I Tamed the Black Duke as a Terminally-Ill Saint (3 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
“Ugh, it tastes awful.”
“Even if it tastes bad, you have to finish it all! Do you know how much this costs?”
Amy firmly said as she pushed the spoon toward me.
After barely swallowing the potion’s uniquely slippery liquid, I opened my mouth.
“Do I really have to finish all of this?”
“Yes. The doctor strictly instructed that you, Saintess, must drink it all without fail.”
It wasn’t even “you should drink it”—it was “you must be made to drink it.”
I let out a sigh.
I never imagined I’d miss pills this much.
“At least this is the last of it, right?”
“Last? Hardly! You have to drink three bottles like this every day.”
“What happens if I don’t?”
“He said you’d die.”
Right.
I’ll eat quietly, then.
After swallowing the entire potion while making every grimace imaginable, Amy handed me a glass of apple juice.
“You like apples, right?”
“I do, but…”
I numbly gulped down the juice.
Still, tasting the sweet juice somewhat diluted the memory of that awful potion from just moments ago.
“Could it be… because of what His Highness said?”
“Of course.”
Amy giggled softly.
“By now, there’s probably no one left who doesn’t know that the Saintess loves apples.”
Well, it didn’t really matter.
After all, aside from Amy, there wasn’t anyone else who’d even bring me food.
Just as I was having such carefree thoughts and finishing the rest of my juice,
I heard someone knocking.
“Oh, must be the doctor! Still, I’ll go check first.”
Amy cracked the door open slightly, then turned back to me with wide, rabbit-like eyes.
“Miss, it’s the knights… What should we do?”
I frowned.
Were these people here to bother a sick person?
“Tell them to go away.”
“Saintess!”
An urgent voice burst through the doorway.
“We’ve come to personally thank you, Saintess!”
What?
This time, I genuinely wondered whether I was hallucinating.
Was it really possible… that someone had actually said that?
“His Grace the Grand Duke told us that you nearly died for our sake!”
“C…come in, then.”
I replied in a dazed voice.
It seemed I had to hear what this was about.
Surprisingly, a group of knights poured into the room all at once.
Thanks to Amy quickly draping a robe over me, I looked no different than usual—aside from sitting in bed.
Leading the group was Sir Tobias,
but the one who spoke first was a sharp-looking knight standing to his right.
“Saintess, we sincerely thank you. If not for you, most of us would have ended up as kindling by now.”
“Well, I’m glad it turned out that way.”
I offered a smile.
“I’m happy I could help.”
“The Saintess is too humble—it wasn’t just ‘help’!”
I tilted my head, puzzled.
“So His Highness has already told everyone, then?”
“Yes.”
Tobias answered calmly.
“We heard it was you who opened the canal. The entire fortress, not just us, is grateful to you, Saintess.”
I blinked.
So Hades had revealed everything.
It was unexpected, yet not entirely surprising.
After all, he wasn’t the type to steal credit for someone else’s deeds.
But still…
‘Does this mean I can’t play the infamous mistress anymore?’
For me, that was a good thing.
I never wanted to be hated in the first place.
But what puzzled me was why Hades Crohittner would go so far as to violate his own demands just to publicly acknowledge my contribution.
‘I’ll have to ask him later.’
As I slowly blinked, looking sleepy, the sharp-witted Amy quickly ushered the knights out.
“The doctor said you’re not allowed to receive visitors for long! Gentlemen, please leave now. You may leave your gifts right there. Yes, thank you!”
I stared blankly at the pile of presents the knights had hurriedly stacked on the table.
All of it…
“…is apples?”
“Yes.”
Amy sighed.
“Don’t they have any sense? Everyone’s obviously bringing apples—couldn’t they bring something nicer? Where would it hurt? Saintess, what do you actually like?”
“Delicious things.”
My answer came out quicker than I’d expected.
Amy’s eyes widened, then gradually grew misty.
“Our kind Saintess… You haven’t been able to eat properly because of those awful people… Don’t worry! I’ve completely shaken up the kitchen. Just tell me anytime what you’d like to eat from now on!”
“Thank you. That’s reassuring.”
“If you’re truly grateful, just make sure my retirement bonus is nice and plump.”
Huh?
I glanced sideways at Amy.
She sounded serious—definitely not joking.
“When do you plan to retire?”
“In ten years.”
Amy answered confidently.
“I’ll work exactly ten more years, then open my own dressmaking shop.”
“You have a dream, then.”
“Of course!”
Amy’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“I’ve loved making clothes since I was little. I even mended all my sisters’ outfits. And thanks to you, Saintess, I get to handle expensive garments all the time—I’m so happy!”
I upgraded Amy slightly higher on my personal trust scale.
People with clear goals tend to be the most reliable.
“Could you bring me one of those apples? Pick the firmest, most delicious-looking one.”
I took a large bite of the apple Amy had carefully selected and thoroughly washed.
It was crisp and sweet.
There was nothing more I could ask for in flavor.
The effect of the story Hades had spread was tremendous.
Wherever I went, smiles and greetings followed me—and even the ever-cold butler now bowed respectfully before me.
Yet, one question remained.
‘Why on earth?’
For Hades, keeping the truth hidden would have been far more advantageous.
So why not only reveal the truth but also spin it into such a well-polished tale that people now saw me as a hero?
‘Out of guilt? Gratitude?’
But Hades Crohittner wasn’t someone swayed by such trivial emotions.
‘Besides, if his feelings toward me had improved, his affection meter would’ve already shifted from “love-hate” long ago.’
Wait.
A chilling thought suddenly struck me.
‘Could it be…?’
Hades’s affection level could only be confirmed through the notification window that appeared whenever it changed.
But what if it had already changed while I was unconscious?
And thus, I never saw it?
‘Well… maybe it doesn’t matter.’
I shook my head.
If it really had changed, it surely hadn’t shifted in a bad direction—so even if I felt a twinge of regret for not knowing, it wasn’t worth worrying over.
With that firm belief, I headed toward the dining room.
Since this was my first meal with Hades since leaving my sickbed, Amy had fussed over me with unusual excitement.
‘This feels a bit excessive…’
I quickly removed two of the hair ornaments.
Yet three still remained—obvious proof of just how much effort Amy had put into my appearance.
“Saintess!”
Amy pouted from behind me.
“Sorry, it was uncomfortable.”
“You should’ve just said so from the start! Don’t suffer through things that bother you.”
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll tell you next time.”
The dining room I arrived at shortly afterward appeared just as meticulously arranged as my hairstyle.
‘Anyone seeing this might think it’s a banquet.’
The lavish fresh flowers and twice-as-opulent tableware were so extravagant that even my newly refined eyes struggled to adjust.
Hades arrived at the table slightly late.
“Sorry for being late.”
My eyes widened.
“Are you unwell? His Highness apologizing to me—now that’s unprecedented.”
“…”
Hades remained silent for a moment, then instructed the servants to bring out the food immediately.
‘This is delicious!’
It was clear that as much care had gone into the food as into the decorations.
I mindlessly devoured a variety of appetizers and the sweet soup.
“I’m glad your appetite’s returned.”
“It’s returned so well it’s become a problem.”
I sighed.
Several times lately, I’d bolted awake in the middle of the night from hunger.
“To recover properly, you need to eat well.”
Hades shook his head.
“Don’t even think about holding back. Feeding just your one mouth is more than manageable for me.”
“You have no idea how much actually goes into my mouth.”
As if to prove my point, I cleanly finished the main course—duck meat—and even the dessert pastry topped with apricot jam.
“I’ll walk you back to your room.”
“Amy’s waiting for me.”
“Dismiss the maid. I have something to discuss with you.”
That was welcome news—I had something to discuss with him too.
At first, Amy looked slightly worried, but the moment Hades wrapped his arm around my waist, she covered her mouth and quickly disappeared somewhere.
We began walking slowly, our bodies pressed gently together.
Hades’s embrace was as warm as ever.
I smiled softly.
‘This feels nice…’
When you can’t avoid something, you might as well enjoy it.
Hades Crohittner was a big, warm man—and for half-leaning into someone’s arms, there truly was no better partner.
“I’ve assigned your bodyguard.”
“Huh?”
Scratch everything I just thought.
No matter how warm he was, if he suddenly whispered something like that in my ear, I immediately wanted to pull away.
“I don’t need a bodyguard!”
“If you’d had one, you wouldn’t have died.”
“…”
“This is an order, Saintess.”
“But…”
“Are you going to defy my order?”
“…Who is it? Can I at least know the name beforehand?”
“Tobias.”
Tobias would be somewhat acceptable.
Before Hades publicly credited me, he’d been nearly the only knight in the order who showed me any kindness.
“I have a question.”
I turned to look up at Hades.
“What is it?”
“Now everyone likes me, thanks to you talking about me everywhere. Why did you do that?”
Hades’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
“So you wanted to keep being hated?”
“Absolutely not! But wasn’t that exactly what you wanted? A greedy mistress.”
Indeed, pretending to be a greedy mistress was far more effective for weeding out flatterers than acting as a loyal advisor.
Whether or not I suffered consequences from it was never something Hades needed to care about.
And up until recently, he truly hadn’t seemed to care at all.
“…That’s right.”
Hades’s expression shifted subtly.
I blinked.
Hades Crohittner wasn’t the kind of man to forget his own words.
Could it be… that his mind had changed during this time?
But his next words made me forget even that suspicion entirely.
“A marriage proposal has arrived—from the First Imperial Princess of the Empire.”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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