Chapter 564: THE DUKE AND HIS GARDENS

ASTRID almost received a whiplash upon seeing the face of the duke. Because he was unsure how to react, he wasn’t able to look away as quickly. Now he couldn’t even pretend he didn’t see anything. His reaction made it quite obvious that he had seen the other, after all.

If the duke had a high-level physique, which he most probably had, then he would have seen his even minute reaction. Which meant Astrid couldn’t pretend he didn’t see the other even if he wanted to.

After a few seconds, he managed to calm down. He smiled at the duke and made a polite bow before turning his gaze away. Just in time, the photographer finally began the photoshoot.

He emptied his mind and did his job.

Marvelously, if he might say so.

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Anthony put down his gardening tools and looked at the young man wearing some kind of dress. Strangely enough, it didn’t look out of sorts. As if the clothes were perfectly tailored for him.

He only found out this morning that some kind of photoshoot was about to be held today. Cassius didn’t know he would be here today. That’s probably why he chose this day to schedule this photoshoot.

And he couldn’t blame him for that. Because none of the members of their family went here that often. It’s one of the manors that were… not usually visited by any of them.

There was one reason for that, really. Because they were the favorite manors of his deceased wife.

His wife’s passing left a huge hole in their family. So big that it tore them apart. Although, his own actions were the real reason why they ended up like this. He was so consumed by anger and revenge that he pushed away all the treasures that his wife left behind. No amount of forgiveness could ever atone for all the hurt and pain he had given them.

When Nicol was born a few years back, Anthony started to visit all these manors. He immediately noticed all the gardens being utterly neglected. The gardens had always been his wife’s favorite part of these manors. He remembered how they always seemed to be in bloom.

And so, starting from then, he decided to personally tend to these gardens, to bring them back to their former glory.

It took two years for all the gardens to come back to life. Even after they regained their former beauty, he didn’t stop tending to them. He would come back every three months to maintain them.

And yesterday was his scheduled visit to this manor. He planned to stay here for the next three days. It just so happened that it overlapped with this photoshoot.

Cassius had no idea about his schedule. If he did, he would probably not pick this manor as the site for this photoshoot. Of course, he wouldn’t berate him for this. He had every right to use this manor as he pleased.

Anthony brought his gaze back to the photoshoot happening at the distance.

Amidst a flourishing pink rose bush, a beautiful young man was captured while modeling the clothes he wore. With striking black hair, deep black eyes, and an almost pearl-like complexion, he stood out against the delicate backdrop of blooming roses. The natural setting served as a serene stage for the elegance he exuded, showcasing the clothes with understated charm.

Anthony knew that the young man, Astrid Townsend, was wearing clothes from EMMA. The clothing brand that his wife left behind and named after their daughter – Emmaline.

A pang of indescribable pain filled his heart when he thought of Emmaline, the daughter he failed in all possible ways imaginable.

He closed his eyes tightly and emptied out his mind. If he continued to think about her, the urge to look for her current whereabouts would definitely overwhelmed him.

When she left over 20 years ago, she made it quite clear that she didn’t want anything to do with the Grimaldi family. To announce her death to everyone and to act like she had already departed in this world. She didn’t even allow Cassius, the brother she was closest to, to know that she was still alive.

That’s when he knew that his daughter wanted a clean break. A break from the life of a noble. A break from her family.

He gave one last look at Astrid before walking in the direction of the manor.

As he did, he suddenly thought of his grandson, Nicol. He remembered how much the child adored Astrid Townsend. To the point that he would be standing in front of the screen projector every weekend to watch that show the other was in.

Nicol didn’t have a class in the afternoon. Maybe he could ask someone to bring him here so he could meet this big brother he liked so much.

—–

After the photoshoot in the garden, Astrid glanced back at the spot where the duke was. The other was no longer there. And yet, he couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief. Because it wouldn’t change the fact that the duke was in the manor.

Casey must have not known that the other was here. If he knew, he would definitely not use this manor as the set location for this photoshoot.

But anyway, since the other was already here, there’s nothing he could do about it. It’s not like he could ask the owner of the manor to leave. He just had to do what he came here for. Nothing more, nothing less.

And with that, he focused all his attention on the photoshoot.

The photoshoot ended just nearing lunch. Because of how much focused Astrid was, everything ended much faster. Every photo the photographer had taken was almost editorial ready.

In fact, the photographer showed a look of disappointment when the photoshoot ended early. His face showing just how much he wanted to continue. Good thing the creative director stopped him from suggesting that.

Astrid was about to return to the dressing room to change clothes when he heard a familiar voice calling to him.

“Brother Aster!”

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