FCMD 16

Chapter 16

Right.

Had it already come around to this time of year?

It was a feeling that what was bound to arrive had finally come, yet a surge of irritation swept over him nonetheless.

Aster leaned back deeply into his chair.

The old desk chair failed to support his body as comfortably as the long sofa where he usually spent his time. No,

there had never been a single moment sitting in this chair that felt comfortable.

They say troubles always come in overlapping waves. He tried his best not to sigh, but it was to little avail.

At the tail end of the sigh he couldn’t hold back, a dry, helpless laugh lingered.

What he held in his hand was an invitation to a ball held at the Imperial Palace.

Moreover, it came accompanied by a handwritten card from the Emperor expressing his hope to see the Duchess.

If possible, he didn’t want to go to the Imperial Palace. It was a place where no particularly good memories remained.

The banquet to which the Emperor had deliberately summoned him.

The whispering voices directed at him and the eyes looking at him as if viewing something repulsive.

Things like the heavy air on the day he was ordered to march out to the battlefield returned to crush him like a nightmare.

Not a single moment of comfort had ever been offered by the title of Duke, either.

If only he had graduated from the military academy as scheduled and become an officer instead. Had his family fallen into ruin, he might have felt a bit sad, but he wouldn’t have found it terribly regrettable. After all, the family name had no place to intervene in what he was meant to build up on his own. Aster raised his hand and rubbed his eyes. It was better to put useless thoughts away. No matter how much he thought about it, nothing would change. Whatever the case, the deed was done, and the one holding the title of Duke right now was him.

Suddenly, he felt suffocate-bound. He had thought this symptom had disappeared a long time ago. Even on that battlefield where flashing blade glints, blood, and screams were everything, he had never felt like this. Perhaps it was because he felt that place was where he belonged. In the end, Aster kicked back his chair and stood up. He retrieved a liquor bottle from the cabinet, filled a glass, and sat down on the long sofa.

As expected, this side was far more comfortable than the Duke’s desk chair. Taking a sip of alcohol, he put his legs up on the sofa and leaned back halfway. Since no one would be coming to the office today anyway, it ought to be fine. Perhaps because of the invitation from the Imperial Family, foolish thoughts kept filling his head. Aster shook his head to scatter the reflections in his mind. It seemed better to engage in thoughts that were at least somewhat helpful.

After publishing the newspaper article, he had summoned Jasmine to have formal attire tailored. Aster had hesitated, asking if there was truly a need to go that far, but Lauren had assured him it would be wise to have it ready. As if she had anticipated that this invitation would arrive. As it turned out, her words were correct. A man who was supposed to have completely changed out of love for his wife—to the point of holding a secret wedding—could hardly attend wearing just a carelessly thrown-on shirt as he used to.

Aster swept his hair upward. He had known since long ago that people paid attention to his background as a duke’s son, as well as his physical appearance. Back when he was a cadet, after participating in inter-school athletic competitions, his mailbox used to be filled to the brim with letters sent to him. Though he himself had never held much interest in such things.

After inheriting the title of Duke, it became impossible for Aster to simply pretend not to notice. Given his circumstances, however, he couldn’t bring himself to think about dating or marrying anyone. As for marrying Lauren—well, it was something of an accident.

Though it was called an accident, she was no different from an unexpected piece of good fortune for him. Naturally, he also thought it was a relief he hadn’t let her go. Just as Lauren had been confident in herself, she truly was exceptionally competent. Matters that Aster and Reti had barely managed to keep afloat on their own began to take structured shape once Lauren took the lead in the workload. On top of that, she even proved to be a good teacher. By now, it reached the point where he hated the thought of letting her go.

Stroking his chin, Aster realized that he was smiling. He couldn’t even understand himself why he was laughing. He deliberately scowled. Naturally, the smile turned into a bitter smirk.

At any rate, he had to talk with Lauren. About Delania Sears, who claimed to be her elder sister. And about this invitation that had arrived from the Imperial Palace.

He felt drained for no reason even though he hadn’t done anything. Gulping down the rest of the alcohol in his glass, Aster leaned his head against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. It was best to sleep while he could catch even a moment’s shut-eye. Because of his insomnia, which had been by his side like an old nemesic friend for a very long time, he wouldn’t be able to sleep for long anyway.

“……Good morning.”

Morning. Coming into the office as usual, Lauren greeted Aster with a slightly awkward smile. “Yeah,” Aster replied curtly. Seeing that he looked completely normal, Lauren felt relieved instead.

“Reti’s leave is turning out to be quite long.” “Going all the way to the Arts Academy leaves him with little choice, after all.” “The Arts Academy? That Arts Academy in the East?”

At the completely unexpected location, Lauren’s eyes widened. Though he smiled easily and acted amiably, at a glance Reti also seemed like someone who was born to be a soldier, so an arts academy felt so out of place. Of course, there was no law saying a soldier couldn’t enjoy music or artwork, but for Reti—who knew how to do nothing more than stack things neatly—to go to an arts academy… it suited him absurdly poorly.

Lauren wasn’t disinterested in art, either. Though she hadn’t gone to a boarding school like other noble ladies, the teacher at the village school Lauren attended was someone who poured their heart and soul into art and music education alongside language and arithmetic. Lauren had also learned the basics, but she gave up because she had no natural aptitude for it. In the end, such things belonged to the realm of talent.

Even so, she thought it was far better than having not learned it at all. It had cultivated the sensibility to look at a painting and find it lovely, or listen to music and marvel at it. Even though her own skills could never break free from the level of humming a tune when happy or scribbling doodles on paper when bored.

But Reti.

Lauren stole a glance at the vacant seat of the aide. The neatly organized desk surface seemed to showcase his tidy personality. One could tell as much at a single glance not just from the desk, but also from the documents he arranged. Yet it was hard to imagine him decorating something or singing a song. He never scribbled doodles on paper out of boredom during lessons like Lauren, nor did he ever hum tunes just because he was in a good mood. And yet, an arts academy.

“Seem to take quite an interest in Reti, do you?”

Just as Lauren tilted her head in thought, a low voice seeped into her ears. Startled, Lauren hastily covered her ears and turned around, only to find Aster standing right beside her.

“Y-You scared me……”

Aster made no reply to her words; instead, he crossed his arms and let out a dry smirk. Was it just her imagination, or did his twisted smile look a bit fierce? Pressing down on her wildly pounding chest, Lauren let out a faint sigh.

“It’s nothing like that. I was just curious because someone who’s usually here isn’t in his seat.” “Well, whatever. Sit down for now. We have a lot to discuss today.”

With that, he strided over and flopped down onto his usual long sofa. He rang the bell placed on the corner of the table to call Calvin. At his command, the capable butler of the estate brought in a tea set. Differing from the norm, coffee was placed before him. Lauren’s eyes widened upon seeing the jet-black liquid.

Coffee. Imported across the sea, its price was so astronomical that at the Baron’s manor, she hadn’t even dared dream of tasting it. So it was available here at the Duke’s estate. Next time, perhaps she should ask for that instead of tea. She must have stared far too intently at the cup set before Aster. Sensing something from her gaze, Aster chuckled softly.

“It’s going to be a long conversation.”

Lauren nodded. He would likely bring up Delania. Though Aster had told her she could speak whenever she felt ready, she had already heard from Calvin that Delania had been invited to dinner tomorrow. Calvin had bowed his head deeply in apology, saying he would never have let her into the estate had he known she would make Her Grace suffer so much.

Lauren had stopped him, assuring him it was fine. Even she hadn’t anticipated Delania seeking her out, so how could Calvin have known? It was not his fault. If anything, the blame lay with Lauren, who had published a massive article about herself on the front page of the newspaper without considering that the people of the Sears Baronial House might see it.

Still, thanks to Aster staying by her side yesterday, she was able to sleep soundly without indulging in foolish thoughts. After hearing the news from Calvin and eating breakfast, she had managed to organize her mind to some extent. Therefore, she could talk as much as needed. Raising her eyes from staring down at her teacup, Lauren looked straight into Aster’s settled green eyes. It was her signal that she was ready to speak and listen.

Yet contrary to her expectations, what he laid down on the table while gazing quietly at her was a single envelope. Lauren tilted her head and looked down at it. On the envelope, whose edges were delicately trimmed like lace, was stamped a red wax seal laced with gold dust. Narrowing her eyes to inspect the seal, she let out a small sound.

“Is this… something I am allowed to see?”

Lauren’s reaction—knitting her brows and glaring at the envelope—was no different from his own, bringing a laugh almost to his lips. Did she dislike the Imperial Family as well? Holding back a laugh at the strange sense of kinship he felt, Aster watched as Lauren sought his permission to open it. Aster nodded, bringing his coffee cup to his lips. They needed to discuss it together, so it was imperative that she opened and read it.

Lauren pressed her lips tight and opened the envelope. Since he had already checked it first and broken the seal, there was no need for something like a letter opener. Carefully reading the two cards inside, she let out a sigh and slipped them back into the envelope.

“This is an important matter.”

An invitation to an Imperial Ball. It was only natural for it to take precedence over someone like Delania. The date was two weeks from now. Was that a long preparation period, or a short one? Having never been to a ball before, she had no idea what needed to be prepared. At the very least, it was a relief that she had commissioned Jasmine in advance to tailor Aster’s formal suit and her own evening dress.

“This is terrible.” “Hmm?” “If it’s a ball, people will naturally dance, right? I don’t know how to dance. Because I’ve never been to such places……”

Lauren had given up on entering social circles. Naturally, she had never attended a ball, nor had she ever intended to. Reading another book or looking over one more document during that time brought her far more joy. Knowing this, her parents hadn’t forced her to attend social gatherings, either. But now, of all times, a ball.

The only dance she had ever learned was a village festival dance taught at school during her childhood. Lauren’s quivering, light violet eyes turned toward Aster. She hated standing in front of other people. Let alone embarrassing herself by trying to dance a dance she didn’t even know how to do. Just the thought of it felt like she might faint.

“Are you good at athletic activities, Lauren?”

Aster, placing his coffee cup back onto its saucer, turned to ask her. Wondering why he was asking such a thing, Lauren nevertheless answered dutifully.

“I think I was good at running when I was young. Why do you ask?” “At the military academy, they also teach dancing as part of an officer’s refined education.”

Ah, I see. Aster knows how to dance. So, what of it? She felt that he wasn’t saying such a thing just to show off.

“Shall I teach you?”

Aster flashed a bright smile toward her. Lauren could only stare at him with wide, astonished eyes.