Lucia Chapter 73

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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 as one 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 that didn't know the preciousness of life to dare to come onto a woman that was accompanied by her husband but, 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 .

Chapter end