The Grand Duchess Escape

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Philip urgently called in a nearby butler. While he was preparing for the reception, he rushed to the lord’s call.

“Sir! What’s the matter?”

“Where’s Anthony?”

“Huh? Isn’t Master Anthony there?”

The wedding banquet was scheduled to begin soon, and the servants were extremely busy.

“What? Isn’t little Anthony here?”

The wedding banquet was scheduled to begin in earnest soon, and the servants were in a tizzy.

In the kitchen, dozens of different dishes were being prepared without a pause. Carrying the food also required a lot of manpower. Setting the table and setting the tableware was also a challenge.

There was literally a mountain of work.

The same was true for the butler, who had to adjust and arrange what the servants had to do from time to time.

Of course, he didn’t have the time to find out what Anthony was doing and where he was.

‘Damn it! Where the hell did he go?’

Philip was annoyed.

“Despite all the times I told him to be quiet and stay close to me.” Anthony hadn’t listened to him.

He felt like grabbing him by the back of the head and locking him up somewhere out of sight, especially when he found him drinking from a bottle of wine as soon as the wedding was over.

Of course, after the wedding, simple drinks and beverages would be served, but no one would try to get drunk as soon as the wedding ended; it wasn’t something any noble would do!

But for the most part, they carried cups filled with liquor around for decoration until the atmosphere was ripe. When they did drink, it was only to have a conversation and quench their thirst once in a while.

This was because each of them had their own agenda to carry on.

For the nobles, someone’s wedding was also a momentous social occasion. It was a place where people could meet naturally, exchange dialogue, and make connections.

No one wanted to waste such an important occasion over a mere drink.

Philip was on the edge of losing his mind.

‘Anthony! It’s still midday. What are you going to do if you’re drunk already!’

‘What would this father of yours do if you’ve already fallen drunk?’

Anthony loved to drink. In fact, the word ‘love’ was a very simplified expression.

He was an alcoholic.

Above all, Anthony was a lousy drunk.

At least the nobles were not quite aware of it since Philip, who had attended all the important banquet together with him, had looked out for him. Still, once Anthony got drunk, he was a real thug.

There had been a few times when Anthony had caused an accident, and Philip had been able to contain and cover it up.

‘Where and what is this idiot doing?…!’

However, on this big day, when all the important guests were gathered for the wedding, Anthony started drinking!

Once Anthony had a drink, he couldn’t control himself. He often drank until he became unconscious, and after that, he did all sorts of crazy things.

This was the reason why Philip, who was unfazed by most things, felt impatient.

“I should have held him somehow.”

While he was chatting with the nobles who were calling out to him, Anthony slipped away. It would have been a relief if he had just got drunk and fallen asleep somewhere.

‘I’ll go look for Anthony and surely will hear from him soon.’

Philip was consoling himself by suppressing the anxiety that was rising in him.

“Go, go!”

Philip’s aide hurried over to him with a pale face.

“I’m in serious trouble….”

* * *

Anthony was in a great mood today.

There was no reason not to be. It was only a matter of time before Asella, the woman who stood as a thorn in his side, was finally married, and now the House of Chartus and the Marquisate would be his to claim.

As soon as the news of Asella’s marriage was announced, the attitude of the nobles, who had not adequately acknowledged him before, shifted immediately.

He received numerous invitations every day, even from the high-born aristocrats whom he had never been able to meet before.

Moreover, the sight of the Grand Duke at today’s wedding was as good as putting wings on Anthony’s future.

Every noble who came up to speak to him was trying to appease him. It was clear from the look on their faces.

‘No one will dare to ignore me anymore!’

Even if he stayed still, he was unable to stop himself from letting out giggles.

‘When I became a Marquis, I wouldn’t have to listen to my father’s nagging every time he sees me.’

‘Ah, I’m sobering up…’

Now that the Grand Duke had become his reliable backer, there was no one to stop him from going further.

Still, Philip was obnoxious and kept nagging him, “Don’t do this, don’t do that.” It was horrible.

Philip yelled at him and tugged at his ear just to empty a few of the wine and champagne glasses that were lined up here and there.

Anthony’s mood became sluggish as he remembered that situation.

‘I’m the Marquis and not Father!’

Anthony was annoyed by Philip’s attitude of interfering with his every move.

He didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to let himself be a puppet in Philip’s hands.

Perhaps the irony was that whenever Anthony spoke to nobles about his father, he laughed and replied as if Philip was the best father in the world.

Anthony stood by his father’s side with a sullen expression on his face. But then he snuck out when people crowded around him.

‘Wish I could find a place to drink where my father couldn’t see me…’ 

It had been a month since he had the chance to have a sip of alcohol after being dragged from place to place by Phillip, who said he was going to teach him how to run a business.

‘It was terrible.’

Anthony shook his head.

Today was the day he was going to enjoy himself in a way he had never enjoyed before.

Anthony exchanged pleasantries with the nobles who pretended to know him and walked to the table. The clear glasses of liquor that lined up on the table looked delicious.

Anthony picked up a glass without hesitation and began to fill it one after another.

The champagne and wine glasses were emptied one by one, and Anthony became dizzier and dizzier, as if he was floating on a cloud.

As soon as he sobered up, his rational mind faded.

‘If only I could go out for a while.’

All sorts of happy fantasies wandered through his mind. Anthony’s face relaxed as his mood began to improve.

His manners were long gone.

The neatly tied cravat had disappeared before he knew it. He unbuttoned his shirt, undid his cufflinks, and rolled up his sleeves.

Still, the heat was rising due to the alcohol, and it was frustrating.

He needed to find someplace cool.

He took advantage of everyone trying to push their own agenda and left the banquet hall with a large bottle of champagne in his hand.

He occasionally saw people trying to talk to him in a more private place, but no one interrupted him.

Anthony was walking down the corridor in high spirits when he heard something.

“Ho…”

The maid who was carrying the dishes caught his eye.

“I’ve never seen this maid before…”

Anthony’s insidious gaze scanned every inch of the maid from head to toe.

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