CH 70.1

“Madam said that she had no appetite and asked me to prepare it separately, so I made it myself.”

Seeing the master’s narrowed eyes, Emily fidgeted and spoke hastily in fear. By the time the Grand Duke’s gaze reached her with wonder, she was getting nervous inside. Then the answer fell like a thunderbolt from the blue sky.

“Go ahead. I will go with you.”

After hesitating for a moment, Emily lowered her head and moved slowly. Seeing her reluctantly walking away, Daymond followed her with a doubtful look.

“Madam, this is Emily. The Grand Duke has arrived.”

Emily knocked cautiously on the door, and announced his arrival. After a moment of silence, there was an answer to come in.

As she opened the door and hurriedly entered, Anne, who was sitting in a rocking chair by the window and reading a book, slowly raised her head.

“Why did you come to my room again?”

Seeing Anne after a while, he was genuinely surprised. In the times he was not able to see her face, her complexion was terribly damaged. The pale cheeks, as if the energy of life had dried up off her, cracked skin, and sunken eyelids… There seemed to be no strength in her emaciated body.

Then, suddenly, he thought of the food the maid had brought.

“They say that you refused all the food… Why are you refusing all the good food and eating this kind of food?”

After Anne’s gaze lingered on the dish for a while, she slowly turned to him.

“Are you even monitoring what I eat now?”

The Grand Duke wrinkled his expression. Despite the sharp answer, he softened his voice as much as possible.

“It’s not like that… Your status now…”

“I asked for it myself. It’s because I don’t want to eat anything other than freshly baked bread these days, so please stop meddling and leave. Because I am about to eat.”

Anne cut off the Grand Duke’s book and coldly folded the book. He opened his lips and searched for something to say, but he was speechless as Anne tried to end the conversation completely.

“Even if you don’t have an appetite, eat properly. I’ll tell the chef separately.”

Daymond, shocked by Anne’s face with nothing but bones as he left the Grand Duchess’ room, was in agony.

There were not just one or two things that made him wonder how a person could become so skinny in just a week. When he checked with the dining room employees again, he heard that the Grand Duchess did not seem to be eating properly.

From that day on, he kept a close eye on all the food that went into Anne’s room.

* * *

Anne was getting thinner day by day. Still it was said that she was still eating the bread, and there was no trace of it being thrown away. So he pondered for a while and then instructed the chef to make bread using carefully selected fresh ingredients.

“You should eat something like this rather than such crude bread.”

The Grand Duke took out the freshly baked loaf of high quality buttered bread from the oven and took it himself.

The servants’ attention was drawn to the sight of the cold owner of the Grand Duke’s castle directly stopping by the kitchen, but he didn’t care and grabbed the tray himself. Captivated by a feeling of pride in himself, he hoped that perhaps this might help ease Anne’s mind a little.

As soon as he entered the Grand Duchess’ room, he saw Anne at a glance. Her face was bathed in the warm sunlight from the open terrace, and was slumped in her chair. When she saw his pale face, with no blush of blood, his insides groaned even more.

He was looking at Anne’s face, who had lost the meaning of life.

He has seen many of them. The muddy eyes, darkened by despair, were what he had seen many times when he was rebuilding the northern estate. But now his wife’s expression resembled those forgotten ones. Such an empty face with no attachment to life.

Heading to the terrace, he slowly put the bread he had brought onto the table. Slowly opening her eyes at the presence she felt next to her, she looked at the food in front of her and frowned at once as if she saw something she couldn’t see.

Daymond ignored the reaction and spoke in a plain tone.

“I brought your food separately because you refused everything…”

“You really annoy people. If you won’t bring divorce papers, go away!”

“Seeing my sincerity, why don’t you listen to me?”

Despite his chilly demeanor, he said, “Why don’t you try a bite?” And picked up a piece of bread and pushed it close to her face.

“Put it away… uhhh… ugh….”

Anne, who had been moving away from her food as if rejecting it with her whole body, suddenly covered her mouth and nose with her hand, shaking her body with difficulty. She began to retch as her face contorted in pain a few times.

Daymond’s eyes widened when he saw the small body staggering in danger like enduring something.

“Angroanne!”

In response to her unexpected reaction, he hurriedly grasped her arm and supported her, but his hand was strongly shaken off with a sound.