Grand Duke, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Wife! - Chapter 52

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

52.

Alriksen grabbed Pamine’s hand and shared a manly handshake.

“Wow! I really wanted to meet you! That was absolutely amazing beer. Prohibition laws be damned, if I could drink your liquor, I’d even be prepared for the gallows.”

“Ahem!”

The more the village chief spoke, the more Pamine’s lips curved upward.

“Village Chief. Don’t worry. Sir Pamine will take responsibility for your drinking from now on.”

“What? But I can’t just shamelessly mooch off you.”

“You can mooch even more. Because.”

Actually, there was a reason I had sold out Sir Pamine first.

“The camellia flower you gave me, Village Chief, got burned while fighting the Frost Monster. I wanted to return it to you. I’m sorry.”

Knowing how much the village chief cherished the village made me feel even more sorry.

Village Chief Alriksen looked puzzled.

“You fought the Frost Monster? What happened to that monster?”

“It seems to have disappeared. Thanks to the camellia flower, I was able to defeat the monster.”

Tentatively, at least. Annelize swallowed her words.

“But why are you apologizing! The monster has finally disappeared, we should be celebrating. Oh, don’t worry about the flower. What’s the problem? The camellia flower should still be safely stored in the underground shrine right now, shouldn’t it?”

Village Chief Alriksen winked.

“Ah. Right.”

That setting still exists? Well then.

‘Anyway, that’s one less worry.’

“Long live my lady! Let’s toast with this beer!”

“Hooray! Long live Lady Annelize!”

The village chief grabbed a case of beer and rushed out to the village square. But why is Sir Pamine following him?

Then. Isaiah called her.

“My lady. Come here for a moment.”

Annelize had a brief conversation with him. While pretending not to notice the Duke’s gaze following from behind.

“Well then, my lady, have a nice intimate conversation with your lord.”

With that meaningless encouragement behind her, they were finally alone.

Annelize approached him hesitantly, holding the ointment in her hand.

“Your Grace. Are you injured anywhere?”

“You defeated the Frost Monster?”

That’s the Duke for you. Never beats around the bush.

“Yes… It just happened that way.”

When the Duke extended his hand, she took it. He seemed to need the sensation of her existing beside him.

“Well done. I believed in you.”

“Thank you.”

Her bright expression soon became gloomy.

“Still… I wish I could have dealt with it myself. I wanted to protect you. So you wouldn’t have to tremble like this.”

The Duke’s hand gripped hers tightly.

The moment he leaned his head against Annelize’s arm, she involuntarily let out a groan.

“Ahh…”

‘Of all places, he had to lean on the part hit by ice!’

That’s the Duke for you, never gives me a chance to let things slide.

Excuses were useless. Soon the wound on her arm was revealed.

The air in the room instantly became heavy.

“This… is that vermin’s doing?”

There was no intonation whatsoever in the Duke’s voice.

Annelize broke out in a cold sweat.

“I fell in the snow.”

“Annelize. I’m not an idiot.”

Suddenly she remembered what Isaiah had said when he handed her the ointment.

[He’s particularly sensitive right now. Try not to provoke him if possible. Even if you’re his wife, it’ll be difficult to handle. You don’t want to set the shortest record for rebuilding northern buildings, do you?]

“Tell me. Annelize.”

“…Oh! Come to think of it, I might have fallen on the Frost Monster’s ice.”

“How dare it…”

Sparks flew in the Duke’s eyes. His golden eyes began to shine fiercely.

“It died too peacefully. Whether it’s a corpse or whatever, I’ll drag it back out and that bastard-“

The cottage began to shake violently.

‘What should I do? At this rate, the cottage will be blown away completely.’

Annelize frantically activated her emergency aegyo mode.

Press any button! Just say anything!

“I, I feel hurt!”

With those words, she lightly tapped the Duke’s chest with her fist.

“Huh?”

Thank goodness. I caught the Duke’s attention.

“I came back alive and well, but right now the Frost Monster is more important to you than me? Could you focus more on the joy of seeing me?”

The Duke looked at her in confusion. The cottage also became quiet.

“…That wasn’t my intention. Of course I’m happy you’re safe. Annelize.”

‘What am I even doing? Playing the role of a transcendent being’s human wife is damn difficult.’

While the Duke tried to appease his sulking wife, Annelize caught her breath.

“It’s just… I should have been the one hurt. Not you.”

The Duke sighed as he applied the ointment.

“I know. I understand. Your Grace.”

The Duke shook his head.

“No. My thinking was short-sighted. I thought obtaining you was the only goal, but I never imagined it would think your death didn’t matter. What could that monster’s purpose have been? Why did it target you?”

How much should I tell him?

I don’t want to reveal the Frost Monster’s true identity to the Duke right now. Especially not when it’s been less than a day since the monster was absorbed.

‘When I discussed it with Sir Isaiah, he said it would be okay to reveal the story of the Frost Monster and the first saint.’

Annelize carefully began to speak.

“From what I can guess, it probably tried to harm me.”

“Why?”

“Your Grace, do you know about the story of the Frost Monster and the first saint in the scriptures?”

The Duke snorted.

“As if I would read novels written by the Followers of Ainan.”

I thought so.

So he wouldn’t know about the Frost Monster either.

“Well. Let me summarize for you. A thousand years ago. There was my ancestor, Lady Annellarion Solariccen, and there was a Frost Monster in the North.”

After finishing the explanation of the anecdote written in the scriptures and the story told by Village Chief Alriksen…

The Duke searched his memory with uncertain gestures.

“Such a thing happened? Back then I… I can’t remember properly. I was probably sleeping.”

Oh. Right. I didn’t expect you to remember anyway.

“Though it contains some fiction, the scriptures do contain the history of that period to some extent. Anyway, it’s certain that Lady Annellarion did something to the Frost Monster. So it tried to get revenge on me too.”

The Duke spoke in an indignant voice.

“Whatever happened with your ancestor, why is it taking out its anger on you? You did nothing wrong.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!”

I hope the monster inside the Duke heard that.

“…Anyway, that’s how it happened.”

“I see. Good. That thing can no longer target you.”

“…Right.”

The Duke swept his bangs back with worry and irritation.

“Your will aside, there’s a lot to say, but let’s treat you first. Where else are you hurt?”

It turned out this cottage was a room you couldn’t leave unless you told them about all your injuries.

“I think my knees are bruised, could you take a look?”

“Alright.”

The Duke knelt down and lifted the hem of her dress.

“You don’t need to kneel down…”

“Patients should stay still. Which side is it, the left?”

It was a position that could easily be misunderstood.

‘I hope no one comes.’

Annelize unconsciously glanced at the cottage door.

“Both sides.”

“I’ll hold them, so tell me if it hurts.”

That’s when it happened.

The cottage door swung wide open. It was because the locking mechanism had broken due to the Duke.

“I’m sorry for deceiving you by pretending to be human all this time, my lady! Please don’t abandon us!”

Elli came into the cottage sobbing, accompanied by a man around her age.

He resembled Alriksen, but looked like a younger version of him.

As soon as she saw the scene inside the room, she covered the man’s face with both hands and screamed.

“Kyaah! Sorry for interrupting! Please continue enjoying your time!”

“No!”

The Duke’s puzzled voice cut through the screaming.

“Wasn’t it enjoyable time? I thought we were having an enjoyable time.”

“Your Grace, you’re not helping at all, so please stay quiet! Elli! Come back quickly!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————