The Duke Stole Everything (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 5
After the typhoon passed, the temperature difference between day and night grew wider.
Sharti stretched her stiff body and yawned.
‘He still shows no sign of waking up.’
The mysterious man who had taken refuge in her cave remained unconscious. He lay on the low, narrow bed, breathing evenly but nothing more.
Thanks to Sharti’s round-the-clock care, his life was no longer in danger.
‘Could it be because of the poison that seeped into his wounds?’
She had only belatedly realized he was poisoned—and how shocked she’d been then.
A poison that left no visible trace externally.
Had she failed to detect the poison hidden within his wounds, the man would have been walking the path to the afterlife within a day.
‘Detoxification went well. Hmm, and judging by his unusually rapid healing, he’s past the worst.’
The man possessed a regenerative ability befitting his massive frame.
His recovery, sluggish while poisoned, accelerated immediately after detoxification. Minor wounds healed fine with just a simple ointment applied.
‘Even his burn scars won’t turn out too ugly.’
Though the man had suffered burns on his back, arms, and shoulders—likely from an explosion—Sharti had diligently compounded herbs to treat them.
Perhaps she’d wanted to prove how different she was now from five years ago, when she’d known virtually nothing about medicine.
Sharti smiled bitterly, recalling the burn scars still on her own body.
She also remembered the grimaces others made whenever they saw her burns.
“…….”
If only they’d been on her face instead.
Then she wouldn’t have needed to hide beneath this stifling robe hood.
‘No. If my body had been even worse off, surviving alone in these mountains would’ve been impossible.’
Her throat had been ruined, her leg limped, and her hands could barely grip anything.
But meeting Bireta, Birena, and Tain had enabled her successful rehabilitation.
Though large burn scars remained, forcing her to wrap herself tightly in robes, she no longer limped and could open and close her hands freely.
‘……I should live with gratitude.’
She thought of the old log cabin the villagers had given her simply for being their physician.
In mountainous regions, physicians were rare. In such isolated settings, epidemics and injuries—big or small—were unavoidable.
‘Surviving itself is an incredible thing.’
Five years ago, what happened in the Krianet royal palace had been the greatest misfortune of her life.
Yet small, fleeting kindnesses had saved her.
That had been the greatest stroke of luck in her life.
‘Because I’m alive, I’ve experienced that journey—felt despair and achievement vividly.’
She was grateful—not having died clinging to negative emotions, but living to blossom with her own talents.
‘I should stop thinking about it now.’
The longer she cared for this man in similar straits, the more pointless thoughts crowded her mind.
Perhaps staying too long in the dark, damp cave for two days had made her gloomy.
‘The sun’s out, so I should go gather some herbs.’
Fine weather made herb gathering easier. Sharti checked on the man, who slept soundly.
Donning earth-stained gloves and taking a light blade, Sharti headed outside the cave.
“…….”
Inside the cave, only even breathing could be heard.
The man lying motionless on the bed suddenly twitched his muscles. His brow furrowed in distress, and cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
This symptom hadn’t appeared while Sharti was nursing him.
“……Ugh, ngh…….”
A stifled groan escaped through his clenched teeth.
The white bandages Sharti had changed repeatedly were slowly turning red.
Veins stood out on his jaw and neck as he writhed in anguish.
Thud-thud-thud—. Whether fortune or misfortune, Sharti had returned to the cave, having forgotten her basket, and caught sight of the man’s condition.
“……!”
She tossed her gloves and blade aside and hurried toward the bed.
After a brief flinch at his contorted facial muscles, Sharti silently sat beside the groaning man and placed a hand on his forehead.
‘He’s running a slight fever? Suddenly?’
Without panicking, Sharti immediately rose to her feet.
Just then—
Thud. The man’s large hand seized Sharti’s wrist. Startled, she instinctively tried to pull away, but the man frowned and shifted restlessly.
“……Ha… ah…….”
Still tightly shut-eyed, he turned his head aside and breathed raggedly, as if trapped in a nightmare.
Heart pounding, Sharti hesitantly approached the bed again.
‘……He still seems unconscious.’
Keeping a wary gaze, Sharti gently brushed the back of his hand.
The previously still, massive hand now trembled faintly.
‘Is he having a nightmare?’
Judging by his wounds and scars alone, the man had clearly endured something extraordinary.
Perhaps unconscious psychological trauma was resurfacing to torment him.
“…….”
Feeling pity, Sharti perched on the edge of the bed.
She herself had once suffered terrible nightmares for a long time.
Her fingers brushed the neck hidden beneath her hood. She wanted to speak soothingly to him, as Bireta once had for her—but decided against it.
‘Hearing my voice might make his nightmare worse.’
Sharti only ever used her voice on thunderous nights, when buried under blankets. At any other time, even she found her own voice unbearably awful.
Like a frog’s croak—or a witch’s rough, raspy tone.
That was Sharti’s voice.
Instead of straining her throat, Sharti traced letters onto the back of his clasped hand.
She gently etched the words into his skin with her fingertips, urging him not to worry.
After writing alone for a while, Sharti noticed the grip on her hand loosening.
“……Ha… ah…….”
The man’s labored breathing gradually evened out. Sharti reached out with her other hand and wiped the sweat from his brow with her sleeve.
Each time her touch landed, his eyebrows twitched slightly, but the look of agony vanished.
‘……Phew.’
He seemed to be calming down.
Sharti slowly rose from the bed. Turning her back to it, she immediately recalled the herbal mixture she’d used on him.
‘Which herbs work for mental distress?’
Psychological treatment was entirely outside her expertise.
Yet she couldn’t just leave him like this. Without treatment, these seizure-like episodes might continue.
‘Should I go to the village and look for more medical texts?’
Of course, she’d need to wait until his condition improved a bit more.
‘Since he has a fever, at least a damp cloth on his forehead for now…….’
Turning to fetch the bucket she’d prepared deeper in the cave, Sharti froze mid-step.
The man she’d just been tending lay on the bed, now shakily propping himself up.
“……Huh… ngh…….”
Clutching his throbbing head, he exhaled several times.
An imposing aura radiated from him—something she hadn’t sensed while he was unconscious.
Gulp. Sharti instinctively stepped backward.
“……Where… is this…?”
His voice, rough and low, made Sharti shiver.
It sounded much like his voice from two days prior, though muffled as if still drowsy.
As he turned his head, scanning his blurry surroundings, his eyes met Sharti’s.
“……!”
“……You…?”
His eyes were teal.
This time, the sharp glint she’d glimpsed during their first meeting was unmistakably clear.
“……Who… are you?”
His furrowed brows and teal eyes stared at her, filled with confusion.
“Just… where… ngh…?”
Gritting his teeth as he tried to sit up, his eyebrows twitched. He glanced at the bandages wrapped around his body and paused momentarily.
Meanwhile, Sharti glanced toward his sword, propped against the cave wall.
‘Will he misunderstand me again and threaten me with his sword like last time?’
Her mind raced furiously.
The long staff fixed to the wall versus his sword.
Who would reach a weapon first? Her thoughts leaned pessimistically.
“……Answer. Who… are you…?”
His threatening growl between clenched teeth made Sharti’s shoulders tense.
She barely managed to shake her head.
Unfortunately, to the man, Sharti—hooded and refusing to answer—looked deeply suspicious.
‘H-how can I explain?’
Approaching frightened her; grabbing a weapon first would likely worsen his suspicion.
“……Damn it… my head….”
He remained disoriented.
Sharti quietly slipped a hand into her robe pocket.
‘I-I have no choice.’
Her fingers closed around the small pouches she and Tain had prepared earlier.
“…….”
Forcing her trembling legs to move, Sharti inched slowly toward the bed.
Just as the man belatedly noticed the shortened distance and lifted his head, Sharti didn’t hesitate—she pulled out a small pouch and threw it.
Poof! The loosely tied pouch opened midair, scattering finely ground powder before his eyes.
“Wha—!”
He tried to recoil, but in the cramped cave—and with his injuries—it was futile.
“……Cough, hack…! Urgh….”
Coughing dryly, he glared at Sharti as if betrayed.
“……Y-”
But only briefly—his eyelids slowly drooped.
Thud. His arms, which had been clutching his head, fell limply.
The anesthetic herb powder took immediate effect.
“……Ngh…….”
His massive torso swayed slightly before collapsing backward onto the bed.
Clutching at his fading consciousness, he fixed his gaze on Sharti and mumbled hoarsely,
“……Why… am I… attacking… you…?”
His eyes glazed over, and soon even breathing filled the cave again.
Only after the threatening tension left his muscles did Sharti step closer and wave a hand before his eyes.
Thankfully, he slept peacefully.
‘Good. He’s asleep.’
Her legs gave out; she couldn’t stand immediately. She pressed firmly against her pounding heart.
Thank goodness she and Tain had prepared the anesthetic herbs.
‘I’ll need to keep him asleep for a while longer.’
Sharti once again marveled at the man’s astonishing recovery speed.
It seemed she’d need to use sleeping aids generously until he fully healed.
‘Even a patient’s strength can be a problem.’
His teal eyes flashed in her mind, making her heart race. Sharti sighed heavily.
Still, as a physician, she felt compelled to leave an apologetic note—via finger-writing—on his hand.
He wouldn’t read it, but it was the best she could do.
[This is the timeline separator]After five nerve-wracking days, when the sense of crisis had finally eased, Sharti had just returned from the village early that morning. Coming back to her old log cabin around noon, she was empty-handed once again.
Sharti massaged her throbbing right leg.
‘Couldn’t buy it today either.’
Of all days, soldiers had arrived in the village, throwing everything into chaos.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
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