The Duke Stole Everything - Chapter 18

The man looked down at the cheerful Tein and swallowed hard.

‘How did it come to this.’

It was not long after Sharti had gone down the mountain when Tein found the old log cabin.

As he secretly peeked outside through the bedroom window, he ended up making eye contact with Tein who was running towards the log cabin.

[Bear, it’s a bear!]

As Tein shouted, startled by the shadow that brushed past the window, the man also moved far away from the window.

[We must run away!]

Until then, the clever child seemed to turn around and flee right away.

[Ummm…]

Tein, who was about to return to the forest, stopped for some reason. The look in his eyes as he turned slightly to examine the log cabin was even solemn.

As if he had made up his mind, Tein bit his lip and crept towards the house.

[Ex-excuse me, are you the patient mister?]

The child’s frightened voice was heard as he knocked on the wooden door with his cotton fist.

Of course, the man did not give any answer.

[Teacher, is the teacher not with you?]

The child persistently spoke in a frightened voice.

He believed that Tein would quietly go back like this. As far as the man could tell from inside the cave, the child was clever.

However, there was something he overlooked.

[I must save the teacher! I’ll go bring grandmother!] [……!]

In the end, the man opened the door first.

In front of the door that swung open was Tein, standing there hugging his bundle tightly. It was as if he had been waiting for him to come out.

The child looked up at the man with round eyes.

[……You……] [It is the patient mister! You’ve opened your eyes!] [Wait, kid. Come in.]

The child had come to the log cabin alone.

‘At least that’s fortunate.’

The man looked glumly at the child who was staring up at him with bright eyes.

“Patient mister!”

“What.”

“Why are you here, patient mister?”

Seven was an age of many curiosities.

The man pondered how to explain at the child’s level.

“Your teacher brought me here.”

Tein shook his head.

At the gesture of disbelief, one of the man’s eyebrows raised.

“I made a promise with the teacher. When the patient mister opens his eyes, I must run away.”

“……”

A silent laugh burst from the man’s mouth.

If he had made one wrong move, he might have really been abandoned in that small cave.

“It’s true. Ask your teacher.”

“I understand.”

Tein nodded his head.

The small head bobbing up and down was quite adorable.

‘Run away, huh.’

He was already anxious as Sharti’s return seemed to be delayed.

The soldiers who had threatened that she was such a terrifying being might have taken her away and spilled information about the man’s circumstances.

‘I must have been quite distrustful of people.’

Sharti was his benefactor.

Nevertheless, the man could not let go of a shred of distrust towards others to an unusual degree.

‘What kind of person was I to end up like this?’

He was a shameless person who felt both gratitude and wariness towards the benefactor who saved his life and treated him at great risk, and also had the personality to threaten using words like wanted or witness.

‘If I’m this much of a wreck even with lost memories, how much of a trash was I originally?’

The man was afraid to imagine the worst even as he wished for his memories to return.

Suddenly, he thought of Sharti.

If she realized his true intentions of trying to elicit sympathy while pretending to be obedient, the kindness shown by that naive woman would surely turn into contempt.

“That’s good.”

“What is?”

“The patient mister’s wounds are not fully healed. You need a caregiver.”

“Is that so?”

“Unhealed wounds can fester and reopen. It would be terrible if the wounds get worse.”

Tein explained, his body even shaking, how severe his condition had been when they first met.

The man’s shoulders relaxed at the genuinely worried voice. He responded to Tein in a comfortable posture.

“But how did the patient mister get so badly injured? Losing a lot of blood is dangerous.”

Tein said with a serious expression.

“If it weren’t for the teacher, you would have died.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I called the teacher. Only the teacher could save the patient mister.”

Indeed, if it weren’t for Sharti, he would have lost his life several times already.

“Why?”

“Injured people must be saved.”

“What if that injured person is a bad person?”

Tein’s small mouth closed tightly. He seemed to be pondering quite seriously.

The child’s diverse expressions were quite an interesting observation for the man who had lost his memories.

“Even if they’re a bad person, we must save them first.”

“What if it becomes dangerous?”

“Grandmother said. When someone asks for help, we must help.”

“Grandmother, huh. Do you have a big family?”

“……”

The chattering mouth closed tightly again.

His awareness to conceal personal information was admirable. The teacher and student were the same.

Perhaps because his wariness had loosened due to the child’s innocence. A smile brushed across the man’s lips.

“I don’t remember anything about my family.”

Tein’s ears perked up at the sudden statement.

The man tapped his own head.

“It seems my head is broken.”

“People are not machines. They don’t break.”

“Is that so? But I can’t remember anything. Where I lived, what I did for a living, how old I am, if I had a family….. I don’t remember anything.”

Tein’s mouth opened wide in shock.

“I’ve even forgotten my name.”

“……That, that’s too sad.”

Tears mixed into Tein’s voice.

Unlike Sharti, his face showed unwavering belief.

“That’s why your teacher agreed to take care of me.”

“The teacher is a good person.”

Tein nodded without a shred of doubt.

Then he looked at the man’s clothes and smiled brightly.

“So the teacher lent the patient mister the teacher’s pajamas!”

Pajamas? Whose?

He checked his own attire following Tein’s gaze.

Until the buttons were torn and the front seam opened, he had only thought it was clothes of a small size. He hadn’t imagined it could be a woman’s, let alone Sharti’s pajamas.

The man rubbed his throbbing forehead.

“So I wasn’t scared!”

Though his build was like a bear and his expression looked scary, wearing Sharti’s clothes seemed to have reduced the fear somewhat.

“……Well, I suppose.”

His troubled feelings were calmed by the child’s innocence that didn’t mock his funny appearance.

“But what’s that?”

Tein was hugging a bundle tightly to his chest. He was holding it much more preciously than the bag on his back.

“Ah! These are cookies made by sister Birena!”

Excited small hands placed the bundle in front of him and showed the contents.

“……This is supposed to be cookies?”

“Yes!”

The man’s expression became sullen.

Inside the bundle wrapped in layers of cloth were 10 pieces of blackened cookies.

“Grand- I mean, sister Birena told me to bring them to the teacher.”

“……Could it be that your sister……”

The man trailed off and closed his mouth.

The cookies looked as if a child had made them out of mud.

Either she had no cooking skills or she disliked Sharti, it was one of the two.

“They’re cookies with chocolate powder. I helped too.”

“I see,”

It seems those small hands shaped them instead of using cookie cutters.

As he silently stared at the cookies, Tein picked up one and held it out to the man.

The cookies seemed to use cheap chocolate powder, as the color was dark but the scent was weak.

“Is it okay to give it to me when it’s meant for your teacher?”

“It’s fine. That one is for the patient mister.”

“Ah, I see.”

One out of ten. He was even resolute that he couldn’t give any more.

The man immediately ate the cookie. It was one bite-sized.

Crunch. Crunch.

“Is it delicious?”

Tein’s eyes sparkled, firmly believing in his sister’s cooking skills.

The man chewed and chewed the cookie, pretending to savor it as much as possible.

Unfortunately, it didn’t suit the man’s palate. More precisely, he was perplexed as he could taste all the cheap ingredients of the cookie.

“The teacher likes chocolate cookies the best.”

The man quickly swallowed the cookie. A bitter taste tickled his throat.

“It’s delicious.”

“Hehe.”

Pleased that his sister’s cooking skills were recognized, Tein smiled broadly. But he pushed the bundle far away in case the man asked for more cookies.

He was indeed Sharti’s disciple.

“Tell me more.”

As he conversed with Tein, he was reminded of Sharti.

More precisely, his curiosity grew about the existence in his first newly engraved memory, about which he knew nothing.

“For example…… names.”

“I’m Tein! I’m 7 years old!”

Tein introduced himself politely. The man who had slipped up managed his expression again.

“I see. Then what about your teacher?”

As Tein blinked and closed his mouth, the man added:

“We’ll be staying together, so it would be inconvenient if we don’t know each other’s names.”

“I call the teacher ‘teacher’. There’s no problem at all. The teacher is the only teacher in the village.”

The clever little one innocently hit the nail on the head. He resembled her in making others speechless too.

The man didn’t give up.

“That can’t be right?”

“It is.”

Tein put strength in his eyes as if it were true. The man chuckled and pointed at Tein.

“There’s another one here. Doctor teacher.”

The child’s eyes widened.

“Two people treated me. A doctor who worried about me, shared food with me, and even spoke to me while I was asleep.”

“Th-that’s……”

That’s me…….

The small head drooped as he trailed off.

“But I’m not a doctor. I’m inexperienced, and I’m 7 years old.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, the teacher praised me as having the makings of an excellent doctor.”

“I see.”

The man’s large hand enveloped Tein’s head.

The soft cheeks flushed red.

“H-however, to become a doctor, you must attend the academy. And you must obtain a completion certificate. And you must be issued a license. I…… cannot become a doctor.”

“Did your teacher say that?”

Tein quickly shook his head.

Even Sharti was a doctor without a license.

The academy was a place only nobles could attend. It was a place that Sharti or Tein, who had no money and were commoners, couldn’t even dream of.

“I want to become a doctor who can earn a lot of money. For that, I need a license. So……”

“You’ll make it.”

With a slightly softer gaze, the man ruffled Tein’s hair.

“Even I, with my broken head, can see that you’re already a smart and excellent doctor.”

“……!”

“It’s true.”

Tein slowly raised his head.

“I made a promise with your teacher, so I can’t lie.”

The child’s eyes, with his mouth tightly closed, sparkled with hope and joy.

The man withdrew his hand, tickled by the sensation of pure innocence transmitted.

Tein, who had been fidgeting with his fingers, got up from his seat and placed his hand on the man’s forearm. The small hand patted the hard skin.

“The patient mister is a kind and excellent patient.”

“I see.”

“The patient mister’s body is as big as a bear, but there’s nothing in his head. But that’s okay. Since the patient mister speaks well, he’ll learn quickly. You can find your memories soon.”

Is that a compliment? Is it consolation?

The man was at a loss for words as he looked at Tein, who was beaming with a pure and innocent face without a trace of malice.

‘It seems to be right, but……’

It was ambiguous and there was a big difference, even though it seemed correct.

‘Well, I guess it means he’s opened up to me that much.’

In any case, it was certain that I had made a good impression.

The young child was just the right collaborator to approach Sharti. It was an opportunity to coax information out of Tein.

But suddenly, Tein sprang up from his seat.

“I’ll go study and come back! I must fix the patient mister’s head!”

“……What?”

“I must read more books. And I must gain experience by helping the teacher! As the patient mister’s doctor, I will definitely cure your head.”

Tein clenched his fists with a determined face. He showed burning enthusiasm as if a button had been pressed.

Before the man could say anything to stop him, Tein turned around and headed towards the table. As he placed the bundle on the table, Tein looked back at the man.

“The cookies are for the teacher. You must not eat them.”

“……”

“I’ll be going now! Patient mister!”

Tein bowed politely at the waist and left, closing the door.

“……”

The house became quiet again.

The man left alone twisted his lips.

“……Thanks to the two doctors, a full recovery doesn’t seem far off.”

It was a grateful thing, but he couldn’t understand why he felt so uneasy.

An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most

One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.

This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:

1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.

It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.

(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)

2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.

The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.

3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.

Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).

Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.

Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.

4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).

5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!