When My Contract with the Misanthropic Duke Ended, I Filed For Divorce, But My Husband's Obsession and Doting Became Unbearable - Chapter 18
“Ah, um… I’m sorry for making you worry.”
I tried to calm my restless feelings and apologized, even though I don’t remember anything. Still, it feels wrong to make people worry this much and then not even remember it myself.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. If anything, I’m the one who should apologize. It’s my fault for pushing you so far.
I’m just… grateful that you’re alive. May I… hold your hand?”
“Eh—uh, yes.”
He asked me so suddenly that I froze, but when the Duke looked at me with tearful, pleading eyes, there was no way I could refuse. It wasn’t that I disliked it — it just made me nervous because I wasn’t used to things like this.
The Duke let out a small sigh of relief, then slowly approached me, almost as if afraid to break me. He knelt down and gently took my hand, holding it carefully in both of his.
“…Thank you for staying alive.”
“Duke…”
“For now, please rest and take your time to recover. If you need anything, I’ll prepare it.”
“Ah, I can handle it myself, so please don’t worry, Duke.”
“……No. I’ll definitely prepare everything myself. Just tell me what you need.”
He said that so firmly that I couldn’t argue. As we stared at each other, his kind gaze made my heart pound, but then Reed suddenly cut between us with a teasing grin, breaking the strange tension and helping me regain my composure. The Duke looked silently irritated for a moment — maybe that’s why his next words came out even more forcefully.
To be honest, I couldn’t think of anything I needed anyway. And if I did say something, either Reed or the Duke would probably prepare something far more expensive than I could imagine, which honestly scared me a bit.
I understand that people of different ranks have different senses of money, but the Duke’s family and the royal family are on a completely different level compared to other nobles.
Our baron family is just slightly wealthier than commoners, so our sense of money is much closer to theirs. Thinking about it that way, maybe we don’t even feel that much like real nobles.
And it’s not just about money — etiquette, education, the size of the lands they govern…
If I listed them all, the differences between our statuses would be endless.
“For now, there’s nothing I really need…”
Basically, it’s safest to decline these kinds of offers. If I said yes and made them wait for a request, I’d only end up feeling guilty.
“…I see. Understood. You don’t have to ask for anything. I’m glad we could talk today. I shouldn’t stay too long and make you feel pressured. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
“I should be the one thanking you. Thank you.”
After saying that, the Duke left the room. It all happened so suddenly that everything I wanted to say completely flew out of my head.
“Sorry, I couldn’t stop him.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m actually glad I got to see him right away since he was so worried. I forgot everything I wanted to say, but he said he’ll come again tomorrow, so it’s okay.”
“You look kind of happy, Sharon.”
“Of course I am. It makes me happy knowing someone cares about me.”
“It’s only natural for a best friend to worry, you know!”
“Ahaha… yeah. Thanks, Reed.”
I laughed as I thanked Reed, who pretended to be mad by puffing his cheeks and crossing his arms.
Come to think of it, it feels like I haven’t laughed like this in a long time.