I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Translator: effe
Peter’s face lit up after seeing the book. Watching Peter flip through the pages, Armilla felt tense. She clenched her hands together, organizing her questions for Peter.
As a gardener of Vittore’s, Peter was knowledgeable in various plants. It seemed like there wasn’t a plant he didn’t know about. The same was true for Agaphia. He picked up a branch from the ground and drew a picture on the floor.
“Agaphia looks like this. When its juice is extracted, it has the effect of reducing male… function? Fertility? Something like that.”
Peter explained, his face reddening once again as he drew the broad leaves.
However, Armilla didn’t pay much attention to his reaction and continued with her questions.
“Then, how can one eliminate the effects of Agaphia?”
“Eliminate the effects?”
“What should someone do if they want to have a child while consuming Agaphia juice?”
Peter blinked his innocent-looking eyes at Armilla’s question. He tapped the ground with the branch, tilting his head.
“Wouldn’t you just stop drinking the juice? Since the effects are temporary, skipping even a day would be sufficient……?”
“But some people don’t skip even a day.”
“If someone wants to have a child while drinking Agaphia every day, wouldn’t that mean they don’t want the child?”
Armilla pursed her lips in embarrassment at Peter’s reasonable point.
He was right. If someone wanted to have a child, they wouldn’t take Agaphia in the first place. If they were diligently consuming it every day, it meant they never wanted a child in the first place.
“Should I respect His Grace’s wishes?’
Armilla pondered deeply.
The revelation that Ricardo didn’t want a child had been a profound shock to her.
She even felt a sense of betrayal in his efforts to secretly prevent Armilla from having a child.
However, if he didn’t want a child that desperately, there might be some reason for it.
It wouldn’t be desirable to secretly investigate ways to have a child against his wishes. Going against his will would not be much different from what he had done to Armilla.
‘I should talk to His Grace.’
Armilla thought, placing her hands on her knees on the ground.
The wounds from being pushed away by Ricardo had healed. Armilla took the branch from Peter and erased the drawing on the floor.
“Lady Armilla?”
Peter looked surprised as Armilla erased the drawing of Agaphia. Armilla gave him a gentle smile.
“You’re right, Peter. I think I chose the wrong subject to look into. Thank you, Peter.”
Finishing her words, Armilla got up. Her legs were numb from sitting crouched for so long.
As she swayed, Peter reached out to her in confusion.
But before his hand could reach her, a large shadow approached and scooped Armilla up.
Nestled in his firm embrace, Armilla took a deep breath and looked up.
Bright violet eyes were gazing down at her.
.
.
.
About an hour earlier.
A black horse had led the knights to the black castle. The tightly shut gates opened, and the bell in the North tower rang long and clear. Signaling the master had returned.
Ricardo got off his horse and ordered Ezio to organize the knights before heading to his office.
“I’m exhausted.”
Ricardo threw his black cloak carelessly and leaned on the long sofa in the office.
Resting his feet on the table, he gazed at the fireplace and took a long, deep breath.
Enduring the harsh winds was a routine part of his life, but this recent raid had been particularly grueling.
He knew the reason why. It was because he had grown accustomed to comfort.
Ricardo had spent long nights in the comfort of his bedroom since his marriage.
Under normal circumstances, he would have gone out on expeditions or raids at least every three days, but this winter, he had been holed up in the mansion.
It was unavoidable. He had to intertwine his body with Armilla as much as possible. So that the rumor that the Grand Duke is in love with his wife would spread through the ears of as many people as possible.
Suddenly, Ricardo remembered Armilla’s face. Armilla, clinging to him, practically saying that there was no one in the world to rely on except Ricardo.
Armilla’s desperate eyes staring at Ricardo.
And finally, shedding clear tears while looking at him…
‘That’s not right.’
Ricardo hastily chased the thought away. It was embarrassing that Armilla kept coming to mind.
Even when he tried not to think about her, Armilla would come to mind even at completely unrelated moments.
Whether he was giving operation instructions to Ezio or tossing and turning in his tent.
He couldn’t understand what the big deal of someone crying that it was so deeply ingrained in his mind. Tears were nothing more than a symbol of weakness.
‘Perhaps staying at the mansion has made me lazy.’
Ricardo frowned, tracing the long scar on his right arm.
He hadn’t neglected his training to keep his body from stiffening, but that was a whole different story from actual combat.
That was probably why there was a gap with the beast this morning.
Yes, that must have been the reason. It wasn’t because of Armilla or those kinds of sentiments.
Ricardo looked at the parchment on the table with intense eyes. The golden paper that had flown to him early this morning contained surprising content.
It stated that he should marry Julia Adalberto next spring, as his current marriage with the current Grand Duchess could not be recognized.
‘Ridiculous.’
Ricardo chuckled. He didn’t need to look to know whose handiwork it was. Durante must have persuaded the Emperor.
He had even arranged a council of nobles when the Emperor married Ricardo to the princess of Segolinde before. In the name of opposing the marriage which would lower the status of the empire, but the real intention was clear.
The only one who didn’t know Durante’s dark intentions was the Emperor himself.
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