The Duke Stole Everything (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
Sharti hurried toward the mana stone shop with more caution than ever.
“Oh my, you came even earlier today?”
Fortunately, the shopkeeper noticed her loitering outside before opening hours and let her in early.
Nathan, the elderly shopkeeper of the mana stone store, was famously kind-hearted in the village. He had never once chased Sharti away, even when she suspiciously prowled around and inside the shop.
Instead, Sharti had repeatedly left the shop empty-handed, slipping away timidly as if fleeing.
“Today’s business will start early, so quickly make your purchase while you have the chance.”
Sharti bowed deeply in thanks and bought the item she wanted. Short on money, she could only afford two mana stones containing half a month’s worth of mana for one person.
Sharti handed over a note she had prepared in advance.
“Thirty silvers. And this is a complimentary gift.”
“……?”
The complimentary gift Nathan offered her was two single-use mana chargers.
Surprised, Sharti looked up at Nathan, who chuckled heartily.
“It’s for the customer who comes to buy first thing every morning—go ahead and take it.”
Chargers were quite expensive compared to ordinary mana stones.
‘Yet he’s giving them away as a gift?’
Sharti stared blankly for a moment at the mana charger held out before her.
She was quite perceptive.
Just as Sharti was about to pull out another prepared note with her greeting,
“Aren’t you a doctor?”
“…….”
“Then consider this as my advance payment for treatment, in case I fall ill later.”
Nathan patted his own crooked back.
“I have no family, so if I’m ever on my deathbed, there’d be no one to pay you even if you came to treat me.”
“…….”
“If this advance payment feels burdensome, just visit my shop daily. That way, you’ll be around to look after me if I collapse or fall sick.”
It was a deeply considerate remark.
Sharti, who had been nervously fidgeting her fingers, hesitantly accepted the disposable mana charger.
After bowing once more to express her gratitude, Sharti left the shop.
Today, both her hands and her heart felt full.
Once Sharti’s robe disappeared from sight, Nathan turned toward the back of the shop and asked,
“Is it alright now?”
Clack. An elderly man with a kindly face emerged, pushing aside a long, thin bead curtain.
“Alright? Alright what? Why burden our child like that!”
“Ahem, ahem! Then how else was I supposed to hand over that expensive thing without an excuse?”
“Just say our child’s herbal remedy cured your back pain, and give it to her as thanks!”
“……Bireta, you and I are exactly the same.”
Nathan shook his head slowly at Bireta.
Bireta snorted dismissively.
“Anyway, here—this is payment for the charger we gave our child.”
Bireta pulled thirty silver coins from her pocket.
Nathan also snorted.
“Keep it. What I told the doctor was sincere—no need to pay me.”
“Suit yourself.”
Bireta grinned roughly and stuffed the coins back into her pocket.
Nathan chuckled, calling her an incorrigible old woman, though his expression grew slightly somber.
“But have you heard the news?”
“What news? I just got back home after half a month—has something else happened?”
Nathan glanced subtly outside the shop, then stepped closer to Bireta.
“It’s about those frontier soldiers who came to inspect the village’s security. They claim it’s about maintaining order, but rumor says they’re actually searching for someone.”
“……Who?”
Bireta’s wrinkled face instantly hardened.
Nathan whispered carefully to her, noticing how her hands—clasped behind her back—tensed and trembled.
“Given how secretive they’re being, it must be a deserter. Oh, come to think of it, there’s a rumor from the lower village—someone supposedly slaughtered dozens of allied soldiers and fled the army.”
“They’ll catch him themselves if they can.”
She waved her hand dismissively.
Hearing the fugitive was merely a soldier, Bireta’s expression quickly relaxed.
“An old man like you shouldn’t worry so much—tsk, tsk.”
At her indifferent tone, Nathan sighed.
“Is that really something to say when we’re both growing old together? Of course you’re not worried—but that doctor is different.”
“Why our child?”
“Don’t you know? The whole village’s been talking because the doctor still hasn’t shown their face. Do you think those soldiers see things differently? Besides, the squad leader of these soldiers has a particularly unsettling look in his eyes.”
“…….”
Bireta’s gaze darkened.
Nathan patted her shoulder gently.
“They say the soldiers will search the mountains around the village today or tomorrow—please pass this warning to the doctor.”
“I suppose I must.”
Bireta gave Nathan a brief word of thanks and left the shop.
The sky was clear.
Yet, strangely, her shoulders and knees creaked more than usual today.
“Why does something always happen on days like this?”
Ten years ago, a child had come asking for her, inquiring about a name she’d long forgotten.
Six years ago, a newborn had been abandoned right at her doorstep, wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Five years ago, a girl trapped in a fire, on the verge of death.
“It must just be my imagination.”
Bireta rubbed her shoulders and knees.
Her intuition had never been wrong since she was young.
Meanwhile, Sharti happily felt the weight of her bag as she headed toward Tain’s house.
Tain, who must have stayed up late reading again, greeted Sharti while rubbing his drowsy eyes.
“Wow! I’ll work hard on it!”
Tain hugged the notebook Sharti handed him and answered loudly, his sleepiness vanishing instantly at the mention of homework.
Tain, passionate about learning, grew more motivated the more assignments he received.
“Sha, you’re here? But you look even thinner than last time! Don’t tell me you’ve been skipping meals again!”
Birena, appearing behind Tain, showered Sharti with concern. Sharti gave an awkward smile and shook her head.
Frowning with her freckled face, Birena handed Sharti a small basket.
Inside were a small amount of fruit jam and four tiny bread rolls.
“Grandmother came back today. She left this for you before heading out—take it and make sure you eat it.”
Sugar, an ingredient in fruit jam, was expensive in this small mountain village. Wheat flour for bread was costly too.
Grandmother Bireta’s daily earnings must have been tight enough already.
“I heard from Tain! You braved that typhoon to find him! After risking your life to safely bring your little brother home, you think we can’t even give you this much?!”
When Sharti tried to refuse and run away, Birena quickly blocked her path.
Sharti waved both hands apologetically, looking flustered.
“Oh, forget it! If you don’t take it, I’ll tell Grandmother! And if you don’t accept it now, she’ll climb the mountain herself to deliver it anyway!”
At those words, Sharti quickly accepted the basket.
She had to prevent Bireta from climbing the mountain. Though Bireta, trained in swordsmanship since youth, remained remarkably spry for her age, the treacherous mountain path was still dangerous.
‘……Besides, she absolutely mustn’t discover the man near the cave.’
If Bireta found out Sharti was not only treating but also hiding a stranger and keeping it secret, the situation would become complicated in many ways.
‘I have to stop her.’
Of course, Sharti knew well Bireta’s broad understanding. She was the kind of person who couldn’t ignore anyone in need and even tolerated Sharti’s own vulnerable compulsions.
But she didn’t want to burden Bireta any further.
After all, she already owed her so much kindness and debt.
Sharti conveyed her gratitude to Birena with an embarrassed smile.
“You tickle, kid!”
Seeing the words written on Sharti’s palm, Birena giggled. Tain beside her also chuckled softly.
Their smiling faces were strikingly alike—clearly siblings.
‘Not just my bag, but even this basket too.’
Today was a day when both hands felt heavy.
“Hurry up, Sha. You know it won’t taste good when it’s cold!”
“Thank you, teacher!”
Sharti bowed to Birena, who was gently urging her on, and waved goodbye to Tain as well.
Holding the basket close, Sharti left the village.
Fortunately, she didn’t encounter any soldiers.
‘Delicious smell.’
The savory scent of bread teased her nose all the way up the mountain.
Gurgle—
‘I-I’d better hurry.’
Animals might also be drawn by the bread’s aroma, so Sharti quickened her pace.
Weighed down by her bag and basket, Sharti paused briefly while climbing the rugged mountain path.
‘……Now that I think about it, I’ve only been feeding him carrots and potatoes all this time.’
She recalled the man in the cave whom she’d been bringing meals to.
Hearing her stomach growl like a clock, Sharti hesitated.
‘……He’ll recover faster if he eats something like this too.’
He’d probably leave the cave sooner than expected.
She also remembered Bireta’s seasoned advice.
[Whether human or animal, offering food weakens their wariness—hunger clouds judgment.]Sharti peeked into the basket and sighed.
Her plan to visit as late as possible in the afternoon was now changed.
‘Let’s go first.’
Bread tastes best when eaten before it cools.
Sharti immediately altered her course up the mountain.
Perhaps it was the comforting blend of savory and sweet scents.
A faint, excited blush spread softly across Sharti’s pale cheeks, hidden beneath her robe’s hood.
‘……Huh?’
Upon reaching the cave, Sharti paused just as she was about to check on the man lying in bed as usual.
‘His hair seems a bit damp……?’
Quietly setting down the basket, Sharti gently rubbed the man’s black hair.
It still held a trace of cold moisture.
‘Did the cave walls shift during the typhoon, creating a leak?’
Sharti glanced around every corner of the cave.
Though it was clearly a man-made cave with small holes and cracks here and there, it seemed unlikely water would have soaked only the hair of someone lying on the bed.
Sharti checked the man’s arms, abdomen, and thighs.
‘His body feels unusually cool today too.’
Though the cave was naturally chilly, his body temperature felt distinctly cooler than usual.
‘Damp hair. Cool body temperature. His lying posture looks subtly unnatural.’
It was as if he’d just returned in a hurry after going out.
Sharti’s suspicions solidified into certainty.
‘His worst injuries were in the abdomen and thighs, but other areas had nearly healed enough for daily life.’
She considered the possibility that he’d developed tolerance to the sleeping potions and numbing herbs she’d been giving him.
Sharti pressed a hand to her forehead, regretting her past carelessness.
‘Whew…….’
She quietly rose to her feet and slowly stepped backward.
From the cave wall, she retrieved a long staff coated with paralyzing poison.
‘This is strictly for self-defense.’
Since she’d finally have to have the long-delayed conversation, she hid the staff behind her back.
Sharti crept quietly toward the bed.
‘I’ll start with a conversation.’
She swallowed hard.
Thump. Thump. Her heart began racing.
“……!”
Just then, the man suddenly opened his eyes. Sharti jerked back hastily, thinking their eyes had met—his shadowed teal irises locking onto hers.
But his hand was faster, grabbing her robe and pulling her toward him.
Thud!
‘Ugh!’
‘Sha,’ forcefully laid back onto the bed, reflexively swung the staff.
“Are you going to subdue me with a weapon now?”
At the unfamiliar voice, Sharti flinched.
The man lightly pressed down on Sharti’s arm, easily deflecting her strike.
“Without even trying to talk first?”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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