I Have A Terminally Ill Duke As My Husband - Chapter 47

“Ma-Madam, did you eat well?”

Ruan, who was sitting alone in front of Mercian’s house, suddenly stood up and asked as he saw Edward entering the house.

“Of course, since it’s been a while since she saw us, she ate as much as she usually does at the duke’s mansion. So, Master, please eat all of this.”

Ruan, who was quietly looking at the meal Edward had brought, muttered with a small sigh.

“That’s a relief. I think I did well to come with you all.”

He was a master who never bowed his head carelessly to anyone.

Although what he did was clearly wrong, it wasn’t easy for Edward to watch his master struggling.

However, as Olivia said, hoping that he would realize what he needed to, Edward spoke sincerely to Ruan.

“Master, no matter how well we treat Madam, in the end, the person Madam wants is not us, but you, Master.”

“No, that’s not true. She doesn’t want to see me anymore, does she?”

Recalling Mercian who had coldly told him to leave, Ruan replied weakly.

“Then why did you come? If Madam doesn’t want to see you, isn’t staying right in front of her house like this tormenting her?”

As Chang, who was placing the food in front of him, spat out harsh words, Ruan let out a small sigh.

As Chang and Edward said, his current behavior might be uncomfortable for Mercian.

But if he wasn’t by her side like this, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

He cursed himself several times a day for not properly heeding Olivia’s advice.

If he could turn back time and go back to that moment, he would listen to his aunt’s words then.

That he would not let his wife leave the duke’s mansion.

He had vowed several times, but it was already an irreversible reality.

“It may sound like an excuse, but I really had no choice then. But I really intended to tell my wife the truth as soon as everything was over. I believed that if I apologized to her and explained the situation, she would understand everything.”

Clea, who was entering the house, frowned at Ruan’s words and said,

“Master, you really haven’t realized your mistake yet, have you?”

“Clea?”

“Honestly, before I came down here, I came down hoping that you and Madam would do well, but it seems that you are not Madam’s match after all.”

“Clea! What are you saying?”

Edward shouted, looking at Ruan’s expression in response to Clea’s words.

“Ed, be quiet. Listen carefully. Master. This is the last advice I can give you. Master, think carefully once again. Was that really the only way? Of course, announcing that you had gone into a coma due to poisoning might have been the quickest and safest method. Well, I’m just a mere maid who doesn’t know anything about politics, but if you really loved and respected Madam, you could have left her out of this matter.”

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“You could have told Madam the truth, announced that you had fallen into a coma and couldn’t wake up, then terminated the contract with Madam since there was no longer a reason for marriage, and taken her to a safe place. In fact, since you and Madam were in a time-limited marriage that was supposed to last only six months from the beginning, no one would have doubted it. Isn’t that right?”

“But the Crown Prince was after my wife.”

“Well, I’m not sure about the details, but if you had thought about protecting Madam, you probably would have come up with a much better plan than what comes from the dull mind of a maid like me. After all, you’re the person with the best strategies in the empire, even if you’re terrible at love, right?”

At Clea’s words, Ruan suddenly felt as if he had been hit on the head with a blunt object, feeling dazed with a thud.

Yes, come to think of it, I could have told my wife the truth and not included her in the plan at all.

If I had put my mind to it, I could have come up with thousands of ways to deceive the Crown Prince…

But I never once thought of that.

In fact, even while thinking that I should beg my wife for forgiveness, I felt unfair when Mercian confronted me point by point last time.

Thinking that I did it for the empire, couldn’t she forgive me just once…

Hahaha, you madman. You fool, you idiot. You who fell for your own trap while pretending to be smart. Someone like me doesn’t even deserve forgiveness!

Seeing Ruan lower his head as if blaming himself, his face distorting at his own words, Clea let out a small sigh and said,

“Master, women… no, this seems to apply regardless of whether it’s a man or a woman. Anyway, since I’ve lived much longer than you, Master, let me give you some advice from my life experience. All love must be based on trust and faith. If you truly loved Madam sincerely. If your feelings for her were real, you should have told the truth to Madam, if no one else. Come to think of it, wasn’t there really plenty of time during that week while you were lying down?”

Trust and faith…

Yes, Clea is right.

I said I loved my wife, respected her, and liked her just as she was, but in reality, I deceived her about the truth and hurt her the most.

Can I really regain her trust and faith?

No, can I… Can I really be forgiven by my wife?

When Ruan realized what he had truly done wrong after hearing Clea’s words, he suddenly lost confidence.

If he really cared for Mercian, disappearing from her sight as she said would be the best solution.

But the fact he realized after she left was that he simply couldn’t live without her…

Even if I tell her now that I love her, that I truly like her, she won’t believe me anymore, will she?

What should I do?

Ruan felt it would be better to go to war and fight the enemy.

He who wasn’t afraid to fight tens of thousands of people, why was he so lacking in confidence only with his wife…

Clea, who had been spitting harsh words at Ruan, sat down in front of him as he sat weakly, lowering his head as if blaming himself.

“Honestly, if it were up to me, I’d like to tell Madam to find someone better than you, but I don’t want to lose Madam either. The good thing is that Madam is a much kinder and better person than we thought. And it doesn’t seem too late, and seeing that Madam is still worried about you, it seems her heart hasn’t completely left. Why don’t you try working at Madam’s shop, thinking of it as your last chance?”

“At my wife’s shop?”

Ruan raised his head at Clea’s words.

“Yes, make sandwiches together with Madam and spend time together, and whenever you have time, whenever you have the opportunity, sincerely apologize. Madam is kind. If you put your heart into it, she will surely forgive you.”

“Do you really think so?”

As Ruan asked uncertainly, Edward clenched his fist and said,

“Don’t worry. Although Madam says otherwise, she still has feelings for you, Master. So think of this as your last chance and cheer up.”

Yes, if my wife forgives me, what couldn’t I do? Being a mere clerk would be a piece of cake.

At Edward’s words, Ruan jumped up from his seat and started putting on his outer clothes.

“Ma-Master, where are you going in the middle of your meal?”

“I’m going to help out at my wife’s shop. Has she gone to the shop?”

“Yes, she left earlier with someone named Zelda.”

“Thank you, Clea. Thanks to you, I’ve clearly realized what I did wrong. I’ll make sure to succeed this time.”

“Yes! Good luck, Master!”

Ruan left the house, encouraged by Edward.

“Is this enough?”

At Edward’s words, Clea replied with a strange smile.

“Hohoho, what are you saying, this is just the beginning. He’ll probably be shocked when he gets to the shop, won’t he?”

“Clea, what exactly are you up to?”

To Edward’s question, Clea muttered with an indecipherable expression.

“The Master should know too. That he might lose Madam if he’s not careful.”

“Zelda, it seems like everyone in the neighborhood is coming to the shop today?”

At Mercian’s words, Zelda glanced at the unusually large number of male customers in the shop.

At Clea’s request to do something for Mercian’s sake, she had asked Peter to send some male customers to the shop, but she didn’t expect this many to come…

Isn’t this a bit excessive?

“You’re right. Well, maybe they’ve come to eat Rosalyn’s sandwiches because of the rumor that Rosalyn is back today after being sick for a while, while I’ve been making sandwiches. Right, Peter?”

At Zelda’s question, Peter smiled and replied,

“Of course, Zelda. For a while, it was hard to eat because Zelda was making sandwiches instead of Rosalyn, but now that Rosalyn is making sandwiches herself after so long, of course we should come. First, I’ll have a ham sandwich and an avocado sandwich, please. Oh, and Henry said he’d be coming later too.”

Peter, you rascal, even if you have feelings for Rosalyn, isn’t it too much to say what I made wasn’t tasty?

Zelda quietly glared at Peter.

At Peter’s words, Mercian smiled and said,

“Then I should make a chicken breast sandwich that Henry likes too.”

“As expected of Rosalyn. Henry said you’d surely make a chicken breast sandwich if he said he was coming. Zelda, please don’t touch that sandwich. That’s for me to eat.”

As Peter tried to stop Zelda from making the sandwich, Zelda replied while pointedly making the sandwich,

“Peter, why do you keep complaining when it’s made with the same ingredients anyway? Whining at 25 years old. Here, take this.”

“Sigh. Zelda, why are you always here abandoning your own shop? Don’t you sell tea?”

As Peter took the sandwich and grumbled, Zelda quietly said to Peter,

“Hmm. Let me warn you, Rosalyn already has someone, so don’t set your eyes on her.”

“What? Really?”

Surprised, Peter looked at Mercian, who waved her hand as if to deny it.

“N-No, that’s not true. Zelda, stop joking. Oh? Sam, it’s been a while.”

“I thought I might see Rosalyn if I came today. Is there any salmon sandwich available?”

As Sam winked at Mercian and sat down, Mercian hurriedly started making a sandwich and replied,

“Of course, I’ll make one for you in a moment.”

“You can take your time. Peter, why are you still standing here?”

“Sam, don’t flirt too much with our Rosalyn.”

As Peter, who had been standing shocked by Zelda’s words, warned Sam, Sam shrugged as if to say ‘what are you talking about’ and said,

“Who’s flirting? Right, Rosalyn?”

“Of course, Sam. Here’s your salmon sandwich.”

“Thank you, Rosalyn. By the way, has something happened recently? You seem to have lost weight. If you have time, would you like to have dinner with me?”

“I’ll just accept your words. Oh? Laila, it’s been a while.”

As Sam looked disappointed at Mercian’s rejection, Peter patted his shoulder understandingly and said,

“Sam, if you don’t have anyone to eat dinner with, eat with me.”

“No thanks. Rosalyn, let’s definitely have a meal together next time.”

As Sam was about to leave with his sandwich, someone was blocking the door.

“Wh-What? Who are you?”

“Me?”

Sam cowered under the cold and chilling gaze of the man who seemed at least 10cm taller than him, and the man replied with an even more terrifying smile,

“I’m the new employee of this shop.”