Duchess Vivian [3]

"Gong. You see, my adjutant and I made a bet."

'Here we go again.' Hugo thought. Once in a while, Kwiz went on about nonsense.

"It was a bet as to whether or not Gong carries a handkerchief."

Hugo listened silently with an attitude that was close to disregard but Kwiz was unyielding.

"Knights do not usually carry their handkerchiefs around. But, I mean, Gong is in a grey area. So, I picked that Gong does not carry it around while my adjutant picked that Gong does carry it around."

"What is being bet?"

"If I lose, I will no longer use a phrase that I often use."

Kwiz had a nasty tongue. It was a fact that all his close aides knew. Because Kwiz was ascending the throne and becoming the lord of the country, the adjutant wanted him to fix his manner of speaking so he wouldn't lose face. Until now, no matter what his adjutant said, Kwiz ignored it but as the frequency of nagging increased, it became quite annoying. Then Kwiz got a good idea.

[Make a bet with me. We'll bet one word at a time.]

Rule 1: The content of the bet will be done according to what comes to the mind at that particular moment. Kwiz and the adjutant could take turns in suggesting the content of the bet.

Rule 2: If the adjutant won, Kwiz could not use the inappropriate expression that was being bet afterwards.

Rule 3: In the event of Rule 2 violation, the bet would be deemed as a loss.

Rule 4: If Kwiz won, he could recover an expression that he had been banned from using.

After making a very useless and specific set of rules, Kwiz began the betting game. It was an endless path of repetitions but with the thought that at least something was being done, the adjutant accepted it.

So far, they had made one bet and Kwiz had lost. As a result, Kwiz was blocked from using the expression, 'fuck'.

The Duke of Taran's handkerchief was the second bet. For this bet, the expression 'dead old man' that Kwiz used to refer to the late King was chosen. If Kwiz lost his time, he would have to solemnly refer to the dead old man as the 'late king'.

"So Gong. Tell me. Do you carry a handkerchief around?" (Kwiz)

Hugo alternated glances between Kwiz who had a twinkling gaze like he was facing the problem of a lifetime, and the adjutant whose expression was full of pleas.

Was such a relaxed atmosphere really okay? Hugo was feeling doubtful. For a very short moment, he wondered if he had made a good choice in holding hands with the king.

"I do."

Kwiz was shocked and the adjutant silently cheered. With one word, Hugo dropped one in heaven and the other in hell but his expression was indifferent.

"No way! There's no way Gong carries around that kind of thing!"

If the bet had been a little while back, the winner of the bet would have been Kwiz. Hugo didn't used to carry around a handkerchief. If the need for one ever came up, he could just order someone to clean it up. But it had been quite a while since hebegan to carry a handkerchief.

"I won't lie for such things." (Hugo)

"How can this be."

Kwiz lamented in regret. His scheme of recovering the lost expression 'fuck' by winning this bet was fruitless, rather now, he had to refer to that damned old man as the 'late king'.

"Alright then, show me. Right now." (Kwiz)

Hugo furrowed his brows slightly but eventually, he gave a small sigh and withdrew his handkerchief from his bosom then he placed it onto the table.

Kwiz's eyes widened when he saw the snow-white handkerchief and he picked it up. Its rough texture was cotton and it had a flower embroidered at the corner. Noblemen usually carried dark silk handkerchiefs.

"…Gong. Your taste is quite unique?"

Cotton handkerchiefs were normally used by children. But Hugo did not shrink in the slightest. On the contrary, he look dignified.

"A handkerchief is for wiping dirt. There is nothing as good at performing its intended function like a cotton handkerchief."

'Is he teaching me the function of a handkerchief?' Kwiz wondered as he mulled over Hugo's words and intention. Kwiz figured out the subtle meaning behind the cotton handkerchief and looked at the handkerchief with new eyes. Moreover, since the Duke appeared so dignified, the handkerchief did not seem that bad the more one looked at it.

The handkerchief was nice to the touch, its white color was spotless and the flower at the corner had its own charm. The embroidered flowers was not sewn elaborately so Kwiz had a hunch. From what he could tell, it didn't seem like the work of an expert but an embroidery of the Duchess. The thought that it was made by his younger sister whose face he hadn't yet seen made him want to have it.

"Hmm. After listening to Gong, it does seem that way. Then, give me this."

"…Pardon?"

Hugo could not snatch it away from the King who had put it in his pocket.

Wasn't it just a handkerchief ?

Of course, to Hugo, it was not just a handkerchief. He didn't carry it around to use but as a kind of charm.

One day, his wife cut out pieces of white cotton and began to make handkerchiefs herself. She would either make time or use her spare time to embroider the corner of the handkerchief. Like that, when she made a bunch, she would sent it to Damian every few months.

A white cotton handkerchief with a flower embroidered at the corner.

Anyone could tell it was an item for a child. But Hugo wanted to have it.

Because it was embarrassing to suddenly say that he wanted to have cotton handkerchief with an embroidered flower, he helped himself to some. It would have been better if he declared it confidently. But because he had done it in an impulse of a moment, he was unable say anything even more. The few handkerchiefs that Hugo took were stored deep in his office drawer.

After some time, she changed the embroidery to Damian's name, stating that flowers were not suitable for boys. No matter how much Hugo liked her handmade articles, he did not want to carry around a handkerchief that had the boy's name.

The handkerchiefs with flower embroidery were limited first edition items that could not be obtained presently. Only a few existed but one was just snatched away.

Hugo's mood instantly plummeted. Today, of all days, he certainly did not want to see the shameless face of the king.

***

Lucia felt deeply exhausted as soon as she got home. Once she entered the house, her tension quickly evaporated. Even if she had experienced it in her dream, in this lifetime, it was her first activity and first stage.

Having to maintaining her expression while being under people's scrutiny required considerable effort. In addition, perhaps because Sofia had gotten on her nerves, her body felt exhausted as if she had done hard labor. She took an early dinner and retired to bed early.

Today, Hugo returned home past dinner time but it was not that late. When he saw that she hadn't come to greet him, he searched for her with his eyes. Without being asked, Jerome gave an answer.

"Milady retired to bed early. She seemed to be tired from the outing today."

When Hugo frowned, Jerome added.

"Milady made no mention of being troubled. She said there was no need for a doctor and that the tea party was pleasant."

Hugo quickly went up to her bedroom. He entered the bedroom and sat on the bed, looking at her quietly sleeping figure. After a while, he reached out to smoothen her disheveled hair that was sprawled out on the pillow.

"…Hugh? Are you back?"

Her eyes flickered and opened. As she was half-asleep, her voice sounded indistinct and muddled.

"I didn't mean to wake you up. Go back to sleep."

The sound of his low reverberating voice was nice. Lucia smiled and as if stretching, she lifted up her arms to reach for him. Hugo smiled and lowered his body. Her slender arms wrapped around his neck. Hugo placed hand on her back to support her. He could feel her warm temperature coming from beneath her thin nightwear. He wrapped one arm around her waist, lifting her up and taking her into his embrace. Her fragrant scent tickled his nose. Hugo felt his heart squeeze with wicked thoughts and closed his eyes.

"Do you feel ill somewhere?" (Hugo)

"No. I was just a little tired. I think I was tensed up because I was meeting a lot of people after a long time." (Lucia)

"How was the tea party?"

"It was like a tea party."

Hugo pulled her away from him and met her eyes.

"That's it?"

"Apart from that, what else is there? I am the Duchess. They were all being careful of my mood."

Lucia had no intention of telling him about the incident with Sofia. Sofia's actions were completely because of her lingering attachment and obsession. It is not his fault. He had already closed that chapter before their marriage. Although the way he broke it off wasn't sweet, did it make sense to be tender when it came to the separation between a man and woman? It was better to cut it off completely rather than give room for doubts.

Since she had given Sofia a warning, she planned to wait and see. If Sofia stayed quiet, Lucia planned to leave it at that but if the woman showed herself on the social stage, she would not overlooked it.

Lucia was the Duchess. If she ordered it, it would be a walk in the park to make her followers, who were dying to get into her good graces, to act. There would be no need for Lucia to get her hands dirty. As long as she gave them a glance, it was a simple thing for them to humiliate Sofia and make sure she couldn't show her face in the social circles again.

The world of the high society did not respect nor did it tolerate, forgiveness and generosity. One would be ridiculed as a fool who could not even protect their own authority. No matter how high your position was, if you showed weakness of the mind, there was an overflowing amount of people that would sponge off you with sparkling eyes. Even if being vicious would hurt your prestige, you shouldn't just let everything pass. Lucia did not want to dominate the social circles but she had no intention of looking like an easy target.

"That's good to hear. Nothing much happened?"

"Yes. What about you? How was today?"

Hugo was depressed for a moment when he remembered his handkerchief that was taken.

"It was the same as always."

"By the way, do you know how many questions I got over you escorting me today? I didn't know it's not supposed to be done."

Hugo's eyebrows jumped.

"Who says it's not?"

"Nobody does it. That's practically the same thing."

��If I do it then it's done from now on."

Lucia gave him a side eye. There he goes again. In any case, his unreasonableness and pride could not be stopped.

"I don't want to next time. I don't want to become a spectacle."

"…Why are you so concerned about other people's gazes?"

"You are just overly unconcerned."

When he remained silent and just watched her, Lucia's eyes widened slightly. He suddenly tightened his hold on her and covered her lips with his. He bit her tender lips lightly and wove his tongue into her mouth. Feeling his soft tongue moving around in her mouth, her fingers began throbbed. Lucia tightened her arms around his neck and loosely clenched her fists. The kiss was sweet without any fierceness.

Hugo pulled away from her lips and kissed the side of her mouth. Then he lay her back down on the bed.

"Go to bed. Your eyes are full of sleep. I'll go and get some work done overnight."

"Is there a lot of work?"

"Instead of lying next to you and spending a sleepless night, I am going to get some work done."

"…you. Do you only think of that every day?"

"Of course."

Lucia looked at him in disbelief then burst into laughter.

* * *

Hugo looked through the list of participants for the tea party that Lucia had attended today. Fabian inwardly grumbled at having to come into the ducal residence late at night with documents but on the outside, his expression was earnest.

Even though Fabian sometimes held his ground against the Duke, he had never forgotten that fundamentally, the Duke was a scary person. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Fabian would never do or say anything that would offend the Duke.

Hugo had light-heartedly asked Fabian to bring the list of today's attendees. In the future, she would attend parties more often and it was impossible for him to individually check who attended every time. He was going to look through it this time because today was her first gathering.

As Hugo took a rough look over the list of participants, his eyes twitched slightly.

'Fuck.'

A word that Kwiz often used automatically popped up in his head. The 'Countess of Alvin' was very boldly printed on the list. Hugo hoped that he had misread so he checked it over a few more times but there was no doubt. Hugo suddenly began to sweat.

"This tea party. Find out exactly what happened during this party." (Hugo)

Work has increased again. 'Hu-hu' Fabian lamented inwardly.

"When do you want it?" (Fabian)

"As soon as possible."

Hugo's voice was dark.

At times like this, one must unconditionally crawl. Fabian answered in a reliable manner.

"Understood. I will focus all manpower on it and take care of it."

A few days later, Hugo received a report. A portion of maids that waited on the party attendees were bought off and the situation at the time was recreated as much as possible. Some of it was the pretty useless prattle of women and the amount was fairly thick but Hugo read through it with patience. When he finished reading everything, his sentiment was simple:

'I'm in trouble.'