His wife handled it well but she had almost gotten humiliated at her first social stage. Because of her husband's past woman.
'Why didn't she tell me?'
She had the right to blame him and get angry at him. However, she didn't mention it on the day it happened and even until now, she hadn't mentioned it. That was even scarier. It was impossible to know if her mind had already turned away from him and he was not even worth questioning. Hugo didn't understand why the situation kept turning terrible.
Still, he thought that his effort these days had made her slightly more yielding. Her attitude toward him was intimate and she smiled more. Because her boisterous and incessantly joyful appearance was beautiful to see, his mood lately had been elated, like he was stepping on clouds.
However, at the thought of her becoming an ice witch again, his mood immediately plummeted. He was struck with sense of shame and groaned.
'It was really just a momentary greeting in the palace.'
Hugo felt wronged. He was always in the strong position. He had never actually felt the mortified feeling of the weak. Even as a child mercenary slave, he hid his resentment and sharpened his knife at the back, so he didn't know what it meant to feel wronged and stifled inside. She was teaching him a variety of emotions.
'I won't even greet next time. I'll just act like I don't know anything.'
When he read the part where she reproachfully said, 'I know what my husband's handkerchief is,' his chest felt prickly. He wondered if his wife had already known that he took the Damian's handkerchief and just pretended not to know. It was an awkward thought but that sort of thing didn't matter.
Hugo had thick skin. There was no problem if a father took a little bit of his son's thing. The extent to which he could justify himself was very far-reaching.
What Hugo was worried about was whether or not she was disappointed in him. When he thought of their passionate nights these past few days, he was struck with hope.
She might not be angry. He hadn't felt any particular sense of distance. Maybe she regarded the incident at the tea party as a trivial matter and forgot about it. But she was a cruel woman who kept her heart shut to him but allowed him to spend passionate nights with her.
Hugo's melancholy gradually changed into anger. In this entire situation, there was definitely a ringleader. His anger towards them was ignited and gradually flared up.
'Count Jordan. Count Alvin.'
Hugo tapped his fingers on the table.
What had these men done wrong? Such rational thoughts did not cross the current Hugo's mind.
He was mulling over how to punish them. Right now, Hugo had no justification to the touch the Count of Jordan. So, he decided to put it aside for now. He would never forget it. It was simply recorded on his waiting list.
Hugo did not do things like intentionally making up an incident that never happened in order to punish another. In his own way, he found that sort of means cowardly.
However, once he found something that he could pick on, he bit down tenaciously. In the eyes of others, there was no difference between the two methods but Hugo didn't care about what other people thought. To him, he only had to be unashamed to himself.
Moving onto the Count of Alvin, he was a more difficult target. Although Hugo could crush him if he made up his mind, the Count had sprinkled money all over the place. If he was attacked rashly, there were many people that would rise to his defense. Getting rid of those people in addition would make the issue too big and Kwiz would not really like it.
A good idea flashed into Hugo mind.
'I can just move him far away.'
If he couldn't get rid of it, he couldn't just keep it out of his sight. Hugo heard that the Count of Alvin had tried to enter the tea distribution business several times but failed. He would use that as bait and open a channel in the capital for some business reason. When a person is no longer in one's sight, interest in them would also goes away. Sofia would naturally be forgotten.
Among the high-end businesses unofficially owned by the Taran family, there was a huge high-end business that only circulated tea on a large scale. Because a majority of its customers were nobles from other countries, it was active in other countries.
Once the Count of Alvin took the bait, he would not only be away from the capital, he would be away from Xenon for a considerable amount of time. In this sense, Hugo would be giving the Count of Alvin a business opportunity. It was not a punishment but a reward.
Hugo didn't really like this fact but this method was cleaner than making the issue bigger. It was a good thing that the Count of Alvin had excellent business ability so it would only benefit his high-end business.
When Hugo was done thinking about how to handle the issue, his busy brain began to think of what would happen next but he stopped himself. Just because he planned to deal with them didn't mean that the past did not happen.
'Should I ask her about it?'
If he asked, what would she say? If she said she didn't care about his past women, it would make him feel sour in a way. If she said that she was unhappy and didn't trust him anymore, that was even worse.
In the past, Hugo never had to hold in words that he wanted to say but recently, he had had to worry about his words and keep them to himself. It piled and piled up and he was about to have an pent-up disorder.
While he was caught between a rock and a hard place, a good while passed and soon, ten days had gone by since the tea party took place. In the meantime, Lucia had attended more tea parties. This time, they were really small scale tea parties with an attendance of about ten people.
* * *
Today, Lucia was in a good mood because she had gotten a letter from Damian. During their evening walk, she had chattered in length about what Damian had been up to in the Academy. Although Hugo was already informed of everything in separate report, he acted interested and listened to her, currying to her mood. It was all to grab this particular chance.
"Vivian. I heard a rumor."
Hugo sat on the bed and carefully asked Lucia who was sitting in front of the mirror on her dresser. Rumors of the incident at the tea party was now widely known throughout the social circle. The fact that afterwards, the Countess of Alvin had locked herself up at home added to the credibility of the rumor. Hugo did not say that he had investigated and simply spoke as if he had heard it about it from the rumors.
"Mm. Yes. There was such a thing."
Lucia replied like it was nothing. It was as if Hugo's worry all this time was for naught.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"How can I tell you every trivial thing that happens in the social circle? It's a women's issue."
"…Was it a trivial thing?"
He felt sour indeed.
"It was a trivial thing because I believed in you."
Hugo's sinking mood instantly revived.
"Since you know anyways, I will go ahead and ask. Can you tell me who your past women are?"
Hugo broke out in cold sweat.
"That…why?"
"Because I need to know who they are to take appropriate measures. I am not trying to find fault with you. Just as I said, it is necessary for me to know who they are."
"…"
"Okay?"
"…Alright. I'll tell Jerome."
Hugo felt complicated. It wasn't the worst outcome but it wasn't a situation he was pleased with. She was so clean to the extent that it was heartless and her emotions did not leak out at all.
In the past, Hugo wished that women would be like her. However, his wife, whom he wished and pleaded would not be like that, was rigid without any gaps. He was the one who was pathetic and struggling to get a piece of his wife's heart. No matter how much he climbed, he couldn't see the end of the wall that surrounded her.
Hugo stood up and hugged Lucia from behind. He buried his head in her small shoulder.
"Vivian. I know nothing about this. I have never met that women in private."
Believe me. Don't be hurt by it. Don't close your heart to me. Numerous entreaties swirled around in his head.
"I know. I trust you."
A short word of trust. Hugo didn't realize that a simple phrase would make him feel so relieved and reassured. The sense of relief instantly made his restless heart feel at ease. Would receiving trust from another person make his heart feel so complicated? No. It was because the trust was from his woman, not from any other person.
"…Really?" (Hugo)
"Of course. You promised me." (Lucia)
"So…it isn't that you didn't tell me because you were angry but because you trusted me so you didn't care?"
"Exactly."
Hugo hugged her tighter, enjoying the feeling of her warmth in his arms. His heart warmed up. This feeling that sometimes felt hopeless and other times, somehow smarting but sweet. This feeling was happiness.
If he didn't know about it then that was that but now, he couldn't let go of this sweetness that he had already experienced. He was afraid that he would lose what he had gotten a hold of for the first time since his brother died.
***
The day of the coronation ceremony was bright. Following tradition, the coronation ceremony proceeded according to a very solemn customary practice and its participants were strictly restricted in an enclosed area. When the morning coronation ceremony was over, there was a big party to be held for three consecutive days, today included.
For today in particular, which was the first day, a light celebration party would be held from noon till dusk then from dusk till dawn, an excitement-filled ball would be held. The other two days were scheduled to have only a ball in the evening.
It was the first party to be held by the new owner of the country so the scale was enormous and the number of participants was also enormous. The number of delegations and aristocrats that came from other countries was nothing to sneeze at. When compared to the victory party that was held last year, the scale was about the same but the nobles participating in today's event were qualitatively superior.
The nobles that were absent at the victory party because they disliked the squandering atmosphere would all be present for at least today's party.
From early in the morning, Lucia's mind was in a mess as she made her preparations. She had gone to a few tea parties in the meantime but from the looks of it, her state of mind had been light because the setting was light as well.
However, today was the first official party since the previous king's death and this event was going to be Lucia's official social debut. She could not help but become nervous. Antoine, who was almost an exclusive designer now, punctually brought her assistants early in the morning and dressed Lucia from head to toe.
For today's event, Antoine designed a brand new dress with her heart and soul. The image Antoine was going for today was elegance and sensuality.
"Perfection. Duchess is really beautiful day after day."
The dress was a pink tinged, pearl-gray dress with exquisitely sewn vibrant pearly pink beads. The neckline was wide so the shoulders were slightly revealed and the collarbone was conspicuous. The sleeve was narrow so it clung to the arm and as it went down the sleeve, it had folds that gave it a flair.
The base of the dress itself was double layered with lace but about 1/3 of the upper arm was made up of only lace so the skin beneath the lace could be seen. Overall, it was still a modest style. But, the twist was at the back.
The back of the dress was cut to boldly reveal half of the back. The shoulder blades were exposed and the shallow valley of the spine was conspicuous. The unblemished white skin at the back gave off a peculiar feeling. The back waist of the dress was raised to emphasize the rich folds of the hem. The thin waist was brought to the fore, giving the body an overall curvy silhouette.
Antoine looked with satisfaction at the result she had made with her hands. She felt the impulse to raise her hand to her lips and laugh 'ohohoho', like a witch in a child's fairy tale book. It was worthwhile to design for the Duchess in that the designs always turned out like she imagined. The Duchess was the perfect muse that stimulated Antoine's creativity.
Lucia was also satisfied. Antoine's skill was improving day by day. The fact that she could make it give off a different atmosphere every time without any awkwardness was amazing. The design was alluring but not overly flashy and its somewhat innocent side was charming.
"Would you like to take a little walk? Please check if there is any inconvenience."
Lucia took a few steps around. The feeling of the soft fabric clinging to her upper body was nice. The gorgeous lace shook flutteringly every time she moved. The numerous small diamonds embedded in the lace twinkled and shined. It was an expensive dress made with enormous material costs. Antoine had received a blank check from the Duke of Taran for the production of the coronation dress. Her artistic soul exploded.
"There is no inconvenience. The dress is very comfortable and beautiful."
"I am glad you like it. You bring out the beauty of my work perfectly. It really suits you."
Antoine's flattery was filled with sincerity and Lucia smiled faintly. Even Lucia could see that there was nothing bad to say about herself today.
"Milady. It looks like Master will be a little late."
A maid quickly came in and reported.
"Mm. So? Madame. Would you like some refreshments? I didn't feel good about just sending away a hard worker and opportunely, there is some time on our hands. If you aren't busy."
"I will gladly accept. Thank you for having me."
After the Duchess left the tea party, there was a flood of orders to Antoine's boutique. The commissions for 'Antoine's boutique' were accepted but all direct commissions were rejected. There would not be enough time to focus only on the Duchess.
Even though the main designer was not taking charge, the orders were still overflowing. Antoine was laughing all the way to the bank. She had earned well before but now, it seemed to be pouring out a river of gold.
While Lucia and Antoine were enjoying their tea time and whiling away time, Hugo was just entering the mansion. As soon as the coronation ended, he came back to the mansion to escort her.
Hugo was slightly upset. Because he was held back by people, he arrived later than the time they had scheduled for pick up. The person who became King was someone else so why were there so many dregs trying to hang onto him?
"Milady is waiting inside."
At Jerome's report, Hugo immediately went into the receiving room. Hugo saw her sitting there and as he watched her rise from the couch, he forgot to speak. He paused for a moment and fixed his eyes on her. Very slowly, His eyes swept over her, from top to bottom, unhurriedly examining her.
Beautiful. No. It couldn't be expressed with a single word. His critical gaze lightly brushed past Antoine. The woman didn't have to do her best to this extent.
'Damn it. This means I have to show this to other people."
When he thought of other men seeing her, he was filled with so much regret. There was no one who didn't know how precious life was, to dare to come onto a woman that was accompanied by her husband however, he was worried about the future where she would occasionally have to go to a ball by herself.
When they were in the north, it was good. In those days, at least he didn't have to worry about tiger-like bastards. If he could, he wanted to forget the party, quit everything, grab her and take her to the bedroom.
She is mine.
His intense possessive desire treacherously overflowed. He was afraid she would run away if she saw the darkness in his eyes so he hid it with a soft smile.
"You look beautiful."
Lucia's expression flushed slightly and she gave a sweet smile.
"You look amazing too."
He was dressed in a black tuxedo and looked absolutely splendid. Compared to women who wore colorful dresses like a peacock, men usually wore similar black tuxedos but the look that was brought alive, differed according to body shape.
With his tall stature, broad shoulders and nimble body, the simple black tuxedo had transformed into the most attractive clothing in the word. Knowing his firm and rich muscles that was hidden beneath the suit, Lucia felt his attire was much more risqué.
Antoine watched the ducal couple with sparking eyes. The Duke couldn't keep his eyes off his wife and his eyes were filled with tender affection. In the aristocratic world where marriage of convenience was rampant, it was hard to see a married couple that was filled with affection like this.
"Madame Antoine has worked hard."
When the Duke of Taran's gaze fell on her, Antoine bowed her waist.
"You've done a great job. Is there still more left to do?"
"No, Your Grace. Preparation is complete."
Hugo escorted Lucia and climbed onto the carriage. Antoine and her assistants as well as the employees of the Ducal Household came out to see the ducal couple off. Each and every one of them were watching the ducal couple with joyful eyes. Meanwhile, Antoine was making new calculations in her head.
There is one concept that vanishes when it comes to a man that has fallen for a woman. It was precisely the financial sense.
Antoine firmly believed that the affection for the woman was in proportion to the money. In any case, the Duke of Taran seemed ready to spend any amount of money for his wife. Antoine's eyes shone in determination to get all that money in her skirt[1].