The Duke Stole Everything - Chapter 23
Sharti rubbed her cheek.
The sound of her startled heart was still pounding in her ears.
‘There was no sign that the hood had been removed.’
The hood and robe, which she checked first upon entering the bedroom, were not very disheveled.
Of course, she was momentarily frightened by the thought that Ren might have secretly checked while she was asleep, but if he had touched her, she would have woken up immediately.
Due to the trauma from the day she was dragged to the Crianet Palace five years ago, Sharti still woke up with a start when someone touched her, even if she was in a deep sleep.
‘Besides, he even massaged my leg muscles.’
While her upper body was a bit stiff, it was amazing how light the legs he had massaged felt.
‘When Ren said he would massage me, I was so frightened I only thought about refusing.’
Ren’s massage, which began carefully while watching Sharti’s reaction, was gentle and attentive.
It was natural that her tired mind quickly fell asleep as he diligently worked out her muscles.
Not waking her when she fell asleep on the sofa must have been a kind of consideration.
‘I should have left a thank you note.’
The note she left in the kitchen only said to eat the plenty of meat soup she had prepared.
Sharti fell into self-loathing at the belated realization of gratitude.
‘Let’s try to return as early as possible today.’
She was also concerned about Ren eating alone. Doesn’t eating alone make one lose appetite?
Since she had gone to the trouble of getting meat, she hoped Ren would eat it deliciously and heartily.
Sharti hurried her steps for an early return.
‘First, I need to stop by the herb shop.’
Arriving in the village, Sharti went to the herb shop and sold the herbs she had gathered in the mountains the night before.
The price for the basket full of herbs was only 20 bronze.
“Good job.”
Being a mountain village, the measurement value for herbs and wild vegetables was relatively cheap.
It was said to be a generous price because she had brought many rare herbs.
“Didn’t you make more of the ointment you used to treat the soldiers yesterday?”
She only had extra ointment to give separately to the soldiers.
The herb shop owner, who had planned to sell Sharti’s ointment separately to the soldiers, clicked his tongue in disappointment.
With 20 bronze in hand, Sharti headed to the clothing store.
The clothing store owner greeted her warmly, opening the door as she lingered at the store she had always passed by.
As she entered the clothing store awkwardly, she saw the clothes on display.
‘The size…’
All the visible clothes were too small for Ren to wear.
‘…5 silver for one pair of pants?’
Sharti’s mouth gaped as she checked the price tag.
She hesitated and checked other clothes as well.
There was a range of prices, but she couldn’t see any clothes in a price range she could afford.
“The clothes that came in this time are waterproof and don’t tear easily. They’re perfect for living in the mountains.”
As it was early and there were no customers, the clothing store owner approached her.
Then, noticing that Sharti was only looking at men’s clothing, the owner’s expression turned to surprise.
“Why, are you buying a gift for someone?”
In the village, there was no one who didn’t recognize the doctor in a hooded robe covering her face.
It was no secret that Sharti lived alone in an old log cabin in the mountains.
Sharti calmly offered the excuse she had prepared in advance.
The clothing store owner, who had been blinking with curiosity, nodded with a deflated expression.
“Then choose from those clothes over there. They’re well-ventilated and thin, which is good.”
The clothes he recommended were thin and cheap indoor clothes.
They would be suitable if he only lived indoors like now.
But he couldn’t wear only indoor clothes forever. The soldiers would soon leave the village, so she needed to buy clothes with Ren’s outings in mind.
She gave up on ready-made clothes due to budget constraints.
Instead, Sharti bought thick fabric suitable for the chilly weather.
‘I should be able to make a top and bottom set with this. And I’ll have to remove the buttons.’
Sharti chuckled as she recalled the buttons that kept popping off Ren’s chest.
There was no use in being depressed. She decided to think positively.
In fact, Sharti’s daily routine was already tight with gathering herbs in the mountains and making ointments. There wasn’t time for sewing as well.
‘If I’m just a little more diligent, sleep a little less…’
Sharti felt motivated by the thought of making clothes as a return for the massage.
Hugging the thick fabric to her chest, Sharti left the clothing store and went straight to pick up Tein.
“Teacher!”
She happened to run into Tein, who was heading to the inn.
“I’ll help the teacher again today!”
Tein shouted energetically.
Sharti held hands amicably with Tein and as soon as they arrived at the inn, they ran into Tristan.
“You’re here early.”
Tristan’s eyes were dark, probably from not sleeping properly due to leading search parties in shifts with the soldiers all night.
Fortunately, his expression was bright.
“Yes. I instructed to use them only for soldiers complaining of excessive pain and to endure as much as possible otherwise.”
He added that he was surprised by the immediate effect of the sleeping medicine Sharti had made.
At Tristan’s words, Sharti reflexively thought of Ren.
‘Ren didn’t respond well because he had built up a tolerance.’
Trying to shake off the thoughts of Ren that kept popping up, she focused on Tristan’s words.
As they climbed the stairs following the familiar scent of herbs, the soldiers recognized Sharti and Tein and greeted them.
Tein, flexing his cheekbones, went around to check on the injured soldiers before Sharti.
“Does it hurt when I press here?”
“Ugh, I only have feeling up to my palm.”
Tein asked questions and Sharti gave thorough prescriptions accordingly.
Most of the injured soldiers were showing good progress.
‘Hmm, there’s definitely more leeway than yesterday.’
The time spent rushing back and forth had decreased.
The mental burden was that much lighter as well.
“Understood!”
The soldiers willingly accepted, as the effectiveness of Sharti’s ointment was practically proven.
It was while she was changing the soldiers’ bandages and giving new prescriptions.
“Teacher! It’s time.”
“…?”
Following Tein who was poking her arm, she moved to see a single chair placed on the first floor of the inn.
“From now on, you have to sit here and rest. That soldier mister allowed it too.”
Tein grinned, pointing at Tristan.
Sharti sat in the chair, hiding an awkward smile.
Thanks to Ren loosening her leg muscles, she didn’t really need to rest, but Sharti obediently sat in the chair.
If she worried Tein, Bireta might follow Birena in visiting the old log cabin out of concern.
“Then I’m going to see the soldier misters! The soldier misters can’t wrap bandages better than me.”
Tein kept smiling at the thought of showcasing skills he hadn’t had a chance to demonstrate before.
As Sharti watched Tein bouncing up the stairs, Tristan approached her.
“Doctor. How many of them are able to move?”
Sharti immediately understood his meaning.
‘They’re planning to leave.’
However, Sharti’s expression darkened.
“I see.”
Tristan frowned and smiled, as if it wasn’t different from what he expected.
“I shouldn’t have brought such inexperienced young ones.”
It was a bitter lament.
Tristan was lost in thought for a moment.
“Doctor. We plan to leave the village at dawn tomorrow.”
Contrary to his words, Tristan’s eyes looked like he wanted to leave right now.
After swallowing a short sigh, he looked at Sharti.
“Would it be alright to ask you to take care of the remaining ones?”
Sharti nodded, and Tristan’s facial muscles relaxed in relief.
Tristan was about to leave after expressing his gratitude, but turned back to Sharti.
“Since you’re staying in the mountains, there’s something I need to tell you. It’s about a rumor that’s been going around recently.”
Rumor?
Of course, Sharti was out of touch with rumors.
The only recent rumor she had heard was that the Grand Duke of the New Eaton Empire would return after ending the long war.
Seeing Sharti’s reaction, Tristan’s lips quivered.
He seemed to be hesitating whether it was okay to tell her, but eventually he opened his mouth.
“There’s a rumor about a deserter who’s on the run after slaughtering dozens of our allies and deserting the army.”
“…!”
Sharti’s heart started beating uneasily.
‘…Ren.’
Sharti had made various conjectures about his identity while treating Ren’s wounds when she first met him.
Of course, the possibility of him being a soldier was among them.
Sharti’s complexion gradually turned pale, but Tristan couldn’t see it due to her hood.
“It’s not a confirmed rumor, but usually when such rumors spread, they create fear, so for now, checkpoints will be strengthened and searches will begin soon.”
It meant that soldiers might revisit, this time for rumor control following the mountain village security.
Sharti’s expression turned dismayed.
However, if the rumor about a soldier who deserted after slaughtering dozens of allies was true, the protection of the soldiers was indeed urgent.
“I heard you live alone in the mountains, Doctor. If you see anyone whose identity is uncertain, report it unconditionally. They might demand money or threaten you for shelter.”
Sharti gulped dryly.
‘I’m already protecting an amnesiac patient…’
Moreover, when Sharti first met Ren, he was covered in terrible wounds.
Countless sword cuts. Large burn marks as if caught in a magic explosion. Old scars etched on his body.
And then, didn’t he point a sword at Sharti’s presence, glaring with beastly, ferocious eyes?
The more she pondered, the more her suspicions grew, so she stopped thinking.
Sharti nodded, pretending not to know.
“Of course, rumors tend to be exaggerated as they spread from mouth to mouth, so you don’t need to worry too much, but…”
Tristan, who had briefly closed his mouth, added one last thing.
“−Be careful.”
Left alone after Tristan excused himself, Sharti rubbed her arm, feeling uneasy.
‘Should I tell him about that rumor?’
Ignoring it felt unsettling, but telling him felt like it would create anxiety.
‘Come to think of it, I felt something strange in the mountains yesterday.’
More precisely, it was the discomfort of feeling like someone was watching her.
Sharti clenched her slightly trembling fingertips.
Wheeee−. At the ominous sound, Sharti stared out the window.
The wind outside was gradually intensifying.
She had a bad feeling.
‘This won’t do. I need to move now!’
Putting aside her growing anxiety and worry for the moment, Sharti focused on treating the injured soldiers.
She was able to have lunch not too late because she had to feed Tein.
“Teacher.”
Tein, who had stabbed a nutritious mushroom with his fork, called Sharti sitting next to him in a small voice.
Thinking he might be trying to hide his picky eating by calling her secretly, Sharti laughed inwardly.
However, contrary to her expectations, Tein popped the mushroom into his mouth and glanced at her while chewing.
“We need to hide the patient mister.”
“…?”
Sharti tilted her head, not understanding what Tein had mumbled.
Then Tein looked around quickly.
“I’ve been found out!”
Sharti blinked at the increasingly incomprehensible words.
‘Is he talking about the soldiers? No, he called them soldier misters…’
While puzzled, Ren’s words from last night flashed through her mind.
[During the day, he came. Said he brought cookies.]Sharti swallowed a small sigh.
Come to think of it, since treating Ren in the cave, Tein’s ‘patient mister’ had always referred specifically to Ren.
Sharti rubbed Tein’s cheek.
‘He must have been worried about Ren because there are many injured soldiers.’
He was a thoughtful and kind-hearted child.
“Umm…”
Tein, who seemed to have more to say as he rolled his eyes back and forth, reluctantly nodded.
Then he clenched his small fist.
“I’m on the teacher’s side!”
Sharti hugged him tightly, finding Tein’s resolute expression adorable.
Afterwards, Tein, who kept mumbling about the patient mister, quickly finished his meal.
Time passed relentlessly.
Late afternoon. Patricia, who had gone outside and returned, shivered.
“It’s really cold today. The wind is too strong for autumn.”
“It seems winter will come early this year.”
“That’s right. It’s fortunate it’s not raining. If it rained, it would be early winter.”
Overhearing Tristan and Patricia’s conversation, Sharti’s worries grew as well.
It was cold enough for Patricia, who was wearing layers, to say it was cold.
‘The mountain temperature will drop even more.’
Her concerns deepened as she had nothing prepared for winter.
Until now, she had somehow endured the cold in her poor living conditions while living alone, but this winter she would be with Ren.
‘No money, not enough food, and no supplies prepared… What should I do?’
There was one small stove, but there weren’t enough magic stones to use it all winter.
It could be solved by chopping firewood and lighting a fire, but that was impossible for Sharti, who still had seizures just from seeing fire.
‘I’ll have to go on a treatment trip soon before the cold wave hits.’
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
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