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Chapter 15
The moment she entered the room,
Lauren collapsed as if the strength in her legs had completely given out.
Lize and Anna rushed over in shock, but Aster raised a hand to stop them both.
Seeing her trembling hands, Aster clicked his tongue softly, carried her over to sit on the long sofa, and instructed Lize to fetch some alcohol.
“Lauren, are you alright?” “……Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry.
I don’t have time to be sitting like this. You said Jasmine arrived?” “No, I lied. I thought sending that woman away took priority.”
Aster narrowed his eyes, pulling up one corner of his mouth. Staring at him blankly, a faint smile drifted onto Lauren’s lips.
Yet because it looked forced, it somehow felt unpleasant to watch.
Aster instructed Anna to help Lauren change her clothes. Lauren protested, saying her work wasn’t finished yet, but Aster paid no attention to her objections. Though Lauren let out a quiet sigh, he merely let out a dry smirk and shrugged his shoulders.
By the time she emerged after changing, Lize returned at perfect timing, carrying a tray with alcohol and glasses. Aster dismissed the maidservants and set up the drink arrangement on the low table himself. Sitting on the long sofa, Lauren gazed quietly at him as he settled across from her.
“Have a glass.” “The sun hasn’t even set yet.” “You need rest, Lauren. Do you have any idea what you look like right now?”
Even though she had already changed her clothes and come out, Lauren was stubbornly digging in her heels over nothing. Brow furrowed at her attitude, which suggested she was ready to head straight back to work this very instant, Aster offered her a low-voiced remark. Lauren bit her lip tightly and dropped her gaze. Even with her head bowed, she could feel his worried eyes upon her. It seemed her appearance truly was a mess. Lauren stole a glance at the vanity mirror across the room. Ashen pale, she looked like a ghost. Unconsciously, a small sigh escaped her lips.
Aster poured alcohol into the glass placed before her. Just like last time, it was filled to less than half.
“Drink it and lie down.”
Leaning forward, Aster placed the glass into her hand. Lauren merely stared down at it quietly. It was only after a long pause that she finally opened her mouth.
“……Why aren’t you asking me anything?”
“Would you prefer I ask?”
Lauren couldn’t answer. There were times she felt like opening up to someone, yet she also wondered if talking about it would actually solve anything. She didn’t want to give him a headache for no reason. As she hesitated, Aster chuckled softly. What met Lauren’s eyes as she looked up at him was neither his characteristic sharp, bitter smile nor a sneer.
“You don’t have to force yourself to speak. You can tell me later, whenever you feel like talking about it.”
Though his brows were slightly furrowed, Aster’s smile was gentle. He did say it helps with forgetting. Lauren wanted to erase today’s events from her mind. She stared at him in silence for a moment, then tightened her grip on the glass with her fingertips. Before he could stop her, she drained it in a single gulp. Watching her, Aster let out a dry gasp.
“That stuff is quite strong.” “It… seems so.”
Startled by the alcohol burning down her throat, she slowly exhaled. To be fair, the alcohol Aster drank was unusually potent, and Lauren was unaccustomed to drinking. Perhaps because she had downed it all at once, heat surged through her body. Even her exhaled breaths felt hot. Unconsciously, Lauren fanned her collar. For some reason, it felt excessively warm.
“You’re going to suffer tomorrow.” “I suppose… I will, won’t I?”
Her slowly blinking, light violet eyes flickered drowsily. Unaccustomed as she was, the intoxication seemed to set in rapidly. Lauren smiled with a flushed face. Whenever she drank, Lauren smiled so easily—even when there was nothing to laugh about. I really shouldn’t give this woman alcohol if I can help it. Letting out a faint sigh, Aster stood up from his seat. Lauren’s unfocused gaze followed him upward.
“Go to sleep already.”
He turned, intending to leave the room. However, a tiny force tugged at his sleeve. Aster inadvertently cast his gaze down toward his cuff. Lauren’s small, white hand was tightly holding onto his sleeve.
“……Ah.”
As if startled herself, a small gasp escaped Lauren’s lips. Hurriedly releasing her grip, she looked up at him with widened eyes. Meeting her gaze, Aster’s brows furrowed. Her light violet eyes were brimmed with moisture, swelling large with unshed tears.
“Oh dear, what is wrong with me? I’m sorry.”
The moisture brimming in her eyes quickly turned into large, crystal-clear teardrops that rolled down her cheeks. Flustered, Lauren wiped her tears with her sleeve. Yet no matter how much she wiped them away, the tears wouldn’t stop. In the end, as if escaping his gaze, Lauren buried her face in both hands. Perhaps because her head was bowed, the tears refused to cease.
And understandably so. Lauren had lost both her parents not long ago, and she had abandoned everything she had built and lived with for a long time to come to the ducal residence. Now that someone who reminded her of all those things had shown up, it wasn’t strange for her emotions to boil over—especially after having had a drink.
Lauren’s shoulders quivered finely. Aster clicked his tongue inwardly. No matter how widespread the rumors were that he was a bloodthirsty, tearless murderous demon, he couldn’t simply abandon someone who was weeping like this.
“It’s alright, Lauren.”
Aster carefully approached her. He hesitated for a brief moment, wondering what to do, but ultimately reached out toward her. His hand gently patted her shoulder.
“The guest has departed, however……”
It was quite some time later when Aster emerged from Lauren’s room. With eyes swollen red from crying for a long time, Lauren had asked him to stay by her side until she fell asleep. And he found himself unable to turn down her request.
Smiling faintly with a look of relief, Lauren had fallen asleep while holding onto his sleeve. Why hadn’t he been able to refuse her words? Looking down at the sleeping Lauren’s face, Aster had pondered for a long time—though, of course, he couldn’t find an answer.
“And?”
Sitting at his office desk, Calvin reported to him. Trailing off at the end of his sentence was uncharacteristic of him, and it felt somewhat irritating. Aster’s voice grew sharp as he pressed for an answer.
“I am unsure if it is appropriate for me to speak of a young lady of a noble house in such a manner, but……”
According to Calvin’s account, she had shouted that she wouldn’t leave unless an appointment was made right then and there—with a momentum that suggested she might lie down on the dirt floor if necessary. Thus, having no other choice, he had semi-forcibly arranged a dinner appointment two days later. Aster rested his hand against his forehead and sighed.
“My apologies, Your Grace.” “What’s done is done. It can’t be helped.” “Shall I report this to Her Grace?” “It’s better that you do. Lauren needs to know as well.”
Lauren didn’t seem to like that woman, but since things had come to this, they would have to face each other at least once. Issues had to be properly resolved to prevent future trouble.
What could that woman possibly want? Leaning back in his chair, Aster pondered quietly. It would be best if it could be settled with a few jewels or dresses, but it didn’t seem like she would back down with just that. Rather, she might cling to them now that she had found a cash cow. Considering she had come all the way to the house of a murderous demon just to see Lauren, she seemed to have a rather bold liver.
“The kitchen will have to put in some extra effort.”
“On the contrary, they will be delighted. Has it not been years since they last had an opportunity to display their skills?”
At Calvin’s words accompanied by a gentle smile, Aster pulled up his lips with a scowl. Calvin’s remark made it impossible for him to simply laugh it off. Calvin couldn’t be unaware of that, either. It seemed Calvin had taken a genuine liking to Lauren. Which was understandable, given that Lauren was competent even in her role as the duchess.
Aster had granted Lauren the authority to view all documents except for Class-1 top secrets, as well as the right to refurbish the estate. Everything she did was being reported back to Aster by Calvin, who worked alongside her. True to her reputation as a capable administrator, Lauren was also adept at managing the household affairs of the ducal residence.
Frankly, their budget was overflowing to the point of rotting away. The wealth passed down through generations of Duke Lilywood was substantial enough, but the rewards he received for risking his life on the battlefields were equally considerable—even if it wasn’t enough to divide among every single commoner soldier who had fought alongside him. Furthermore, even as a lord who couldn’t even look after his own territory, the territorial taxes came in regularly without fail.
Even so, the reason Aster hadn’t tended to the estate wasn’t out of laziness or lack of know-how. Though he was weak when it came to administrative tasks, he wasn’t incompetent.
Aster rose from his seat and looked down out the window. The scenery of the garden, once filled only with wild weeds, was now a thing of the past. The estate, to which he had deliberately turned a blind eye, had begun to change little by little after Lauren arrived. The very first thing that changed was the color of the curtains. Sunlight poured abundantly into the estate, which used to be dark and chilly even in broad daylight because the curtains were always kept drawn. Unlike him, who rarely ate properly, Lauren enjoyed whatever the kitchen prepared and served, delighting the kitchen servants. It was only natural for the atmosphere of the estate to shift.
The time inside the mansion, once frozen in quiet solitude with no sign of change, was now flowing bit by bit—as if it might regain the vitality of a very long time ago at this rate.
Aster couldn’t tell whether that was a good thing or not.
“If Her Grace expresses that she does not wish to see the guest……”
At Calvin’s voice, Aster brought his mind, which had been immersed in thought, back to reality. Turning his gaze away from the flowerbed swaying in the wind, he looked back at the butler. Calvin had desired the transformation of this estate more than anyone else. Thus, it was understandable that he was loyal to Lauren.
Even if he wasn’t ignorant of the fact that the object of his loyalty had entered a marriage based purely on mutual necessity.
“In that case, kick her out. I don’t care if you have to threaten her.” “Understood, Your Grace.”
Calvin gave a brief bow and left the office. The office soon fell into silence. Since Reti had been on leave since yesterday, Aster would inevitably have to handle today’s miscellaneous paperwork himself. Sitting in the spot where Lauren had been working until a moment ago, Aster looked down at the file folder spread out on the desk.
It’s probably better not to touch this one. He pulled up the corners of his lips and pushed the file folder to one side. Though he was curious about what kind of document it was, looking at it wouldn’t mean he could process it properly anyway. If it was something he needed to know, Lauren would tell him. Just as she had done all along.
Aster’s gaze shifted toward the silver tray sitting on one corner of the desk. Every single day, Calvin wiped this tray clean and decorated it with a fine lace handkerchief. It was something that had continued uninterrupted since the day he inherited the ducal title.
Even when Aster told him to stop doing such useless things, Calvin merely smiled, stating it was only natural for a butler to do so. Aster could say no more to him. Calvin was always like that. He was always devoted even to things that seemed meaningless in Aster’s eyes. Which was likely why he was genuinely pleased by Lauren’s way of doing things.
At any rate, the only correspondence that came for him were reports from the territory or military units anyway.
Flipping casually through the envelopes to check the names written on the outside, his hand suddenly came to a halt. His sunken green eyes stared intently for a long while at the seal and name stamped upon one of the envelopes.
