The Duke Stole Everything (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 8

She was a suspicious woman.

Not only her face, but not even a single strand of hair was visible.

Huh. The man was engulfed in a vague sense of disappointment.

—”She’s full of incomprehensible things.”

Before the woman could turn around, the man closed his eyes again. Though he wanted to reveal right away that he’d awakened, still burdened by that stifling feeling, he held back.

A woman dressed suspiciously.

His instincts, belatedly kicking in, stirred a sense of wariness.

—”…What now?”

Soon, a tingling sensation on his palm made the man inwardly flustered.

—”Letters?”

He realized belatedly that the woman had written letters onto his palm.

Really? Before his puzzled expression could fully form, something firm touched his lips. Assuming it was more water, he opened his mouth—and warm, savory flavor flowed in.

It was a soup that required no chewing.

—”…Did she bring this separately?”

Just moments ago, he’d been wary of her suspiciousness, yet now his guard dropped instantly.

—”It lacks flavor, though.”

Still, without showing it, he kept his eyes shut and diligently accepted the soup. Remembering he had to appear asleep, he made sure to swallow as slowly as possible.

After that, the woman faithfully brought him meals, always feeding him herself.

Gradually, guilt grew within him as he felt her clumsy yet earnest care and devoted treatment.

As he sensed his body steadily recovering, the man began to hesitate.

—Should I let her know I’ve awakened?

The diligent woman persistently checked his consciousness each time.

Sometimes she’d wave her hand before his eyes; other times, she’d repeatedly check his pulse and heartbeat. He often felt her gaze fixed intently on his face, at any hour.

—I don’t know how much longer I can keep hiding.

Though the woman did wipe his sweat, it wasn’t enough.

He’d even slipped out alone at night to wash himself in the stream outside the cave.

The same went for food—he’d pick small wild berries only after confirming animals had eaten them safely outside the cave.

—I’d better not deceive her.

Since his recovery was progressing quickly, he couldn’t delay any longer.

He dreaded the woman later discovering he’d deliberately concealed his awakening.

—”If even she stops coming… I’d be…”

Whenever left alone in the cave, loneliness crept in, leaving him feeling both lonely and afraid.

The comfort he’d felt from her presence vanished completely in the darkness.

He grew increasingly impatient.

And, on another note, he wanted to talk with her.

—Does she know anything about me? How did she end up treating me? Can she help me recover my memories?

He hoped even a fraction of his stifling curiosity might be resolved.

—”And also…”

He wanted to say thank you.

Rubbing his neck awkwardly with mixed emotions, the man tried to fall asleep. His empty mind held only thoughts of her.

Waiting for the daylight hours when he’d see her again wasn’t so bad, after all.

—”Feels like I’ve become the dog guarding the house.”

He occasionally mocked himself.

Having no memories felt like his entire body was hollow. With every breath, anxiety, worry, fear, and dread seeped into that emptiness.

He never wanted to feel that unpleasant void again—even if it meant living like a dog.

Yet his resolve wavered at the arrival of a stranger.

—”Teacher!”

It turned out there was another person besides the woman who treated him.

—”Teacher, are these wounds traces of offensive magic? The way they’ve gouged into the skin differs from ordinary magical injuries.”

It was a chatty little child, brimming with questions and explanations, never pausing for breath.

—”Teacher, Mister Patient is incredibly tall! The blanket’s far too short. I’ll take off my clothes and cover his feet!”

The woman was far too quiet; the child, far too talkative.

Yet somehow, their contrasting natures blended harmoniously without causing discomfort.

—”Teacher, but I wonder how Mister Patient found your cave. It’s really far from the village. He’s the first person I’ve ever seen around here!”

Thanks to the child, the man managed to resolve some of his lingering questions.

—”Teacher, Grandmother said we shouldn’t help strangers carelessly. But Birena said you’re a kind person—you didn’t get angry even when Mister Patient sneaked into your cave, and you’ve been treating him.”

The man felt slightly flustered.

Both the woman and the child were complete strangers to him, with no prior connection whatsoever. Yet they’d willingly given up their space and taken responsibility for his care until now.

—”…I’ll reveal myself.”

He might lack “memories,” but he still had “conscience.”

Deceiving these two good souls felt deeply uncomfortable.

—”Teacher, if Mister Patient turns out to be scary, I’ll definitely take you and run away!”

Hearing their conversation, he decided immediately to open his eyes—

Until he caught the next words.

—”I learned that if a big bear inhales a lot of Nuranisec powder, it stays paralyzed for over ten minutes. We’ve made plenty of powder pouches, so don’t worry!”

The clever child’s words sounded terrifyingly lethal.

For a moment, the man felt as if he’d become the child hunter’s prey.

—”Now that I think about it… I feel like I’ve locked eyes with that woman before.”

The phrase “powder pouch” triggered a hazy memory flashing through his mind.

Through a feverish, blurred vision, he’d seen someone. He’d risen upon spotting a frightened figure huddled nearby.

—”…I clearly remember dizziness hitting me from sudden pain, and when I lifted my head again…”

A small pouch had burst, showering powder onto his face.

—”…”

Recalling that initial memory—of being ambushed out of nowhere—he reflexively clenched his teeth. It was a memory he’d forgotten until now, likely due to the absurd, disorienting situation he’d faced while not in his right mind.

—”Huh? Teacher! Mister Patient is groaning! He must be having another nightmare!”

With a faint sigh of resignation, the man exhaled softly.

The child, thinking he was having a nightmare, patted his arm with small hands.

Because of that, the man had no choice but to keep pretending to sleep.

—”No wonder. I didn’t want to reveal I’d awakened.”

It was a bitter truth.

He was baffled yet understood perfectly—how the woman who’d sprinkled paralysis herbs on her devoted patient and the child ready to flee with her could coexist.

To a powerless woman and child, his presence might well seem threatening.

—”I’ll have to delay it as long as possible.”

Thus, through constant postponement, his act of sleeping became masterful.

—”Teacher, Mister Patient looks uncomfortable. We should lift his head a bit! No, wait—he’s too heavy! Hmm…”

Suddenly, his neck was lifted, leaving him in an awkward, uncomfortable position—and a strong herbal scent filled his nose.

—”Teacher, you should do it like Birena did for me! It’s called a lap pillow!”

Only then did the man grasp the situation, belatedly realizing from the child’s words.

He remained stiffly still as he continued accepting food.

The rich herbal scent emanating from the woman was wonderfully pleasant—it was the same lingering fragrance that faintly remained in the cave whenever he was left alone, offering his only solace.

Perhaps it was because he’d grown too careless. Or maybe it was the price for deceiving two innocent souls under the excuse of fearing the paralysis powder.

[“Mister Patient is just like a baby!”]

“How am I a baby in any way?”

His rough, raspy voice sounded thoroughly disgruntled.

His large, powerfully built frame was unmistakably visible even in the dark.

The man swept aside his unruly bangs.

“I suppose I’ll have to reveal myself tomorrow.”

Though it wouldn’t be entirely honorable, he certainly didn’t want to keep being treated like a baby.

Moreover, he was certain the two had discussed whether or not he had family.

Since the woman hadn’t taken the initiative to investigate his identity, it was now his turn to step forward.

“If I really do have family, they might be worried sick.”

A slight tightness formed in his chest.

Leaving the silent bed, the man stretched his stiff muscles and calmly walked out into the dark cave.

“She seemed oblivious, so tomorrow she might just throw paralysis powder at me again like last time.”

As he pondered how to startle the woman as little as possible, the night deepened.

But he’d overlooked one thing.

Sharti was quite perceptive.

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Human muscles differed noticeably between sleep and wakefulness—there was a clear distinction based on whether consciousness was present or not.

Even the heartbeat resonating beneath the skin carried subtle differences.

“She was probably conscious after all.”

Of course, it began as mere suspicion. The man lay utterly still, showing no obvious signs to raise doubt.

But subtle cues from him deepened her suspicion.

“There’s more than just one odd thing.”

The position of the curtain blocking the cave entrance, the direction in which the beast-repelling herbs scattered on the ground had been disturbed, or even the scent of forest wind mingling with herbal aroma on his body—

Moreover, she’d sharpened her hearing to compensate for her injured voice.

Even the heartbeat she occasionally felt when touching his skin carried subtle variations.

“Until now… yeah, I was careless.”

Whenever she noticed the man’s suspicious, subtle inconsistencies, Sharti had foolishly dismissed them as mere mood.

She simply hadn’t anticipated he might be acting.

This was her first long-term patient, and the weight of responsibility—treating him alone as a physician without any guardian present—was immense.

The very fact that she was sheltering a stranger inevitably bred unease.

“Thinking back, maybe I secretly hoped he’d never wake up.”

She’d ignored signals from her eyes and ears, unwilling to get entangled in complicated realities.

She’d preemptively feared facing again the man who’d first threatened her in the cave, reeking of blood.

“Could he remember me attacking him with that powder pouch?”

She now understood why he hadn’t moved rashly and instead chose to pretend.

Sharti swallowed a sigh. Since they’d never properly spoken, misunderstandings between them were inevitable.

“Pretending not to notice won’t help at all.”

Sharti forced her thoughts into a positive direction.

“He woke up unconscious in a cave, treated by a stranger—he must have many questions for me. And surely he wouldn’t just attack me outright. After all, I’ve cared for him all this time.”

Early that morning, stepping out of her old log cabin, Sharti let out a long sigh.

Delaying endlessly wouldn’t yield any answers.

“Normally, I’d have stopped visiting the cave by now.”

She’d planned to leave a week’s worth of medicine and some food in the cave, then cut ties—believing her duty ended once he’d recovered.

But remembering Tain made that impossible.

[“Teacher! I’m so proud of you!”]

Sharti recalled Tain’s unexpected confession as he tightly held her hand, walking down the mountain.

[“You didn’t ignore that dangerous Mister Patient! You didn’t run away—you treated him! You’re the doctor I admire most!”]

How could she disappoint a child who looked at her with such pure, admiring eyes?

Abandoning a patient without proper closure was simply unthinkable.

Bearing her conflicted feelings, Sharti headed down to the village early that morning again.

“Please, let there be as few people as possible at the shop today.”