I Accidentally Imprinted On The Wolf Duke (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Although the design differed slightly depending on whether it was intended for men or women, Eliyon Empire nightwear was fundamentally a one-piece garment regardless of gender.
Thus, when the Duke unfastened the buttons down to his waist and slipped out of his nightgown, nothing remained on his body except the undergarment beneath. To Chloe, this was practically a state of 95% nudity—utterly unbearable.
No matter how firmly the Duke believed Chloe to be a man like himself, he clearly didn’t believe it nor cared one bit that this “fellow man” supposedly harbored feelings for him, given how casually he undressed every single time.
Chloe hurried over, stood slightly to the side, and deliberately avoided looking directly at the Duke as she handed him his shirt. Once he wore at least that, she wouldn’t have to see him in those embarrassing undergarments.
Although the Duke had recently started having others assist him with dressing—unlike before—he still undressed and dressed himself, which was fortunate. Many nobles never even fastened or unfastened their own buttons.
“It’s fine. From now on, I’ll handle it myself. You go to the study.”
Apparently, the Duke wouldn’t require assistance with dressing today, just as he hadn’t asked for help with washing his face earlier.
Right. Doing it himself was faster anyway. He must feel awkward ordering a servant around for tasks he’d never requested before.
Chloe bowed her head gratefully and quickly moved to the study. Not long after, the Duke entered the study as well.
In his hand was the bundle of papers he’d been reading earlier.
“This is the Tigrium history book you translated yesterday.”
Ah, so that’s what it was.
“Yes.”
Chloe answered briefly.
“When and how did you learn Tigrium?”
Here we go again.
For several days now, the Duke had been bombarding her with endless questions. Today, he apparently wanted to know how she’d come to understand Tigrium.
“I learned it from my mother.”
“Your mother? Is she unwell?”
“Yes. From childhood until just before she was injured, we spoke both Tigrium and Eliyon at home.”
“I see?”
The Duke looked at Chloe with interest, then suddenly strode quickly toward his desk.
“If there’s nothing else you’d like me to do…”
She glanced pointedly at the Duke without finishing the sentence: May I leave?
“Continue translating.”
Sigh.
Here we go again.
“Yes, understood.”
It seemed she’d be working hard again today. But at least she’d receive extra pay for the effort.
“Take your work and do it in your room.”
“Yes.”
Chloe reached for the book on the table, ready to leave.
“Oh! Klein.”
The Duke stopped her.
“Yes?”
“You said she was injured? So your mother’s condition isn’t an illness but an injury?”
“Oh, yes.”
“How did it happen?”
Him again.
Chloe let out an involuntary, heavy sigh, her shoulders even rising slightly.
“Don’t breathe so heavily. It’s suffocating.”
The Duke frowned as he spoke.
Good heavens. Now he’s telling her not to breathe deeply? Just who exactly feels suffocated?
If she didn’t breathe deeply, it would suffocate her—not the Duke. Apparently, merely watching Chloe breathe was enough to choke him with irritation.
Day by day, this master was growing increasingly irritable—specifically toward “Klein Reeden.”
“A few months ago, unknown assailants came… attacked my younger sister. My mother was also attacked then. That’s when she was injured.”
Chloe nearly blurted out “older brother” and felt momentarily flustered, but quickly recovered and answered calmly.
Over the past few days, she’d realized that if she didn’t answer his questions properly, he’d somehow find out anyway and press her even more persistently—so it was better to answer honestly.
Besides, there wasn’t really anything to hide about the incident.
Of course, she didn’t want to relive that horrifying scene from that day.
But if she hadn’t wanted to talk about it, she shouldn’t have mentioned her mother’s injury in the first place.
Having slipped up, there was nothing for it but to answer his questions.
“So your younger sister died that day?”
“Yes.”
“…”
The Duke fell silent.
Finally, the questioning was over.
“If you have no further questions, then…”
“An attack by unknown assailants. So you had enemies?”
He wasn’t the Information Guild—why so many questions?
“My family lived in isolation with no contact with others. There was no reason for us to have enemies.”
“Well, could it be that you lived in isolation precisely because you did have enemies?”
Chloe had certainly considered that possibility herself.
But to her, it remained unknowable.
That day, her older brother died, and after that, communicating even with her mother became nearly impossible.
“I don’t know. At times I thought they might have been mere robbers, but it seemed odd that robbers would appear all the way in the forest where we lived, and there were far too many of them. They seemed extremely dangerous—cruel and merciless… I lost consciousness, and my mother also…”
“Stop. That’s enough.”
Overwhelmed by emotion as the memories flooded back, Chloe managed to pull herself out of that horrifying recollection only when the Duke told her to stop.
It was fortunate. She’d nearly burst into tears, overwhelmed in an instant by the memory.
Though she tried desperately not to think of it, whenever the memory forced its way in, unbearable guilt and fear would overwhelm her, and tears would spill out.
“That must have been very hard for you.”
“…?”
Chloe stared blankly at the Duke.
“To lose your younger sister and to see your mother so gravely injured.”
“…”
It truly had been devastating. It felt as if her world had collapsed.
If her mother hadn’t been in critical condition, she might have completely lost her mind.
But she couldn’t afford to lose her mind or simply cry. She needed money immediately to save her mother.
For three months, she’d strained every nerve to maintain her disguise as a man, and that grueling life had, in a way, helped her forget her sorrow and pain.
Focused solely on surviving each day in disguise, she’d had neither the strength to mourn her brother’s death nor the luxury to worry about her mother’s health.
At least the Duke had been a decent master back then.
Now he’d turned into this—desperate to find any excuse to make his servant work harder.
Yet he hadn’t changed entirely. The fact that he could offer such humane comfort suggested otherwise.
Judging solely by his expression right now, it even seemed as if he truly believed Chloe Reeden had died.
“You must have painful memories. I’m sorry I made you recall your younger sister unnecessarily.”
Of all his behavior in recent days, this was the most reminiscent of the Duke she’d once known—gentle and considerate.
“No, please don’t apologize. Thank you for your kind words.”
“…You mentioned you needed to care for your mother. It’s regrettable that I’ve kept you here.”
“Yes. About that…”
Chloe hesitated at the Duke’s words.
This was the perfect opportunity to tell him she’d leave as soon as she received information about the woman she’d shared a bed with.
Should she say it now? Or wait until just before she left?
“I’ll compensate you financially—enough to hire a nurse.”
The Duke’s next words ended her dilemma. She’d accept his generosity now, take the money, and tell him right before leaving.
If she mentioned it prematurely and upset him, he might retract his offer to cover nursing expenses.
She’d receive translation pay and nursing fees—what an unexpected windfall.
“Thank you!”
“Who’s currently taking care of her?”
Just when she’d felt grateful—why another question?! Her gratitude dimmed slightly.
“A friend from my hometown is staying at our house in my place.”
“…A friend?”
Carcus had originally lived and worked as a resident servant at Bergun Castle. But when she moved to the Duke’s mansion, Carcus had volunteered to switch to a commuting arrangement and stay at her house instead.
Though Bergun Castle and her home were quite far apart—making commuting inconvenient—Carcus had been the one to propose it first.
Her mother had never liked Carcus and had only begun allowing him into their home about half a year ago.
Though it shamed her to admit it, Chloe had neither anyone else to turn to nor the funds to hire a nurse, so she’d had no choice but to accept Carcus’s offer.
“Yes. I have a friend in my hometown.”
“But didn’t you say you lived without contact with others?”
“Even so, I have at least one friend.”
“One friend…”
The Duke frowned. Chloe mentally reviewed what she’d said, but nothing seemed amiss.
“Is this friend from your hometown a man or a woman?”
The Duke’s eyes seemed to flash sharply for a moment. Why did his gaze suddenly feel so piercing?
“A man.”
“Oh—a man? Wait, a man?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
Though Chloe found the Duke’s reaction slightly odd, she answered calmly.
Aside from swapping Chloe and Klein’s identities, she’d answered almost everything truthfully, so his strange reaction couldn’t be due to any inconsistency in her lies.
“Ah! So it must be him—Carcus Takan.”
“Ah…! Yes.”
Apparently, the Duke even remembered the name of the guarantor listed in his documents.
What exactly was written in those documents?
He seemed to know everything about her from those papers—information she herself didn’t even know. It felt like being thrown into the heart of battle without even knowing what weapons the enemy possessed.
“How close are you two?”
The Duke crossed his arms as he asked.
“Well, he’s practically my only friend. I’m indebted to him in many ways.”
“Your only friend.”
The Duke openly scowled, then suddenly let out a short, mirthless laugh.
Did he dislike the word “friend”?
“Does this ‘only friend’ of yours know that you’re fond of me?”
“Huh? Me…!”
She nearly blurted out, “Fond of you, Your Grace?”—her guard lowered after days of dealing with his irritability, making her forget she was supposed to be acting enamored with him.
But did the Duke truly believe she was fond of him? Chloe blinked and stared at him, puzzled.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (86)
I honestly want her to be able to leave at this point and then have him chase her!
You think he’s obsessive and weird now? Just wait till he finds out the truth of her identity! 😂
I really hope she can leave this time! A little chase is always fun 😂
Inline Comments (179)
She wanted to cover her ears—this conversation between two men discussing her si
OMG, I can’t breathe right now😭😭😭
They’re talking about her body, and she can’t stop the conversationSuch a being could sense even an enemy's heartbeat and body heat in pitch-black
Then why can’t he sense his male servant is actually female? 😅
"It’s the first time I’ve ever felt unfulfilled after saving someone."
Oh, that’s very moving😭 I expected it, but his help was faster than I expected.
YOUR COMMENT
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.
Log in to comment.
Artemtisforaday
If the mom didn’t like Carcus at first, I wonder if he might be evil or something?
Also, will the Duke feel bad making her do all this servant stuff once he finds out who she is?