
Lucia grasped the key point .

“The top committed a blunder and was punished . Are you

now associating your personal feelings with the official work
of his Grace the Duke?”

“No . No . The guilt is not being denied . I know the Duke is

indeed a thorough person that separates business and
pleasure . But he is a little strict so I ask of you to have some
mercy . Please forgive this old one for rushing over in a hurry
without principle . ”

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 304 Report
After the Countess of Wales left, Lucia fell into deep thought . In
the first place, from the perspective of the one being punished, a
generous punishment did not exist . From what she could tell, it
wasn’t that fault was being found with an innocent man .

Punishment of crime was within the scope of authority of the Taran

Duke, the overseer of order in the North . The thought that maybe he
was punishing them excessively because of her did not cross her
mind for a second . She wasn’t that conceited .

‘So he’s quite strict on the people under him . ’

She couldn’t imagine it since she’d never seen that side of him . In
any case, the reason the ladies have been so careful of her mood
lately must also be because of this . Perhaps they happened upon his
strict side several times recently . She filed it in her head to ask him
in passing . She did not really take it seriously .

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 305 Report

Chapter 49 Part 2
Source: Imported

— Truth & Falsehood — (4)

TN: Hello, hello . Enjoy!

In the afternoon, Captain Elliot submitted a report . Its contents

were related to the past poisoning incident that was mistaken for an
epidemic . The incident was resolved smoothly .

After finding the root of the problem and digging into it, there was
no sign of ill will . All the mushrooms obtained were retrieved and
disposed of . The upper-end person in charge was to be fined a large
amount of money as punishment for gross negligence .

“Any other villages harmed?”

“Apart from the two villages discovered at early stages,

none yet . Since the upper levels has been mostly examined,
I don’t imagine there will be further damages in the future . ”

The report was requesting approval from Hugo so that the incident
to be finalized . The top figure at the root of the problem was under
investigation and their feet were bound .

If Hugo were to give his approval, the principal figure would have
to pay compensations plus fines and would be able to restart their
activities in the upper levels .

It was practically the same asking the principal figure to pay a

significant amount of money without complaints and expecting no
more problems .

However, having a certain name enter Hugo’s eyes was the start of

www.asianovel.com
 306 Report
misfortune for the top figure waiting for the trade approval to come
through .

“…Wales? Is the principal owner the Count of Wales?”

“Yes . ”

It was the rule that no matter the owner, upper-end affairs were to
be resolved by commercial law . A business transaction issue was
resolved with money and as long as the owner did not go bankrupt,
no responsibility was given to the owner’s family .

The fact that Hugo now knew the name of the person at the top
was related to the reason of having no need for concerned .

A dark spark was lit in Hugo’s eyes . Because he saw her crying
figure, he harbored a huge grudge towards the ringleader of the
garden party incident . Because of his wife’s beseechment, he
couldn’t interfere time and time again so he felt vexed . Since he’d
finally chanced upon a case, he clung tenaciously to the long-awaited
opportunity .

Through one channel or another, he knew about the garden party

incident in relatively good detail . Naturally, he also knew that the
prime leader at that time was the Countess of Wales . Just as he was
considering how to warn the old snake, he caught an unbelievable
case .

Hugo commanded with a grave expression .

“This case cannot be passed over lightly . ”

“Then…”

“I’m afraid I cannot erase the thought that there was a

certain intention behind this matter . Thoroughly investigate
the past transaction details, including the taxes paid . ”

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 307 Report
“By thoroughly, you mean…”

“Down to the last detail . Shake the dust out . ”

Elliot was a typical knight, insensitive to plots or trickery however

in this matter, his Lord seemed to have noticed something to watch
for .

He didn’t know why but that top figure was certainly marked by his
Lord . Somehow he felt sympathetic .

“Understood . I will investigate thoroughly . ”

Subordinates who assisted the Duke in close proximity were rather

familiar with the Duke’s character . The Duke was definitely not a
magnanimous and virtuous person . He was indifferent in most cases
however once he locked onto something and began to dig into it, he
was closer to persistent and obstinate .

In other words, he held long grudges .

***

It was a month and a half since Damian left for the Academy .
Damian was hardly gone before Lucia wrote him a letter and received
a reply to it about 20 days later .

Today, she received his

As she read the letter step by step, her face blossomed, full of
smiles . The letter’s contents seemed like some sort or report . What
was taught in class, what was eaten, who he had a conversation with
.

Lucia felt happy as she read the rigid contents that expressed no
emotions . She felt like she could see into the child’s livelihood .

― The day is getting colder . Be careful about your health .

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 308 Report
Sincerely, Damian .

When the lengthy letter came to an end, she felt a huge sense of
regret .

“He seems to be doing well so I’m glad . ”

The end of the year was approaching so Lucia was preparing a gift
to send to Damian .

“Milady, a guest requests to see you . ”

A maid announced to her . If it was Lady Milton that came, the

maid would not say it was a guest .

“A guest? Who?”

“It is the Countess of Wales . ”

Lucia knit her brows slightly . She didn’t know why the Countess of
Wales would commit an act of rudeness and suddenly come to find
her . She considered sending her back but finally settled on listening
to what business the Countess had and if it was nonsense, to kick her
out .

The maid served tea . Lucia did not call for Jerome . She didn’t
want to serve the delicious tea that Jerome prepares to the Countess
of Wales . Unlike Lucia who sat with a slightly chilled attitude, the
Countess of Wales looked intimidated . In the time they hadn’t seen,

Perhaps a cold? Lucia was suspicious of the Countess’ very

different complexion from the past garden party .

“What brings you here?” (Lucia)

“It was discourteous of me to suddenly request to meet

you like this . Has Duchess been well in the meantime?”

“There’s no reason I wouldn’t be well . Frankly, I am

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 309 Report
dissatisfied with Countess . It was my first party prepared on
a grand scale . Surely madam won’t deny holding a sizeable
responsibility for it ending in such a way?”

“What can I say? When one gets old, sometimes, one’s

ability to judge falls . I came to find Duchess in hopes you can
generously overlook this matter . ”

Lucia, who’d purposefully come on strong, weakened her icy

expression at the Countess acting humble .

“Is this what today’s visit is in regards to?”

“Yes . I came to apologize . ”

Lucia didn’t know the Countess of Wales would docilely lower

herself like this . As the Countess was older and a leading figure in
the circles, Lucia tried to gradually apply pressure rather than having
a head-on confrontation .

‘Something is strange here…’

The rather unusual intimidated attitudes of the other ladies was

already weighing on her mind and since even the Countess of Wales
was like this, perhaps there was something she was missing .

“If that’s all you really want, I understand . I will accept

Countess’ apology . But I don’t wish to talk for too long today
. ” (Lucia)

“Ah…I…”

“Do you have more to say?”

“To Duchess…there is something I would like to sincerely

request…”

A request? Really, how shameless . Lucia chuckled sarcastically to

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 310 Report
herself . In any case, the Countess of Wales seemed to see her as
meek and naïve child . Lucia was not a good girl that wouldn’t take
any action . She had a fairly cold side in entering relationships with
people .

“I do

“I do not take private special requests . ”

“It’s not a special request, Duchess . Please relieve the

anger of his Grace the Duke . ”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about . ”

The Countess revealed that the top-levels owned by her family

were currently encountering difficulty . The explanation was lengthy
and mostly self-justification . However, from the congested story,
Lucia grasped the key point .

“The top committed a blunder and was punished . Are you

now associating your personal feelings with the official work
of his Grace the Duke?”

“No . No . The guilt is not being denied . I know the Duke is

indeed a thorough person that separates business and
pleasure . But he is a little strict so I ask of you to have some
mercy . Please forgive this old one for rushing over in a hurry
without principle . ”

After the Countess of Wales left, Lucia fell into deep thought . In
the first place, from the perspective of the one being punished, a
generous punishment did not exist . From what she could tell, it
wasn’t that fault was being found with an innocent man .

Punishment of crime was within the scope of authority of the Taran

Duke, the overseer of order in the North .

The thought that maybe he was punishing them excessively

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 311 Report
because of her did not cross her mind for a second . She wasn’t that
conceited .

‘So he’s quite strict on the people under him . ’

She couldn’t imagine it since she’d never seen that side of him . In
any case, the reason the ladies have been so careful of her mood
lately must also be because of this . Perhaps they happened upon his
strict side several times recently .

She filed it in her head to ask him in passing . She didn’t really take
it seriously .

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 312 Report

Chapter 50 Part 1
Source: Imported

— Truth & False — (5)

The weather grew cold so it became hard to take a walk in the

garden after dinner . Lucia didn’t have to worry about what to do
with her spare time though, rather, every time she was free, she fell
in love with knitting .

It was a scarf wanted to send to Damian as a year-end gift as well

the for New Year’s . She worked diligently so she could send it at
approximately the right time .

Since she couldn’t care for the garden or take a walk, she poured
all her remaining time into the completion of the scarf .

After taking a bath, Lucia waited for Hugo in the bedroom but even
after more time than usual passed, he did not come . As the end of
the year approached, he grew remarkably busier .

He either came into the bedroom late or sometimes sent word

through the maid for her to sleep first .

Then he would try to stubbornly demand for the one-in-five rest

day to be replaced with the missed day but Lucia did not listen to
that demand .

This was because she knew that once she listened, there would be
no end .

She asked the maid to bring her knitting basket because it seemed
like he would be coming in late .

“What’s that?”

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At some point, Hugo came in and was attentively watching the
knitting in her hands . She had been completely engrossed in knitting
and did not notice him when he came in .

She quickly clean up and arranged the materials into the basket .

“Knitting . I’m knitting a scarf . I want to send it to Damian

.”

A wool-knitted scarf . It was an item that was never necessary for

Hugo . He wasn’t sensitive to cold so even in the winter, he didn’t
wear special winter clothing, much less a scarf for children . Perhaps
even the gift recipient Damian would have to make conscious effort
to wear that around .

Her choice of white pattern on a red background showed how

much she treated Damian like a little child . He felt a little sorry but
he had no choice but to have Damian wear it throughout the winter .

He’ll have to check through the escort planted at the boy’s side to
make sure the boy really wear it . Hugo entertained villainous
thoughts in his mind .

Although Hugo didn’t want a scarf, he couldn’t move his gaze from
where she moved to place the basket of knitting wool under

He didn’t know why there was so many places for her to devote
her attention to . When she got a letter from the boy, she was full of
obvious excitement for a few days .

‘She’s my woman before she is the boy’s mother . ’

He was dissatisfied with the attention she poured on Damian . He

couldn’t exactly put it in words so he grumbled inwardly . Moreover,
she still had not told him her childhood name .

‘But I told you my secret . Although not all of it . ’

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It wasn’t like there had to be a trade-off but…

‘Why does that boy, Damian know but I don’t?’

He could never understand where that kid was better than himself
.

“Did you learn knitting at a young age?”

Lately, Hugo used any opportunity he had to ask about her

childhood . He was stubbornly determined to hear her childhood
name directly from her mouth . He didn’t want to ask upfront as he
felt like if she told him personally, it was evidence that she’d opened
her heart to him to some extent .

“Yes . Which is why my skill isn’t that great .

“You said you lived alone with your mother when you were
young, right?”

“Yes . Until I entered the palace . ”

“Then your mother…what did she…”

Hugo hesitated slightly then threw out a thinly-veiled question .

“Usually…what were you called? By your mother…”

This wasn’t cheating . He didn’t directly ask what her childhood

name was .

“As a child, rather than call my name, she called me, my

baby, cutie or daughter . ”

Since he didn’t grow up feeling his mother’s affections, he was

probably curious of normal mother-child relationships . This was how
Lucia thought of it . As she recalled memories with mother, a smile
rose onto her face .

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Today again, his leading questions failed . Hugo sighed inwardly,
disappointed .

“Ah, there’s something I want to confirm with you . You

didn’t forget your promise with me, right? The promise that
you won’t interfere with the matters of the garden party . ”
(Lucia)

“I didn’t forget . ”

“Really?”

“Of course . ”

Hugo answered confidently . There wasn’t a single thing on his

conscience . Summoning his vassals and telling them to put more
effort into supervising their household was well enough within his
capability as a superior giving advice .

There was no hesitation in his replies so Lucia believed him .

“I heard something weird but it guess it was just a

groundless rumor . ”

“What rumor?”

“It says you struck a blow to the Count of Wales’ upper-end

businesses because of the garden party issue . Well,
something like that . But there’s no way that’s the case .
You’re someone who thoroughly distinguishes between
private and public matters, after all . ”

“…Of course . ”

He really had nothing on his conscience . Even though the upper-

end was thoroughly investigated two-fold and three-fold because of
the problem caused by the poisoning case, it was an official matter .
The fact that the principal owner was the Count of Wales was just an

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added bonus . Despite that, he couldn’t answer without any
hesitation . Lucia was unable to catch the sour look that flitted across
his face .

Not long after this, the upper-end businesses of the Count of wales’
family were acquitted after a persistent investigation .

The originally imposed levy was as before however, simply being

able to resume activities in the upper-level before the New Year
came around was something to be thankful for .

The rumor that the Taran Duke stood behind the Duchess was now
solidifying into an established theory in the northern social circles .

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Chapter 50 Part 2
Source: Imported

The aide assumed a solemn expression as he spoke .

“Your Highness, Crown Prince, Marquis of DeLing sent an

official letter of complaint . ”

Kwiz clicked his tongue and skimmed through the document

handed to him . In conclusion, the long letter of complaint that went
on and on for pages was requesting permission to punish the Knight
Krotin who insulted the honor of the Marquis .

A while ago, Knights of Deling jumped Roy and were beaten half-
dead so they couldn’t move for several months .

“Why do these filthy bastards that attack in groups have so

much to say? Is it still a proper knight if it jumps a single
opponent with numbers?”

The aide still couldn’t adapt to the Crowned Prince spitting out the
vulgar jargon of the common people every time it happened .

The aide controlled his expression and continued speaking .

“It is not the duel itself they have an issue with, but Sir
Krotin’s remarks . ”

“I’m sure what they want to deal with isn’t Sir Krotin . ”

Marquis of DeLing was one of the representative figures of the

opposing forces against the Crown Prince . If opposing side could use
this matter to remove the Knight Krotin from the Crown Prince’s side,
there were many things to gain from it .

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They could make a crack in the authority of the Crown Prince who
was unable to protect his escort Knight, they could aim for a gap in
the Crown Prince’s defenses after he lost a remarkably skilled escort
and because the Crown Prince was unable to safeguard the escort
handed to him by the Taran Duke, they could make a crack form in
the two’s relationship .

Kwiz turned his gaze to Roy standing next to him .

Even though Roy obviously knew they were talking about him, his

“Sir Krotin . Don’t say anything after beating those knights

. Good going there . It isn’t like you killed them yet those
jumping bastards have the nerve . But, why did you say
that?” (Kwiz)

“Say what?” (Roy)

“It is said you called the knights, dogs of the Marquis . ”

“I didn’t say that . I said dogs licking their master’s feet . ”

Kwiz groaned .

“That is virtually the same thing . Isn’t that why the Knight
of the DeLing Marquis jumped you? Saying you insulted the
Marquis . ”

“I don’t know why that is insulting . I simply spoke the

truth . A Knight is their master’s dog . Like a dog, all one
have to do is wag their tail to their master and listen nicely . I
only said my mind since they were going around picking
fights with uninvolved people . ”

Not only the Crown Prince, but everyone around was taken aback .

“A knight is their master’s dog? Does Sir Krotin think so of

yourself?” (Kwiz)

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“Oh yes . I am my Lord’s dog . If he asks me to bark, I bark
. Woof-woof . ”

Kwiz burst out laughing . He grabbed his stomach and smacked the
table as he laughed . However the expression of the other escorting
knights besides Roy were distorted and they fixed Roy with
murderous gazes .

After laughing till tears came to his eyes, Kwiz took a while to calm
down then spoke to his aide .

“Did you hear that? Write it well that Sir Krotin did not insult any
knight and send back the letter of complaint .

“…Yes . ”

Without doubt, the damn man was a lunatic . No, he was a mad
dog? The aide made up his mind to never mess around with Knight
Krotin if possible . After all, one avoids shit because it’s dirty . (1)

“I envy the Taran Duke . To have such a loyal knight . ”

Kwiz glanced over his knights with a meaningful gaze . The knights
who met his gaze for a moment turned their gaze to empty air .

“But the Taran Duke has confined himself to the north with
no thoughts of coming up to the capital . I thought even if it
was the Duchess, one would at least come once . ”

It was nearly a year since the Duke got married and two months
had passed since the New Year began . He was fascinated by how
the princess who lived in palace was enduring so well in the north .

He thought she would be unable to tolerate the frustration and

even if alone, she would drop by the capital . Through the description
of the people who had seen Princess Vivian directly, he knew the
princess was far from being a lady of unsurpassed beauty . Even so,
he couldn’t shake off his doubt as to whether that rumor was true or

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not .

‘Is she so beautiful that the Duke is hiding her tightly? Or is

it just preference? But looking at his past history with
women, something’s totally different . ’

Kwiz found very little success in digging into Princess Vivian . He

learnt the Princess went out of the palace pretending to be a maid
but as it cost more time and money to keep digging even further, he
simply gave up .

If it was an enemy, he would look

‘Acting as a maid to go out . You do quite the interesting

things . ’

Kwiz held a favorable impression towards this younger sister of his

he never knew existed .

***

In the capital where incidents happened without pause, Fabian was

working hard today as usual . Today, he was doing his favorite work:
the task of gathering the rumors circulating in the capital .

“Hoh, this is new . There’s a summoning circle to raise the

devil under the Taran Duke’s Castle in his fief?”

Fabian snickered and wrote down all the unfiltered rumors in his
report to the Duke . Fabian also studied the report from him men . As
he looked through the report, his expression stiffened . The report
was from his men planted around the female novelist .

As she was the only acquaintance to the princess who became the
Duchess, Fabian ordered his men to check up on Norman regularly .
This was because someone who chanced upon her relationship with
the Duchess might choose to approach her and cause her harm . On
the other hand, he was also able to use this to confirm that the

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female novelist was tight-lipped about the Duchess . So, in a way, it
was a form of surveillance and protection .

“Why did the Countess of Falcon go there? And not just

once or twice . ”

According at the report, the purpose of the visiting the female

novelist was because the countess was a fan of the female writer’s
novel .

‘I don’t think that’s the only reason though…’

Fabian’s sharp sense was telling

‘Anyhow, she’s a really difficult one . ’

Since a long time ago, the Countess always left a bad taste in his
mouth . The fact that he disliked her ominous past history of
marrying three times with all 3 husbands currently dead, was just
secondary . Sometimes one happens to dislike a person for no reason
. To Fabian, the Countess of Falcon was such a person .

There was the option of observing the situation over time but
Fabian decided to file it in his report . The biggest reason for Fabian’s
capability was his speedy situational judgements . He judged that he
should not carelessly disregard news related to the Duchess .

At this point, he now knew that that the Duke was not playing
newly-wed . For the Duke to share a bed with one woman for over 10
months? It was unprecedented . The Duke was not a womanizer .
This was how Fabian saw it . The Duke simply satisfied his instinctive
desires . He never had the slightest emotional exchanges with
women .

Just the thought that such a Duke would possibly be settling down
with a woman made Fabian feel like he’d glimpsed into the mysteries
of life .

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‘Truly, the more you live, the more you learn . ’

Translator Corner:

1 . This is a Korean proverb I have heard one time too many . One
avoids shit(feces) because it’s dirty . The full idiom goes something
like ‘One doesn’t avoid shit because one is afraid of it but because
it’s dirty . ’ It means one isn’t avoiding an opponent because they are
scared or afraid but because there is no value to being entangled and
nothing good will come of it .

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