Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Lucius left not long after sundown.

At the beginning of the night banquet, the emperor mentioned the departure of Lucius first and offered him a drink, extolling his loyalty and devotion to the empire.

All of them raised a glass for Lucius and the toast for the duke, who should’ve been in the spotlight at his own wedding, was pushed to the next.

Even if they couldn’t attend the ceremony, they could still participate in the reception. Thus, more and more people arrived at the duke’s house as the night progressed. In her heart, she wanted to leave the residence and return to North Island.

However, the moment she arrived at her former home, a familiar sense of duty dominated her and throughout the day she worked hard to greet her guests.

Deatrice could hardly take a moment to relax.

Among the late-night guests were Mr. and Mrs. Bell. Of course, they were also invited to the wedding in the name of Lucius’ younger sister, but they arrived quite late. Probably because it was difficult to move with the pregnant Dixie.

Deatrice was actually quite surprised to see her sister-in-law, who was now in her seventh month of pregnancy, being supported by her husband as she walked through the entrance. She thought that if the wife wasn’t present, Raymond Bell would have arrived ahead of time.

Dixie put one hand on her stomach and slowly came over to greet Deatrice. Raymond, perhaps tired from the journey, had lost much of his cheerfulness from the last time she saw him and only gave a simple greeting with his habitual smile.

“Congratulations! It’s a pity I couldn’t witness the wedding because of my unsightly tardiness, but I can tell it is magnificent if this reception is anything to judge by.”

“You have my thanks,” Deatrice smiled kindly, “I hope everything went well in your journey?”

“Thanks to your care, we arrived safely.”

“What about my brother?” Dixie, who was looking around, interrupted the conversation when she couldn’t spot Lucius anywhere. Deatrice replied with a strained smile as if it was her fault that Lucius was nowhere to be found.

“He went to Capod a few hours ago because of the monsters there.”

“Oh?” Raymond responded, “I haven’t heard about it, but it looks like something urgent has happened.”

“Yes. He said the details are confidential.”

“I pray for blessings on his safe return then.”

Dixie hadn’t said anything else since hearing that Lucius wasn’t present. When Raymond bowed his head towards Deatrice, his wife just bowed uncomfortably. Perhaps she was thinking that if it wasn’t for Deatrice, Lucius wouldn’t be in the same situation now.

Deatrice squeezed her hands together, trying hard to suppress the rising feeling of guilt.

Receptions from influential families usually last about a week, but it doesn’t really end there. Afterward were various family events and multiple other gatherings that were used to set up social connections.

But on the fourth day, the duke called Deatrice to his study and requested her to stay a little longer to help the duchess adjust to her new life as her husband wasn’t around yet.

“Even though I am already wed and can stay out for extended periods of time unchaperoned, how long can I leave my house empty?”

“I was told there was nothing special about the house. Elorton, where you are staying, is a very small estate. I doubt it can be compared with this place. Since I put off getting married for a long time for you, I wonder if this is something you can do for me too.”

“But father—”

He gave her a pointed stare.

By pulling the ‘I postponed my remarrying because of you’ card, there was no way Deatrice could refuse him. In the end, she said she would think about it and left. The hallway she saw from the duke’s study suddenly reminded her of her childhood.

When she was about ten years old, Deatrice would often take off her shoes, lift the hem of her skirt, and sprint down the aisles when she felt unbearably stuffy. At first, she would stop and put her shoes on when a servant passed by, but later she ignored them and ran until she reached her room.

However, the hallway, which was always empty at the time, was now full of guests. Deatrice was no longer a member of this mansion, and she couldn’t be as uninhibited as she was before even if she wanted.

Outside, the duke and his people were already disturbing her. Inside the room, Frederick’s letters did the same.

They even sent a separate person to find out the situation in Galaba, but there was no particular result. Still, the king of Galaba was ruling the country indolently and there was no evidence or rumor that Fredhi was alive.

Deatrice wished he was alive, but at the same time, she was afraid of the aftermath it would bring. What if he truly succeeds in rebellion and becomes the king of Galaba? The emperor who dealt Fredhi a great deal of danger would be put in a tight spot and the two nations would be at odds with each other.

The tension would be high and might even spark another war if things weren’t handled carefully. Moreover, in the face of Deatrice’s former fiancé becoming king, the duke would become increasingly more dissatisfied with Lucius who is only a knight in comparison.

Late-night banquets would continue until daybreak. And with a heavy heart, Deatrice usually got up around midnight.

Because there were so many people staying at the mansion and wine was served generously, drunken people often lusted after each other in every nook and cranny.

When the long festivities were well in full swing, everyone was bound to relax a little, and the people who usually stirred up rumors never left a gathering unscathed. It was an affair she had often seen since childhood, so Deatrice passed by pretending not to recognize the individuals who were hiding behind a pillar.

Since most people knew the structure of the mansion, they were good at finding inconspicuous places to frolic. However, the couple whose silhouettes were now visible didn’t seem to be familiar with the duke’s residence.

Deatrice tried to leave her seat. They were very close to the aisle where the attendants passed, so there was a good chance they would be noticed. But just in time, her attendant opened the door and the woman who was hiding jumped out screaming.

“Eve!”

The man who came out from behind the naked woman called her name, cast an annoyed glance at the attendant, and then chased after the woman. He told her to keep quiet from now on.

The sight of the man walking with him pulling his pants together to keep them from falling was a funny scene, but Deatrice immediately stopped in her tracks when the identity of the man became familiar to her.

He was a tall, buff man with brown hair.

It was Raymond Bell, Dixie’s husband.