I Have A Terminally Ill Duke As My Husband - Chapter 39

Ruan vowed as he looked at Mercian standing before his eyes.

My lady, I will never let you go again.

The next day.

“What? You’re buying a house? But that area is a bit far from the village.”

Cassel smiled and replied to Pierre’s words.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll buy all the houses around this house.”

“What? But. Are you thinking of buying this house too?”

As Pierre pointed to Mercian’s house, Cassel shook his head and said,

“No, I will absolutely not buy this house.”

“Ah. I see.”

Contrary to expectations that it would take some time, in less than a month, all the surrounding houses except Mercian’s became Ruan’s property.

“When do you plan to appear in front of her?”

“Well… First, I should let her know that I’m alive…”

“Ruan? Ruan, where are you?”

As Ruan was talking with Cassel in the carriage, he instinctively tried to jump out when he heard Mercian’s affectionate voice calling him. Cassel grabbed his hand to stop him.

“Duke, you can’t go out now. What if the lady sees you!”

“But my lady is calling me. She’s calling for me so longingly… My- My lady, I’m coming to you now.”

As Ruan struggled with Cassel trying to go outside, he saw a small dog wagging its tail and bouncing cheerfully and adorably towards Mercian.

“Ruan! Where on earth have you been? Oh my! How did you get so dirty? Really, I can’t handle you. Let’s go wash up quickly.”

Despite her grumbling words, Mercian picked up the dog with such a loving gaze and went inside. Ruan’s expression fell as he limply let go of the handle.

Oh my. To think the dog my lady is raising is named Ruan.

How could she give such a large duke’s name to such a small and cute dog?

Cassel found it amusing how different the image of the puppy was from Ruan.

By the way, he seems disappointed that she wasn’t calling for him. He’s already sensitive these days, how should I comfort him?

“Um. Duke, I mean. Don’t be too disappointed. Duke?”

“Cassel, it seems my lady can’t forget me and is raising a puppy that resembles me. That’s a relief. I think I’ll be able to win back my lady’s heart faster than expected. You felt it too, right? The lady’s expression as she looked at that puppy. It’s exactly the same as when she used to look at me long ago. I don’t think I need to worry anymore. I should appear before my lady tomorrow. So that she can call my name to me, a living person, not to some puppy.”

Cassel stared at Ruan in shock as he muttered while gazing at the door Mercian had entered, carrying Ruan, seemingly moved by something.

Did I just mishear something?

Resemblance? Who resembles whom?

How is he, who’s nearly 190cm tall and not small in build, similar to that dog that’s barely 30cm at most?

I don’t know why the lady named that dog Ruan, but it doesn’t seem to be for the reason the Duke is thinking…

Cassel quietly turned the carriage towards the duke’s mansion, unable to say anything as Ruan looked so happy imagining things about Mercian on his own.

A few days later.

“Master, are you finally going to visit the madam?”

Edward, who had been looking fondly at Ruan who had returned to how he was when Mercian was at the duke’s mansion after visiting the village called Phenomenon, asked as he saw him neatly dressed.

“Ed, wait a little. I’ll bring my lady back.”

“Master, I hope you will certainly bring the madam back.”

Ruan, confident he would bring Mercian back, headed towards Phenomenon village in a carriage with Cassel, amid the encouragement of the people at the duke’s mansion.

“Duke, I don’t think it’s right to appear so suddenly. First, as you mentioned a few days ago, wouldn’t it be better to spread rumors that you’re alive and then visit her?”

Throughout the journey to Phenomenon village, Cassel tried to persuade him, but his advice fell on deaf ears as Ruan was already certain Mercian would forgive him.

“No, Cassel. I was thinking of doing it slowly like that, but after seeing her a few days ago, I changed my mind. She must still be longing for me. That’s why she named the dog she’s raising after me. I was worried she might have forgotten me already, but hope is starting to appear.”

That’s not it.

How can he be so clueless about women despite having no dating experience?

Even if it was for the empire, how could there be a woman who easily forgives someone who deceived her and put on a show of coughing blood and even dying by taking drugs right in front of her eyes?

No matter how kind the lady is, if she forgives something like that right away, it’s not kindness but rather something lacking…

How can such a person be the war hero of the empire…

Usually, he comes up with such incredible strategies regarding war and politics that one might think he’s a genius, but how can he be so clueless when it comes to love?

Seeing this, God really is fair. If he were good at love on top of that handsome face, body, wealth, and power, he’d really be a god.

No, I should be grateful that this man isn’t a god.

I just hope the lady doesn’t immediately shout at him to get out when she learns about this…

Cassel didn’t say anything, knowing he couldn’t persuade him.

In the end, he’ll have to experience it himself to understand…

“What? You’re going in this morning? Duke, wait-”

Despite Cassel’s attempts to stop him, Ruan confidently walked into Mercian’s open house as soon as he got out of the carriage.

“Hey, you idiot, please listen to me!! Hah, I really don’t know anymore. He can get scolded by the lady or whatever, he’ll have to deal with it himself.”

Cassel muttered as he watched Ruan crossing the garden and knocking on the front door.

“It’s been a while, my lady. Oh, you’ve lost weight. Who has been troubling you?”

Mercian, who had opened the door thinking it was Zelda, shouted with an unbelieving expression at Ruan who was greeting her with a bright smile as if they had parted just yesterday.

“Ru- Ruan? Is it really you, Ruan? Weren’t you dead?”

Her dead husband had returned alive.

And with a healthy, robust body completely different from before…

What on earth is going on?

Mercian unconsciously stepped back as Ruan walked towards her.

And at that moment, the puppy Ruan started barking fiercely at Ruan who was trying to enter.

“Ru- Ruan, be quiet! Ah- I mean, not you, but… Am I dreaming right now? How is this possible? I clearly put you in the coffin myself and closed the lid… No, that’s not important right now. So, are you really alive?”

“I’ll explain everything, so could you please put that dog away?”

Ruan made a troubled expression as he looked at Ruan barking fiercely at him, and Mercian said to Ruan,

“Ruan. Come here.”

At Mercian’s words, the puppy Ruan, who had been barking at Ruan with a fierce expression, scurried into her arms.

“Good boy, Ruan. Stay like this for a moment.”

Seeing Mercian holding the puppy in her arms and speaking affectionately, Ruan wished he could become that dog in her arms.

No, once she hears my explanation, she’ll give me that warm and loving gaze too.

“Um, my lady.”

“First, explain how this happened.”

Ruan felt a wave of tension as he saw Mercian speaking in a cold tone, contrary to her gaze towards the puppy Ruan in her arms.

“My lady, shall we sit down and talk for a bit?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t feel like sitting down and having tea with my dead husband from the morning. Explain briefly.”

“Br-briefly, well, originally I wasn’t poisoned but under a powerful curse. As you know, I had 6 months to live. But somehow the curse was lifted and that’s how I came back to life.”

Curse? Not poison but a curse?

Mercian asked with a cautious look at Ruan’s explanation.

“Alright. If you were under a curse, not poisoned as you say, when was the curse lifted? Was it before you died? Or did the curse lift after you died and you came back to life?”

“Ah. Well, the curse was lifted on the day I collapsed at the bookstore when the Crown Prince was talking nonsense to you- Ah, I’m sorry. Anyway, the curse was lifted on the day I woke up after collapsing.”

“The curse was lifted that day? Then why couldn’t you wake up for several days?”

“That was because I was too weak to wake up.”

“Why did you cough up blood after waking up? Is it a side effect that occurs after the curse is lifted?”

Ruan broke out in a cold sweat at Mercian’s questioning in a rigid tone, contrary to his expectations.

“Ah, that was because I had to pretend to die to stop the rampaging Crown Prince. So I pretended to cough up blood then and planned to pretend to die a week later.”

You pretended to cough up blood and die?

So all of that was fake?

“Ruan, if I didn’t hear wrong, are you saying that both the blood coughing and the death were all fake? That’s impossible. You weren’t breathing when you were dead in the coffin, right? Your whole body was cold like a real dead person. I checked several times. How is that possible?”

Ruan calmly explained to Mercian’s questioning.

“Do you remember the person who came with Tablo when I collapsed?”

Mercian remembered the elderly doctor who had come with Tablo at Ruan’s question.

“Yes, Lord Tablo brought him saying he could cure you.”

“That person is quite skilled with medicinal ingredients and he made me a medicine. If you take that medicine, your breath stops and your whole body becomes cold like a dead person for 5 days. So I could pretend to be dead during the 5-day funeral. And after waking up 5 days later, I waited 2 more weeks for the mourning period, and on the day of Prince Haman’s wedding, I dealt with the Crown Prince who came to accuse the Prince of treason with false evidence I had planted.”

Mercian, who had been blank for a moment as if confused by Ruan’s explanation, asked Ruan as if to confirm.

“So, Ruan, to sum up what you’re saying, the curse was lifted on the day you collapsed at the bookstore, and you pretended to die to deal with the Crown Prince, deceiving everyone. Is that right?”

“As expected, you’re very smart, my lady.”

So Ruan really didn’t die and is alive?

First, Mercian was happy about the fact that the Ruan standing in front of her was really alive.

But at the same time, she was angry at Ruan for deceiving her so perfectly.

“Then why didn’t you tell me? Surely you had plenty of time to give me hints in between. Isn’t that right? Did no one at the duke’s mansion know?”

Ruan answered Mercian’s question.

“Well. At first, only Cassel, Tablo, and Prince Haman – now the Crown Prince – knew, but later Aunt, Edward, and Clea found out too.”

What? Then was I the only one who didn’t know Ruan’s death was fake among those around him?