Grand Duke, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Wife! - Chapter 45
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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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45.
“Your Grace? What brings you all the way here?”
“I wanted to see you, so I came to visit. Your maid told me you went to this village. What were you doing?”
“Ah. I was talking about this and that with Village Chief Alriksen.”
“Was it about the camellia?”
The Duke made a displeased expression.
“I don’t understand why you and Pamine are so interested in that flower.”
Annelize pretended not to hear the Duke’s words.
“You’re not going to the village together on the lunar eclipse night, right?”
“Right.”
As expected. I didn’t really expect it anyway.
“I’ll come pick you up, so finish quickly and wait for me.”
“Understood. Oh, right. Your Grace.”
Annelize made a mischievous expression.
“The village chief said that Your Grace looks truly happy after I came, and it’s all thanks to me. What do you think?”
The Duke casually agreed with her words.
“That’s right. I’m happy thanks to you. So much so that I can’t even remember how I lived before marriage.”
Huh.
Annelize froze instead at his plain and honest answer.
‘I don’t know how to react when he throws such a direct pitch like this.’
Unable to think of anything to say, she changed the subject.
“Let’s return to the manor before it gets too late, Your Grace.”
On the way back riding horses together, the Duke casually brought up a topic.
“You know, Annelize.”
“Yes?”
The corners of his mouth twitched with anticipation.
“I saw Iskasian Hildegard today. He was alive and well.”
Annelize’s expression instantly brightened with vitality.
“Really? Did he look uninjured?”
“He was fine. I took care of the mercenaries.”
“Do you remember which direction His Highness the Third Prince was heading?”
“If he goes straight, it seemed like he’d reach Aldeon Territory in the northwest region. He had a compass, so he should know the direction well.”
“Aldeon?”
“The place where the monastery your younger sister stays at is located.”
Right. That was the old name of that place. I had forgotten since the Empire usually calls it Cullen Convent after the current abbess’s surname.
Annelize let out a sigh of relief.
“That’s good.”
The Duke boldly demanded praise.
“Tell me I did well.”
“You did well. Thank you for being considerate.”
“Hmph.”
The Duke made a satisfied expression at her praise.
‘Don’t tell me he came all the way here to see me just to hear a word of praise?’
He could have just waited until I returned to the manor.
The Duke opened his mouth again as if remembering what he wanted to say. His voice was full of dissatisfaction.
“But Iskasian Hildegard was too shabby to receive your attention.”
Annelize rolled her eyes.
‘It’s not my attention but my younger sister’s attention, to be precise.’
“His Highness the Third Prince is relatively slender. My younger sister likes that type of man. I do prefer someone with more substance though.”
Annelize quickly added.
“I’m not necessarily talking about someone like Your Grace.”
The Duke replied nonchalantly.
“What do you mean? Of course you should prefer me over Iskasian Hildegard. You’re my wife.”
When he put it that way, there was nothing to say. Annelize answered awkwardly.
“That’s true.”
The Duke escorted her all the way to her room.
Before he left, Annelize gathered courage and stopped the Duke.
It was because of the words she couldn’t bring herself to say earlier.
“I… I’m also happy thanks to Your Grace.”
Why is speaking one’s true feelings so embarrassing?
Still, since the Duke said he was happy thanks to Annelize, she wanted to return the sentiment.
“Please take care of me in the future as well, Duke Aperhis.”
Phew. I safely finished the sentence.
Feeling relieved, Annelize raised her head.
“…”
The Duke was frozen in place.
Only his twitching eyes revealed that he was a living person and not a doll.
Annelize finally spoke to him, unable to bear the unbearable silence.
“…Could you stop staring and say something?”
As if a freezing spell was lifted, the Duke moved his arms.
He blinked rapidly and stepped back from Annelize, then covered his face with his hands and groaned.
“You really…”
Something has happened. Annelize grasped the situation and asked calmly.
“Did I unconsciously touch some trigger point of Your Grace’s again?”
“You hit them in rapid succession. Very quickly.”
The Duke ran his hand through his hair, trying to calm his surging emotions.
“That’s why I told you. You don’t need to do anything, just stay as you are.”
He laughed helplessly.
“Well. I hope you do your best to calm down.”
Annelize rolled her eyes and quietly grabbed the door handle.
“While Your Grace composes yourself in the corridor, would it be alright if I go into my room now?”
The Duke looked down at her and smiled crookedly.
“Fine. But I’m going to break your door.”
“No!”
* * *
A few days later. The greenhouse.
Pamine, who had been holed up, finally showed himself.
It was the day before Annelize was to meet Village Chief Alriksen for the fake camellia flower opening.
“Lady Annelize. Here.”
He hesitantly handed Annelize a basket containing several glass bottles.
“I tried making several for now… but I’m not sure if they turned out properly. Actually, you only asked me to make yeast, but somehow I ended up brewing as well.”
“You did well. Then let me try some.”
As Annelize picked up a glass, he hesitated.
“If it’s spoiled, please spit it out immediately. I might have used my power excessively.”
“Sir Pamine. It’s not spoiled, it’s fermented. Let me try it first.”
Annelize tasted the first beer.
Thanks to being buried in snow, the beer had thin ice crystals in it.
The white foam and liquid flowed smoothly down her throat.
‘It really does have lower alcohol content than the liquor I had before.’
It was a type she had never tried before, but it wasn’t bad.
“It’s delicious. Well done, Sir Pamine.”
Annelize patted Pamine’s head as a compliment.
Encouraged by Annelize’s praise, he brought out various things.
“Please try this too. I made beers with heavy flavors, light flavors, and fruity aromas.”
Each beer had a different color.
‘He really worked hard making these.’
“Sir Pamine, you should try some too. You made it yourself.”
“Mm. Yes. I understand.”
Pamine drank the beer he made with trembling hands.
“Not bad. It’s quite drinkable.”
His eyes grew misty.
“To think I made food I can actually eat…”
“See? I told you that you’d do well, Sir Pamine.”
“It’s thanks to your belief in me, Lady Annelize. In that spirit, I’d like to dedicate this beer to you.”
“Huh? That’s a bit… I’ll decline since it’s burdensome.”
“I refuse your refusal!”
Pamine stood up abruptly, holding the bottle.
At that moment.
A pair of gray ears suddenly popped out from the top of his head.
“Oh.”
Pamine froze as if he instinctively realized what he had done.
‘His ears suddenly popped out.’
Annelize also witnessed it clearly.
Their gazes collided.
‘I knew he wasn’t human!’
He hastily raised his hands to hide his ears.
“It’s nothing!”
“What do you mean it’s nothing?”
‘Hiding just the ears won’t solve everything.’
Annelize’s gaze turned to his tail.
She reached out and grasped the gray furry mass hanging from Pamine’s waist.
“Kuk.”
Pamine made a sound as if he was being choked.
‘It really is warm and soft like animal fur.’
Of course it would be. It’s probably real tail fur, not artificial.
Annelize calmly spoke while fiddling with the fur.
“Are you carrying a duster around your waist? What an unusual hobby, Sir Pamine.”
Annelize pretended not to notice at all and gave him an escape route with her question.
Pamine answered with a pale face, stammering.
“Aha… Ha! Haha! Isn’t it convenient for cleaning when sitting on dirty chairs? I keep it tucked in my pants, but why did it pop out? Haha. Please wait a moment.”
‘He’s terrible at lying.’
I was trying to let it slide by pretending not to see. Even when given a chance, he can’t take it.
Annelize grabbed Pamine’s arm.
“Where are you going, Sir Pamine?”
“The, the restroom…”
Annelize smiled.
“Sir. Come here and sit down.”
“Wait! I really need the restroom urgently-”
“Sit.”
Pamine obediently sat down in the chair.
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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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