Grand Duke, Please Stop Obsessing Over Your Wife! - Chapter 88

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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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88.

His voice carried a note of regret.

“It’s not explicitly forbidden, and even if it were, shouldn’t a man risk his life for his wife? I would certainly do so.”

“Th-that’s-“

The Duke clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. Your wife is pitiful. Next time you paint your wife’s portrait, tell me. I’ll provide the gold to paint your wife’s hair myself.”

“….”

The Baron’s face turned bright red as he kept opening and closing his mouth.

“Ahem! Cough!”

People around them began giving the Baron pointed looks with their throat clearing.

The Baroness cast a cold glare at her husband. She bowed to Annelize and the Duke in apology.

“Your Grace, Your Grace the Duchess. I apologize on behalf of my husband’s disgraceful behavior. Due to his naturally dull nature, he has ruined your evening.”

“It’s fine. Have a good evening, Baroness.”

The Baroness expressed her gratitude for Annelize’s dismissal and left.

A few seconds later, the Baron came to his senses and hurriedly followed his wife.

“Rosa! Rosa! Wait a moment! That’s not what I meant! Rosa!”

A senior official who had been listening to the conversation nearby approached and clicked his tongue.

“Young people these days, really. Can’t even be proper husbands. Acting like that and then claiming to love their wives with just empty words.”

“Exactly. A real man should be willing to sacrifice his life for the woman he loves. What wouldn’t one do to see her flower-like smile?”

“Haha. When I was that age, I used to engage in death matches to court my wife.”

Annelize had heard of those death matches before.

‘The Emperor had to step in and ban them because too many young people leading the country kept dying young.’

The Duke’s words and actions instantly won the favor of the middle-aged men who lived and died for romance.

“He speaks the obvious truth.”

While the conversation continued in a friendly atmosphere.

Annelize keenly noticed the subtly changed atmosphere, unlike before.

‘He essentially said he could oppose even the Temple for his wife.’

Buying extravagant dresses for his wife, creating and announcing words for his wife.

People must have wondered as they heard news about the Duke.

‘Just how far would the Duke go for his wife?’

Now they had their answer.

Everyone in the ballroom now knew that the Duke was crazy enough to challenge the Temple for his wife.

That fact would appeal to certain nobles present here.

“You know, with a body like that, it wouldn’t matter even if his face was terrible, would it?”

…Though it seemed to appeal in a slightly different sense as well.

A little distance away, several female officials were gazing admiringly at the Duke.

Though she couldn’t hear their words, Annelize could read their lips.

“Right. I had no idea he was like that. The rumors only said he was cruel and violent.”

“Look at him holding the Duchess with one arm. Those arm muscles, my. They’re probably as thick as the Duchess’s thighs.”

‘Hey! You can’t say such things about someone else’s husband!’

Annelize unconsciously tightened her arm around the Duke’s neck.

‘How does the Duke endure this? Doesn’t it bother him when people look at me?’

He didn’t seem particularly bothered.

Though he did jokingly threaten people that staring too much would wear me out.

From what she could see, the Duke didn’t dislike showing Annelize off in front of others.

‘Rather, he practically demands that everyone look at me the way he does.’

Thinking this way, Annelize suddenly realized.

‘Of course it would be different. Our feelings for each other are separate. I love the Duke, but he doesn’t.’

It might look similar to love, but it wasn’t love.

Yet it looked so similar on the surface that even Annelize sometimes got confused.

‘I got too immersed in playing the role of a loving husband’s wife without realizing it.’

Annelize thought of the pattern that would be on her left ring finger and steeled her heart.

‘I should be happy. Everyone is starting to see the Duke’s good points as they are, free from prejudice.’

As expected, the Empire’s young ladies were smart.

The Duke was a decent man, and the truth had only been temporarily obscured by malicious rumors.

‘Powerful, strong, tall with a great body, and good to his wife.’

And devastatingly handsome. Of course, only Annelize knew the Duke’s true face.

‘Maybe I’m not the only one. If there’s another person among the Empire’s young ladies who could remain fine after seeing the Duke’s face… they might want to marry the Duke.’

A lightning-like realization struck her.

‘How did I completely forget? The Duke can take a new wife.’

After their contract marriage ended, he would be free.

‘Once we defeat the Crown Prince and put the Third Prince on the throne, the contract marriage ends.’

According to the conditions, the contract would be completed when the Founding Conference ended.

If they interpreted ‘defeating the Crown Prince’ generously, it would be at most about a month?

She had become so accustomed to this life that she had forgotten.

Just when she had acknowledged her feelings, a breakup was already scheduled.

‘This is why people should prepare for various possibilities. I should have included an automatic renewal clause if there’s no contact three months before contract termination.’

Indeed, there’s no such thing as ‘never’ in life.

The joke about people who say they’ll never marry being the first to get married wasn’t popular for nothing.

Imagining the Duke taking another woman as his wife instead of her made her heart turn cold.

Annelize barely managed to calm her feelings.

‘It can’t be helped. Even if the Duke divorces me and marries another woman, that’s the Duke’s freedom. I can’t dictate what he should do.’

Wouldn’t it be a clean contract to let him go gracefully before emotions deepened further?

‘I should talk to the Duke about this before it’s too late.’

A touch tickling her brow brought Annelize back to her senses.

The Duke asked her in a worried tone.

“You’re suddenly frowning. Is something bothering you?”

‘Right. I’m currently surrounded by people in the middle of the ballroom.’

Annelize quickly managed her expression.

Just as she was about to answer that she was fine, she made eye contact with the Captain of the Knights across from her.

‘The current Captain of the Knights. From the west, dislikes Kukseo.’

Information about him flashed through Annelize’s mind.

The two quickly exchanged glances.

Annelize pressed her hand to her forehead and leaned against the Duke.

“I’m a bit tired. Your Grace. Could we rest somewhere quiet for a moment?”

The Captain of the Knights immediately picked up the cue.

“This way, Your Grace the Duchess. I’ll guide you.”

Following his guidance, they arrived at a rest area near the ballroom.

“This is a room only accessible to officials of grade 3 and above.”

The Prime Minister was there.

An elderly gentleman with neatly combed silver hair and glasses looked surprised to see Annelize and the Duke.

“Should I not have come here?”

The Prime Minister quickly regained his composure.

“Not at all. I was hoping to meet you soon, so I was just surprised by this unexpected encounter. Good evening, Duke Aperhis, Your Grace the Duchess.”

“Good evening, Count Luttenberg.”

‘What does he mean he wanted to meet me?’

Brief pleasantries were exchanged.

The Prime Minister, like a seasoned administrator, got straight to the point.

“The northwestern nobles brought high-quality wheat as tribute for the Founding Conference. I heard that Your Grace provided assistance. Is that correct?”

Annelize nodded.

“That’s correct. All of it is wheat produced in the Grand Duchy. There’s an expert among the Grand Duchy’s residents who improved the crops.”

“What a remarkable person. Could that expert perhaps help with other crops as well?”

“They’re proficient with all plants.”

The Prime Minister’s face brightened.

“It’s like a dream. The time has finally come.”

Annelize knew what the Prime Minister was rejoicing about.

He was a realist who prioritized the practical lives of the Empire’s citizens, and had always viewed the Temple’s tyranny as a thorn in his side.

“The Temple has controlled the Empire for a long time. It’s gotten worse since Ramiere Valiem became Kukseo. Even the Founding Conference, a national event, is now overseen by the Temple. This country must now escape from the Temple’s shadow.”

As expected.

The Prime Minister continued.

“Still, the Church of the Sun God has influenced the Empire for over a thousand years. Taking away their crop monopoly would shake them, but it wouldn’t be devastating enough to bring them down.”

That’s why Annelize had also planned to attack Kukseo first instead of directly striking the Temple.

Even before her regression, the Temple had remained strong even after the Third Prince’s victory.

But the Prime Minister’s attitude was completely different from the past.

‘Seeing him make such confident claims now means he must have found other weaknesses to keep the Temple in check.’

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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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