CH 69.1

After that, the Grand Duke was silent for a while. He didn’t force himself to come, and he didn’t even ask to have another uncomfortable meal with her.

She liked not having to see his face, but the problem was that her condition was going from bad to worse.

“Uh-uh… uh…”

Anne’s face contorted as she covered her mouth with one hand at the repeated vomiting. Dry bones stood out on the back of her hand that suppressed her morning sickness.

“Emily, I can’t even smell it. Please clean it up quickly.”

Anne furrowed her brows, pointed to the food on the table and waved her hand telling it to be taken right now.

“Madam, are you still feeling unwell?”

Emily’s face darkened when she saw Anne retching as soon as she saw food. She hurriedly held out a glass with medicine, but she knew it was only a temporary prescription.

The medicine to alleviate the morning sickness seemed to have been effective, but somehow it hadn’t worked at all since a week ago. She must have developed a tolerance.

Anne barely swallowed the dark pill with a frown. The bitter taste made her stomach churn even more, and the arms on her bed trembled as if with difficulty.

“Ohh. Our Miss will collapse. Can’t you just take a bite?”

Emily looked at the pale Anne with eyes full of concern and bit her lip.

It had been a week since Anne hadn’t eaten a proper meal. Yesterday, as soon as she took a bite of a meat pie, she vomited. She thought Anne could at least eat a few spoonfuls of soup with chopped vegetables, but Anne couldn’t even smell it, so it was taken away.

“I won’t eat it.”

Anne couldn’t stand it, so she crumpled her forehead and lay down on the bed, pulling the blanket over her head. There was no helping it, so Emily touched Anne’s blanket again.

“You can’t. Rest. I will try something else.”

Emily knew from her own experience that a mother was in danger if she could not have food to this extent. She was about to make a dish that was completely restricted from scent this time for Anne, who is particularly sensitive to scent.

Leaving Anne, who struggled to answer her, Emily rushed out of the room.

* * *

Around that time, Daymond, who was enjoying the warm sunlight seeping through the window of the hard and dry office, opened his eyes slowly.

Flowers were in full bloom in the desolate Grand Duke’s castle after winter, but Daymond’s heart was still stuck in the middle of winter. From the beginning, he wasn’t affected by the weather at all, but this winter was so cold that even his heart was cold.

“Your Grace, I separately investigated the flow of funds for Marquis Brussels, but there was nothing particularly strange about it. There was no trace of tax evasion by raising taxes, and no evidence of goods being stolen separately. However, it seems that the Marquis of Brussels’ maternal family did the work to avoid the Marquis’ eyes.”

“I guess that old man is too blind.”

Daymond muttered in a low voice, recalling the Marquis, who was decrepit but had a strong personality. No matter how clever they were, they were bound to be weak around their own people and could not make upright judgments.

Well, it wasn’t that different either. He couldn’t understand the Grand Duchess’s thoughts himself, so he couldn’t blame anyone.

“Tell Marquis Brussels everything you’ve investigated. There is no need for us to step out.”

“I will take your order.”

As Ashton finished his report and tried to leave, folding the papers he was holding, the Grand Duke let out a long sigh and opened his mouth.

“Ashton… How is the Grand Duchess doing these days? After wandering around outside, I heard she locked herself in her room again… Do you see anything else?”

For some reason, Anne was suddenly locking himself in her room. Her sensitivity had changed immeasurably since she had awakened from her long slumber. Like she has become a completely different person.

It had been a week or so since he had last spoken to her, but she seemed to feel the same way. Perhaps the incident with the County still left a big shock on her, so she was always on edge.

As soon as she met him, she reacted sharply, so he had no idea what to do. She must have been the one who felt the most repulsive about being in this castle right now.

She hated eating together, talking to him, and when he went to her bedroom, she wouldn’t make eye contact with him. The more he spoke to her, the more enraged she became, so Daymond hadn’t been looking for Anne. If possible, he hoped she would change her mind on her own.

He would often watch her wandering the garden from the window, or from a distance, keeping his distance, but even that stopped a week ago.

“She is only in the bedroom, and there is no major change. There have been reports from the handmaids that the servants are having a hard time recently because she has become noticeably more sensitive, but I don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about.”

“Yes. That means she’s quiet.”

Daymond relaxed his face, which was rare. Even if she didn’t pack her bag to leave right away, she was always wandering somewhere. Right now, he was in such a cramped position that he was at least relieved of that.