I Have A Terminally Ill Duke As My Husband (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 1
“What are you asking me to do now?”
Mercian, who had been spending time as usual in her own spot—up in a tree in the garden—secretly snatching a pie from the kitchen, dropped her snack in surprise at Penelope’s sudden words. Penelope frowned as she watched the pie fall to the ground beneath her.
“Oh, honestly! You’re my own child, yet how can you be so obsessed with eating? No wonder you keep gaining weight. Mercian, look at your sister Lucianne. When she has free time, she reads books or does embroidery, but all you ever do is eat. Honestly, there’s not a single thing about you I’m satisfied with. Tsk!”
Mercian’s face stiffened momentarily at Penelope’s words, but she quickly acted as if nothing had happened, popping another snack into her mouth and replying.
“Mom, that’s not the point right now! What exactly are you asking me to do? Marriage?? What on earth do you mean by marriage all of a sudden?”
“Mercian, stop eating and please come down from that tree. It hurts my neck talking while looking up at you. Honestly, it’s quite amazing—you manage to climb trees so effortlessly despite your build.”
Mercian scowled at Penelope’s muttering about her figure and silently thought to herself:
Sure, I’m a little plumper than Lucianne, but that doesn’t mean I deserve such criticism.
How could two children from the same womb be so utterly different?
Unlike Lucianne, who had been adorably beautiful from birth—so much so that Penelope could hardly bear to look away—Mercian seemed to share absolutely no resemblance to her mother, making Penelope eye her with clear dissatisfaction.
“Have you perhaps heard the name Luan Canoluph?”
“Luan Canoluph? Surely you don’t mean Duke Luan Canoluph, the one called the ‘God of War’?”
Penelope looked at her in genuine surprise at Mercian’s answer.
“I thought you only cared about food, but apparently, you’re not completely oblivious after all.”
“Mom!”
“Anyway, they say the Duke recently returned from war severely wounded.”
Mercian, showing little interest, rummaged through her snack basket as she replied.
“So what?”
“You know very well how the Crown Prince regards that Duke—as a thorn in his side. Especially since Duke Canoluph is aligned with His Highness Prince Harmon, the First Imperial Prince.”
“Mom, just say it plainly. I’m not here to listen to a lecture about imperial power struggles.”
“Right. Anyway, I heard the Duke was given only six months to live.”
Six months to live?
“What does that have to do with my marriage? Don’t tell me… Mom!”
Seeing Mercian’s shocked expression and panicked outcry, Penelope calmly continued in a soothing tone.
“Mercian, don’t get so worked up—just listen to me carefully. You’re already twenty now; it’s about time you started thinking about marriage. Besides, our viscount family has fallen into decline. Ever since your father died in that accident, our estate has been dwindling, and honestly, even buying Lucianne a new dress is a burden now. And don’t forget—the Imperial Palace is hosting a ball in two months.”
What does my getting married now have to do with a ball happening two months from now?
Mercian stared back at Penelope, clearly baffled, and asked again.
“Mom, what does the ball happening in two months have to do with me getting married right now?”
“Mercian, you know as well as I do—looking at yourself—that you’re hardly in a position to marry easily. From what I’ve heard, since the Duke only has a limited time to live, he’s offering a rather large dowry. Of course, it’s only a six-month position as duchess, but if you happen to inherit even a portion of his estate after he passes, it could support you for the rest of your life.”
Support? How exactly would becoming a widow and living alone be helpful to me?
“Mom, if we’re being practical, Lucianne is two years older than me—surely she’s more of marriageable age. And according to what you just said, the Duke holds the highest noble title in the Empire, right? If Lucianne isn’t going to form a connection with the Crown Prince at the ball, wouldn’t it be far better for her to marry a titled Duke with secure status rather than attend the ball? If she inherits a large estate after the Duke’s death, just like you said, wouldn’t that help her for life?”
At Mercian’s words, Penelope snapped angrily.
“Mercian! How dare you say such outrageous things! Are you saying you want your own sister to become a widow?”
Outrageous? So it’s fine if I become a widow, but not Lucianne?
Mercian seethed inwardly as she watched Penelope, who always thought only of Lucianne.
It had always been this way since childhood.
Everything good always went to Lucianne—her elder sister—and even basic lessons in etiquette, dancing, and other noble accomplishments expected of a viscount’s daughter were given only to Lucianne, always under the excuse that “we couldn’t afford it for both.”
As a result, Mercian had taught herself to read and learned manners almost entirely by watching Lucianne do her homework or practice etiquette.
Perhaps her obsession with food even stemmed from the fact that eating was the one thing Lucianne never seemed interested in—so neither Penelope nor Lucianne ever complained about it.
“So you’re saying I should become a widow? Lucianne can’t, but I can?”
Seeing Mercian on the verge of tears, Penelope took her hand firmly and spoke gently.
“Mercian, please don’t get angry—just listen carefully to what I’m saying. I looked into the marriage terms, and they’re actually not that bad. Yes, it’s only a six-month arrangement as a terminally ill Duke’s wife, but they’ll give you a dowry of five hundred gold coins immediately upon marriage, plus one hundred gold coins each month to us for as long as the marriage lasts. Isn’t that beneficial for both you and us? And honestly—if by chance you were to conceive the Duke’s child, you could live as a true Duchess for the rest of your life. You know better than anyone that someone in your position will never find a marriage offer this good again. Isn’t it better than ending up later as a concubine to some rich, old nobleman and regretting it for the rest of your life?”
Terminally ill? So if I don’t conceive before the Duke dies, I’ll have to leave his household? And if I refuse this marriage, she’s basically threatening to marry me off as a concubine to some wealthy old nobleman?
Mercian stared at Penelope incredulously and asked,
“Mom, I really am your biological daughter, right?”
“As much as I hate to admit it—yes, you truly are my birth daughter. So just this once, please listen to me. This won’t harm you at all. And with a dowry this large, we could even buy Lucianne a new dress and accessories—it’s a good deal for everyone.”
So it really was just about getting money for Lucianne’s dress—she’s selling me off to the Duke’s household!
Am I truly nothing to her?
Watching Penelope, who fixated so obsessively on Lucianne despite them both being her daughters, Mercian let out a quiet sigh.
Penelope, once the daughter of a count, had been forced to marry into the lower-ranked House of Beannoman due to her illegitimate birth. Determined to secure a prestigious match for Lucianne with a scion of a noble house, she had poured all her passion into Lucianne alone.
As a child, seeing how Penelope openly favored Lucianne had made Mercian wonder if perhaps she herself was the illegitimate one.
If that had been the case, maybe she could have accepted such treatment as natural.
Craving her mother’s love, Mercian had done everything she could to earn even a single warm glance from Penelope—but in vain. Penelope had never shown her even a flicker of warmth or paid her any real attention.
While Charles—her father—was still alive, Penelope had at least held back her favoritism out of respect for his dislike of discrimination. But after Charles died in the accident, Penelope no longer felt the need to hide her indifference and began openly ignoring Mercian.
Over the years, despite her efforts, Mercian gradually stopped hoping for a love she knew she’d never receive—and instead waited eagerly only for her twentieth birthday.
According to the laws of the Omakurt Empire, upon turning twenty, whether born to commoners or nobility, one could live independently—marriage or not.
Though no noble daughter had ever actually left her wealthy family to live alone, ever since Charles had once mentioned that independence was possible at adulthood, Mercian had counted down the days until she could finally leave at twenty.
And now, out of nowhere—marriage?
To a man who wouldn’t even live six more months?
Once again deeply disappointed by Penelope, who clearly didn’t see her as a real child, Mercian felt too hurt and dejected even to get angry.
“Mercian, please don’t hate your mother too much. Deep down, your mother is actually a pitiful woman. Because of the pain she endured in childhood due to being illegitimate, she clings so desperately to Lucianne. But you still have your father, don’t you? Don’t worry—I promised you before I died that when you turn twenty, I’ll make sure you can live independently.”
Mercian silently recalled Charles’s final words to her and thought:
‘Dad, the estate you prepared for my independence was sold by Mom just a few days ago to buy Lucianne a new dress. If I tried to declare independence now, both Mom and Lucianne would absolutely forbid it—especially Lucianne; she wouldn’t let me go peacefully. The best way for me to achieve true independence from this household is probably to marry the Duke. No matter what she claims, Mom’s real reason for pushing this marriage isn’t my happiness—it’s the dowry from the Duke’s family and the monthly payments to our viscount household. Anyway, I’d only need to last six months. Once the Duke dies, I’ll finally be truly free.’
After staring for a long time at Penelope, whose face glowed with excitement as if she’d already secured a great deal, Mercian finally made up her mind and looked directly at her.
“So you truly want me to marry that Duke?”
“Of course I do, Mercian! Even if he only has six months to live, you’ll still become a Duchess! And if you conceive his child, you could live your whole life as a real Duchess—not just a temporary one. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Her daughter raising a child alone without a husband—that’s what she called “wonderful”?
Mercian gave a bitter smile and said,
“Sigh… Fine. If that’s really what you want, Mom, I’ll go through with this marriage. But I have a condition.”
“A condition? What condition? You’re not asking for the dowry to be given to you, are you?”
“Keep the dowry, Mom. What I want is this—if I marry the Duke and, after six months, he dies without me conceiving a child, then you must never interfere in how I choose to live afterward.”
After blurting out her terms, Mercian waited for Penelope’s reply, her heart pounding without her even realizing it.
Of course, she longed to leave the capital, buy a little cottage in a village, tend a vegetable garden, and raise a few animals—but part of her also secretly hoped Penelope would get angry and try to hold her back.
“Where do you think you can go, a woman alone?”
“Now that you’re alone, you should return to your mother’s home and live with us.”
If she could just hear those words, she felt she could forgive every hurtful thing Penelope had ever done to her.
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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