Duke, You're a Bit Stiff (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4
Cassus narrowed his brows, his face clearly displeased.
“I suppose you’re going to lay hands on me?”
“Yes, if that’s what you’d like.”
“I don’t want that.”
“Might there happen to be something like a ‘wife’s privilege’?”
“Sigh…”
Cassus, who had been silently frowning, ran a hand through his hair.
“It might be best if I leave here.”
In the original story, there was absolutely no mention of them having consummated their marriage.
That meant Cassus had neglected his wife throughout their entire marriage.
Not even their wedding night—let alone anything else.
Was it really acceptable for a wife not to be allowed to touch even the tip of her husband’s finger?
“If it’s going to be like this, why get married at all?”
Poor Artia.
Cassus raised one eyebrow and scoffed.
“If you’re lonely, I’ll assign you a lover. I won’t care what you do—do as you please.”
“If you truly don’t care what I do, then I’d like to examine your body.”
“You’re impossible to reason with.”
“Do you really think I’m doing this because I’m lonely?”
Artia hadn’t realized her past-life occupational habit would go this far.
Ignoring visible problems was one of the things she found hardest to do.
Figuring out what hurt, identifying the cause, and fixing it—
That had been Kang Ji Ha’s lifelong work in her previous life.
Moreover, faced now with an extraordinary physique she’d never seen before in her life, she simply couldn’t bear not solving the mystery.
Having been among the world’s top bodybuilders and the leading figure in rehabilitative Pilates in her past life, she was determined to uncover that secret—even if it killed her.
“I know you despise House Harad intensely.”
At the mention of “Harad,” Cassus’s expression darkened further.
After all, they were sworn enemies.
“Don’t you wonder why I, a bastard of House Harad, was sent here?”
“…”
Cassus was suspicious.
He believed Artia had been deliberately sent to the Wellington family to spy on his every move.
“Being a bastard would’ve made it easier, then.”
Cassus frowned, his eyes full of distrust.
“Are you afraid I might secretly send letters?”
“Isn’t that exactly why you let me in here?”
“No, it isn’t. I just wish you’d trust me a little…”
“Then give me a proper reason—one that I can accept.”
Cassus’s sharp eyes flashed as if ready to cut her lifeline at any moment.
In the suffocating silence,
only the sound of wind and snow whirling outside the window could be heard.
Yet Artia wasn’t afraid.
What frightened her was the thought of dying without ever seeing that magnificent body.
Just imagining closing her eyes without unraveling that enigma was horrifying.
‘As he said, I need to earn his trust first. How do I do that?’
Artia blinked and recalled the place names she’d briefly glimpsed in the documents before Cassus arrived, along with details from the original story.
In the original, Cassus had invested in the Barel region—and suffered a total loss.
He’d poured a great deal of money into the land, losing a significant portion of his wealth in the process.
‘So he ends up wasting an enormous amount of time and energy.’
Artia jerked her chin toward the documents.
“Invest in Number Five—Naypite.”
“What?”
“You seem to be struggling with where to invest. And whatever you do, don’t choose Number One, the Barel region.”
Cassus’s lips twisted.
“Why should I do that?”
His icy blue eyes held not a trace of trust,
as if he might interpret her words in the exact opposite way.
“Barel may look shiny on the surface, but scratch it and you’ll find nothing but an empty shell. I don’t know who started the rumor about gold ore, but no matter how much you dig, you’ll find absolutely nothing.”
“…”
“Drone and Oasis regions will soon enter the rainy season—you won’t recover even half your principal, let alone the full amount.”
“…”
“What about Kaya? Aside from its fruit, there’s nothing of value there. Unless you’re planning to spend a fortune collecting fruit, don’t bother investing there.”
“…”
Cassus’s gaze shifted strangely.
“How do you know all this?”
“Well… I’ve got a bit of foresight, I suppose.”
Artia shrugged.
Even if he didn’t believe her and refused to invest, it didn’t matter.
He’d realize she’d been right—after he’d lost everything.
‘Then maybe he’ll trust me.’
“Don’t diversify half-heartedly—go all-in on Number Five, Naypite. Without fail.”
“That region is a wasteland. You’re telling me to invest there?”
“It’s a wasteland now, but that land holds many treasures—including gems. I’d like you to be the first to recognize its true worth.”
“…”
“And for heaven’s sake, don’t touch Barel—you’ll just end up bleeding money. No matter how much you dig, you’ll only get muddy water and rocks.”
The soft crackling of burning firewood echoed faintly.
“Just listen to me and wait and see. I don’t know if it’ll be enough for you to trust me—but it’s worth a try.”
Late at night, Artia returned alone to her room and sat on the bed.
“Cough! Cough!”
Had she overexerted herself today?
What stained her sleeve was unmistakably “blood.”
Fearing someone might see it, she quickly covered the bright red stain on her sleeve.
‘If I’m this weak already…’
Only now did the terminal diagnosis truly feel real.
The fresh blood on her sleeve plainly showed her time was running out.
She didn’t know the exact illness, but since the original story had set her as terminally ill, she would surely die in time.
“Cough! Cough!”
Artia recalled the original plot.
According to the timeline, she had about a year left to live.
The ducal household likely believed she was merely frail.
When Artia died, the Imperial Family would use it as an excuse to pressure the Wellingtons even more,
accusing them of taking a precious daughter from another house and returning her as a corpse.
Rumors that Cassus had driven poor Artia to her death would spread even among the commoners of his domain, tarnishing his reputation.
Her death would be exaggerated and distorted,
spreading as bizarre gossip that the duke had abused and mistreated his wife until she died prematurely.
This would become the decisive incident that later led to Cassus’s death at the hands of the Crown Prince.
‘So in the end, I’m just a tool to be used and discarded.’
Truly a dreadful life.
A life without autonomy, dictated entirely by others’ choices.
Surely the original Artia hadn’t wanted to live like that either.
Perhaps because she’d swung a wooden sword a few times during the day, exhaustion suddenly hit her hard.
She’d managed to push through with sheer willpower earlier, but that effect vanished completely at night.
‘I really did overdo it.’
This would’ve been nothing in her past life.
‘Tomorrow, I’ll be so sore I can barely move.’
But at this rate, she might not even be able to walk tomorrow.
‘I need to take action.’
She barely summoned enough remaining strength to dampen a towel with water.
“Phew…”
After performing Kang Ji Ha’s special sports massage—a technique designed to quickly relieve fatigue—she felt considerably lighter and better.
Artia made a firm resolution in her heart.
‘Though my time is short, I’ll live the rest of this life meaningfully. That’s the least I owe the true owner of this body.’
Tap, tap, tap.
Each time Cassus’s fingers tapped lightly on his office desk, a clear wooden sound echoed.
He stared for a long while at the land investment documents marked with numbers.
『You seem to be struggling with where to invest. And whatever you do, don’t choose Number One, the Barel region.』
Artia’s earnest voice lingered in his ears.
To anyone, investing in Barel seemed the obvious choice.
Number Five, Naypite, wasn’t even on his radar.
Yet she insisted he invest there.
He’d wondered if it was just a random remark.
But she’d known far too many details and even provided clear direction—
as if she’d seen right through his concerns.
This investment required extremely careful judgment, so Cassus had been observing it for a while but kept postponing his decision.
Now, with the deadline approaching, it had become one of his top priorities.
‘She even seemed to know the deadline was near…’
Thinking about Artia, Cassus grew puzzled.
‘Just who is this woman?’
They were married, yet had never shared a bed—and for months, he hadn’t even properly looked at her face.
Then suddenly, she walked into his office and told her husband she wanted to see his body.
And she’d known his physical condition precisely, as if they’d known each other for years.
“…”
Soon, Cassus shook his head and picked up his pen, its nib stained with black ink.
‘It must’ve been a coincidence.’
Daybreak came.
Sunlight already streamed generously through the window.
Knock, knock.
At the soft knock, Kesha peeked in.
“Are you all right, Madam?”
“I’m not dead yet.”
Seeing the maid’s expression—as if she’d come to confirm a corpse—Artia answered while rubbing her nose.
Kesha flushed slightly and bit her lip, embarrassed.
“I brought you some warm tea.”
“Thank you.”
“Please drink it before it gets cold.”
Setting down the steaming teacup, Kesha glanced cautiously at Artia.
“Madam, about yesterday…”
“Hmm?”
“You defeated the young master, didn’t you?”
“Oh… did I?”
Artia yawned and stretched.
Though only a day had passed since her transmigration, her body still hadn’t adjusted.
Unlike her previous healthy self who always sprang up in the morning, this body was terribly frail.
The stretch didn’t feel satisfying at all.
Artia began her morning routine, rotating her neck, shoulders, and every movable joint.
Gradually, her dormant muscles began to loosen.
“Madam, to be honest… it felt incredibly satisfying!”
Kesha exclaimed excitedly, then instantly lowered her voice, realizing she’d spoken too loudly,
still overwhelmed by yesterday’s thrill.
“Really?”
“Yes! The way you blocked the young master’s attack was so cool! Everyone in the ducal residence must still be talking about it.”
“Guiding a wayward youth back onto the right path is an adult’s duty.”
“I never imagined you’d have that side, Madam!”
Kesha’s eyes sparkled brightly.
It was a familiar look to Artia.
‘Looks like I’ve gained a new fan.’
Having been popular with women in her past life too, she cracked her neck and looked directly at the maid.
Perhaps she stared a bit too intently.
Kesha’s face turned bright red.
“Is… is there something on my face?”
“Your posture is terribly slouched.”
“Huh?”
“Sit up straight like this—chest out.”
“U-um…?”
“Hold on—why is this so knotted here?”
“I’ve been working for so long…”
Artia placed both hands on Kesha’s trapezius muscles.
In such close face-to-face proximity, Kesha didn’t know what to do—she even forgot to breathe in the awkward tension.
Madam was now so close their breaths nearly touched.
Kesha, merely a maid, had no choice but to endure it.
Then, in an instant,
Artia wrapped an arm around Kesha’s neck and, without warning, twisted it sharply left and right.
Crack!
The sound of realigning bones followed immediately.
“Aaah!”
Startled, Kesha shrieked and flailed her arms and legs.
“P-please spare me! Ma… Madam! Hic!”
Thud-thud-thud!
With that refreshing series of pops, all the tension drained from Kesha’s body.
“How’s that? Feel relieved?”
“Huuuh…”
Kesha stared at Artia, slack-jawed.
“What… what did you just do to me… Madam?”
Though the sound had been alarming, she somehow felt refreshed.
“Posture correction.”
“…Huh?”
“Your body was misaligned. Staying like that long-term is harmful.”
“Oh… hahaha.”
Kesha laughed as if her mind had snapped.
“It’ll hurt briefly, but just endure that moment.”
“I don’t really understand… but I do feel oddly refreshed.”
“I only took a quick look. You’ll need consistent sessions.”
“C-consistently… haha.”
“Any other pains in your body?”
“Other pains?”
“Yeah. Frequent headaches, unexplained heart palpitations, or feeling too unwell to get up the next day after just a little alcohol—any small things like that are fine.”
Kesha spread out her limbs and carefully inspected every part of her body.
“Um… is it okay if I say something like this…?”
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
_____
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