Grand Duke, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Wife! - Chapter 24

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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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24.

‘What does she mean? She doesn’t know what delicious means?’

Annelize asked with a serious expression.

“Have you never thought food was delicious while eating until now?”

“I’m not sure.”

The Duke shook his head back and forth.

“Do I even need such a sense in the first place?”

“Ah….”

Annelize pressed her forehead with a complicated expression.

‘This person. Just how bleak a life has he been living?’

Taste. Isn’t it one of the five human senses?

In this world where people say they live to eat, asking why the sense of deliciousness is necessary.

No matter how barren the Duke’s Castle was and how little food there was, the Duke was still the lord of a territory.

‘Humanly speaking, this isn’t right. It means he couldn’t even have the leisure that humans should naturally enjoy.’

Annelize looked at the Duke with pity.

The Duke looked at her face with admiration.

Perhaps having gotten somewhat used to it, he could now narrow his eyes and look at her to some degree.

“It was round earlier, but now it’s triangular. Your face is soft, so it moves well.”

“I see….”

Even hearing his nonsense, she only felt sympathetic emotions.

“Your Highness. I’ll make it so you can eat delicious food and fruits to your heart’s content even in the North.”

“How?”

“Follow me.”

After breakfast was finished.

Annelize led the Duke to her room.

‘I’m sorry for grumbling inwardly that you don’t even know the saying about not bothering a dog while it’s eating.’

She had only asked about the taste out of courtesy when the Duke picked up his fork.

‘Honestly, it didn’t suit my taste, and I couldn’t bring myself to say it was delicious even as empty words.’

She had thought that perhaps the Duke, who was born and raised in the North, might be different.

‘Northern people might enjoy gamey flavors, or like meat as tough as rubber. Cultural differences in food preferences should be respected.’

But that didn’t seem to be the case.

The Duke had the build to devour three steaks in no time, yet he ate the meat awkwardly.

‘This might sound strange, but he was like someone who had never chewed food before.’

Now she understood why. The Duke had lived without even being able to enjoy taste.

It made sense, considering he had been holed up in this barren North.

‘Northern people have tongues too, so they should be able to taste. They just haven’t had the opportunity.’

Annelize wanted to create that opportunity.

She had planned to talk to the Duke about crop cultivation anyway.

She pulled out documents from her luggage bag.

With a thud, thick files were placed on the table.

【Proposal for Successful Crown Prince Power Check and Northern Development Strategy】.

Seeing the thickness of the documents, the Duke made a disgusted face.

“What is this?”

“This? I made it to propose a contract marriage to Your Highness the Duke. I’m glad I brought it just in case. Please listen first.”

She had no intention of continuing to freeload off the Duke with just one holy relic.

‘As long as I’m living as the Duke’s wife, I should be helpful. That way I can cooperate with the Duke even after the contract marriage ends.’

Hmm. The Duke let out a groan.

“Can’t you just handle it yourself?”

“I know Your Highness the Duke is a hands-off type of lord, but this is directly connected to the territory’s livelihood. You can’t avoid it.”

“Fine. I got it.”

She explained from the first point of the Northern development plan.

“We’ll grow crops in the North so we can be self-sufficient in food. For Your Highness the Duke as well as the Northern residents to eat well and live well.”

If the Duke, who was the lord of the territory, had such a pitiful diet, it was obvious what the residents’ situation would be like.

“Why bother? They’re doing fine eating and living on their own.”

“Roughly getting by with meat of unknown origin isn’t eating well! Northern residents also have the right to eat fresh vegetables and carbohydrates.”

There was another reason too.

“Besides, you know the Crown Prince’s backer is the High Priest, right? If we succeed in crop cultivation, we can trouble both of them at once.”

If the North grew its own improved crops, it would break the Temple’s monopoly.

Moreover, the Grand Duchy was perfect as a place to improve and grow crops without the Temple’s surveillance.

“Hmm.”

The story about being able to attack the Crown Prince and the Temple caught the Duke’s interest.

“Good. But how do you plan to grow crops? My land isn’t suitable for plants to grow. One of my vassals who’s obsessed with horticulture failed even after dedicating hundreds of years to it.”

“It seems that way. I saw from inside the carriage that there were only empty plains without a single tree.”

However, Annelize had something to rely on.

“Actually….”

This was the first time she was confessing her power to someone outside her family. She had always hidden it in the Empire.

Annelize hesitantly continued.

“I have a power too. Of course, it’s not as great as Your Highness the Duke’s. I can make plants grow as I want them to?”

Annelize brought a potted plant she had brought from the Empire and showed it to the Duke.

“I’ll try making these leaves a bit more vibrant. Just a moment.”

She headed behind the partition next to the wardrobe.

The Duke asked with curiosity.

“You could just show me from the front, why hide it?”

“Trade secret.”

“Huh.”

A few minutes later, seeing the potted plant Annelize showed him, the Duke acknowledged her power.

“It’s definitely become more lush.”

“Right!”

Annelize made a proud expression.

The Duke couldn’t resist a momentary impulse and lifted his sunglasses.

Brilliant light purple eyes were vividly captured in his vision.

It was certainly worth enduring the dazzling light.

‘I think I can just look now without problem. Annelize Solariccen’s exposure therapy seems to be effective.’

Beyond getting used to it, he was now enjoying the dazzling sensation he felt whenever he looked at Annelize.

He wanted to keep looking without even blinking.

“Of course, it will take a long time, so I’ll make Your Highness the Duke’s food first as soon as we receive Her Majesty the Emperor’s gift.”

Annelize emphasized.

“Delicious food.”

“You’re going to make it? With those delicate hands?”

When the Duke sent a skeptical look, Annelize bristled.

“Do you think all noble ladies can’t do anything? I learned simple cooking from my father, so I can do it. If there’s an oven, I could even bake bread. Have you tried scones?”

“What’s bread?”

“Ah. We’re starting from there. It doesn’t matter. You’ll know soon.”

Do I really need to feel taste?

He couldn’t understand Annelize making a fuss about not knowing the sensation of deliciousness.

However, the food she would make was quite appealing.

He was also curious about what she would do while fidgeting with those small hands.

The Duke nodded.

“Understood.”

“Then would you like to hear the second stage too? We’ll develop the mines in the northern mountain range to build structures and-“

The Duke shook his head.

“I wouldn’t know.”

Tsk. Annelize closed the thick file cover with a disappointed expression.

Anyway, it was good that the Duke had given permission. The rest could be discussed later.

“You made a good decision. Then how about we start with building a greenhouse? I think it would be good to grow them in a greenhouse while helping them adapt to the North’s climate.”

When Annelize sat on the sofa, the Duke naturally followed and sat beside her. She could feel his intense gaze on her face.

The practice for the Duke to overcome his shyness was still in full swing.

‘After receiving that gaze all morning, I’m getting used to it faster than the Duke himself.’

He leaned back against the sofa and listened to Annelize’s explanation.

“If it’s a greenhouse, there is one at the Duke’s Castle. Though it was closed decades ago.”

“That’s perfect. How long would it take to reopen it?”

The Duke grumbled as if annoyed.

“I have to reopen a space I finally closed. How bothersome…”

Are you really going to act like this after coming this far?

“Your Grace. Don’t you want to eat my cooking?”

“Fine, fine. If you want it that much. But there are conditions.”

The Duke waved his hand with an irritated expression.

“First, that greenhouse originally belonged to one of my vassals. I’ll have it reopened, but you’ll need to get permission to use it yourself. That guy will whine about why he’s only allowing you to use it.”

“I understand.”

“And… hmm.”

The Duke seemed to hesitate, as if he was having trouble speaking.

“Now that I think about it, it could be dangerous. If something goes wrong, it could be a disaster.”

What’s making him act like this?

“Promise me you’ll only do what you can handle.”

“I promise.”

Annelize made the promise somewhat reluctantly.

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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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