When My Contract with the Misanthropic Duke Ended, I Filed For Divorce, But My Husband's Obsession and Doting Became Unbearable - Chapter 36
“Ah… is this my punishment…?”
Since then, the Duke had recovered after sleeping for two of his three vacation days. His dark circles were gone, and his body seemed fine, but on the last day, he looked pale for another reason — he was deeply depressed, as if the world were ending.
“Um… My Lord, the doctor said you still need to rest for today, so… let’s postpone our date, okay? Just for now.”
The reason was simple — our date couldn’t happen. Even though the Duke woke up on the third day of his break, the doctor ordered him to remain in bed since sleeping for two full days showed how exhausted he was. When he heard that, his shock was so severe that even Reed pitied him. That’s why, just for today, we were allowed to spend time alone together inside the castle. Still, there were guards, the butler, and some maids waiting outside the door — just in case.
In short, they were only out of sight, but not far. Seeing how crushed the Duke looked, I wasn’t sure how to comfort him, but deep down, I couldn’t help feeling happy that he had looked forward to our date so much — even though I felt bad for him.
“I don’t know when the next vacation will be… but it would be a waste to keep sulking when I finally get to be alone with you, Sharon.”
“Then I’ll stay by your side and take care of you today. Let’s talk a lot, okay? I think… we should get to know each other better.”
Normally, I wouldn’t be able to say something like that. But seeing how the Duke’s emotions were shaken because of me, I felt I had to know him more.
If I wanted to trust his feelings, I needed not only confidence in myself — but also to truly understand him. Watching how hard he worked this time made me realize that.
We still knew so little about each other. That’s why, even if this wasn’t the date we planned, spending time alone like this might be a good opportunity for me.
“You’re right… I was rushing things without thinking. We’ve been together for three years, yet I hardly know anything about you, Sharon.”
“I feel the same. I barely know anything about you either, My Lord.”
“That’s because I… no, saying that now won’t change anything. Hm, where should we even start?”
It seemed the Duke agreed with me. But once we tried to talk, we realized we didn’t even know where to begin — there were so many things we didn’t know about each other.
“Let’s start simple… maybe our favorite foods?”
“That’s a good idea. I can’t say I have a specific favorite, but I do enjoy spicy dishes.”
“Spicy food, huh? Even really spicy ones?”
“Not extremely spicy — just enough to feel a bit of heat. If it’s so spicy that I can’t taste the flavor, that’s too much.”
“True, if it’s too spicy, your tongue goes numb and you can’t enjoy it anymore. I don’t love spicy food that much, but I do like black pepper spice.”
“Ah, dishes with black pepper are quite good indeed.”
And so, that day, we talked about our likes, dislikes, and hobbies. Even though we had been married for three years, we ended up talking more than ever before.