The Duke Stole Everything (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 13
Sharti gritted her teeth.
She couldn’t bring herself to strike the man’s back, covered as it was with scars and countless small wounds.
“I knew you had no fear.”
Tsk. The sound of his tongue clicking carried a tone of reproach.
The man shifted his posture and pulled her into his arms with one arm.
“Hold on tight.”
“…?”
Before Sharti could grasp his meaning, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
For an instant, the muscles in his neck and shoulders twitched.
“…Alright.”
With all his strength, the man thrust the shovel toward the ceiling spot Sharti had targeted.
Clang!! A metallic ring echoed throughout the entire cave, deafening their ears.
Rumble… At that moment, the whole cave shook as if struck by an earthquake.
“…!”
He immediately dashed toward the cave entrance.
Kugugu… Boom! Kugugugugong—! As the cave began collapsing in earnest, Sharti squeezed her eyes shut tightly.
Kwagagagang—!!! The small cave completely caved in.
“…Ha, ah…”
“…”
The man, who had been holding Sharti up with both hands, let out a sigh of relief.
Woken by his hot breath, Sharti opened her eyes. Only after turning her head and confirming that no trace of the cave remained did she exhale deeply.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“…!”
Realizing her position at his question, Sharti quickly unwrapped her arms from around his neck.
The man carefully set Sharti down.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Sharti began writing firmly on his palm.
“…Ha.”
The man exhaled briefly. Apparently unaware he’d done anything dangerous, Sharti was already checking him over as usual.
His lips twisted crookedly, his chest still tight from worry. His gaze, fixed on Sharti, gleamed coldly.
“Is that really something the person who recklessly tried to collapse the cave ceiling without thinking should say? We both nearly got seriously injured.”
When he pointed out her recklessness, Sharti frowned.
“How could you be sure about the accumulated force? If your calculation had been wrong, we’d both be buried under there right now.”
Sharti understood the man’s reaction.
‘I didn’t explain anything, and from his perspective, the bomb went off the moment he struck it with the shovel. Of course he’d be angry.’
Yet, strangely, Sharti couldn’t suppress the surge of emotion welling inside her. Their miscommunication in this urgent situation made her feelings swing wildly and intensify.
The man felt the same.
“Is… is that really what you should be saying right now?”
Instead of gentle words, blame spilled out from both sides.
Sharti and the man growled at each other.
“…”
But the moment he saw her crimson eyes shining through her disheveled hood, the man couldn’t think of anything else. Her long, dark brown hair had slipped out of the hood, revealing half of Sharti’s face.
Sharti was looking at him—meeting his gaze with clear, steady eyes. The instant he saw the emotions hidden beneath her thick hood, his thoughts froze.
A faint shiver ran through him.
His lips trembled slightly.
“…I was worried.”
He hadn’t scolded her out of anger for acting recklessly without explanation.
Both he and Sharti had been in danger.
Yet the moment they escaped the cave, she’d immediately checked his body, putting her own safety last.
“Just as you worried about my injuries, I worried equally that you might have been hurt.”
His heart had pounded wildly the moment they’d barely escaped the collapsing cave.
His mind had gone blank—he’d seen only Sharti before his eyes.
The Sharti who neither sought nor needed his help.
He admitted it: that was why he’d snapped.
‘He… was worried about me…?’
Sharti’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly. His painfully honest confession left her speechless.
“If a patient gets hurt, the doctor can treat them—but if the doctor gets hurt… the patient can do nothing.”
“…”
“…I wasn’t mocking you. Truly.”
Only then did Sharti finally see the man’s face clearly.
Outside the cave, his dark brown hair looked as black as if it absorbed the darkness itself, while his teal eyes shone all the more vividly.
He was a man whose presence changed between day and night.
“…”
Sharti bit her lip tightly.
She rummaged through her bag and pulled something out—a black robe hidden among the simple supplies and herbs she’d grabbed from the cave.
“…Is this mine?”
The man took the robe. It was short in length.
“…Hm?”
As he put on the robe, he slightly bent his waist at Sharti’s gesture.
After placing the hood over his head, Sharti took his hand.
After hesitating several times, the words she wrote on his palm were tiny, filled with embarrassment.
A tingling sensation traveled up his palm, and the corner of his mouth lifted.
Though the hastily scribbled final words were hard to read, the curve of his smile deepened further.
His heart, which had pounded furiously along with the collapsing cave, now beat to a slightly different rhythm.
“…”
The man wiped the smile from his lips and nodded obediently.
As the tension eased, their momentarily heightened emotions settled calmly. Sharti took one last deep breath, waiting for her racing heart to quiet.
She closed her eyes and listened carefully to her surroundings.
‘Fortunately, I don’t hear anything nearby yet.’
Only the rustling of trees and grass in the mountain wind filled the air.
Sharti suppressed her rising impatience.
She had to avoid the usual shortcuts she always took.
Thick weeds, mud, and dense trees.
Sharti knew the mountain’s geography as well as any villager.
‘But just in case…’
She gripped the herbs tightly in her bag.
Many times before, Sharti had gotten lost or stranded in these mountains after nightfall. Each time, she’d somehow survived and found her way again.
The last time she’d felt utterly helpless and cornered was five years ago.
“…”
The man watched Sharti, who gripped her bag strap resolutely.
Watching her collapse the cave, he’d realized something.
Right now, he was a burden to Sharti.
“Yes.”
Yet he had no choice but to take the hand she offered.
Shamelessly, brazenly, he had to follow Sharti. He had to cling to her with all his might, chase after her desperately—anything to ensure she wouldn’t abandon or leave him behind.
The man gripped Sharti’s hand firmly.
‘You’re really tense, huh?’
Her hand trembled slightly in his grasp.
‘Well, I guess it makes sense—you might get caught by soldiers.’
To reassure him, Sharti patted the back of his hand before moving toward the rear of the cave.
The man nodded firmly.
They climbed the mountain, keeping their bodies as low as possible.
Because of the dense trees, even lifting their heads revealed neither moonlight nor sky.
‘He’s following well… even though it must be hard to see.’
The man followed Sharti without stumbling even once, holding her hand. His night vision seemed sharp.
‘Maybe because we’re near the stream—it feels cool.’
The mountain’s chilly, eerie aura made her shiver. In response, the man tightened his grip on her hand.
His warmth traveled through his large hand.
It felt comforting.
Though the darkness made writing difficult, the gesture mattered more than the words.
“…”
“…”
“…?”
The man gave no response at all.
Sharti stopped walking and turned to look at him.
Whoosh— A strong gust of wind blew, making his hood flutter as if about to fly off.
“It’s probably better to let go of your hand in case we run into soldiers… …yeah.”
As if he hadn’t been gripping her tightly just moments before, the man released Sharti’s hand without hesitation.
Sharti blinked in surprise.
‘Why suddenly like this?’
They hadn’t encountered soldiers yet, and there were no sounds nearby.
Frowning at his inexplicable action, Sharti narrowed her eyes.
“The soldiers will be armed, but we aren’t… …yeah. So our choices are either running or giving up… …and neither option benefits you, Doctor… …yeah.”
Strangely, his voice lacked strength.
Sharti stared intently at him.
‘Is he saying he’ll minimize the harm I suffer if we meet the soldiers?’
Her chest prickled oddly.
Again, his negative assumption was laced with concern for her.
‘He was the one asking for help earlier…’
He really was a strange man.
Softening her expression, Sharti grabbed his wrist. Thankfully, he didn’t pull away from her grip.
‘He’s lost his memory—he must feel anxious.’
That must be why his imagination kept veering only toward the worst possibilities.
After walking quietly for a short while, they came upon a small, stagnant spring.
‘Hmm, luckily it’s empty.’
After scanning the area, Sharti released his wrist and hurried toward the spring.
The man stood perfectly still.
Suddenly, a clump of mud flew and hit him.
“What’s this…?”
Plop! Plop plop! Even as the man staggered backward, the mud clumps struck with perfect accuracy.
Eventually, completely covered in mud, he looked at Sharti with a slightly sour expression.
Sharti, holding another mud clump, merely shrugged at his gaze.
She too had smeared mud all over her robe.
“…What’s that mud for? And why didn’t you…?”
Cautiously approaching in case another clump came flying, the man held out his palm as Sharti gestured.
“…Idiot?”
At the first word written, the man’s eyebrows shot up.
Sharti hid a chuckle.
“Fine, I’ll accept that… …yeah.”
“Are the soldiers’ senses of smell that good? …yeah?”
The man tilted his head at Sharti’s words. Then, realizing how deep into the mountains they’d already gone, he frowned.
“You don’t mean…?”
Interrupting him, Sharti pressed her index finger firmly onto his palm, writing deliberately.
“So if you just confirm it has nothing to do with me…”
Sharti lightly punched his palm with her fist.
Perhaps because she’d already decided to help him.
Her handwriting showed no hesitation as she wrote the word “accomplice.”
‘Even if I really am an accomplice, I couldn’t possibly justify it.’
Though Sharti still felt regret, burden, and worry about her choice, there was nothing she could do.
What’s done was done.
‘Frankly speaking, he’s already seen my face anyway.’
Maybe collapsing the entire cave had made her bolder.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)