I Didn’t Know I Had Two Husbands - Chapter 42

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In truth, he had realized early on that his side business in information brought in far more money than his main trade. However, if he openly tried to gather information himself, rumors would spread no matter what.

He did not want his proud family, with its long history, to become entangled in scandal. But if a man who looked exactly like him stayed in the estate in his place, wouldn’t that solve the problem?

Inside the estate, no response would be difficult to manage, and in the meantime he could move quickly to gather information and expand his business based on it.

What good was being a duke? Without wealth, even counts and viscounts would look down on him.

Lucian’s great-great-grandfather predicted that in the future, money rather than title would determine status. So he made a proposal to the man who was living idly in the countryside.

Just twenty years.

If the man would remain at the estate in his place for twenty years, he would be given enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

The man, who looked strikingly similar to him, readily accepted the offer. The life of a noble appealed to him, and there was no reason to refuse such a large sum of money.

He also could not accept the idea that a handsome man like himself would spend his entire life stuck in such a remote place. Yet the environment where he lived was too harsh to make it easy to move to a large city, so the duke’s proposal was an opportunity.

Thus, Lucian’s ancestor brought the man to the estate and taught him noble etiquette and knowledge related to administrative duties. There were, of course, many trial and errors, but things progressed reasonably well.

During that time, after establishing a proper information network, Lucian’s ancestor began gathering information in earnest. He collected not only intelligence from within Karserion, but also from neighboring countries.

Information was more profitable than any imported good.

Information could kill a person without a blade.

Information gave hope to some.

Having grown wealthy in a short time, Lucian’s ancestor suddenly became uneasy.

What if, after building the family up like this, his son or grandson ruined everything? What if rumors spread that a ducal family trusted by the Emperor was running an information network?

Growing anxious, he had not only himself but also that man’s son walk the same path. Ironically, the man who had once taken his place already had a child of his own, and strangely enough, their children resembled each other quite closely as well.

Thus, after five generations, it became Lucian’s turn.

Lucian could not forget the first time he met Noctis. The Noctis who appeared before him was so gaunt and ragged that it was hard to say he resembled him at all.

His temperament was like a hissing stray cat, and there was no light in his eyes.

At first, Lucian felt repulsed. He disliked the idea of keeping someone who was not even a noble in his home, and he disliked Noctis even more for his constant sarcasm, despite not knowing his place.

But Lucian’s father was firm. Having walked the same path himself, he trained Lucian and Noctis without hesitation.

So that the two could become one.

Not only their appearance, but also their speech, their gait, their gestures, even their eating habits.

They received the same training every day, and every day they were struck with a riding crop. Even if only one made a mistake, both were punished under collective responsibility.

The reason his family invited so many playmates to the house was also for training. By interacting with other noble children, they practiced appearing as a single person.

Then they met Elaria, who was foolish and painfully innocent.

“…Well, compared to when we were young, life now isn’t so bad, is it?”

Noctis murmured as he recalled the past. At his words, Lucian also thought back to their childhood and agreed.

“Compared to sleeping suspended by magical cords just to match our height, I suppose it isn’t.”

“Pfft, that was really something. But…”

Noctis stared at Lucian, who was sitting across from him, and added,

“…To think we actually ended up the same height.”

“Just a coincidence.”

“With even our build being similar, maybe the magic tools really did have some effect…”

Listening to him mutter, Lucian briefly thought of his father, who had demanded sacrifice for the sake of the family.

For a man who never allowed the slightest compromise when it came to the family, he had been surprisingly lenient when it came to choosing a spouse. He had said that at least the partner who would share the family’s secret should be chosen personally.

Naturally, when he first heard that from his father, the person who came to mind was Elaria.

Because there had never been anyone else he loved.