âTo whom is it dangerous? Why? In case I might feed the flower to Your Grace?â
âI didnât say that.â
As a dry smile curled on Anneâs face, the Grand Dukeâs eyebrows narrowed slightly.
âJust be honest. Thereâs no way Your Grace didnât think that I would use it for Your Grace just a moment ago.â
The Grand Dukeâs brow narrowed even more.
Anne grabbed a piece of meat and put it in her mouth, chewing it well and laughing.
âYouâre not denying what I said.â
The Grand Duke looked at Anne, chewing on the meat, with eyes that he couldnât understand, licking her lips with an unprecedented cold face.
âI intend to eat anything my wife gives me.â
She almost laughed at the nonsense that he would accept it without question. It was evident that he was lying to her in an attempt to provoke her anger.
Anne twisted her head and tilted her head up to the Grand Duke.
âYou mean you believe me?â
âItâs not a matter of believing or not believing, because thereâs no way youâll give me something like that.â
âHow can you trust me so confidently?â
Anne asked again as she wrinkled her beautiful face. As he kept up with the arrogant manâs nonsense, it seemed like it wouldnât be a bad idea to poison his glass after all.
âIf you were going to kill me, you would have already tried.â
The Grand Dukeâs lips curled up gently. Even that was not enough, he even gestured to the attendant and instructed them to retrieve the flower right away.
Her stomach churned as she watched his carefree reaction. It was said that even blood-related siblings stuck knives into each otherâs backs when they became obsessed with lust. This was just a marriage relationship between husband and wife with no blood shared.
The Grand Duke looked slowly into Anneâs face as she cut up her meat again and brought it into her mouth one after another. Her reaction was much sharper than he expected. She had been rational if not kind-hearted before, but she was sharper than rose thorns now.
âWhy donât you go to Marieâs bedroom today?â
At that moment, Anne suddenly asked a question. But the word she said made him frown. Her unexpected remark, made him raise his eyebrows in displeasure.
âWhy are you saying that? Didnât you know that she isnât a real mistress?â
âOf course I know. I want you to make it official at this point. Thereâs nothing bad about it, right? Sheâs already officially known as Your Graceâs woman, itâs not like the sky will fall just because youâll make it real.â
Anne, who lost her appetite, pushed away the plate and wrapped her fingers around the stem of the water glass.
âDo you think I donât know what this dinner means?â
After dinner, they would naturally go to the same bedroom. Since they havenât had a relationship for over a week, the Grand Duke must be having a hard time controlling his overflowing sex drive. After all, he couldnât go out without wearing out her body even for a day.
The Grand Dukeâs well-shaped eyebrows were furrowed greatly.
âIâm not going to do that from now on, if the wife doesnât want it.â
âHaa⦠Since when did you think of meâ¦â
His answer made Anneâs mouth crumple. Anne opened her eyes sharply.
âEven if I donât want to, youâll always come and hold me⦠Or, did you become interested in abstinence?â
âIt was because of what you suggested. Our contract⦠Didnât you want a child?â
âAh⦠That one.â
Anne, who had been sarcastic, rolled her words into her mouth. It was a hard word to speak of.
âCome to think of it, you never said you wanted to have children. It was just my condition. Tell me. Do you really need an heir?â
Anne put on a ferocious expression, wanting him to say with that impudent face that he needed a child. Fleeting embarrassment flitted across his face.
As she glared at his lips, Anne brought the glass of water to her mouth without hesitation. It was a pity that she couldnât drink the wine that was in front of her because she was pregnant.
The Grand Duke, who saw the markedly changed Anne, was slightly frowning. He was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.
âI donât like talking in circles. If you have something to say, say it.â
Perhaps the Grand Duke found it frustrating, so he loosed two of his shirt buttons in succession. His Adamâs apple and well-shaped collarbone were exposed through the gaping collar. When she saw the cool build that disturbed her eyes every time they joined, Anne closed her eyes and turned her head away. She couldnât bear to think of him who had been holding her carelessly.
As Anneâs expression hardened, the Grand Duke, who assumed that the reason was because he had raised the tone of his voice, cleared his voice with an apologetic expression.
âI know why you are being like this. Why I made County Libelois like that⦠I punished them so that they would never touch Grand Duchess Cromound again.â