I Tamed the Black Duke as a Terminally-Ill Saint (3 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 1

For something that would be etched deeply into people’s memories for a long time, that day was remarkably ordinary.

It was the season when winter’s harsh grip was finally loosening, and pale green sprouts heralding spring were sprouting everywhere.

The people of the Grand Duchy of Donovan, known as the Northern Ark, were busily preparing to welcome the true beginning of the year.

The cabinet meeting was also proceeding smoothly, addressing minor yet important agenda items concerning the planned Imperial visit that spring.

That is… until the moment Grand Duke Donovan—Hades Crohittner—dropped his bombshell announcement.

“I intend to marry Saintess Angelica this coming August. Begin making the necessary preparations.”

The Grand Duke’s bombshell left not only his ministers flustered.

I, Angelica—the very person involved—was utterly bewildered myself.

Marry whom, exactly?

I stared directly at Hades seated across from me.

Though I couldn’t outright accuse him of spouting nonsense in such a formal setting, I hoped my sheer incredulity would somehow get through to him.

Thankfully, Hades didn’t avert his eyes from mine.

‘Please say it’s a joke—quickly!’

Contrary to my silent wish, a tiny fanfare chimed, and pink letters suddenly materialized over his chest.

Affection 100 (Prisoner of Love)

Status Description: He has become Cupid’s captive! Blinded entirely by love, not even the Creator God can stop his decisions now.

This is doomed.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

‘I was so careful not to let my affection level rise—how did it come to this!’

He hadn’t even dropped subtle hints beforehand—he’d just blurted out a marriage declaration out of nowhere!

Naturally, the ministers would object immediately.

After all, how could they accept a commoner-born saintess of uncertain lineage as their Grand Duchess?

She was frail, her sacred power unremarkable, and she’d never performed a proper miracle.

Worse, she’d even posed as his mistress before.

‘If I were one of the ministers, I’d object too.’

But Hades, blinded by love, would surely push forward with the marriage, and the resulting chaos was painfully obvious.

‘Where exactly did I go wrong?’

Should I have refused that goodnight kiss?

Or perhaps not mentioned inviting that bard who pretended disinterest but secretly adored him?

Or maybe…?

“An excellent decision, Your Grace the Grand Duke!”

Huh?

I blinked in surprise.

I’d fully expected immediate objections—but instead, someone cheered in approval.

For a moment, I even doubted my own ears.

‘Is this flattery? Was there really a minister in the North brazen enough to openly flatter Hades like this?’

My head snapped toward the source of the voice.

‘Huh?’

To my surprise, the minister who’d clapped enthusiastically was the sharp young man known for always speaking plainly to Hades.

Still, considering I had some popularity among the younger crowd, it wasn’t entirely shocking—until…

“Oh dear! This old man is overjoyed that Your Grace has found such a compatible partner. I shall prepare everything to the best of my ability.”

Even the famously strict old Viscount—who’d served the previous Grand Duke since his youth—was echoing the same sentiment!

The other ministers were no different.

“I agree as well. With Saintess by your side, she and Your Grace will lead our Donovan splendidly.”

“I’m already looking forward to the wedding! We’ll prepare it so thoroughly that it’ll rival any royal wedding in the world.”

“We’re fortunate indeed to have such a wise woman as our Grand Duchess.”

Wait… none of you are objecting?

Just as that question crossed my mind…

“Angelica.”

Hades had somehow risen from his seat and was now staring straight at me.

I’ll admit it.

My standards aren’t low.

Hades Crohittner was an exceptionally handsome man.

His disheveled black hair fell over a forehead as smooth as marble, his deep violet eyes brimming with melancholy, his sharp nose and jawline perfectly chiseled…

And now, that handsome face was smiling gently.

“Now that I think about it, there’s something I should’ve asked you first.”

I let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed Hades had finally realized what he’d forgotten.

Yes—my consent.

“Where would you like to go for our honeymoon?”

“Honeymoon destination…”

I numbly repeated his words.

“Yes.”

Hades nodded.

“And since Imperial Little Academy is highly competitive, I should send a letter ahead to secure a spot for our children.”

A confident smile spread across Hades’s face.

He clearly wasn’t done yet.

“After all, our children deserve only the finest education.”

I received slightly sympathetic glances from the ministers and thought to myself,

Just… how did things end up like this?

In other words, it all started simply because a new game was released.

[Legend of Delato]

Abbreviated as Leodel.

It was a standard RPG with a typical storyline: a virtuous protagonist gathers companions, defeats various villains, and ultimately slays the final boss.

As the latest release from a globally renowned game developer known for consistent blockbusters, it had already sold ten million pre-orders.

Gamers worldwide scrambled to clear it the moment it launched.

The reason was simple.

The first player to clear Leodel’s highest difficulty would receive the ultimate item: “Hellfire’s Eye.”

This legendary item could be used not only in Leodel but in every game released by that company—an unprecedented bonus.

“You’re saying it’s just a bunch of digital data?”

Not at all.

Because of its extreme rarity and absurdly overpowered stats, its projected market value upon release was estimated to exceed 100 million Korean won in cash.

Naturally, I was among the swarm of gamers who rushed in.

And the result was…

[Leodel’s “Hell’s Gate” difficulty cleared first globally by a Korean player!] [Who is ‘Altair,’ the Korean player who became the world’s first to clear Leodel’s highest difficulty “Hell’s Gate”?]

A crushing defeat.

Well, maybe “crushing” isn’t quite accurate.

After all, I’d cleared the game just one hour and thirty-four minutes after that guy Altair.

The problem was this cursed world that only remembers first place.

But it wasn’t time to despair yet.

“Hell’s Gate” was merely the hardest difficulty available when starting Leodel for the first time.

Clearing “Hell’s Gate” unlocked a new difficulty: “Burning in Hell.”

In other words, “Hell’s Gate” wasn’t actually Leodel’s ultimate challenge.

And who was the first to clear “Burning in Hell”?

None other than…

[Korean gamer ‘Altair’ becomes the world’s first to clear Leodel’s hidden ultimate difficulty, “Burning in Hell”!]

I gnashed my teeth.

This time, I’d narrowed the gap to just forty-eight minutes.

But more importantly, I still had one last chance.

After gamers protested the constant addition of new difficulties, the developer had firmly declared this to be the final one.

Now entering my third attempt.

Though the difficulty had increased significantly, my gear and level—cultivated over the past two runs—made it manageable.

Most crucially, having cleared the game twice already, I’d memorized every trick and exploit, which helped immensely.

And finally…

GAME CLEAR

I stared blankly at the popup window appearing alongside the fanfare.

The same popup I’d already seen twice before—always just one step behind Altair.

I knew the exact wording by heart.

“Congratulations! You are the [2]nd player to clear Legend of Delato. Continue?”

But this time was different.

That infuriating number “2” had changed.

“Congratulations! You are the [1]st player to clear Legend of Delato. Continue?”

I quickly clicked “Continue.”

I couldn’t wait to claim the promised reward from the developer.

But then…

“What…?”

Words I couldn’t believe appeared before my eyes.

Yet another new difficulty.

I rubbed my eyes—but the text remained unchanged.

Despite the developer’s bold claims, another difficulty existed after all.

“…What is this?”

Frustration surged through me.

After all that suffering, there’s still another layer to clear?!

But I couldn’t afford to waste time.

Altair was probably closing in on me even now.

I needed to widen the gap immediately.

Click.

When I selected “Celestial Realm,” instead of the usual loading screen, my entire monitor flashed white.

It seemed like a glitch.

Just as I sighed, thinking, “Seriously? More nonsense?”

BOOM!

A tremendous explosion echoed.

“What—what’s going on?”

But I barely had time to be shocked.

Intense burning pain overwhelmed me, and I instantly lost consciousness.

“Ughh…”

My head throbbed as if it were splitting open.

Was this the delayed backlash from pulling multiple all-nighters fueled by energy drinks?

But I couldn’t afford to rest.

“I can’t let Altair overtake me again!”

The moment I barely managed to sit up, a loud shout rang out.

“…Saintess Rika!”

Huh? Am I hallucinating?

I blinked.

My blurry vision gradually cleared.

“What…?”

Gone were my computer desk, scattered drink cans, and that tacky striped wallpaper—instead, rough stone walls surrounded me.

“Huff… huff…”

I gasped mid-inhale and jolted upright. It felt as if a heavy boulder sat on my chest, choking my breath.

“What… what is this?”

Before I could even consider calling an ambulance, a strong hand forcibly yanked me upright.

“Saintess, you’ve rested enough. Please get up now.”

I frowned. This had to be a dream.

There was no way anyone else could be in my locked studio apartment.

And even if some lunatic had broken in, they certainly wouldn’t call me “Saintess.”

“Stop dawdling and get u—”

“A-CHOO!”

I sneezed repeatedly.

The stale, thick air—laden with something distinctly toxic—made it impossible to stop.

“My… everything hurts… eyes, nose, mouth—all of it.”

If this was a dream, why did it hurt so much? I glanced down and saw fluttering skirt hems instead of my comfortable pajama pants.

And when I looked up…

“What… what is this?”

Several burly men were staring down at me.