Shall I Save You, Duke? (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Clack—.
Lina closed the lid of the steaming teapot and looked toward the Duke. He was flipping through papers without pause, his pen dancing across the pages.
‘He said I could take the day off, yet suddenly asks me to brew tea.’
Seeing the Duke’s grim expression as he claimed he needed her, she’d assumed something serious had happened. Yet the only task he gave her was to brew tea.
She’d been so baffled by his request that she’d even stupidly asked him back.
‘Couldn’t you have asked another maid to do something this simple?’
Apparently, the Duke’s seemingly changed attitude that morning had just been her imagination.
‘Haa—.’
Lina sighed quietly to herself and tilted the teapot to fill an empty cup.
“My Lord.”
Lina approached Belige with the tray and carefully set down the teacup.
“It’s hot, so please be careful.”
The Duke, who had been glancing at her from the corner of his eye, took a sip with an elegant motion. But as he drank, his eyebrows twitched.
“Why does this taste like this?”
“Is something wrong…?”
“It’s far too bitter.”
She must have steeped the tea leaves too long. With a look of dismay, Lina quickly took back the teacup in front of the Duke.
“I’m sorry. I’ll brew it again.”
Lina emptied the teapot of its hot tea and began preparing fresh leaves.
‘This time should be fine, right?’
The ideal temperature for the leaves to steep perfectly. Tea brewed precisely at the right moment. Everything was flawless.
“Here you are, My Lord.”
Yet this time, he rejected it without even tasting properly.
“Why does the aroma seem off? Could there be something wrong with the tea leaves?”
“What? That can’t be.”
The tea she served the Duke used the finest leaves—ones ordinary commoners could hardly even glimpse.
She cautiously brought her face close to the cup. The fragrant tea scent tickling her nose confirmed it had been perfectly brewed.
“Brew it again.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
But what could she do if the Duke insisted on another brew? She’d have to make it a hundred times over until he was satisfied.
‘Is he in a bad mood?’
As Lina picked up the teacup from the desk, she studied his expression. Something unpleasant must have happened; the Duke seemed deeply displeased.
‘He seemed fine just this morning—why is he acting like this? Did I do something wrong?’
Lina, who had been pointlessly replaying her actions from the day, was about to pour the tea into an empty bowl—
When her wandering thoughts caused her to accidentally spill the scalding liquid not into the bowl, but onto her own hand.
“Aah!”
Startled by the sudden burning sensation, she dropped the teapot.
Crash—!
The sound of shattering porcelain echoed as fragments of the still-hot teapot scattered everywhere.
The luxurious rug was already ruined by tea and broken shards.
“Ugh.”
Lina clutched her rapidly swelling, red hand and looked around.
‘I’m ruined.’
The chaotic mess on the floor was dizzying enough, but an even bigger problem loomed.
‘Wasn’t that teapot something the previous Duke cherished immensely?!’
The teapot she’d broken was said to be part of a tea set passed down through generations of Dukes of the Permanence family.
Cullen’s warning still echoed in her ears: handle those items with utmost care whenever using them.
‘Of all days to make a mistake, it had to be today!’
To commit such a rare blunder precisely when the Duke was already in a foul mood—her timing couldn’t have been worse.
Worried about what lay ahead, Lina forgot even the burn on her hand and only bit her lip—
Just as expected, the startled Duke strode toward her with angry steps.
“What on earth is this—!”
At the Duke’s raised voice, Lina squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’m sorry, My Lord. It was an accident…”
Kneeling and pleading, she watched the Duke’s frown deepen further. Seeing his expression, Lina silently screamed inside.
‘He seems really angry… At least I should clean up the broken pieces.’
If the Duke got cut by the shards, the situation would only worsen. Just as Lina reached toward the fragments—
Thud—.
Belige, who had been silently watching her, suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“Ugh.”
“What are you doing?”
Belige murmured, now standing right beside her.
“I need to clean this up quickly…”
The Duke, looking down at her with clear displeasure, scanned her bright red, burned hand.
“In your current state?”
His breath brushed against her cheek. Lina gasped as Belige abruptly seized her hand.
‘He’s way too close.’
The man’s presence pressed tightly against her back, making her whole body tense. She cautiously turned her head and glanced at the Duke.
He seemed both angry and concerned as he examined her injured hand.
‘Why?’
He should have been scolding her, as anyone would. Yet that expression—was he mistaking her for a child who’d fallen by the roadside?
“It probably won’t leave a scar…”
Belige seemed to be saying something, but the words wouldn’t register in her mind.
‘Is he really worried about me…?’
Lina stared blankly at the Duke.
“Lina.”
Their eyes met—Lina’s, fixed intently on the Duke, and Belige’s.
Thud—!
Startled by the sudden eye contact, Lina jerked her hand away.
“I-I’m sorry! I-I just…”
Belige’s hand hung uselessly in midair. Flustered by her unintended rejection of his kindness, Lina stammered.
“…I’ll call someone to clean this. Go to the infirmary.”
“…Yes, My Lord.”
Lina rose hesitantly from her seat, then fled the room without meeting the Duke’s eyes.
Alone in the study, Belige stared blankly at the hand the maid had pushed away. Her rough rejection, as if she couldn’t bear his touch, kept replaying in his mind.
‘Why am I bothered by such trivial things?’
Belige’s mood darkened inexplicably as he pulled the bell cord. Moments later, Cullen entered and gazed at the floor in stunned silence.
“My Lord… what on earth happened…?”
Cullen began picking up the broken porcelain pieces, muttering something, but his words barely reached Belige’s ears.
Soon enough, Belige sat back down as if nothing had happened and resumed his piled-up work. But before long, his pen, which had been gracefully forming letters, stopped again.
[My comrade got hurt, so I went out to gather herbs…]Suddenly, the memory of his first encounter with Lina in the forest flashed through his mind.
“Cullen.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Cullen, who had swiftly tidied the room, answered promptly.
“What happened to that man named Hans?”
“Sir?”
“The one who refused treatment to certain maids or servants.”
“You didn’t say anything at the time, so we only gave him a simple warning and let it go.”
“A simple warning…”
He recalled Lina wandering the forest because she’d been denied medicine at the infirmary. The thought that she might be refused treatment again now began to trouble him.
Belige stood up.
“I’ll be out for a moment.”
He decided to visit the infirmary—to properly warn that Hans fellow and check whether Lina was receiving proper care.
Convinced he’d already wasted too much time, Belige quickened his pace.
*** *** ***
“Why is my face so hot?”
Lina pressed her hands to her cheeks and hurried along. Scalding water must have splashed her face too—her cheeks burned fiercely.
“Ugh.”
The pain she hadn’t noticed earlier, lost in the chaos, was now slowly creeping in. Her skin was even redder than before.
“This wound should heal quickly, but since people will see it, I’d better get it treated.”
She hurried, determined to get treated and then return to clean the study.
Knock knock—.
“Is anyone here?”
It was probably better that no one was around. Meeting Hans would surely lead to another pointless argument.
“Lina?”
“Henry?”
Instead of Hans, who should have been there, Henry greeted her.
“What are you doing in the infirmary? Are you hurt?”
“My father twisted his back, so I came to get some medicine. But what about you?”
“I burned my hand a little.”
“What? Let me see.”
Henry stepped closer and examined Lina’s hand.
“Luckily, it doesn’t seem like a serious burn. A little ointment should be enough.”
“Really?”
Henry began rummaging through drawers in search of medicine.
“How did this happen?”
“I spilled hot tea while brewing it.”
“Hot tea? You, of all people, making a mistake like May would?”
Henry chuckled and shook his head.
“Right? And of all days, it had to be today.”
But Henry, not hearing her quiet mutter, brought up something else.
“By the way, the Duke seemed a bit angry earlier.”
“The Duke?”
Henry, scratching his head mid-search, trailed off.
“It felt like… he didn’t like seeing me with you…”
“What? That’s impossible.”
“No, really—his glare at me just now was terrifying! I thought he’d just come back from killing someone.”
Lina shook her head and gave a hollow laugh at his frightened tone.
“You must be imagining things.”
“Imagining?”
“Of course. The Duke just met you—he has no reason to dislike you.”
Reassured by Lina’s words, Henry exhaled in relief.
“Come here. I’ll put the ointment on.”
Having found the medicine and bandages, Henry waved her over.
“I can do it myself.”
“Forget it. Come quickly before Hans shows up and starts complaining again.”
Lina approached Henry, who skillfully applied ointment to her wound and wrapped it with a bandage.
“But wasn’t today your day off?”
“I thought so too, but apparently not.”
“What? That’s ridiculous.”
“Right?”
Henry, seemingly finished with the treatment, smiled proudly.
“All done.”
Lina inspected her bandaged hand carefully.
“Thank you. I’d better get back to the Duke right away.”
“It’s not a serious injury, but don’t overexert yourself for now!”
At Henry’s words, Lina offered a small smile and stood up. Just before the infirmary door opened, a shadow quietly vanished from the spot.
“Was someone there?”
Puzzled by the sudden sense of presence, Lina tilted her head and hurried toward the Duke’s room.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
2 Comments
Chapter Comments (44)
Those stupid maids ckck she bullied her in front of someone she like? Stupid
linas goal now is to become a cupid between may and henry
“Lina had almost mentioned Roen’s name but didn’t want to make things worse, so she quickly covered it up as her own fault.”
She’s so kind but the ML is childish and annoying
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Blairwoods
I wait for him to scold hans but this scene kinda unnecessary
debban23
busted again,poor henry to keep recieving the hate