The Duke, Who Didn’t Even Call Me by My Name Until Yesterday, Has Suddenly Started Doting on Me? - Chapter 1

“Marianne! Marianne! Where are you!?”

The Duke… was calling my name?

After days of pouring rain, it was finally a sunny morning.

On that day, a voice calling my name echoed throughout the mansion.

The owner of that voice was my husband, the owner of the mansion, Duke Alexia Wilford.

The Duke’s voice reached my ears as I was getting ready alone in my room, as usual.

The Duke had been suffering from a high fever for an unknown reason three days ago and had been in bed ever since, but I wondered if he’s better now?

I hadn’t seen the Duke once during that time, so I didn’t know his exact condition. However, the Duke, who was devoted to his work, must have been feeling very unwell if he was unable to concentrate on his work.

From outside the room, I could hear the footsteps of the mansion’s servants running hurriedly.

“Duke?! What’s wrong?”

“Shut up! Stay away from me! I need to see Marianne right now! Marianne! Is she there?! Marianne!”

The voices were gradually getting closer to the room where I was.

From what I could hear from their conversation, they seemed desperate and not at all normal.

The Duke was usually so calm and collected, so I couldn’t believe he’s so upset… But why was he like that? Why was he looking for me so desperately?

Until yesterday, the Duke had never called me by my name even once…

t’s been a year since I married into this Duke’s family. I was 21 at the time. The Duke was 27.

Two years ago, my father’s business failed and he was left with a huge debt. When it seemed like it was only a matter of time before he would be stripped of his baronial title, Duke Alexia offered to help him, offering to pay off his debts. In exchange, he proposed an engagement to me.

“The cold-blooded duke.”

“A murderer with no human blood in him.”

“His eyes are stained blood from being covered in so much blood.”

It seemed that no noble lady was willing to marry the duke, who was the subject of endless horrifying rumors about him, so he set his sights on my family, who were struggling with debt.

When my father heard the story, he gladly accepted the proposal without even checking my wishes.

My current father was the new husband of my mother, who had already passed away, and he never loved me.

In order to clear his huge debts, my father was desperately searching for a husband for me who would be willing to pay a large dowry. Then the proposal of engagement from the Duke came, and he must have been very enthusiastic about it. And so we became engaged, but the Duke never came to see me once in the six months leading up to our wedding.

The wedding was also just a formality, where we signed documents. The only attendees were my father and a few servants who worked for the mansion.

Even after we got married and started living together, we hardly ever met, let alone spoke to each other. Even when we happened to meet inside the mansion, he would turn away from me with a lack of interest and ignore me. We ate separately. I was never shown to the dining room, and a surly servant brought cold food to my room.

The servants at the mansion hardly spoke to me, and secretly chuckled to themselves when they saw me being ignored by the Duke.

Because the Duke behaved as if I didn’t exist. However, once a month he called me to his shared bedroom. At such times, the Duke always smelled of alcohol, looked empty, and was a little in a bad mood. And without making eye contact with me, he performed the act of having a child, as if it were a task.

It was useless to expect to be loved. To the Duke, I was nothing more than a tool to give birth to an heir.

So I had no idea why the Duke was searching so desperately for me.

I wondered if I had done something to make him angry?´I hadn’t done anything related to the Duke’s work, and I wasn’t allowed to go out alone, so I’d just been spending my time quietly in the Duke’s mansion.

I didn’t remember doing anything to incur the Duke’s wrath, but… I was still a little scared.

No, actually I was really scared.

“Marianne!”

Bang!

The door to my room slammed open with a tremendous force.

My shoulders jumped in shock and I quickly turned my back on the door. My heart was pounding loudly with fear and tension.

First of all, I took a deep breath to calm myself down, even if just a little.

I didn’t know why the Duke was looking for me.

Maybe he’s telling me to leave this mansion?

…But maybe that’s a good thing.

I felt like I would be able to live a better life this way than continuing to be treated coldly by the Duke and the servants here until I die.

Yes. It would be fine… I had made up my mind.

“Yes. Did you call for me, Duke…?”

I turned around with a smile as if to brag… and my voice choked up at the sight.

The Duke, panting and with his silvery white hair disheveled, was staring at me with his eyes wide open and a sad expression on his face. His open mouth just trembled, and no words came out.

Seeing the Duke’s expression for the first time, I froze, not knowing what to say to him. But I couldn’t look away from the Duke’s eyes, which seemed to be pleading for something with a sad look on his face.

The next moment, the Duke’s ruby-like deep red eyes shook wildly, and large tears began to spill out.