Duke, You're a Bit Stiff (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
Artia, who had lived a life obsessed with physical training in her past life, felt a sense of kinship with Heidegger.
She even felt awe, wanting to learn his training methods and mindset firsthand.
According to the ill-tempered Cassus, it was a bad ending—but what could she do?
It was his fate, after all.
But she wanted to save Heidegger, at least.
He died a horrifying death after sacrificing himself for the people.
As a Korean who had always believed in rewarding virtue and punishing vice, she couldn’t possibly stand by and let such a great man die.
Artia reviewed the original story once again.
A few months before Heidegger’s death on the battlefield,
he had taken Leo with him on a campaign and sustained a small wound from a thorn.
No one thought much of it since it wasn’t visibly noticeable, but in truth, it became a major hidden threat.
The wound became infected. During a critical moment in battle, it slowed Heidegger’s body down,
and because of that, he died alongside Leo.
‘To prevent that from happening, I must stop Heidegger from going to the battlefield.’
There was only one reason the Wellington family kept being sent to war:
friction with the Imperial Family.
The Wellington Dukedom’s ancestral motto was “Loyalty to the Absolute Monarch.”
It meant they would never rebel, even if a sword were held to their throats.
They could’ve easily rebelled and seized the throne themselves,
but dishonoring the Wellington family’s pride was something they’d rather die than do.
Originally, the Wellington family had been founding allies alongside the current imperial line.
The alliance between the two houses to establish a new nation had been a good thing.
But that was where it ended.
To reestablish their relationship, the Imperial Family demanded loyalty from the Dukedom, and the Dukedom readily accepted.
However, the friendship between the two houses—which they’d thought would last forever—didn’t endure for long.
As a hierarchy developed, subtle friction began to grow between the once-harmonious families.
The tension intensified with each generation and reached its peak during Heidegger’s time.
Feeling threatened by the Dukedom, the Imperial Family resolved to weaken the Wellingtons.
They presented deliberately unacceptable terms—
whether the Wellingtons accepted or refused, it would benefit the Imperial Family. Refusal would put them in a difficult position.
Yet Heidegger couldn’t betray the traditions of his ancestors.
Moreover, within the imperial capital where the Imperial Family resided lay a mana core powerful enough to obliterate the entire empire with ease.
This mana core had been discovered during the founding of the Felln Empire.
When first found, it had shone like a crystal orb beneath solid rock.
It was widely known that merely possessing a mana core could amplify one’s magical power to an enormous degree.
Amplifying innate magical power in such an unnatural way
meant the mana core was, in essence, an instrument of dark magic.
Understanding the dangers of dark magic early on, the ancestors strictly forbade its use,
as they couldn’t predict what kind of backlash it might bring.
As long as the Imperial Family held the pink-hued mana core, no one dared look down on them.
In truth, even they couldn’t fully gauge its true power.
What was certain was that even a fingernail-sized fragment of the mana core could easily wipe out an entire battalion.
And if the core was the size of a grown man, could anyone even imagine the devastation it might unleash?
Thus, all sorts of wild rumors spread: using it would bring a generational curse, or cause the entire continent to explode.
The Imperial Family pondered how best to effectively crush the Wellingtons.
The solution turned out to be surprisingly simple:
foster a sense of solidarity among the other nobles and plant a negative image of the Wellington family.
After all, the North was the farthest from the capital.
If political influence were comparable, nobles naturally preferred aligning with powers closer to them.
Though baffled by the Imperial Family’s unreasonable demands, Heidegger complied without protest to avoid greater harm.
However, he opposed any law that treated commoners and prisoners worse than animals.
Ever since Cassus inherited the dukedom, he had opposed almost every imperial decree.
Consequently, the Imperial Family and the Dukedom became sworn enemies.
The Imperial Family branded the Wellington Dukedom as a shameless house that had abandoned its ancestral values.
They spread baseless rumors and fabricated accusations of treason to tarnish their reputation.
Sending Artia, the terminally ill daughter of House Harad, to the North was also part of their scheme to disadvantage the Wellington Dukedom.
After all, what better story to incite the fury of Felln Empire’s women
than that of a husband who killed his young wife with a bright future ahead?
“Where is that woman!”
Leo, who hadn’t woken for a full day, shouted as soon as he opened his eyes.
His whole body ached as if bruised all over.
He’d pushed himself too hard the previous day—
and understandably so.
After slashing through 1,500 straw dummies and still not calming his rage, he’d swung his sword relentlessly without rest.
“M-Master….”
The startled servant bowed his head, mouth agape.
The floor was littered with shattered dishes and broken ornaments he’d tossed in anger.
“That woman… where is she now? I said, bring her before me immediately!”
“Master, you overexerted yourself yesterday.”
“Overexerted? What you’re saying now sounds overexerted. Your tone is annoying.”
Here we go again.
The servant, thinking that serving the Wellington family’s delinquent heir might be one of the most extreme jobs in the Felln Empire, quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.
“I-I’m sorry… His Grace, the former Duke Heidegger, has come to see you.”
“What?”
Hearing that Heidegger had come, Leo calmed his agitation.
“Why would Father…?”
“He said he stopped by briefly during his campaign.”
Leo hastily straightened his clothes,
ran his fingers through his tousled hair while checking himself in the mirror,
then gestured toward the servant still bowing among the broken shards.
“Clean this up.”
With that, Leo left the room.
A familiar voice called out from behind Heidegger, who stood alone before the iron bars of the garden after finishing his meal.
“Father.”
Heidegger slowly turned his head.
Unlike his elder son Cassus, Leo addressed him as “Father.”
His younger son—dark brown hair, defiant gray eyes—clearly showed signs of having hastily dressed himself.
One glance was enough for Heidegger to understand the situation.
“You must’ve trained quite hard. Enough to only wake up now.”
“Ah….”
“You seem to have pushed yourself too far.”
“I’m sorry.”
Though close by blood, Heidegger felt more distant to Leo than even his older brother Cassus.
Leo knew that his father, Heidegger, was regarded as a legend throughout the Felln Empire.
Thus, meeting him again at the ducal estate after so long made Heidegger feel even more imposing.
“You’ve grown a lot since last I saw you.”
“…”
The rare conversation between father and son was unbearably awkward.
Leo rolled his eyes, unsure of what to say.
Only then did he notice the creature inside the iron cage that Heidegger had been observing.
It had been hidden behind Heidegger’s large frame.
“What are you looking at?”
An awkwardly blurted question.
The answer shocked him.
“I was watching Cerberus.”
“What?”
Leo tilted his head, wondering if he’d heard wrong.
Peering closely into the cage, he saw a creature resembling a pitch-black dog gnawing on a bone.
The way it ate so earnestly confirmed it was definitely a dog.
Leo felt confused—this iron cage and the animal inside had seemingly appeared out of nowhere while he’d been lost in his training haze.
“Cerberus? Is that the dog’s name?”
“It’s not a dog.”
“What?”
“Isn’t it cute? I’m glad I didn’t kill it.”
“Huh?”
Blinking in surprise, Leo stepped closer to the cage.
Cerberus—Heuk Gu—stopped gnawing on the bone and barked at the unfamiliar shadow.
“Kang! Grrrrr!”
The creature, previously docile in Heidegger’s presence, began growling the moment Leo appeared.
“Grrrrr…”
“His name… is Heuk Gu, right?”
Unlike Heuk Gu, who started snarling aggressively, Heidegger spoke calmly, recalling the creature’s name.
Leo’s pupils trembled violently.
The animal locked in that cage wasn’t a dog!
Could this truly be *the* Cerberus?
Leo had never seen Cerberus in person before—
only in book illustrations. This was his first time seeing it up close.
Jet-black hide, a stiff tail curled at the tip, and its overall form—it matched the illustrations exactly.
Why was a high-tier magical beast like Cerberus locked in an iron cage?
“As far as I know…”
“Cerberus rejects human touch.”
Heidegger spoke in a low voice, as if reading Leo’s thoughts.
“Yes, but why is it here like this…?”
“That child said so.”
“That child?”
“Your sister-in-law.”
Leo couldn’t make heads or tails of what was happening.
“The one I captured still seems young, and she didn’t want me to kill it. So she made me a proposal.”
“A proposal…?”
“She offered to tame it. Your brother gave her three days—but she succeeded in less than one.”
“…”
Leo felt like his mind was about to snap.
Gripping the last thread of his sanity, he stared blankly at Cerberus. Seeing this, Heidegger curled the corner of his lips.
“I was astonished too. It was a sight I’d never witnessed in my life.”
Because of that, Leo was even more shocked.
His father’s gentle expression—
this wasn’t the ever-shadowed man he’d always known.
‘Just what happened while I was asleep?’
In his thirteen years of life,
this was the most bewildering moment Leo had ever faced.
He ran a hand through his dark brown hair,
then reached through the bars to confirm for himself if this was truly Cerberus.
Cerberus’s fierce, crimson eyes locked onto Leo.
The moment their gazes met across the bars—
“Grrr!”
Bang!
In an instant,
Heuk Gu lunged toward the bars to bite Leo’s hand.
Only Heidegger’s quick intervention saved Leo’s wrist from being severed.
“Be careful.”
“Hah….”
“It seems to distinguish between people.”
Heidegger pulled Leo’s arm back.
Cerberus’s sharp claws scraped off the cage’s plating.
Leo stood with his mouth agape in shock.
Still agitated, Heuk Gu kept snapping at Leo outside the cage.
“Grrrr…”
“…”
“Grrrrr!”
The creature, quiet when Heidegger was present, now bared its teeth and growled as soon as Leo appeared.
Annoyed by Heuk Gu’s clear preference for certain people, Leo bit his lip and muttered,
“I don’t like you either, you know? Acting tough while locked up.”
“Grrrr! Kang! Kang!”
When Heuk Gu barked, Leo’s lips jutted out in frustration, and he kicked an innocent patch of grass in the garden.
“What? You think barking will do anything? You gonna break through the bars?”
“Grrrrr!”
“What? Come out here, come on out.”
“Grrrrrr!”
Neither Heuk Gu inside the cage nor Leo outside showed an inch of retreat. Both, highly agitated, provoked each other—so Heidegger led Leo away from Heuk Gu’s sight.
He feared the creature might actually break through the bars if this went on any longer.
Thud. Thud.
Father and son walked silently through the garden after their rare reunion.
An awkward silence drifted on the breeze.
Heidegger, walking beside his now-teenage younger son, broke the silence first.
“How have you been lately?”
“I’ve… been fine. Never lacked for anything.”
“I see. That’s good.”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything you need?”
Heidegger knew his sons found him intimidating.
He was a clumsy father who wanted to be closer to them but didn’t know how.
Having conquered the empire at a very young age, he’d lived relentlessly, never catching a breath.
Thus, he hadn’t spent much time with his sons.
Losing their mother at a young age and rarely seeing their father—they must’ve felt terribly lonely.
He regretted deeply not creating more fond memories with them.
He should’ve spent more time with them, seen them more often.
It felt as if it might already be too late.
“Anything I need…?”
Leo hesitated, then opened his mouth.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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