“…Medicine?”
Claudel’s pupils widened like the blooming petals of yellow flowers, then returned to their original state as if they had wilted instantly.
“There’s no medicine.”
It had been three hundred years since Herztol became a plague.
In the land where half the year is frozen, this curse-like disease bound the people of Valmont. Now, when a child is born, it became an opportunity to receive a year’s tax deduction.
The successive lords of Valmont strictly instructed their heirs.
No matter how much the family’s fortunes waned and it got difficult, the ice baptism must not be stopped, they said.
There is no one who refuses such significant compensation.
For various reasons, if it was reduced to half a year’s tax forgiveness or such, the number of those eager would decrease, leading to negligence.
And if Herztol starts again in that land, the population of the domain decreases.
The Valmonts have long known that the power of a domain is determined by the number of people residing in it.
There were medicines for Herztol, but not for a disease that had been controlled.
Expensive and difficult to manufacture, the ingredients for these medicines disappeared naturally as demand waned.
Many of the known recipes for these medicines were also mostly lost.
“Really, you’re impossible. Always so negative?”
His voice, which had been observing her for a few days as if he was going to leave her alone, grew louder.
“It’s not negativity, it’s being realistic.”
“Ha. You really have a way with words. How did I even put up with this?”
“Cough, cough.”
She had kept her mouth shut to avoid coughing.
As she coughed, Kyan’s gaze at her turned fierce.
Claudel pressed on her chest to suppress the pain and avoid coughing up blood.
Seeing her show symptoms, Kyan would rage like an erupting volcano.
‘How dare the cunning Valmont deceive Temnes!’
No matter how many times he pondered, the resentment of being backstabbed by his mortal enemy seemed unquenchable.
‘Coming here to die but then protecting yourself? Thinking of the children who could be fed, isn’t this insufficient?’
Even as their bodies overlapped several times, seeing her still made him unbearably angry.
‘Death won’t be your refuge.’
He coldly rebuked her, as if reading her mind.
Even knowing her illness, seeing her cough or her blood-filled appearance seemed to reignite the anger he first felt upon learning of her Herztol, repeatedly.
She couldn’t understand.
Couldn’t he just leave her alone in a corner of this vast castle?
Why come to angrily confront her like this?
As her coughing subsided, the room became as bitterly cold as the icy castle of Valmont in winter.
Unable to muster the courage to look at Kyan, Claudel spoke softly.
“It’s okay to move rooms.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s the duchess’s room, after all. Before I die here, I thought of moving to a guest room or somewhere else.”
If she died here, the next duchess might feel uncomfortable.
Claudel even faintly anticipated who the next duchess might be.
“That’s utterly absurd! You really are…”
Every time Kyan got angry, his red pupils seemed to glow even brighter, not like those of a human.
Like a demon that has fought through the flames of hell to reach the surface.
Or like a legendary Fire Dragon, ready to unleash a breath of extreme heat.
“I finally understand why I get so angry every time I see you.”
What could it be?
Not just because she’s a Valmont, but something else too?
Even in her fear, she was curious.
“You just say whatever you please, without any fear, right in front of me.”
Kyan gritted his teeth.
“Thinking of such devious and cowardly schemes to die. I detest people like you. Asking to change rooms? Do you think you’re in a position to ask me for anything?”
He roughly grabbed her thin shoulder, shaking her as he met her eyes.
“This is where your whims end. Remember that.”
Kyan’s words seemed to etch themselves into her retinas, along with his terrifying expression.
“Remember, nothing happens in the land of Rowen against my will.”
He stormed out of the bedroom, and she started coughing again.
The coughing, which started lightly, lingered for a long time.
As soon as Kyan left the duchess’s bedroom, he let out a loud scream as if to gather his spirits.
“Aaah!”
The roar echoed with such ferocity that somewhere in the castle, something sounded as if it shattered. He strode towards his office, sneering.
“What a spectacle.”
Kyan was disgusted with himself.
Every time he visited Claudel, she gradually revealed more of her hidden thoughts to him.
As if she no longer needed to hide.
As if relieved that she no longer had to deceive him.
The woman was afraid of dying.
That’s why he couldn’t just leave her alone.
Isn’t everyone afraid of dying?
When Kyan went to the battlefield, he was not afraid.
He was confident he would not die.
It might sound strange or incomprehensible to others, but he was certain of his survival.
Kyan had lived a life without failure.
Why She Is Still Unmoved (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He uses various methods to seek her affection, but she remains unmoved.
Synopsis:
Si Qingyu is a doctor who has saved countless lives and enjoys tranquility.
Luo Shaoxuan is ruthless, deeply scheming, and the top young master in the capital. He admires Si Qingyu.
Luo Shaoxuan: I want to be the only one in your eyes and heart.
Features a cold and calm female lead vs A noble and scheming male lead.
There will be both sweetness and torture towards the male after their marriage.
