TDWO Chapter 3
by xxsienna
“…….”
The man’s black eyes, observing Anri, grew even deeper and more intense than before.
It was like looking at jet-black honey.
The man seemed to hold a deep attachment just by thinking about what belonged to him.
“Therefore, there is no need to spread Kristan’s offspring indiscriminately among various mares. Just one high-quality mare to continue Kristan’s pure bloodline is sufficient.”
“Have you found a lifelong companion for Kristan?”
“Unfortunately, Kristan is also a very proud stallion.”
“Please don’t be too hard on the stallion. He’s not even a young horse; how much does he need a wife?”
“Yes. It’s a shame for Marilyn, too. I wish I could show her what a great stallion Kristan is.”
“I hope you find a mare that appeals to Kristan soon.”
Anri stepped back and nodded again.
But the man’s eyes remained rigid and fixed on her.
Just as Anri was about to return to the carriage, a voice suddenly rang out excitedly.
“Who is this dashing gentleman, Anri?”
Catherine stepped out, accompanied by her two daughters.
She was starting to get impatient, wondering why it was taking so long.
As she couldn’t wait any longer and was about to push open the carriage door, lo and behold, a dashing gentleman, whom she had never seen before in the neighborhood, had arrived!
He was a handsome man who seemed to have experienced the refreshing coolness of an icy waterfall just by looking at him.
Catherine unconsciously pushed Anri aside with one arm and turned to face the young nobleman.
“Candice! Eunice!”
“Yes, Mother!”
As if she had been waiting, Candice hurriedly ran towards them, causing Anri to be pushed aside again.
‘These people!’
Anri struggled to regain her balance.
Eventually, as Eunice approached with small steps, Catherine grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.
“I am Viscountess Wentworth, and these two girls are Candice and Eunice. They are Viscount Wentworth’s daughters.”
Candice bit her lip and nodded a couple times, her eyes shining with excitement.
Catherine, with hopeful eyes, scanned the man, wanting to shake hands with him.
“By any chance, are you single…….”
“We have been delayed quite a bit. I hope Marilyn finds a suitable match.”
However, before Catherine could finish her sentence, the man nodded slightly at Anri and quickly turned away like the wind.
Catherine looked at the man entering the carriage with a disappointed expression.
The man’s retreating figure was as dazzlingly refined and decent as it could be.
However, Anri’s gaze towards the man was dim and almost torn.
‘What’s up with that guy?’
Some individuals can be bothersome without any apparent reason, and that man appeared to be one of them.
Is he trying to flaunt his good looks or something?
‘Does being very handsome solve everything?’
Eventually, the man’s coachman attempted to turn the carriage around.
Marilyn stomped the ground and began to cry, as if to chase after the departing Kristan.
Panicking, Hendel had to pull the reins forcefully, like fishing.
Meanwhile, in the carriage,
Edwin Askar, Duke of Briston, leaned back comfortably against the leather backrest. His long legs were casually crossed over each other.
Without realizing it, a slight chuckle escaped him as he naturally looked out the window. The reason was that the woman was staring at him with a fierce expression.
Does she know that their eyes are meeting right now?
The carriage was specially treated to appear pitch black from the outside, but from inside, the scenery outside was clearly visible through the window.
Edwin was amused. He even felt a sense of exhilaration.
Even if she glared at him like that, it wasn’t scary at all.
‘Viscount Wentworth……?’
It was a family name he’d heard of before.
But he couldn’t recall when.
He wasn’t sure if the four women were all members of the Viscount Wentworth family, as they had distinctly different auras.
The older woman and the twins had brown hair, while the other woman had pink hair.
It was clear they were acquainted, but whether they were family or friends was unclear.
At that moment, one fact suddenly flashed in Edwin’s mind.
‘Ah, the Wentworths.’
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“Surely, it was a limited edition carriage made by Roses and Hounds, Mother.”
Candice sliced the roasted chicken with an excited tone.
Roses and Hounds was a group of artisans who made some of the most expensive luxury carriages in the kingdom.
For generations, they had supplied the royal family with carriages that most nobles could only dream of.
“I know. It’s not something you can buy just because you have a lot of money.”
Catherine spoke proudly as she separated the chicken’s bones from its meat.
Eunice, as always, blissfully spread the chicken in her hands and enjoyed eating it without using cutlery.
“Doesn’t he seem quite young? Could he be married?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Candice, he seems like a perfect match for you.”
“Oh, Mother, really.”
Candice and Catherine laughed heartily, but it was laughter without much substance.
Anri skillfully and neatly dismantled the seasoned meat as if she were in another dimension.
Then she popped a slender, boneless chunk of thick flesh into her mouth.
The tender meat melted gently in her mouth, perfectly seasoned.
Before she even finished chewing, it slid down her throat smoothly. The skin was so crispy and flavorful, as if it had been roasted to perfection.
‘Wow, this is heavenly.’
The taste was so good that she could hardly hear what Catherine and Candice were talking about.
The memory of the unpleasant man she had clashed with during the day had completely disappeared. But then…
“Eunice!”
Catherine shouted in horror, slamming her knife down loudly.
She’d just caught Eunice wolfing down the chicken dish.
For a moment, Anri was stunned and put her fork down.
Woah!
“Barbara, take Eunice’s plate away from her now!”
Barbara, a young maid standing nearby, was just about to approach.
“Could you please speak quietly?”
Catherine’s contemplative voice clashed with Anri’s gentle one.
“What an uncivilized way to speak to your mother!”
“It’s the mother who’s uncivilized. Who pokes the ceiling with their vocal cords at mealtime?”
“What?”
Between Anri and Catherine, Eunice hesitated, looking back and forth nervously.
Catherine shouted sharply with her characteristic sharp and raspy voice, whereas Anri, with her warm voice, remained calm without blinking an eye.
She even glanced at Barbara in case she took her plate away.
“Do you expect me to stay quiet and let your sister turn into a pig?”
“Why are you always being rude to me when you don’t even contribute anything?”
“I don’t contribute anything? I feed and raise you all!”
“You should speak directly. What contribution has Mother made to this household? You even squandered money on three dresses today.”
“You! You……!”
Catherine, gripping the napkin placed on her lap tightly, trembled with anger.
Nonchalantly finishing her words, Anri wiped her lips with the napkin.
Regardless of whether Catherine was angry or not, Anri’s expression remained as calm as usual, which seemed to irritate Catherine even more.
“Even pigs die if they starve.”
After delivering her final blow, Anri quickly tidied up the tableware and got up from her seat, leaving as if she had nothing more to see.
“Ha, if Eunice can’t get married, are you going to take responsibility?!”
Catherine glared at Anri’s back.
“Oh, Anri…….”
Eunice, however, seemed touched and curled her lips, which were still full of meat. She was thrilled that, unlike her birth mother, Anri wouldn’t let herself starve.
Eunice stared at the spot where Anri had left.
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‘What’s the point about that silly ball?’
Anri returned to her room and collapsed onto the bed as if throwing herself down.
A whole month’s worth of living expenses went into the cost of the dress for the ball hosted by the Duke of Briston.
It was such an obvious waste of money that she didn’t even bother buying one for herself.
Catherine didn’t care whether Anri bought a dress or not.
She had her mother’s dress in her stash anyway.
After her father remarried, there was a time when Anri had to sell her mother’s clothes to make ends meet.
But she couldn’t sell her mother’s wedding dress.
Although the dress had fallen out of fashion after more than 21 years, a little alteration would make it presentable.
Still, the signs of wearing down couldn’t be completely hidden.
Dresses aside, it’s Edwin Askar!
No matter how much he was considered the kingdom’s finest man, to the Viscount of Wentworth he was nothing but an enemy who destroyed their family!
‘Ugh!’
Anri buried her face in the pillow and beat the soft comforter vigorously.
Anri’s unpredictable stepmother, Catherine, was already making a fuss about attending the ball.
No matter what Anri does, she never gives up.
She knew something about Edwin Askar that no one else knew—not even Edwin himself.
He would soon become the lover and confidant of the soon-to-be-crowned Queen Erze Branaire.
And he would serve her until his body was crushed, just like in the original version of <The Queen’s Lover.>
Day and night!
Duke Edwin Askar was the male protagonist of the novel <The Queen’s Lover>.
<The Queen’s Lover> is a fantasy novel about the success, love, lust, and downfall of Edwin.
The setting was inspired by 19th-century England.
19th-century England…
It was a famous era when Queen Victoria reigned, and the writings of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens were first introduced to the world.
During that time, nobles always passed down estates and land to their eldest sons, while daughters were left with only dowries and cash inheritances.
Below the nobility, the middle class, known as the gentry, enjoyed wealth and status through skilled labor, and it was an era where women’s lives were largely determined by marriage.
It was the 19th century when corsets cinched waists and crinolines, or bustles, puffed up dresses filled the ballrooms!
<The Queen’s Lover> was inspired by that era.
Even though it was fictional, Anri never imagined she would end up living in a world she had only encountered in books and movies.
