The Secret Affairs of the Fake Duke Couple (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4
“Young Master, there was a condition, wasn’t there? We agreed you’d get to play chess if you answered five out of ten questions correctly.”
“Teacher, you’re really a stickler!”
Wolfgang, Jane’s student, pouted his lips. His grumbling was brimming with affection for Jane.
“Let me see how well you did.”
As Jane leaned forward with a red crayon to grade his work, Wolfgang quickly covered his test sheet.
“Not yet! There’s still time left!”
“Your pocket watch must be broken. Mine clearly says time’s up.”
“Nooo, that can’t be!”
Wolfgang pleaded desperately for more time. Jane, wearing an expression as serious as if they were negotiating a major deal, proposed terms.
“I’ll give you extra time—but in return, you’ll read one more picture book.”
“Thirty minutes?”
Since this wasn’t their first time, Wolfgang immediately agreed to negotiate.
“Two books.”
“Fine. Two books for thirty minutes.”
From that moment, Wolfgang focused intently on solving the problems. His fervor was so intense it made Jane’s cheeks flush.
“Jane, may I speak with you for a moment?”
While Wolfgang worked on his problems, his mother Merche approached.
Merche led Jane to a quiet corner of the garden and handed her a crisp envelope.
Jane’s eyes widened.
“But today isn’t payday.”
“This is a bonus. Ever since you started tutoring Wolfgang, he’s developed a genuine interest in studying.”
“I was only doing my duty.”
When Jane firmly tried to refuse, Merche shoved the envelope into Jane’s pocket.
“Thank you, Teacher.”
Wolfgang had once been famously unruly—not just because he disliked studying, but because he lacked manners and discipline.
Yet Wolfgang had changed after meeting Jane.
Now, he no longer threw peas at others during meals, stopped fidgeting in his chair, read a book before bed, and said goodnight to his parents every evening.
He’d even become a student who eagerly asked, “When is Teacher coming?”
All of this was thanks to Jane.
‘Honestly, I was uneasy when I first heard the rumors…’
Though it had been seven years, the Whitney family’s downfall had been so monumental that even a cursory inquiry revealed its details.
In noble circles, where reputation was everything, it was only natural to be wary of Jane, daughter of the disgraced Whitneys.
Yet every family who had hired her as a tutor unanimously praised her as the finest teacher.
Merche had once thought those praises exaggerated.
Now, however, she believed them even more fervently.
〈Jane is the best teacher. If she ever opens a school, I’ll gladly donate an entire building!〉
Of course, hiring Jane had cost Merche something too. Strict nobles—those who prided themselves on conservatism—had begun subtly shunning her.
Merche couldn’t care less. Her only son had improved so remarkably; what did a little social exclusion matter?
“…I’m shameless, but I’ll accept this—as a promise to teach Wolfgang even harder from now on.”
Normally, Jane would have left the envelope on the table and walked away.
But her circumstances were urgent.
The loan sharks, who had previously demanded only interest payments, suddenly insisted she begin repaying the principal starting next month.
It was unfair—but Jane had no grounds to argue. The contract itself had been drafted terribly.
Each month, merely paying the interest strained her meager means.
Just thinking of it made Jane’s chest tighten.
[This is the timeline separator]After finishing her work, Jane returned to her house on the hill.
The tiny dwelling, with no proper separation between kitchen and bedroom and not even a decent yard, looked shabby and worn.
Yet for Jane, it was her sole sanctuary and comfort.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Placing her groceries on the kitchen counter immediately visible upon entry, she hung her outer coat and hat on the wall, then tied on an apron.
With practiced ease, she cleaned and chopped vegetables, quickly preparing a decent vegetable soup. As the soup began to simmer, warmth spread through the previously chilly house.
The vegetable soup was soon ready. Jane ladled it into a bowl and walked toward the window.
Eating by the windowsill, watching the sunset—that simple pleasure was a small luxury in this modest home.
Though spring had arrived, evenings remained cool—but Jane threw the window wide open.
Gazing at the hillside, where fresh green buds were just beginning to sprout, she lifted her spoon.
“This is true luxury, isn’t it?”
She stirred her spoon through the chunky soup and murmured to herself.
Two years ago, a special pardon had lifted the punishment that had bound Jane. She’d returned immediately to the capital.
Salaries were higher here than in the provinces—and she’d secured work as a private tutor.
Families willing to accept the daughter of a disgraced noble were rare. So she’d started by teaching merchants’ children.
The former Whitneys’ head maid, Laura, had helped her.
〈I’m sorry I could only find you this kind of work, Miss. And… I can’t even offer you a long-term contract.〉
〈I understand, Laura. I’ll do my best. I won’t let you get into any trouble.〉
〈Miss, honestly, I still can’t believe it. Lady Whitney… such good people…〉
Laura had wept, buried in Jane’s arms. Jane had looked up at the sky and thought:
Because of my parents, I’m still alive.
As word spread of her teaching skill, noble families began reaching out. Thus, Jane became a private tutor for aristocrats—and a year ago, she’d even secured this small house of her own.
Though rented, she took pride in having built this life alone.
Just a few years ago, Jane couldn’t even dress herself.
Now, she sewed well, cooked competently, and could even perform basic home repairs.
Her childhood friends would be shocked.
If she kept working this hard, she’d eventually pay off all her debts.
Jane had done everything she could to preserve her parents’ final honor.
Once that was done, she vowed to shed all lingering attachments and live life solely for herself.
Her only remaining tie to this world was her parents.
“Not quite.”
Though she tried to tidy her thoughts, a name buried deep in her heart suddenly surfaced.
Her spoon clattered back into the bowl. Jane stared blankly out the window.
The sky had turned pink. Wind rustled the leaves, creating a soothing sound. The scent of blossoms drifted in.
The beautiful scene nearly brought tears to Jane’s eyes.
She’d tried to forget—wanted to forget—but the moment she had even a sliver of peace, he always returned to her mind.
Was this his punishment upon her?
Or merely a phantom she’d conjured herself?
The part of her that had loved him was dead—she’d killed it herself, surely.
Yet he kept resurfacing, each time causing something within her to crumble, leaving her bewildered.
Her appetite gone, Jane cleared the soup bowl and shut the window. The rattling of the wind against the frame sounded just like Cain’s knock on her door seven years ago.
She sank to the floor, curling her body tightly.
The memory of his cold, lifeless eyes at their parting tore through her mind.
Now, at last, she shed the tears she’d been unable to cry then—where Cain could never see them.
[This is the timeline separator]BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
When had she fallen asleep?
Jane jolted awake at the sound of someone pounding violently on her door.
Darkness filled the room. Rain hammered loudly against the windows.
BANG! BANG!
“We know you’re in there! Stop pretending and open up! Miss Jane, if this door breaks, it’ll cost you again—so open it while you still can!”
The late-night intruders—loan sharks Victor and Hamuline—even whistled crudely in the middle of their demands.
Forcing her stiff limbs to move, Jane dragged herself toward the door.
The moment she unlocked it, the door swung open. Victor and Hamuline shoved past her and stormed inside.
“Look what you’ve done, Jane—we’re soaked! You paying our laundry bill?”
They knew she barely scraped together enough for interest payments—yet they kept bringing up money, their intention obvious.
“Or do you want us to take our clothes off right here?”
It was just a preamble to some coarse joke.
Unfazed, Jane stared blankly at the spot where they stood.
Puddles formed beneath Victor and Hamuline’s feet. She idly wondered if her carpet would get ruined.
“Why’d you have to live up on this hill? Climbing up here kills me every time. You gonna massage my tired legs for your trouble?”
If it was so hard, they shouldn’t come. Jane reliably delivered her interest payments to their downtown office—there was no need for them to visit.
Yet they often came—not for any real reason, just to spew vulgarities before leaving.
Once, every word they uttered had made her neck burn red. Now, she stood impassively, listening without reaction.
“Nice place you’ve got here. Must be doing well.”
Victor and Hamuline tramped across the carpet without even wiping the mud from their shoes.
“Seriously, why were you asleep so early? You should be working every spare minute to earn money.”
The hulking Victor spotted Jane’s half-finished vegetable soup and clicked his tongue.
“No wonder you’re so weak—eating slop like this.”
He hurled Jane’s soup bowl into the sink. Broth splattered everywhere, leaving the sink in disarray.
Jane watched their cruel antics silently, saying nothing.
They grew nastier the more she reacted—it was clear they enjoyed others’ suffering.
She swallowed a sigh.
“What’s the matter? I just paid interest not long ago.”
She still had two whole weeks before next month’s payment was due.
“Jane, our situation’s urgent. We need you to repay the money your father borrowed—fast.”
Jane glared at Victor.
“We already agreed I’d start paying back the principal next month.”
“So pay it hefty, that’s all.”
“…How much?”
“Pay half first.”
“Half?”
Jane was utterly shocked.
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
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I feel like Cain has been working behind the scenes to get Jane back. I bet he sent the loan sharks to harass her too so she woild take him up on his offer
Sure later Cain wil regret everything he’s done to jane..he only looked the bad side from opposite but never looked inside