Shall I Save You, Duke? (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
Early dawn. Belige, awakened from sleep, turned his head toward the soft, rustling sound coming from beside his pillow.
Lina had fallen asleep at some point, her eyes closed in an awkward position, exhaling steady breaths.
‘So she fell asleep here.’
Did she even know this was his bedroom? Her deeply slumbering face looked utterly peaceful.
The duke carefully studied the maid’s features—from her forehead to her eyes and lips. He was certain he’d never seen them before coming to this mansion.
‘Why does she feel so familiar?’
Belige reached out his arm, wanting a closer look at the maid’s face. Her shallow breath brushed against his skin.
And her slightly stiff hair tangled gently around his fingers.
The refreshing energy emanating from the maid traveled from his fingertips throughout his entire body,
as slowly as drizzle soaking into fabric.
It felt as though the clear air was calmly soothing the blood boiling within him.
“Haa—.”
Belige’s eyelids fluttered as he exhaled a deeply satisfied breath.
“But what on earth was that dream just now…?”
Belige’s brow furrowed tightly as he tried to recall. The nightmare, which he hadn’t had in a long while, felt unfamiliar—but more than that.
“What were those sensations?”
Belige muttered, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fist.
It was strange. The nightmare that had tormented him for so long was now vividly etched in his memory.
The unpleasant, sticky sensations clinging to his entire body still seemed to linger on his skin.
The grotesque wailing assaulting his ears. The putrid stench piercing his nostrils. All of it sent chills down Belige’s spine.
No matter how much he thrashed or screamed, nothing changed. Even cutting down the things lunging at him, again and again, proved futile.
It was as if he’d fallen into an inescapable swamp—they only tightened their grip around his throat.
Would he suffocate in this nightmare? Just as despair engulfed him, a single ray of light descended.
That light brightly illuminated his surroundings and instantly subdued the things choking him.
And when he opened his eyes amidst that warm radiance,
the maid was there.
The brief relief of having escaped that place vanished quickly, and Belige began wandering, unable to distinguish reality from dream.
Even with his eyes open, his body trembled from the lingering unpleasant sensations on his skin and the eerie sounds echoing like tinnitus.
He was afraid.
Though he’d awakened from the dream, the remnants of the nightmare still seemed to creep up from his toes, slowly tightening around his throat—
until he felt the warmth enveloping his cold, chilled hands.
The silence after the noise that had muddled his mind vanished. And a sense of calm that felt almost unreal.
[“I’ll stay right beside you.”]Her voice calmed the storm raging within Belige’s heart.
[“Please don’t worry, Your Grace.”]A peaceful tone, like leaves rustling in the wind.
It was the first time anyone had spoken those words to him since he’d been left alone.
Warm light seeped into his long-empty, cold heart.
He pressed his lips to the back of her hand and took a deep breath,
as desperately as someone who’d long ceased to breathe.
The man’s golden eyes gleamed brightly as they lingered on Lina’s face.
“At last.”
He’d found it—the light he’d waited for so long.
‘This light I’ve finally found. My hope.’
He wouldn’t let it go.
“Never.”
His low murmur trembled with desire—thick, persistent, and utterly desperate.
Chirp—.
With the birds’ cheerful song, warm morning sunlight seeped into the room. Lina, apparently displeased by the light disturbing her rare, deep sleep, pulled the blanket over her face.
“Ugh… So bright. Who left the window open…?”
But not long after, her eyes, which had been grumbling under the covers, snapped open.
“Huh?!”
Lina shot up from the bed as if springing and looked out the window.
“Morning…?”
The sky, which should have been dark, greeted Lina with brilliant light.
“What… what is this…?!”
She quickly looked around. The luxurious atmosphere of the room clearly told her this wasn’t her own.
‘This is the duke’s bedroom?!’
Realizing she’d fallen asleep in the duke’s room last night, Lina bit her lip.
‘When exactly did I fall asleep? And why am I in the bed?!’
Judging by the white blanket wrapped snugly around her, she’d apparently slept peacefully and soundly.
Silently scolding herself, Lina scanned the room for its owner.
But whether by misfortune or fortune, the duke was nowhere to be seen.
“I don’t know what happened, but I’d better leave quickly.”
It wouldn’t look good for anyone to see her leaving the duke’s bedroom with a just-awoken face. Lina hurriedly got out of bed and straightened her clothes.
‘I need to act as naturally as possible. Naturally.’
Just as she tiptoed toward the door, a familiar voice called from behind.
“Awake already?”
“Kyaa!”
The bathroom door suddenly opened, and the duke appeared, damp from what seemed like a recent shower.
“Y-Your Grace?”
“Where are you sneaking off to like a thief in the night?”
“W-Well…”
She trailed off, unsure how to explain herself to the duke.
Belige, who had been watching Lina indifferently, dried his hair with a towel and spoke flatly.
“Don’t worry about today’s incident. I have no intention of holding you responsible.”
Though puzzled by the duke’s unnerving calmness, she considered it truly fortunate.
At that moment, the duke picked up a neatly laid-out shirt to change. As usual, Lina stepped closer to assist him.
But as if he didn’t need her help, he began buttoning the shirt himself.
‘What’s going on? Is he dressing himself completely alone?’
“You may return to your quarters and rest for today.”
The duke’s voice echoed through the room as he fastened even the cuffs of his sleeves.
“Lina.”
“Yes?”
Lina thought she must have misheard.
‘Did he just…’
It was surprising enough that he’d granted her a day off—but even more astonishing was this.
‘He called me by name?’
Until now, the duke had always addressed her as “hey,” “you,” or “maid,” as if unaware of the two syllables “Lina.” Yet suddenly, he’d used her name.
Flustered, she stood dumbly, forgetting to reply, until the duke asked again.
“Do you dislike it?”
“Huh? Oh—no! Thank you.”
Instead of scolding her, the duke had even granted her a short holiday. Lina felt utterly bewildered.
An unexpectedly granted day off. Yet on this golden day, the only place she could go was the stable.
“I’d love to go into town and buy some necessities…but I’ll just go see the horses instead.”
She probably couldn’t ride them like before, but simply feeding and stroking them would be enough. She’d wanted to visit the stable many times, but never had the chance while staying in the annex.
Just as Lina reached the stable with unusually light steps,
“Huh?”
She spotted a familiar figure stroking the horses.
“Henry?”
At the sound of her voice, the man, who had been facing away, turned around. The tall man with light brown hair waved cheerfully upon seeing Lina.
“Lina!”
Lina nearly ran toward Henry.
“When on earth did you get back?!”
“It’s only been a few days. I visited the main house several times wanting to greet you, but you were always with His Grace.”
Apparently, Lina had been constantly by the duke’s side, causing her to keep missing Henry.
“Well, at least we met now. Are you back for good?”
“Yeah. I plan to stay here for the time being.”
Henry was one of the few children who’d shown kindness to Lina—he was the son of Rick, the stablemaster. Last year, he’d left for the capital to learn blacksmithing.
“You seem like a completely different person.”
Having outgrown boyhood, Henry now looked like a full-grown man, which felt strange to her.
“You’re the one who hasn’t changed at all. Are you eating properly?”
Though she was twenty-four here, her appearance remained that of an eighteen-year-old girl. Lina swallowed a bitter smile at Henry’s words.
“But I heard you became the duke’s personal maid and earned his trust.”
“Well… I’m not sure if that counts as trust.”
Seeing her speak so awkwardly, Henry ruffled Lina’s hair.
“I knew you’d do well, Lina.”
Though the same age as Lina, Henry had always treated her like a younger sister.
‘That’s why the maids who liked Henry tormented me the most.’
Because Henry showed her special care, she often became the target of others’ jealousy.
“But didn’t something big happen recently…?”
“Something big?”
Henry asked with feigned seriousness.
“You mean Susan being driven out?”
“Yeah. I heard you almost got into trouble because of it.”
“Oh… You heard about that? But it’s fine—it’s all over now. Tell me about your life in the capital instead!”
Seeing Lina brush it off as nothing, Henry said it was fortunate and began recounting his experiences in the capital.
How much time had passed? Lina and Henry were deep in conversation, oblivious to the setting sun,
when suddenly, the sound of a horse’s snort and approaching footsteps came from behind.
“Henry? What’s wrong?”
He’d stopped talking to Lina and stared fixedly behind him, looking startled. She followed his gaze and turned around too.
“Your Grace?”
Belige, having returned to the estate at some point, stood quietly holding Thunder’s reins, his eyes fixed on Lina.
“That’s the duke…?”
When Henry asked, Lina nodded. Flustered, he hastily bowed.
“Y-Your Grace! It’s my first time meeting you. I used to work in the stables…”
But Belige lightly ignored Henry’s words and approached Lina. Then he gestured toward Henry.
“You.”
“Y-Yes…? Ah, yes!”
“Take this horse inside.”
“…Yes! Understood!”
Henry briskly took the reins and, as he headed toward the stable, gave Lina a look that said they’d continue their talk later.
Lina nodded in acknowledgment and turned to face the duke standing before her.
But the duke’s expression had darkened sharply.
“Why are you here?”
“…Huh?”
The duke pressed Lina aggressively.
‘Why does he look so angry? Did something bad happen outside?’
An inexplicable sense of dread crept slowly up Lina’s ankles. Carefully gauging his mood, she answered cautiously.
“I just stepped out for a short walk.”
“Is that so?”
‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’
The cold aura emanating from the duke made her wonder deeply what she might have done wrong.
“Then that’s fortunate. I happen to need you.”
The duke’s thunderbolt words made Lina’s shoulders flinch.
“Huh? But Your Grace said I could rest today…”
“That was then. But now…”
The duke tilted Lina’s chin, her face still flustered, and murmured,
“it’s different.”
Indeed, Lina’s ominous premonition had been right.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
2 Comments
Chapter Comments (46)
I wait for him to scold hans but this scene kinda unnecessary
busted again,poor henry to keep recieving the hate
Those stupid maids ckck she bullied her in front of someone she like? Stupid
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Blairwoods
He’s jealous hahaha he can’t remember her but his body and heart into her
debban23
i like him being jealous means he cares at some point now