The Duke Stole Everything (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 6
They were frontier soldiers who had long visited the mountain village to periodically check on its security.
Since rugged mountains were perfect hiding spots for dangerous criminals, the villagers welcomed the soldiers’ visits.
The problem was Sharti.
‘Of all times, it had to be now.’
Sharti glanced at the household mana stone clutched in her hand.
‘There’s hardly any mana left.’
The red mana stone, once as large as her palm, had now shrunk to the size of Tain’s palm. Its size naturally diminished with use—there was nothing to be done about it.
She had originally intended only to buy a mana charger, but now she needed a new mana stone as well. Recalling why the stone had depleted faster than expected, Sharti let out a deep sigh.
‘I’ll have to start providing proper meals soon.’
Under normal circumstances, she could have stretched it for another week, but things had changed.
Because of the mysterious patient she’d taken in, she now had to feed two instead of one. So far, she’d managed with simple patient meals, but given how quickly his wounds were healing, he’d soon need proper nourishment.
‘I should’ve bought supplies earlier.’
Unfortunately, the soldiers’ visit coincided precisely with this critical moment.
For Sharti, who avoided anyone carrying a sword due to past trauma, this was truly the worst possible timing.
‘For now, I’ll feed him soup today.’
Pushing her worries aside for the moment, Sharti headed straight to the back of her log cabin.
There lay her small, painstakingly cultivated garden.
‘This won’t last much longer either.’
Autumn had already arrived.
And before she knew it, winter would be upon them.
Though food was her most pressing concern, Sharti harvested what she could for the day: two carrots and two potatoes.
‘…Should I dig up one more?’
Remembering the patient’s build inside the cave, Sharti hesitated, then dug up one more potato.
Back inside, she placed the vegetables on the kitchen counter.
The so-called kitchen was cramped—just a cupboard and a cutting board with a single knife on the table.
‘Better hurry.’
She quickly prepared the vegetables and herbs.
After finely chopping the ingredients, she struck the red mana stone firmly against the table a few times.
‘Please, please work this time.’
Fortunately, the stone’s engraving brightened, and it gradually grew warm.
Sharti quickly placed it beneath the pot.
‘The heat is weak, but it should be enough.’
She added herbs to the bland mixture, and soon a savory aroma filled the air.
Still, Sharti’s cooking had always prioritized health over taste.
Just as she reached to lift the pot—
‘…!’
A sharp crack echoed, and the mana stone split cleanly in two, its lifespan finally exhausted.
‘…At least we made it through today.’
Sharti tried to stay positive.
Though, considering the village’s situation and the state of her purse, optimism felt rather hollow.
‘Bandages, ointment… and I brought a spoon too, right?’
Having finished her preparations, Sharti stepped outside.
‘I should arrive before it gets cold.’
She wanted to give him warm soup if possible.
The cave was chilly, and the patient lay covered only by a thick blanket without proper clothing, so Sharti quickened her pace, navigating the rugged mountain paths with practiced ease.
‘…Hm?’
Upon reaching her destination, Sharti paused briefly to scan the area around the cave.
The beast-repelling herbs she’d scattered on the ground looked oddly disturbed.
‘Could the wind have blown them away?’
The herbs appeared far more disheveled than when she’d left, which unsettled her.
Frowning in confusion, Sharti entered the cave.
‘…Could he have woken up?’
Just in case, she pulled out a long staff and cautiously advanced inward.
Drip… drip… The steady sound of water droplets echoed softly through the cave.
“…”
As she drew closer, the tension gripping her chest instantly eased—the man on the bed remained deeply asleep.
His improving complexion was clearly visible.
She leaned closer to check his fever, and his steady breathing reached her ears.
‘…Hmm. Maybe I was being too jumpy.’
Relieved, Sharti set down her staff and quietly approached the bedside to unwrap his bandages.
She examined the worst of his wounds—on his abdomen and thigh.
‘These will need a bit more time.’
The deep stab wounds had healed slowly, nearly reaching vital areas.
Still, given his remarkable recovery rate, a week should suffice. Sharti felt reassured.
‘A week.’
If he recovered enough to move by then, she intended to leave him be.
Sharti waved her hand before his eyes to test his consciousness.
He didn’t stir—not even when she touched his body to rewrap the bandages.
‘My heart’s pounding so hard I can barely breathe.’
Though necessary for safe treatment, drugging him continuously weighed on her conscience.
Still, it was safer than letting her guard down.
Carefully sitting on the edge of the bed, Sharti opened her bag. The mashed carrot-potato soup had cooled to just the right temperature.
As a courtesy, she wrote a note on his palm before taking out the spoon. Gently, she guided the soup into his mouth.
But her awkward posture caused some to spill.
‘…Ah!’
Feeding someone who’s asleep was never easy.
‘Sorry about this.’
Apologizing to the unconscious man, Sharti climbed onto the bed.
She sat by his head and rested it gently on her thigh. It had been clumsy at first, but now it felt natural.
[Teacher, you should do it just like Birena did for me! It’s called “pillow lap”!]That was Tain’s advice from the last time Sharti kept spilling soup while trying to feed the man.
Though the position felt embarrassing, the patient’s nutrition was paramount.
Hoping he wouldn’t wake, Sharti covered his eyes with one hand and diligently fed him spoonful after spoonful.
‘At least he chews and swallows well even in his sleep.’
The man accepted each spoonful without fuss and swallowed smoothly.
‘And without spilling.’
She scraped the bowl clean, feeding him the very last bite.
Compared to Tain, who still struggled with table manners, the man’s sleeping dining etiquette was remarkably tidy.
Sharti glanced down at the man resting quietly on her thigh.
‘If only I could give him more nutritious food, he’d recover faster.’
Like meat or fruit, for instance.
But that was simply impossible.
Sigh. A silent, weary sigh escaped her. The narrow range of choices imposed by her poverty always left her feeling heavy-hearted.
‘Still, I’ve treated him well enough that no scars will remain.’
Both internal and external injuries were healing smoothly.
She’d even taken care to erase any traces that might trigger traumatic memories—she’d fulfilled her duty as a healer.
“…”
Lost in thought, Sharti suddenly noticed the man’s distinct features.
She’d assumed his hair was black in the dim cave, but it was actually a deep, rich brown. His thick eyebrows and sharp jawline exuded masculinity.
Despite days of fever and unconsciousness, his well-toned body remained largely unchanged from their first meeting.
‘What could he have done to be in such shape?’
Sharti caught herself staring blankly at his taut, copper-toned abs and quickly snapped out of it.
‘Right. I should clothe him. A blanket won’t be enough as it gets colder.’
But buying clothes for him posed problems—not just sizing, but the village tailor was famously chatty with customers.
Drawing unnecessary attention would be unwise, so she’d put it off until now.
‘Guess I’ll have to make them myself…’
The village had a designated place where unused fabrics were collected.
It would be labor-intensive, but for now, it was the best option.
‘…Hmm…’
Hesitation flickered in Sharti’s eyes as she gazed at the man.
She wished for him to wake soon. She hoped he’d leave in good health. Yet, she also sensed that becoming further entangled with him would be unwise.
She couldn’t tell whether she drugged him for her own safety or because she feared her peaceful life might unravel.
‘…Seems I’ve grown attached somehow.’
Unconsciously, Sharti found herself gently stroking his hair.
“Teacher!”
“…!”
Startled by Tain’s sudden arrival, Sharti instinctively tightened her grip.
Kwaaak—In that split second, she yanked a clump of the man’s hair. His body stiffened momentarily, but Sharti, hastily adjusting her posture, didn’t notice.
As Sharti scrambled off the bed, Tain came running in with his short legs, his face and clothes smeared with dirt, beaming as he held out a herb.
“It’s Dongdochou! It helps maintain body temperature and speeds wound healing.”
Sharti gave an awkward smile and wrote on Tain’s palm.
Tain grinned broadly.
But coming all the way here alone was dangerous.
‘If soldiers see a child climbing the mountain alone, they’ll take notice.’
Sharti adopted a stern expression.
Before she could even warn him to stay put for a while, the excited boy’s eyes sparkled with pride.
“I washed it thoroughly with clean water!”
Praise came first.
“The medicine should be taken after meals, so I came right on time!”
What an exceptional student and assistant he was.
Sharti repeatedly patted Tain’s head and cheeks affectionately.
She placed the finely shredded Dongdochou into the man’s mouth.
“This Mister Patient is amazing! Dongdochou is extremely bitter, yet his expression hasn’t changed at all.”
For a brief moment, the man’s lips twitched.
“Ah! His brow just furrowed—thank goodness his sense of taste is intact!”
Tain said cheerfully.
Meanwhile, Sharti scratched her chin, glancing at the empty bowl. She recalled the herbs she’d added to his meals—each one pungent and bitter.
‘But he’s been eating everything I gave him without complaint…?’
Hmm? Sharti’s gaze quietly shifted to the man.
Though supposedly asleep from sedatives, he chewed and swallowed the herbs thoroughly. Yet, even when Tain pressed hard on his arm muscles, he showed no reaction.
Sharti sought a logical explanation over suspicion.
‘He had a slight fever before, and despite rapid healing, his body wasn’t fully normal—maybe he couldn’t taste anything.’
Since he’d just reacted to bitterness, his recovery seemed to be progressing well.
“Teacher.”
Once Tain confirmed the man had swallowed all the herbs, he approached Sharti and held out his palm.
Tain hesitated briefly before speaking.
“Before Mister Patient wakes up… I’d like to try applying medicine myself.”
Wiggling his small fingers earnestly, Tain made his request clear.
“No one trusts me because I’m young. Patients get nervous. But Mister Patient is asleep—he won’t know it’s me! Teacher, I really want to help treat him too!”
At this stage, “treatment” merely meant applying ointment to his wounds.
Yet Tain clenched his fists passionately, determined to convince Sharti to let him perform even this simple task.
‘Well, this little genius must’ve been itching to help all this time.’
Sharti glanced at the man on the bed and pondered for a moment.
At Sharti’s permission, Tain’s face lit up. Worried the man might wake, the boy covered his own mouth and bounced excitedly in place.
‘So cute.’
Just as Tain enthusiastically listed the herbs he’d use on the patient—
“…Ugh… ugh…”
“…?”
“T-Teacher! Mister Patient’s firm arm just twitched!”
When yandere male lead believes she loves him — but she never did
“How dare you!”
“How dare you make me love you, only to cast me aside as nothing more than a friend?!?
“I will never accept that.”
“I will never let you return to him.”
“Even if I have to burn myself to ashes.”
“Even if I must shatter my purity, my dignity, my very soul.”
“I will never let you escape me!”
This was the first novel that introduced me to the matriarchal genre. I’ve read it three times already!
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~
_____
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