Grand Duke, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Wife! - Chapter 28

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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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28.

Only after arriving at the undergrounds of the Duke’s Castle did the Duke finally catch his breath.

“You entrusted the flower pot to the Duchess, didn’t you.”

“Isaiah. Stop being annoying and get lost!”

“If she makes the flowers bloom, you promised to bow down flat to the Duchess’s words, right? I heard everything.”

He calmed himself while listening to his subordinates’ trivial conversation.

“After enduring hundreds of years hugging a plant you couldn’t even touch with bare hands, this worked out well, didn’t it? A savior came walking right to you.”

Isaiah’s excited voice could be heard from far away.

Pamine, having his sensitive spot poked, flared up and shouted.

“I’m not getting my hopes up. Do you think a mere human could revive a dying plant? If that’s possible, I’ll really accept her as my master.”

“You said you’d remain faithful waiting for your first master.”

“I will! Since she won’t be able to revive the plant anyway!”

‘So it’s about the flower pot that was in Annelize Solariccen’s room.’

The sad story of his subordinate who possessed the ability to sicken all life he touched, yet happened to love gardening, was just tiresome.

But this time, he was also interested.

[I’ll cook delicious food for you with plants grown in the greenhouse.]

‘Delicious.’

This time, he might finally be able to put a name to his emotions.

That strange feeling he got whenever he saw Annelize Solariccen.

‘She said it would naturally disappear. It’s not fading at all.’

Following Annelize’s words, he made time every day to follow her around.

But his condition wasn’t disappearing and was getting worse.

‘It even strangely transformed into something else.’

It wasn’t simply dazzling or irritating anymore.

‘Just looking isn’t enough anymore. I want to touch directly.’

Her lips that pressed into a straight line whenever she concentrated on books, her eyes that shone in various colors whenever they caught the morning sunlight.

What was this emotion of wanting to feel how delicate each finger joint was?

‘I need to figure it out quickly. It’s getting harder to endure. If I delay just a little longer…’

Something would happen.

He didn’t know exactly what, but he had to prevent that.

‘It was dangerous just a moment ago too.’

Annelize’s hair was the problem.

While thinking it looked like thread woven from glittering gold.

When he came to his senses, he was fiddling with her hair.

He quickly pulled his hand away though.

‘It still feels like the texture of those softly scattered strands remains.’

His empty hand naturally clenched with force.

‘Strange. It’s not like I haven’t had physical contact before.’

At their first meeting he grabbed her arm, at their second meeting her waist, and they kissed.

But all of that had a purpose.

‘But now…’

Wasn’t this strange after all?

Trying to touch her just because he wanted to.

Whenever that happened, deep below his left collarbone felt itchy.

‘I want to dig inside and scratch it.’

The Duke decided to methodically find a solution.

‘First, it’s definitely not “unfamiliarity.”‘

Now it was time to try the next method.

‘She said you keep thinking about it, your hand naturally goes there, and even when you try to resist you can’t, so you end up seeking it even while sleeping.’

Coincidentally, Annelize Solariccen’s explanation of “delicious” was similar to his feelings.

‘I hope she grows something in the greenhouse soon.’

* * *

Annelize woke up to the sound of a blizzard intermittently tapping against the window.

As soon as she came to her senses, she drew in a breath.

The entire room was filled with the scent of flowers.

Her gaze fixed on the flower pot on the table.

“Flowers…? The flower pot has bloomed?”

Was this a dream? Was she still half asleep?

Even after rubbing her eyes and looking again, the flowers didn’t disappear.

“My power shouldn’t be this strong, should it?”

Even when using her power in the Empire, she had to wait at least a week.

“Especially with plants that were dying like this, it should take even longer.”

She pondered this unexpected fortune in bewilderment.

“Is the North different from other places? Seeing how the Duke possesses tremendous power, maybe it’s a region more specialized for abilities. Or maybe this really is a special flower.”

The latter hypothesis seemed more plausible.

Why? Even among humans, there are people with exceptional will and perseverance.

Its potential must have been tremendous.

“You really did well. I knew I could trust you.”

After praising the admirable plant, she came to her senses.

What if it became complacent from receiving praise?

Annelize quickly changed her tone.

“But you can’t let your guard down. This is just the beginning. Do you think it’s over just because you bloomed once? Plant life isn’t that easy, you know? You’ll need to maintain this lushness for at least a week.”

Actually, flowers are just the preparation stage and what’s really important is the fruit, you’re way behind right now, kid.

She was about to scold more but stopped.

Somehow she felt like a wicked teacher bullying a model student.

‘Why can I only manifest my power through scolding?’

Like in fairy tales, touching flowers or saying nice things. There are other methods too.

‘You’re doing well enough already. Just hang in there a little more. You can do it. I want to say things like that.’

She swallowed her words of encouragement with a heavy heart.

Just in case one wrong word made the flowers wilt, that would be terrible.

Annelize looked at the wall clock and quickly picked up the flower pot.

If she hurried a little, she could go to the greenhouse and back before breakfast.

* * *

She headed to Pamine’s office first.

Pamine, who had been wrestling with piles of documents, jumped up in surprise.

“M-Madam! Don’t you know how to knock?”

“The door was half-destroyed so there was nowhere to knock. Anyway, good morning, Sir Pamine.”

Holding a basket containing the flower pot, Annelize took a step forward.

Pamine stepped backward.

“What brings you here again? I’m busy with other matters.”

“Sir. You made a promise with me. That if I made the flowers in the pot bloom, you would cooperate with growing plants in the greenhouse.”

“Don’t tell me you actually made flowers bloom? That’s ridiculous— Don’t come any closer!”

Pamine wrapped his arms around his shoulders defensively.

She felt like a pervert harassing an innocent village youth.

‘No, I’m really just trying to deliver the flower pot.’

“Now, calm down. I’ll put it here.”

Annelize opened the basket lid. A subtle fragrance leaked out.

“This scent is…”

Pamine, catching the smell, hesitated.

With an expression of disbelief, he approached the box. Pamine rubbed his eyes with his clenched fists and opened them.

“It might be hard to believe, but it’s really a flower. I did it.”

“Huh, what? This can’t be… how is this possible… How did you, my lady? Something I couldn’t solve even after wracking my brains,”

Pamine seemed quite shocked. He paced around the flower pot.

“You can touch it. The flower is really pretty.”

When Annelize held out the flower pot to Pamine.

“W-wait!”

Pamine accidentally dropped the flower pot.

Fortunately, both of them caught the flower pot at the same time before it hit the ground.

“Sir Pamine caught it too! Thank goodness!”

“Gasp! No, this can’t be!”

Realizing he had grabbed the stem with his bare hands, Pamine’s face turned pale.

“I’m finished now! I’m sorry. For the sin of killing the plant you worked so hard to save, I’ll atone with my death.”

“You’re not finished. Calm down.”

Annelize took the flower pot from Pamine’s hands.

One stem broke because he gripped it a bit too hard, but the flower stalk was fine.

The slightly wilted part would turn green again with some fertilizer and nagging.

“Look. See? It’s fine.”

“Huh?”

Pamine looked down at his hands with a bewildered expression.

“I touched it with my bare hands, so why is it fine? Could it be that’s not actually a plant?”

What nonsense.

But she could roughly guess what kind of story was behind this.

Annelize gave Pamine a pitying look.

‘Just like how I can revive plants with my power, that person has the opposite power to kill plants.’

‘He must live such a difficult life. Now I understand why his personality is like that.’

Annelize softened her voice.

“Sir. I understand. You can’t touch plants with your bare hands, right? But this one is fine. How strange.”

“That’s right. Why, why is this happening?”

“Shall we check once more? To see if it’s really okay.”

Annelize took Pamine’s hand and guided it. One trembling finger like an aspen leaf touched the plant’s leaves.

“…It really is fine. It’s not, not wilting. It’s not turning yellow and shriveling up. It’s not turning dark red either, and even though my hand touched it, it’s just staying green.”

“I think my power probably canceled out your power, Sir Pamine.”

She had threatened it absolutely not to wilt.

It had worked. She wanted to pat the flower pot for being so good.

Pamine looked up at Annelize as if she were his savior.

“…Master!”

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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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