Grand Duke, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Wife! - Chapter 14
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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14.
“Happy birthday, my beloved Anel, Mother…”
It seemed to go well at first, but as emotions welled up, his voice gradually became mixed with tears and sniffles.
“*Sniff*, Your Imperial Majesty’s birthday, *sniff*, congratulationsss, *sob*! My belooooved moooother…”
The Crown Prince was practically wailing.
The Emperor looked surprised at the crying sounds.
“Oh my, Robert. Are you so happy about my birthday that you’re crying? I didn’t realize you cherished me this much.”
Her voice was genuinely surprised.
“Do you know how much Robert thinks about Your Majesty on a regular basis? Haha!”
“Father is right, Mother.”
The efforts of Kukseo and the Princess to somehow cover for the Crown Prince’s behavior were tear-inducing.
The nobles who had gathered around the Emperor in small groups to avoid the Duke clapped their hands to the music.
“What’s happening?”
“Ah. His Highness the Crown Prince is personally singing a birthday song to commemorate Her Majesty’s birth.”
“Oh my. What’s the occasion?”
Ding, di-ri-ri-ring… With the sorrowful performance ending, the Crown Prince exited to the restroom to blow his nose.
Annelize shook her head back and forth.
‘Why did I marry that man?’
Her past self must have been completely insane.
“What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
Annelize looked at the man who would be her husband in this life.
‘He doesn’t seem quite sane either this time.’
With that thought, she led the Duke.
The two briefly took refuge in the corner behind the columns and watched the nobles greet the Emperor.
“Congratulations on your birth.”
“We pray for Your Majesty’s continued good health.”
As the Duke was pushed aside to that corner, the nobles competed to gather near the Emperor.
A shadow fell over Annelize’s head.
The one who cast the house-sized shadow looked down at Annelize.
“Is it still far off?”
It hasn’t even been 10 minutes since we arrived at the ballroom, she wanted to say.
“I don’t understand why one needs to receive congratulations from multiple people when once would suffice. It’s inefficient.”
“It’s good to receive many congratulations. There’s even a saying that joy doubles when shared.”
“Nonsense.”
Annelize calmly reasoned with the Duke.
“There’s still work to be done. Please wait a little longer.”
“Hmm.”
The Duke let out a displeased grunt.
“It’s also good for our marriage.”
“Why?”
“You know that Her Imperial Majesty oversees noble engagements, right?”
“I don’t know.”
What do you know?
“What do you know?”
Oops. I accidentally said that out loud. Annelize quickly gauged the Duke’s reaction.
Instead of flying into a rage, the Duke looked matter-of-fact.
“What I know? Nothing.”
“Ah, yes.”
Wow. He’s quite confident about it.
“So explain.”
Yes, Your Highness. Annelize obediently became a noble encyclopedia for the Duke.
“Unlike Your Highness the Duke, our Solariccen Count Family are vassals of the Imperial Family who received our title from Her Majesty. We can only add names to the family tree after Her Majesty recognizes the marriage.”
The Duke replied indifferently.
“Is the Emperor’s recognition really necessary?”
It was a formal procedure, but without such procedures, it was easy to find fault.
“To be recognized as an official relationship. You said you didn’t want to go to the Temple. And you also said it would be bothersome to come to the Imperial Palace again. If we receive recognition from Her Imperial Majesty here, other procedures won’t be necessary.”
Annelize preferred this way too.
Other methods would take time, and who knows what schemes the Crown Prince or Kukseo might pull during that period.
It would be cleaner to just announce the marriage right now.
With that thought, Annelize looked at the Duke.
“Hmm.”
“You understand what I’m saying, right?”
“I understand.”
The Duke moved. Annelize followed behind the Duke with anxious eyes.
‘Will he be able to do well?’
From her experience, the Emperor wasn’t that difficult a person.
But it would be terrible if they accidentally offended her and she dragged out the marriage approval.
As the Duke approached, the surrounding people disappeared like a receding tide.
The Emperor, who had been talking with Kukseo, noticed the Duke’s presence.
“Hm? Do you have something to say to me?”
The Duke nodded.
“What is it? Tell me.”
“First, I congratulate you on your birthday.”
“Thank you. To think the Duke would congratulate me on my birthday – you live long enough to see everything.”
The Emperor chuckled and accepted the Duke’s words.
The Duke’s words weren’t just simple congratulations. They were a foundation for his next statement.
“They say the joy of celebration doubles when shared, don’t they?”
“Hm?”
The Emperor questioned the unexpected words.
‘That’s what I said earlier. I thought he was ignoring me, but he remembered everything.’
While Annelize was surprised, the Duke continued his next words.
“Therefore, I too would like to receive congratulations.”
In the ballroom where even the Emperor maintained an appropriate distance, staying several steps away due to the Duke’s characteristic intimidating presence.
However, regardless of distance, his voice reached everyone clearly.
The Emperor made an interested face at the Duke’s words.
“Ho. Has something celebratory happened to the Duke as well? Let’s hear it.”
The Duke’s head turned toward Annelize. He pulled Annelize closer.
“I have taken a bride.”
It was the moment when the reason everyone had only speculated about – why Annelize and the Duke had entered together – was revealed.
Suddenly the ballroom became as quiet as a mouse.
Looking at the Duke once, looking at Annelize once. Then looking at the Emperor’s face once more.
The gazes of the ballroom nobles moved busily.
The Emperor’s eyes widened. Soon she burst into laughter.
“Indeed. I will gladly bless you both in the name of the Emperor.”
“*Sniff*…”
Crown Prince Robert, who had returned and was standing beside the Emperor at some point, sniffled.
The Emperor spoke to the Crown Prince with an indifferent expression.
“Robert. Anyone watching would think there’s been a funeral. Stop sniffling.”
Right. You pathetic fool.
Annelize shared the same opinion as the Emperor.
While the Crown Prince wiped his tears with a handkerchief, the Emperor took Annelize’s hand with an affectionate expression.
Perhaps she felt sorry that Annelize had been briefly entangled with such a son? It was rather excessive physical contact.
“I heard that Miss Annelize attended as the Duke’s partner. When on earth did you two become so close behind my back?”
The Emperor’s eyes sparkled as she looked back and forth between the two.
She made no effort to hide her expression of dying curiosity.
Beside her, Kukseo was smiling while glaring at Annelize.
It was a smile with only the corners of his mouth raised while his eyes remained cold.
He seemed to want to throw in a comment, but fortunately appeared too preoccupied with his son’s affairs to spare mental energy for Annelize as well.
Annelize calmly bowed at the waist.
“I had the fortune of receiving His Grace the Duke’s help by chance. I was lucky enough to form a precious connection.”
“I see. I’m curious about what that opportunity was. Tell me the story sometime.”
The Emperor smiled good-naturedly.
“Ah, come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Count. How is Count Solariccen doing?”
“Unfortunately, Mother cannot come up to the Capital for the time being, but she asked me to convey her congratulations.”
“Oh my. The aftereffects from her leg injury are still… I’ll send more medicine. I sincerely wish for her recovery.”
Annelize hesitated for a moment.
She bowed her head, hiding her expression.
“I also… hope for that. Thank you.”
“Let’s have tea time together before you go down to the North.”
“It would be an honor, Your Majesty. Anytime.”
The brief conversation concluded with promises of a future meeting with the Emperor. Soon the orchestra began playing again.
The Emperor had blessed the marriage in front of everyone.
This was tantamount to the official announcement of Annelize and the Duke’s marriage.
The Duke turned his head to look down at Annelize.
He seemed to be asking if she was satisfied.
Annelize slowly nodded her head.
“Shall we go soon, Your Grace? I’ll greet His Majesty briefly, so please wait a moment.”
Now that their business was finished, she was gauging the moment to quietly leave when it happened.
Kukseo’s eyes glinted sharply as he looked at Annelize.
Taking advantage of the Emperor being engaged in conversation with the Princess, Kukseo approached.
“Miss Solariccen.”
His expression was full of resentment.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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