When I Announced A Divorce, The Obsessive Maniac Went Crazy Chapter 131 - Side Story Chapter 3

Chapter 131

 

Side Story

Cesare couldn’t keep his promise to be back by 3 PM.

I felt sorry for my husband, who was probably still stuck at the imperial palace suffering, but that didn’t mean I was going to give up on shopping.

For the past few days, I had been stuck in the mansion under strict orders from my physician.

I needed to get some fresh air every now and then.

“Wow, if someone got hit with this, they’d pass out instantly.”

What kind of baby rattle has gemstones embedded in it?

If a baby drops this, the baby would get hurt first.

“Duchess, that is actually our shop’s most popular item right now! Young children absolutely love the sparkling gemstones! Maybe it’s because they are born into noble families, but they seem to have an eye for luxury from an early age!”

What nonsense.

How would a baby know the value of gemstones?

Clicking my tongue, I set the rattle back down.

The store clerk looked disappointed.

No matter how popular it was, there was no way I was buying something like that.

Instead, I bought some simple toys, a few baby clothes, and some tiny socks.

The mittens were only half the size of my palm, and the socks were unbelievably small.

Wait… are their hands and feet really this tiny? This is too cute—I’m going crazy.

After finishing my shopping, I headed into a coffeehouse.

Inside, noblewomen were gathered, leisurely spending their time.

As soon as they spotted me, their eyes lit up.

Ever since my pregnancy was announced, I had completely cut off social gatherings, so it had been a while since I last saw them.

The women gave me strange looks.

What? Is it because I’m too pretty? If you’re jealous, just say so~

Humming a little tune, I ordered a caffeine-free fresh fruit juice.

I sat at a table, sipping my juice while watching the streets outside when I heard whispers from behind me.

“Sigh… that woman is so pitiful.”

Who? Who’s pitiful?

“Shh! She might hear you!”

“So what? I heard the Duke of Burstoad is terminally ill.”

“What?!!”

I shot up from my seat.

The Duke of Burstoad… that’s my husband.

The husband I saw this morning, the one I kissed good morning.

And now they’re saying my husband is terminally ill? That’s ridiculous…!

“Would you mind explaining exactly what you mean by that?”

If I wanted answers, I needed to ask directly.

The noblewomen flinched and turned to look at me.

Their faces were painted with shock and unease.

“Well… um…”

They exchanged nervous glances.

“Please, speak freely. If something has happened to my husband, I should know.”

“You really don’t know?”

One of the women finally spoke.

“My husband told me that the Duke of Burstoad is gravely ill. Apparently, he went to his territory not for official matters but because he was too sick and needed to recover.”

And that was just the beginning.

The other noblewomen quickly chimed in.

“Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense for him to stay home so much when he has the Crown Prince’s favor!”

This is absurd.

Cesare… terminally ill?

There’s no way.

Cesare was far too strong to be called terminally ill.

Every night in bed, he was—

Ahem! Ahem! These people don’t know a thing.

I patted my cheeks and asked,

“Do you know how this rumor started?”

“I heard that the Duke of Burstoad suddenly collapsed and vomited in front of the nobles. You really didn’t know?”

“That’s not all! I heard he even coughed up blood!”

“Hah. The story has blown up this much, huh?”

So it all started because Cesare dry-heaved in front of people?

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh dear, Duchess… Maybe there’s still a chance to save him. Since His Grace is close to the Crown Prince, why don’t you call for the royal physician?”

The funniest part was that these women were genuinely trying to console me.

They even added,

“Stay strong, Duchess.”

 

 

 

****

 

 

I went straight home.

Cesare also returned not long after I did, but he looked even more haggard today than he had yesterday.

Was it because people were calling him terminally ill?

Hmm, thinking about it that way, it was kind of pitiful.

Our poor, dying Cesare…

Cesare furrowed his brows.

“What kind of ridiculous thoughts are you having now?”

“…No way. I’m not thinking about anything.”

I couldn’t just sit by and let Cesare be misunderstood like this.

It was already sad enough that he was suffering from my morning sickness—now people were mistaking him for a dying man?

There was a reason we hadn’t announced my pregnancy yet.

At first, because of the long journey, the baby had been unstable, and our physician had suggested that we wait until things were more secure before making it public.

But now, the doctor had confirmed that everything was stable.

At this point, wasn’t it fine to announce it?

“Tell me right now, Daphne. Did you get yourself into trouble again?”

“Do I look like a child? I don’t cause trouble every day.”

Cesare ran a hand through his hair.

“I’ve told you before—I want you to do nothing and just stay—”

“Okay, okay, I get it. But a tea party is fine, right?”

“A tea party…? Since when were you interested in those?”

“I’ve decided to start taking an interest.”

Cesare let out a deep sigh.

But he didn’t stop me.

I couldn’t just let Cesare’s terminal illness rumor run wild like this.

Just wait, Cesare. I’ll restore your honor in no time.

 

 

 

****

 

 

“Can you believe this? Burstoad is actually hosting a tea party.”

“I know, right? My goodness, I heard all sorts of rare treasures have been making their way into Burstoad lately. Oh, oh! Do you see that angel statue over there? I wanted to buy that but couldn’t! So that’s where it ended up!”

“Why couldn’t you buy it?”

“Obviously because it was too expensive… Ahem. If I had bought that too, my husband would have kicked me out. The price was nearly equal to a year’s worth of income from our estate.”

“And yet, they’re just casually displaying something that expensive in the garden…”

The gossiping noblewomen suddenly fell silent.

Daphne had made her entrance.

They had expected a rustic, unsophisticated woman from the countryside, but from head to toe, she was adorned in the latest fashion.

On top of that, she was wearing a dress that had just been released by the boutique this very week.

The noblewomen swallowed hard.

“It’s been a while, ladies.”

Daphne spoke in a mesmerizing voice, her eyes curving gently as she smiled radiantly.

A smile so bright it instantly overshadowed the rumors that the Duke of Burstoad was terminally ill.

No matter how bad a couple’s relationship might be, if one’s husband were truly on his deathbed, would they be able to wear an expression like that?

“Thank you all for accepting my invitation. I’ve prepared seats in the garden—would that be alright with everyone?”

“Of course!”

The noblewoman who had coveted the angel statue nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling.

“I’m glad to hear that. I recently had the garden redone, and I wanted to share it with you all. Beautiful things should be admired together, don’t you think?”

“The Duchess is so thoughtful.”

“Thank you. I’m sure today will be unforgettable.”

The noblewomen quickly warmed up to Daphne.

Inside, she smirked darkly.

What they saw today, what they ate, and what they heard…

None of it should be forgotten.

With an air of elegance, Daphne led the noblewomen to their seats.

Shannet, ever perceptive, had already set the table.

“Oh my, this is truly a delicacy!”

“I heard the chef put in a lot of effort. I haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”

“You… haven’t had an appetite?”

“No, not at all.”

Daphne tilted her head slightly and rested her chin on her palm.

“Actually… Oh dear, it’s a bit embarrassing…”

She lightly bit her lip on purpose.

The noblewomen’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

“I’m expecting a child.”

“Pardon?”

“Gasp!”

A chorus of shocked gasps erupted.

A mix of emotions flickered across the noblewomen’s faces.

Daphne calmly took a sip of her tea.

“Congratulations!”

“So Burstoad is finally getting an heir!”

“Thank you.”

Of course, the chef had been putting extra effort into the food not just for Daphne, but also for Cesare.

After all, he was the one who couldn’t keep anything down.

“But there’s a problem.”

“A… a problem? You don’t mean—!”

“Cesare’s morning sickness is awful.”

“…….”

“I heard that sometimes husbands experience morning sickness in place of their wives…”

“Cough!”

“Actually, the reason I invited you all today was to ask for advice.”

Daphne batted her eyelashes in an outrageously charming way.

“Does anyone know what to do in this situation? This is my first pregnancy, so I’m quite clueless.”

Then, with a radiant smile, she delivered the final blow.

“He even said he wished he could give birth in my place. Cesare must really love me—oh my!”