I Have A Terminally Ill Duke As My Husband (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 24

The day after being slapped by Lucie a month ago, Mercian changed slightly after suddenly asking about his physique during a meal.

Of course, as per their contract, they slept together four times a week and shared breakfast and dinner, but there was always an indescribable sense of distance between them.

It was as if she approached their marital life like a duty—diligently fulfilling her obligations yet showing no emotion in her actions…

Whenever he asked her a question, she replied only in brief answers, and aside from mealtimes and bedtime, it was nearly impossible to even catch a glimpse of Mercian.

He used to secretly enjoy watching Mercian sneakily eat sweets up in a tree with a happy expression after returning home from work each day.

But Mercian no longer climbed trees anymore—she spent her entire life confined within her own room.

As though she were becoming a shadow of the ducal household, invisible to everyone’s eyes, seemingly intent on vanishing so completely that no one would even notice her absence.

At first, he understood her behavior.

After all, he was a man destined to die soon… If she had developed any other feelings for him, Luan would have pushed her away as well.

His mind had clearly accepted this logic.

Yet, as time passed, memories of Mercian—now absent before his very eyes—began surfacing more frequently.

Her furrowed brow when lost in thought, the way she pressed her round body tightly against the trunk as she climbed the tree at astonishing speed, and above all, the sight of her happily munching on snacks with tiny bites while seated in the treetops…

Even while working at the imperial palace, during sword training, and even while plotting how to deal with the Crown Prince, Luan would suddenly wonder how Mercian was doing.

Gradually, without even realizing it, Luan began searching for Mercian the moment he entered the ducal estate each day.

Whenever he heard she was reading in her room, he would linger near her door for a long time, hoping they might accidentally cross paths. On nights they were scheduled to sleep together, he deliberately drank several bowls of a special tea that kept him awake at the palace, asking Cassel for it specifically so he could delay sleep upon returning to the estate.

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