I Have A Terminally Ill Duke As My Husband - Chapter 7
Humans are certainly fickle creatures.
For Mercian, the easiest thing in the world was reading Lucienne’s thoughts.
Well, if you had to put it into words, you could say she instinctively learned it after enduring so much since childhood.
Lucienne, who tormented her relentlessly, backed by Penelope’s infinite trust and love.
Outside, she was the proud eldest daughter of the Beano Viscount family, overflowing with refinement, kindness, and unparalleled goodness. But the moment she entered the house, she took off her mask and vented all the stress from outside onto Mercian.
Especially on days when she heard something unpleasant or had a bad experience outside, she would break Mercian’s precious belongings or hurt her with all sorts of words.
Having endured Lucienne for so long, Mercian noticed what she was thinking the moment she smiled and looked at the soup.
If this were the viscount’s house, she would have pretended to be fooled even though she knew.
It was much easier to deal with the aftermath of being victimized by Lucienne than to stop her, and she thought that if she alone endured it, it would be fine…
But today was different.
She couldn’t cause trouble for the people of the duke’s household who had been working hard to prepare for her since dawn.
Above all, wasn’t this her wedding day, which might be a once-in-a-lifetime event?
Mercian abruptly stood up, tightly grasping Lucienne’s wrist as she reached for the soup, and said with a bright smile:
“Sister? What are you trying to do?”
Surprised by Mercian’s unexpected action, Lucienne stared for a moment before frowning as if her hand caught by her was hurting, and shouted:
“What? Mer. Wait, let go of my hand. It hurts!”
“Sister, you weren’t planning to childishly spill the soup on my wedding dress, were you?”
“What nonsense. I just thought the soup looked delicious.”
How ridiculous. Where does she get off lying…
Lucienne blushed and glared, trying to shake off Mercian’s hand.
But Mercian paid no attention to Lucienne’s actions and gripped her hand even tighter, pulling a cord with her other hand.
As she pulled the cord, Charles and Clea simultaneously opened the door and entered.
“My lady, is something the matter?”
“Clea? This is my sister, and she said the soup you brought me looks delicious. I’m sorry, but could you bring some for my sister?”
“Pardon? Soup?”
Unlike Charles, who seemed confused, Clea, who had worked in noble households for a long time, saw Mercian holding Lucienne’s hand tightly while wearing an awkward smile.
Since there were quite a few sisters among the nobles who, contrary to appearances, didn’t get along well, and their jealousy often exceeded expectations, Clea thought it would be better to remove the soup quickly anyway.
“Understood, my lady. Charles, let’s remove the soup. What were you thinking, bringing soup when it could stain the wedding dress? Bring some water instead.”
“Oh my, I didn’t think of that. The soup was so delicious today, I’m truly sorry. My lady, I’ll remove it right away.”
As Charles hurriedly took away the plate with the soup, Clea looked at Lucienne and said:
“My lady, I’m sorry, but I think you’ll have to leave now.”
“Leave? Are you, a mere maid, daring to tell me, the sister of that child who’s about to become a duchess, to leave?”
After shaking off the wrist held by Mercian and clutching her throbbing wrist, Lucienne frowned and muttered in protest to Clea’s words. Clea slightly bowed her head and said:
“If my words made you uncomfortable, I apologize. Of course, it’s customary for the bride’s family to be together before the wedding, but as you just mentioned, the soon-to-be our lady seems uncomfortable with your presence. Our master instructed me, the head maid, to absolutely not disturb the mood of Mercian, who will become his wife today. Even if that presence is her own sister.”
What? Madam? She’s calling her madam even before the wedding…
Hah. Really, these people are getting bolder and bolder…
Lucienne glared at Clea, who was politely urging her to leave, for a moment before smiling and saying:
“Did you say head maid? You’re a more loyal maid than I expected. As your master, the duke, said, please take good care of my sister. Since she’ll soon be your madam, I’ll tell you something special. As you can see, that child doesn’t know how to do anything except eat. Even when she was at the viscount’s house, no matter how much I told her to stop eating, she wouldn’t listen. Moreover, she didn’t receive proper noble etiquette education…”
“My lady, that’s not something for you to worry about.”
“What?”
Clea interrupted Lucienne, who was openly trying to badmouth Mercian, and replied:
“Who would dare say anything to the duchess whether she sleeps all day or eats with her hands? I don’t know what you’re worried about, but we intend to follow madam’s wishes as much as possible, regardless of how she behaves, so please don’t worry about anything and return to the banquet hall.”
“How dare you interrupt me, a noble? You, a mere maid?”
As Lucienne raised her hand as if about to slap her, Clea politely bowed her head and answered:
“Do I need to repeat what I just said? Our master told us to only consider madam’s feelings. He said he would turn a blind eye to any other behavior today.”
“Fine! I’ll leave now! Mer, you’re going to have a hard time, aren’t you? With such a smart head maid. How much a stupid child like you will be pushed around. Tsk tsk!”
Frustrated that she couldn’t spill the soup, Lucienne had tried to embarrass Mercian through Clea, but seeing Clea’s reaction completely different from what she expected, she spat out harsh words to Mercian and left the room.
“Clea. I’m sorry.”
“My lady, no, I’ll call you madam now. Madam, forget about what the viscount’s daughter just said. Today is your day. And this is a secret, but in my opinion, you’re much more beautiful than any noble lady or young lady attending the duke’s house today, especially that viscount’s daughter, your sister.”
Clea comforted Mercian, who was apologizing to her, with a warm smile, then bowed and left the room.
I’m much prettier?
Than Lucy?
It was the first time.
Someone complimenting me on my appearance…
But why?
Mercian found Clea’s support so unfamiliar and awkward that she couldn’t even thank her as she left the room.
Just being told she was prettier than Lucy made Mercian’s heart flutter as she recalled Clea taking her side, and suddenly her nose felt tingly.
Ah, I shouldn’t cry. It’ll ruin my makeup…
Mercian picked up a tissue to wipe away the flowing tears.
Knock knock.
“C-Come in.”
“My lady, I have something to say before the wedding. Why are you suddenly crying? Did something happen?”
Seeing the surprised Cassel, Mercian hurriedly wiped her tears and said:
“Ah. No. Nothing happened.”
Cassel looked around the room for a moment before sitting in front of her and saying:
“We need to finalize the contract before the wedding.”
“By contract, you mean?”
“It’s about what I mentioned at the viscount’s house last time.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Cassel took out some documents, placed them in front of her, and said:
“As I mentioned then, the marriage will last for 6 months. It’s known publicly that the duke is ill, but in fact, the duke was poisoned during the war.”
“Poisoned?”
“Yes. Well, you should hear the details directly from the duke.”
“If it’s poison, isn’t there an antidote?”
Well, there is, but for that emotionless duke, it’s absolutely impossible to cure.
“There isn’t. That’s what we know currently. First, as you can see here, in exchange for agreeing to maintain the marriage for 6 months, there was supposed to be a dowry of 250 gold coins, 100 gold coins sent to the viscount’s house every month for 6 months, and 250 gold coins as compensation. However, the viscountess asked for the compensation and dowry together, so 500 gold coins were paid in advance.”
What? She received the dowry and compensation together?
Mercian’s expression turned bewildered at Cassel’s words.
“Ah, did you not know?”
“No, I just found out now.”
“If you want the dowry back, I can go to the viscount’s house and bring back the remaining gold coins.”
Get the money back?
How am I supposed to deal with the aftermath if I cause such a fuss?
Mercian waved her hands and replied:
“Ah, no. Whether I receive it now or later, it’s not my money anyway.”
“Pardon?”
“This has been confirmed, so let’s move on.”
“Yes.”
“And, if a child is born during the 6-month marriage period, you can stay at the duke’s house as the duchess and raise the child until they become an adult and inherit the duke’s title. Of course, the child’s gender doesn’t matter. If no child is born, you can leave the duke’s house after 6 months as per the contract.”
“Yes, I know this from what you told me then.”
“And there’s also a clause stating that you must have intercourse with the duke 4 times a week to try for a child.”
“Ah. Yes. What? What did you say I have to do 4 times a week?”
Seeing Mercian surprised and asking again, Cassel read the clause once more.
“It’s a condition to have a child within 6 months. Didn’t the viscountess tell you about this? Don’t tell me she didn’t mention it?”
To think there was such a condition…
Penelope must have hidden this from her, knowing she would never agree to marry the duke if she knew about this condition.
To have intercourse with the duke 4 days a week for 6 months… She had thought that if she avoided the duke well, no child would be born, and she could leave the duke’s house comfortably.
But now, having received the full dowry and with the wedding today, she couldn’t back out immediately…
No, the duke might be disappointed when he sees me and avoid me, right?
“My lady?”
Lost in thought, Mercian smiled at Cassel’s question and replied:
“Ah, I’m sorry. Please continue.”
“And one more condition was added at your suggestion.”
“Added? Ah, you mean in case no child is born.”
“Yes, we added the condition you requested last time. And this is also an additional condition set by the duke, but he said that when the time comes, he would allocate enough funds for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life.”
“Ah. No. What you’ve already given is more than enough, I don’t need any more.”
How could she accept more when she had already received so much just for being the duke’s wife for 6 months?
Although she hadn’t directly received the money herself, she thought the amount received in exchange for a 6-month marriage was sufficient.
Mercian refused Cassel’s offer, thinking that if she could learn cooking well during her stay at the duke’s house, she wouldn’t have to worry much about making a living later.
Mercian waved her hand at Cassel’s words and replied:
“This is a personal gift from the duke to the lady who will be with him in his final moments, so he insists that you accept it. Please discuss this with the duke and handle it accordingly.”
Mercian remained silent for a moment at Cassel’s words before nodding.
“Alright, I’ll talk to the duke as you suggest, Lord Cassel.”
Unlike the viscountess and the eldest daughter, does she not have much greed for wealth?
Cassel was puzzled by Mercian’s reaction, which was different from his expectation that she would be overjoyed at Ruan’s offer.
“Well then, now that you’ve confirmed all the contents of the contract, please sign here.”
Mercian took the pen Cassel handed her and signed, then looked at him as he put the paper away and asked:
“Is the duke’s health very poor?”
“Although it’s called poisoning, there aren’t any major symptoms. He’s just lost a lot of weight and lacks strength, making it difficult for him to be active.”
Lost a lot of weight and lacks strength?
Isn’t that the biggest problem?
“Now, the contract is all finalized. I’ll see you at the wedding ceremony, my lady.”
Now I’m really getting married…
As Mercian watched Cassel leave with the contract, she realized that she was indeed getting married.
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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