Grand Duke, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Wife! - Chapter 83

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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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83.

Annelize didn’t stop crying until the Duke set her down in the garden courtyard.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, so please stop crying.”

The Duke fidgeted restlessly as he continuously wiped around her eyes with his thumb.

Seeing him like that made her feel even more emotional. Annelize glared at the Duke.

“I just… I don’t understand…”

“What?”

“Why do you go this far for me? Getting hurt in the process… What am I to you? I, I-“

‘You don’t even love me.’

It was the point she always returned to.

Annelize swallowed her words along with her tears.

“I know Your Grace finds me cute. But I’ve never understood it from the beginning. What exactly do you want from me? What should I do for you?”

The Duke frowned.

“Why do you always want reasons for my actions?”

Now the Duke was the one pressing Annelize instead.

“Why do you keep trying so hard to understand my feelings?”

He poured out questions.

“Why is that so important to you?”

Annelize felt a surge of emotion.

Because,

‘I wish the reason you act that way toward me was love.’

If you loved me,

then I could love you too.

That’s why she had kept questioning the Duke.

But the Duke, as always,

didn’t give her the answer she wanted to hear.

It was natural that she felt angry.

“What do I want from you? I don’t know either!”

The Duke shouted.

“I don’t know why I’m like this either.”

Their gazes clashed in midair. The Duke looked somehow exhausted.

“What I do know? When you smile, I feel good too, and when you cry, I feel like I’m going crazy. If I could just see your smile, I could do anything. So please don’t cry. Stop the tears. You’ll collapse from dehydration at this rate.”

The Duke, who had been holding her chin and wiping away tears, covered her face with his sleeve.

While the Duke wiped away Annelize’s tears, not knowing what else to do,

Annelize struggled to accept the Duke’s words amidst the whirlwind of confusing emotions.

‘Was I crying?’

Come to think of it, her cheeks did seem to have gotten wet at some point.

In the midst of all this, this man… was worrying about what would happen if she died from crying too much.

His furrowed brow was truly serious.

Annelize stared at the ring finger of her left hand.

The pattern was still perfectly intact without a single scratch.

‘This is so frustrating, really.’

This is why I didn’t want to admit it. But I have no choice.

Why does it have to be this man who treats me this way.

‘He treats me so carefully, as if I’d crumble with just a little pressure. He does whatever I want.’

Until now, there had been only one being who treated her like this.

And it seemed like there would only be one person in the future too.

* * *

[If I were Sister, I would have naturally fallen in love with the Duke.]

How frustrating. Anna Rose was right.

How could I not like him?

How could I not fall in love?

Suddenly, dizziness washed over her.

In her blurry vision, only one person was sharp and clear enough to be piercing.

She absolutely, absolutely couldn’t bear it.

“Lean down.”

“What?”

“Lean down!”

Before the Duke could comply with her words, Annelize grabbed his collar.

She used all her strength to pull the Duke’s head downward.

As soon as she saw his startled golden eyes right in front of her, Annelize brought her face close.

Lips met lips.

It was quite an impulsive movement.

As soon as their lips touched, Annelize came to her senses.

‘What did I just do.’

Even though they were contractually married, they were nothing to each other.

The Duke was just a crazy man who felt inexplicable infinite affection for Annelize, and she had simply felt a sudden urge to kiss him.

Annelize was startled by her own actions and immediately pushed the Duke away.

However, her arm was caught by a gentle force. She tried to turn her head, but the Duke’s hand was faster.

His hand cupped Annelize’s chin.

“Listen. Do you think you’ll stop crying if I kiss you? Then just say so. Don’t just charge in recklessly and get hurt.”

The Duke sighed with an irritated expression.

His thumb gently caressed Annelize’s injured lip.

From the taste of blood, it seemed her lip had split in the process.

“Your pretty lips got hurt.”

That shouldn’t be the issue right now.

The fact that Annelize had kissed him didn’t seem to be a problem at all.

Because the Duke immediately returned the kiss to Annelize.

He pressed his lips against Annelize’s with an extremely matter-of-fact attitude while observing her reaction.

“Did you stop crying? You did.”

Relief could be felt in his voice.

‘It’s really infuriating how unaffected he is. Meanwhile, someone’s heart feels like it’s about to burst.’

Annelize barely managed to calm her emotions.

Today’s disgraceful behavior was enough.

“Don’t cry again. Every time you cry, it feels like my heart is being torn apart.”

“You don’t have a heart.”

“Right. The part I don’t have throbs like it’s on fire. Now that you’ve stopped crying, let’s go inside. The cake will get cold.”

How does cake get cold? It’s food that’s supposed to be cold anyway.

She held back the urge to nitpick. She had something to say.

After waiting for the Duke to put his mask back on, Annelize took the Duke’s hand.

“Thank you for the celebration. And for the gift too. It was the best birthday present of my entire life.”

The Duke hesitated. He looked down at Annelize suspiciously.

“Are you sincere? If you were happy, why did you cry?”

“Your Grace also goes around breaking things while saying I’m cute. Emotions work in complex ways.”

The Duke couldn’t immediately argue back and let out a thoughtful sound.

“Is crying while smiling not good?”

“No. Whatever expression you make, you’re cute and lovable.”

When she asked casually, a firm answer came back.

Thump thump. Even knowing these were words spoken without any particular intention, Annelize’s heart beat rapidly.

“I know.”

Hoping her heartbeat couldn’t be heard, she replied curtly.

On the way back to the garden.

Anna Rose, who had been peeking outside while pressed against the gate, startled and stepped back in surprise.

“I swear I didn’t see anything. I absolutely didn’t see Sister boldly grabbing Brother-in-law by the collar, or what happened after that.”

Anna Rose added shyly.

“But would Lord Iskassian like it if I did that too?”

At this rate, she’d be asking for detailed advice about bedroom matters next.

“Why don’t you try it and see.”

Unlike the large and sturdy Duke, the delicate Third Prince might collapse from a single collar grab.

Whatever the outcome, Anna Rose would learn something from it.

Annelize brushed past Anna Rose and sat down at the table.

Count Solariccen politely refrained from commenting on the Duke’s disheveled shirt collar.

Annelize pretended not to notice her mother’s meaningful gaze.

The special cake prepared by the maid was absolutely delicious.

It was exactly the same as what she had eaten on every birthday in her childhood.

It was the taste of longing and memories.

Annelize sniffled while eating the cake.

Anna Rose also started crying.

The Count’s eyes also reddened.

“Crying again? What on earth is wrong with you people?”

The Duke looked up at the sky as if he was going crazy being surrounded by the three mother and daughters.

* * *

The next morning.

Carriages lined up in front of the main gate to take them to the capital.

Anna Rose was still getting ready, and the Count and Annelize had left early in the morning saying they would go look at the grave site.

The passing servants glanced at the Duke with eyes mixed half with curiosity and half with fear.

‘Are they not back yet?’

He couldn’t understand why he had to attend a funeral service honoring Annelize’s father, but he waited quietly because Annelize had wanted it.

When she saw him, would Annelize cry again?

The Duke retraced yesterday’s memories.

The birthday party had been a complete mess, contrary to expectations.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t the problem that I naturally expected her to smile when I gave her the gift?’

A gift is something you give to someone without expecting anything in return.

If you demand compensation, isn’t it no different from a contract?

I should empty my heart a bit more. Just as he was making that resolution.

A horse came charging through the open gate.

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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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