Duke, You're a Bit Stiff (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
Artia nodded her head, showing her agreement.
Cerberus, whimpering and struggling inside the net, anxiously flailed its front paws.
Though better than before, being surrounded by noisy people with its vision obscured still left it visibly uneasy.
Artia spoke, more concerned about the anxious creature than the fact that her arm had been bitten.
“Look at those tiny front paws. Aren’t they just adorable?”
Heidegger furrowed his brow.
“Raising that thing won’t be easy.”
“That’s right. How could caring for a life ever be easy? Feeding it, bathing it, constantly worrying when it’s unwell—it’s terribly time-consuming and even bothersome.”
“And yet you still want to raise it?”
“Yes.”
Artia truly believed she could raise it well.
She couldn’t explain why, but she had a strong feeling this young creature could clearly be tamed by human hands.
After all, even the fiercest dogs from her old neighborhood used to calm down in her presence.
“This isn’t my residence, so ask Cassus.”
At Heidegger’s words, everyone’s gaze shifted to Cassus.
Cassus crossed his arms and closed his eyes.
Taming Cerberus?
That sounded utterly absurd.
Cassus assumed Artia, whose mind seemed full of flowers, was acting on a fleeting impulse.
“Fine. But if you can’t tame it within three days, I’ll deal with it as I see fit.”
To anyone observing, the proposal was clearly impossible.
Not even months—just three days?
Yet Artia nodded in agreement.
“Yes, understood.”
An entertaining spectacle had arisen in the duke’s mansion after a long while.
Everyone wondered just how long the duchess would last.
Would she even manage to endure a single day, let alone three?
‘Hah, really now.’
Red-haired Zen lifted the corners of his mouth in amusement.
“That creature is poisonous even as a newborn. You’d best treat your wound quickly.”
Heidegger said in a low voice, glancing at Artia’s arm.
Cerberus was moved into a large, sturdy iron cage.
It was fortunate it was still a pup—if it had been fully grown, it could easily have chewed through the bars and escaped.
It was precisely because this was such a dangerous high-grade magical beast that the knights couldn’t comprehend Heidegger’s intentions.
Trapped inside the enormous iron cage, Cerberus kept pacing in circles, clearly unsettled.
But the moment the handkerchief covering its eyes was removed,
“Grrrr! Woof woof!”
It began barking again, frightened by the unfamiliar surroundings before it.
Meanwhile, Artia went inside the mansion to tend to her wound.
After wrapping her arm in a bandage, she stepped outside once more—
No longer wearing a delicate dress that exposed her neck and arms, but instead clad in sturdy armor, carrying a small box.
Creeeak.
Artia cautiously placed a foot at the entrance to the iron cage.
“Grrrrr!”
The young Cerberus barked even more fiercely upon seeing the knight’s armor.
With every step Artia took forward, it growled louder, issuing threats.
Yet Artia paid it no mind and entered the cage herself.
“Ma’am! Ma’am!”
Kesha, who had followed anxiously behind, stomped her feet in distress.
Should she call the physician right away?
Would something terrible happen to her mistress at this rate?
Kesha simply couldn’t understand why her lady would suddenly act so impulsively.
In that moment,
“Grrrrr!”
The Cerberus pup charged violently toward Artia.
With more room to move than it had in the net, it attacked her limbs far more aggressively.
Kesha screamed, covering her mouth.
“Oh no! Ma’am!”
“It’s alright, it’s alright.”
Unlike the shocked onlookers, Artia’s voice remained calm.
Though the Cerberus pup clamped down hard on her armor and thrashed about, Artia didn’t even glance at it, instead opening the box she’d brought.
Click.
“Come now, let’s see what we’ve got in here together.”
Inside the box were antiseptic, bandages, and other first-aid supplies Artia had prepared.
The pup lunged to bite the box too, but Artia was quicker.
She swiftly lifted the box above her head.
“Oh you!”
The Cerberus pup immediately attacked her abdomen and thighs, but thanks to her armor, the blows had no effect.
“Fine, pretend I’m a chew toy and gnaw away as much as you like.”
Even trying to wrap a fresh bandage around the leg previously tied with the handkerchief proved difficult—
The pup thrashed about wildly, as if possessed.
“Ssshh.”
An old familiar hiss, one she used back in Korea, slipped out.
Artia stared directly into the eyes of the young Cerberus and thought:
‘Magical beasts are said never to be tamed by human hands.’
Then all she had to do was show it that humans were dominant.
It would only take a bit of time—and technique.
Artia was confident.
“Ma’am! Oh no! Hic!”
Meanwhile, Kesha watched the silent standoff between the two inside the cage, her blood running cold.
Heidegger had planned only a brief stay at the ducal mansion—
Just long enough to see his sons’ faces.
But his eldest son Cassus was too busy, and his second son Leo hadn’t gotten out of bed all day for some reason.
He’d heard Leo had overexerted himself during training the day before and come down with a fever.
Deciding the timing was poor, Heidegger resolved to leave the next day.
However—
“Your Highness… I think you should step outside for a moment.”
It was near sunset.
An aide approached, his face pale as chalk.
“What’s happened?”
“It’s just… outside…”
The aide trembled, unable to finish his sentence.
When Heidegger followed him outside,
The knights already there stared at him with bewildered expressions.
Something was pacing back and forth in one corner of the garden.
On the opposite side, people from the ducal mansion had gathered, watching the spectacle—
Their faces frozen as if they’d seen a ghost.
As Heidegger walked toward the crowd,
He saw a woman in a light, comfortable dress playing with a creature that looked like a black dog.
Her slender frame and silver hair—
It was his daughter-in-law, Artia.
Artia called out to Cerberus.
“Heuk Gu, lie down!”
“Woof!”
“Good boy, good boy!”
Artia stroked Cerberus’s head and gave it a treat.
The creature accepted the small snack through its muzzle and chewed it happily—so audibly that the smacking sounds were embarrassingly clear.
Heidegger couldn’t believe his eyes.
Was a ghost playing tricks on him?
Cerberus, which should have been locked in its iron cage, was now outside?
That dangerous magical beast was freely outside?
The pairing of a casually dressed woman and Cerberus seemed utterly incongruous.
Just then, Artia raised a hand, forming a scissor shape with her thumb and index finger, and shouted:
“Heuk Gu, bangya!”
Cerberus tilted its head, confused by the unfamiliar gesture.
“Bangya!”
“Woof!”
“No, no—that’s not it! Bangya!”
When Artia repeated the command, the young Cerberus rolled onto its back and lay flat on the ground,
Just like a puppy submitting to its master.
Heidegger inspected the muzzle-wearing creature lying there several times, wondering if it truly was Cerberus—
Could it just be a dog that merely resembled it?
But the sturdy tail, the bandages wrapped around its front paws, and the sharp features characteristic of a high-grade magical beast—
It was unmistakably the same Cerberus from earlier.
Heidegger murmured dazedly to his aide,
“What exactly am I seeing right now?”
“I’m thinking the exact same thing, Your Highness…”
The aide blinked again and added,
“Perhaps someone disguised as Cerberus is hiding inside that body?”
“Honestly, that sounds more believable.”
Everyone was astounded to see the ferocious magical beast following Artia as if she were its mother.
Moreover, Cerberus seemed to have grown even larger in just those few hours.
As more people gathered, Cerberus sensed the threat and bared its sharp fangs through the muzzle.
“Grrrrr.”
Just as it prepared to lunge aggressively, Artia made a sharp hissing sound—“Ssshh!”
Miraculously, Cerberus immediately ceased its threatening behavior, as if obeying Artia’s command.
“Yes, that’s right. Good job.”
Artia pulled another treat from her pocket and tossed it to the creature.
Once again, the loud munching drew everyone’s attention—
It ate so deliciously that even those who weren’t hungry found themselves salivating.
“What is that?”
“Looks like dried meat.”
“Has Cerberus ever eaten human-made dried meat before?”
“I’m not sure. I’m watching it myself, but I simply can’t believe it.”
Heidegger’s aide narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the creature as it ate.
Soon, even Cassus had stepped outside to witness this bizarre scene.
Now Artia placed a rolled-up treat on Cerberus’s nose. Then she said,
“Wait now.”
Cerberus, by nature, was a monster that couldn’t resist food.
It wasn’t the kind of creature that would obey human commands.
“Wait.”
Yet astonishingly, the pup understood the word “wait” and remained still, the treat balanced carefully on its nose.
Thud. Thud.
It drooled heavily but kept glancing at Artia, whining softly as if checking for her cue.
“Yes, yes! That’s it!”
The sunset bathed the earth in brilliant light.
Evening rays shimmered off Cerberus’s deep crimson fur.
Its glossy coat, gleaming like a black panther’s, drew exclamations of awe from everyone.
Though still a pup, its appearance unmistakably confirmed its status as a high-grade magical beast.
After a brief silence, Artia rewarded it with the treat.
“You did absolutely wonderfully.”
Cerberus quickly snatched up the dried meat and chewed it with loud smacks.
The watching knights shuddered, imagining how that same tiny strip of dried meat might one day become human bone.
Yet right now, it behaved exactly like a docile puppy.
It even wagged its tail toward Artia—as if asking for praise.
“Woof! Woof!”
“…”
Everyone held their breath, watching this impossible scene unfold.
Even Cassus stood with an impressed, slightly twisted smile.
Cerberus.
This high-grade magical beast was known to retain its wild instincts even when raised from birth—
So much so that the belief it couldn’t be subjugated by humans now seemed questionable.
“Incredible. You’ve turned it into a gentle dog. Looks like you’ve been raising it for at least ten years.”
Beside Cassus, Zen stood with his mouth agape, utterly dumbfounded.
“The more I look at it, the cuter it seems.”
Just then, Artia slowly turned around.
‘My, quite a crowd’s gathered already.’
Numerous eyes watched her and Cerberus from a distance.
Artia stroked the creature demonstratively.
“As you can see, it’s perfectly safe even outside the iron cage. Wouldn’t you say it’s tamed by now?”
She looked directly at Cassus among the crowd and gave him a gentle smile.
Cassus, wearing a displeased expression, carefully examined Cerberus.
“Fine, let’s say it being outside is acceptable—but how do you prove it isn’t dangerous?”
“Hmm, does it look dangerous to you?”
“The muzzle itself sounds like an admission of danger.”
“Oh, this?”
“…Yeah.”
In this world, the concept of muzzling a dog didn’t exist.
Though some kept dogs occasionally, they were mostly for hunting or guarding.
Noble ladies sometimes kept long-haired breeds as ornaments, but those were calm enough not to require muzzles.
No one had ever tried taming such a ferocious creature to keep it indoors.
“It’s only a temporary measure. If it were truly dangerous, I wouldn’t have brought it outside.”
“Does House Harad even teach how to tame magical beasts?”
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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