Grand Duke, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Wife! - Chapter 31
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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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31.
When Annelize entered the servants’ break room carrying a basket of grapes, all eyes instantly turned to her.
“Madam! Are these really grapes?”
“Are we really allowed to eat them?”
They looked amazed but couldn’t easily reach out to touch them.
‘So it’s true that they’ve never eaten grapes before.’
Chocolate was expensive so that made sense, but grapevines were common in the Southern Region where Annelize was born.
‘Looking at how they all know what grapes are, it seems like they lived outside the North before. But why haven’t they eaten them?’
It wasn’t just one or two people. It was strange that everyone gathered here had never eaten them.
“You can eat them. It’s okay. I washed them clean.”
She demonstrated first.
Seeing this, the maids also began picking up grapes one by one.
“…Mm! It’s delicious!”
One maid chewed and opened her eyes wide.
“This is really delicious! I should have just eaten them when I had the chance!”
“My previous master absolutely forbade me from eating them too.”
“That’s right. They said we’d die if we ate them.”
“I was so curious about the taste that I secretly ate one, but my master immediately found out and made me spit it out right away. I couldn’t even taste it properly!”
‘Their former masters forbade them from eating grapes?’
She was still puzzled. Not other fruits, but specifically grapes?
The maids gathered together and chattered among themselves.
“Actually, I tried a piece of chocolate before, and it was completely sweet and delicious. But I felt a bit dizzy and threw up after eating it. In the end, my master carried me on their back to find a healer.”
Each shared their own heroic tales.
Carrying their own servant on their back to find a healer. What a caring master.
‘Come to think of it, don’t dogs not eat grapes and chocolate? Given the conversation topic and seeing everyone with fluffy dog ears, something feels…’
If dogs could talk, they would probably say things like that…
‘Huh.’
Annelize blinked.
Just now, a truly crazy thought had popped into her head.
“Is there some problem?”
Isaiah asked her with a bright smile.
“…It’s nothing.”
It had only been two months since coming to the Duke’s Castle.
She knew too little to make hasty conclusions.
‘Isaiah. Are these servants actually dogs transformed into humans?’
-She couldn’t ask such a question outright.
The question itself was crazy to begin with.
‘What if these people are just normal people who like dog cosplay?’
She casually threw out a question, subtly including an escape route.
“Pamine brought some cute servants. They’re all as cute as puppies. I’d believe it if you told me they were dogs transformed into humans.”
“Haha. That’s an amusing comparison.”
Isaiah shrugged naturally.
“How could dogs transform into humans? That’s ridiculous.”
She was glad she didn’t ask directly. Annelize breathed a sigh of relief.
“Right? I meant they’re that cute.”
Isaiah smirked. He was looking at the pair of adorable ears attached to Annelize’s headband.
“You suit it quite well yourself, Madam.”
“Same to you, Isaiah.”
“Thank you?”
Isaiah grabbed his drooping ears and shook them with his hand.
The atmosphere definitely relaxed once food was distributed.
Elli, Annelize’s personal maid, boasted proudly about her mistress.
“Our madam seems really kind. When I accidentally spilled tea on her dress, guess how I was punished?”
“Did she pull out your teeth?”
“Did she lock you in a room?”
“All wrong. I wasn’t punished at all!”
Annelize made a bewildered expression.
‘Why are everyone’s options like that? The standard for a good person is underground.’
One maid raised her hand.
“And she’s pretty. Exactly as the Duke described.”
It was something she couldn’t help but interject.
“How did His Grace the Duke describe me? I’m curious.”
The maid blushed shyly and answered.
“Oh, very detailed. He said you’re a small, weak, and fragile human, so we should always watch to make sure you don’t get hurt anywhere. And-”
She counted the precautions one by one with her fingers.
Overall, it sounded like caring for a three-year-old girl rather than an adult woman.
“Right! He also said that when you go outside, you could be blown away by the wind, so if there are strong winds, we should discourage you from going out.”
Isaiah’s snicker could be heard.
“Pfft.”
Annelize’s face reddened with shame.
“I’m not that light!”
“You never know?”
Let’s not talk about this.
She decided to get to the main point before getting more involved in this conversation.
There was another reason she had gathered the Duke’s Castle servants.
“Could you all tell me how life is in the village? I haven’t been outside yet, so I don’t know much.”
She was curious about how the residents of the Grand Duchy lived.
That way she could know what the residents needed.
“We just eat whatever we can get our hands on… If we work here, can we eat delicious food like this every day?”
What they ate to survive.
“Houses are built by gathering mud bricks and rocks. But when blizzards blow, the roofs sometimes collapse. It would be nice if we had sturdier houses.”
And where and how they lived.
After gathering sufficient information, Annelize asked.
“I’m building a greenhouse outside. If I’m looking for workers, would you all come help? I’ll pay daily wages generously with food ingredients.”
“Will you give us grapes too? Then of course I’ll do it!”
The amount of crops grown in the Duke’s Castle greenhouse was woefully insufficient.
‘I’ve roughly figured out how to improve crops for the northern climate. Now it’s time to increase the harvest.’
Employing the Grand Duchy residents would benefit both sides.
Annelize was finally released from the servants’ break room much later.
‘Everyone’s stamina is no joke. They drained all my energy.’
She tiredly removed her headband.
Isaiah meaningfully pointed at her headband.
“Will you wear that headband again?”
“When necessary?”
“Then try wearing it in front of my lord sometime. He’ll like it.”
“…This? His Grace the Duke will?”
“Yes!”
He was confident.
“You’re incredibly cute.”
“Me?”
It was an unfamiliar compliment. Objectively, she was closer to beautiful rather than cute.
‘What difference would it make to put two dumpling-shaped fur clumps on top of my head? It’s not like I’m actually a puppy.’
“Fine. If I can meet His Grace the Duke, that is.”
Annelize replied reluctantly.
* * *
Finally, the blizzard stopped.
Coincidentally, since around the time Annelize arrived, the North’s cold had also become much milder than before.
The residents each speculated about the reason and whispered among themselves.
The day after the outdoor greenhouse was completed.
The Duke woke up.
“My lord.”
Isaiah, who had been waiting beside him, thrust his face close to him.
The Duke pushed Isaiah’s face away with his hand.
“Get away.”
To see Isaiah’s face right after waking up. It was deeply unpleasant.
It was even more so because Isaiah was grinning broadly as if he had heard something amusing.
“Stop laughing and speak quickly.”
“The Duchess was looking for you, my lord.”
Upon hearing Annelize’s name, the Duke flinched and stiffened.
Her afterimage flashed chaotically through his mind.
‘Even though I was asleep, it’s still the same.’
He swallowed a sigh.
Wasn’t there some way to resolve this?
He couldn’t just keep sleeping like this.
Maybe if he just bit her once, it would be resolved. Just very lightly. Without leaving a mark. It would be really soft and tender.
The voice in his heart tempted him, but he didn’t give in.
The Duke frowned and covered his eyes with his arm.
“I can’t see her. Not yet.”
If it really came to it, he was prepared to go back to sleep.
“Is that so?”
Isaiah rolled his eyes.
“Then will you sleep more? Without hearing the latest news about the Duchess?”
The Duke’s eyes snapped open.
“What happened? Did she get hurt? I gave the servants such strict warnings. Tsk.”
“No. She’s healthy.”
“Then?”
Isaiah placed both hands on top of his head and opened and closed them.
It was the so-called bouncing pose.
“She wore a headband. One with fluttering puppy ears.”
“…!”
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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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