Chapter 20. Francis Twins

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Before I knew it, the day of the Vogt family’s banquet arrived.

Aster visited Francis Castle to escort Camilla. They had agreed to attend the event together.

But there was an unexpected issue at the gate. The carriage carrying Aster couldn’t pass through, and the coachman was arguing with the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper said firmly,

“I’m sorry, but the Blanche family cannot enter.”

“We have an appointment!”

“I’ve heard nothing of it. And we’ve been deceived by such excuses before.”

“What!”

The coachman grumbled in frustration, prompting Aster to poke his head out of the window.

“What’s going on?”

“They’re refusing to let us in, saying the Blanche family can’t enter.”

The coachman groaned, but the gatekeeper repeated his words with a stern expression.

Given his stubborn face, it seemed the incident with Paris had heightened their vigilance against the Blanche family.

Aster pulled out the invitation from the Vogt family and the letter from Camilla, saying,

“We’re attending the Vogt family’s party today. I’m here to escort her, so please let us through.”

“Excuse me.”

The gatekeeper replied stiffly and checked the invitation and letter. After a moment, he returned them and said,

“I will contact the main castle for confirmation. Please wait a moment.”

Despite the evidence, he seemed suspicious. Knowing Aster was her fiancé, the response was a bit excessive.

‘They must really dislike the Blanche family.’

Even Camilla had initially put up a strong defense upon learning his identity. Considering she even mentioned breaking off the engagement, it was clear how much the Francis family disliked the Blanches.

Moreover, it hadn’t been long since Paris had caused a commotion under false pretenses. So, the unusual procedure didn’t feel entirely unreasonable.

After a while, the gatekeeper saluted.

“I apologize for the inconvenience. You may enter.”

The heavy gates opened, allowing the carriage to pass.

The coachman grumbled as he drove the carriage. Aster nonchalantly adjusted his attire inside the carriage.

It was his first time standing beside Camilla as her partner. Although it wasn’t an official event, he felt proud to be worthy of standing by her side.

In the past, she had been someone he couldn’t even dream of being close to. Reflecting on the past, Aster’s expression softened.

This time, it was his turn to reveal himself confidently. There was nothing more to hide or hesitate about.

He was glad she liked his body. Recalling the night in Camilla’s bedroom, Aster smiled.

That night, as intense as their first passionate night in the hotel, still excited him.

‘Ah.’

Camilla, clinging to him and moaning, was incredibly lovable. Her lips calling his name with a flushed face, her warm, soft skin, her moaning voice. Everything was so vivid it made him ache every night.

As long as he could continue receiving her affectionate gaze, Aster felt he could do anything.

He suddenly remembered when Camilla had proposed a contract relationship.

‘One month. Let’s spend one month getting to know each other. If we still don’t love each other after that, we’ll break off the engagement cleanly.’

While pondering how to change her mind, she unexpectedly made such a proposal. It seemed she was feeling guilty for losing his virginity to her.

Aster was rather pleased. It was fortunate that he met Camilla that day, that he happened to be her type, and that they spent the night together. Thanks to that, he wasn’t immediately dumped.

Unfortunately, he had no intention of letting her go after a month. If he had, he would have stepped back long ago.

Aster had just stepped out of the carriage and entered the lobby.

“Don’t move.”

“I’ll shoot if you move.”

“Hm?”

Two little kids blocked Aster’s path, pointing water guns at him. Aster blinked in surprise.

Judging by their black hair and blue eyes, they seemed to be the Francis twins. Unlike Camilla, who had pink hair resembling the late Duchess, Catherine and Edith had black hair like the Duke.

Aster couldn’t help but smile at their resemblance to Camilla.

He decided to play along with the children’s prank, stopping in his tracks and raising his hands. Catherine and Eddie questioned him with even more determined eyes.

“What brings you here, young duke of Blanche?”

“If you try to kidnap our Sis again, I won’t forgive you.”

Their skill in wielding the water guns suggested they had a lot of water fights.

Aster answered with his hands still raised.

“That’s strange. I don’t remember kidnapping anyone.”

“Liar! You kidnapped our Sis for half a day last time.”

“Yeah! And you even brought your minion to cause trouble.”

‘Could that minion be Paris Blanche?’

Aster’s lips twitched at the thought of Paris being called a minion. If Paris knew, he would have thrown a fit.

‘How cute.’

The more indignant Catherine and Eddie became, the more Aster found them fascinating. Unlike the fractured Blanche family, the Francis family seemed quite close-knit.

Siblings who were angry because their sister was taken away. If it were him, he would have asked someone to kidnap Paris.

The more serious the twins were, the more Aster wanted to laugh. Being threatened with water guns was amusing. A threat with magic would have been much scarier.

Of course, Aster didn’t want to get his clothes wet before meeting Camilla, so the water guns were quite a threat.

“This is troubling. I have plans with Camilla today. Could you let me off just this once?”

Aster pleaded with a sorrowful expression, causing the soft-hearted Edith to waver. Catherine and Eddie were also surprised, not expecting the Blanche to yield first.

They had planned to shoot the water guns under the guise of self-defense, but their plan was foiled from the start. Catherine quickly regained her composure and shouted while shooting the water gun.

“Take that! I won’t be fooled! I never trust anything a Blanche says!”

Unfortunately, the water Catherine shot didn’t reach Aster. He had quickly stepped back to avoid it.

“Sorry, but I can’t get my clothes wet. I have an important party to attend today.”

Catherine, frustrated by Aster’s calm demeanor, called out to Eddie.

“You think you can escape? Eddie!”

“Got it!”

Edith joined Catherine in shooting water. Aster dodged skillfully, but then he saw Camilla on the second floor and leaped up to her.

Camilla stared at Aster, who suddenly appeared.

“Aster? What are you doing on the railing?”

“I came to pick you up, Camilla.”

Aster smiled and stood beside her as if nothing was wrong. Glancing down, he saw Catherine and Eddie evaporating the water they had spilled.

They were hurriedly cleaning up, knowing Camilla would notice the wet floor.

Their quick cleanup skills suggested they had done this many times before. But they forgot to hide the water guns in their hands, revealing their childishness.

Aster pointed downstairs with his body, helping the twins escape unnoticed.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, I was just about to come down. You made quite an entrance.”

“I couldn’t wait to see you.”

As he spoke, he glanced down to see Catherine and Eddie sneaking away with the water guns.

Seeing them, he chuckled, and Camilla moved closer.

“What are you laughing at?”

She tilted her head to look down, but Aster blocked her view.

“It’s nothing.”

“Hmm. Suspicious.”

Camilla looked at Aster skeptically. Meanwhile, Aster confirmed that Catherine and Eddie had safely escaped and stepped aside.

“If you don’t believe me, you can check.”

“Do you think I won’t?”

Camilla replied with a huff and looked downstairs. She searched thoroughly, but nothing seemed out of place.

As she was looking down, Aster suddenly covered her hands from behind. His large, rough hands completely enveloped hers.

The scent at the tip of her nose was different from usual, mixed with a new perfume. Trapped in his arms, Camilla held her breath as memories of the previous night flooded back.