When My Contract with the Misanthropic Duke Ended, I Filed For Divorce, But My Husband's Obsession and Doting Became Unbearable - Chapter 25
A few days passed after that, but of course, there was no sudden way to gain confidence. Lately, I’d been wondering if trying to become confident in myself was even the right thing to focus on. The reason was simple—because I had absolutely no resistance to the Duke.
“Today, I prepared this necklace for you, Sharon. It has the Duke’s family crest on it, so it should serve as a deterrent.”
“Uh…”
I really wanted to ask a deterrent against who, but when I saw the Duke’s faintly dark eyes and the small, satisfied smile on his face, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
For the past few days, I had been alone with the Duke quite often. He didn’t touch me outright, but he was always unusually close. Every time he came, he brought a mountain of presents, and now, the room the royal castle lent me was completely filled with his gifts.
Because of that, I felt like he was constantly around me, and rather than building confidence, my nerves were on edge every day. And more than anything, the fact that he personally put on every piece of jewelry or accessory he gave me—each time his face drew close, my heart felt like it was going to explode.
Maybe that was also why… lately, the way he looked at me sometimes scared me a little. Not in a bad way exactly, but—how should I put it? It’s hard to explain. If I talked to Reed, he might understand what I meant, but somehow, when I’m with the Duke, I feel like I’m not supposed to mention anyone else’s name.
I wonder why that is.
“Ah, do you not like this color? I have others. We can pick one together. You look good in everything, after all.”
“N-no, it’s not that! I think this color is lovely… it’s just, you’ve been giving me too many things lately…”
If I hesitated even a little, he’d start pulling out more gifts—different colors, different shapes, endless choices. It was unlike the Duke I used to know. No, it wasn’t quite the same as how he changed after the divorce talk either. This was… something else entirely.
If I let him keep going like this, I felt like something dangerous might happen. So I thought maybe I should ask him to stop giving me so many gifts, but—
“Sharon, you’re the Duchess. This much is only natural.”
“But we’re divorced, so that’s—”
“We’ll just remarry, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
The Duke shouldn’t even know that the divorce never really went through. So why was he still treating me like his Duchess? His feelings for me seemed real, but somehow, he felt… different from before the audience with the royal family. Was it just my imagination?
“Duke—”
“Sharon, I told you. You’re my wife, so call me by my name. You can speak to me the same way you did at the audience.”
“Um, but right now—”
“You called the Second Prince by his name, didn’t you? I was honestly jealous of that.”
Leaving aside the whole “my wife” part, I was shocked that the Duke felt jealous just because I called Reed by his name. Honestly, when someone like me uses someone’s name so casually, most people would probably just think I’m being rude. That’s the sad truth of our difference in status.
“G–Gene… sama?”
“There’s no need for ‘sama,’ but I’m happy enough as it is. Just hearing my name from your lips makes me feel closer to you… Sharon, it makes me want to lose control.”
The moment I nervously called him by his name, just as he wished, the Duke smiled beautifully—so radiant it took my breath away. But at the same time, I wasn’t sure if doing what he wanted had really been the right choice.
Because that smile— that smile looked just like that of a predator who had finally caught what it desired and couldn’t wait to claim it.