The Terminally-Ill Duke Clings to Me Every Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
– Butler, it’s me, Jane.
At the sound of a knock followed by a hushed voice, Bayern looked up and set down the fountain pen he’d been using to sign approval documents.
“Come in.”
Glancing around to ensure no one was watching, Jane cautiously entered the study and hurried forward to bow.
‘Has a week already passed?’
Every week, Bayern had Jane—the maid assigned to the Duke’s bedroom—monitor Akia’s condition. He worried that too frequent reports might draw unwanted attention.
Thus, he received updates from Jane, who visited once a week.
‘After all, the Duke’s routine never changes.’
Whether he received daily or weekly reports, the Duke’s daily life remained the same.
‘A frail prince who never leaves his bedroom.’
Though no official diagnosis had been disclosed, the Duke’s strength visibly waned day by day.
It would be best if he just died quickly. When Bayern was first hired, he assumed the Duke would pass away soon—but the man’s life proved stubbornly persistent.
Bayern clicked his tongue, then lifted his chin toward Jane, who had quietly approached him.
“Well? How is His Grace?”
“His condition remains unchanged. There’s still no improvement in his pallor, and his coughing persists.”
Jane pulled a sheet of parchment from her bosom, placed it on the desk, and slid it toward the butler. The document meticulously recorded the Duke’s daily activities.
It included details such as his food intake, complexion, and logs of servants who entered his bedroom—quite thorough.
As usual, he skimmed the paper, but his eyes halted at one line.
[Food Intake:: Began eating three days ago. Consumed roughly one-third of the meals served.]“He’s started eating?”
“Yes. Not much—just a few spoonfuls.”
Until now, the Duke had barely touched the food sent from the kitchen. It was hard to imagine how he’d survived at all.
‘And now he’s started eating?’
Bayern’s brow furrowed at this unusual report. He couldn’t tell if this change was positive or ominous.
Noticing the butler’s expression, the maid added cautiously,
“He’s seemed a bit different since the new apothecary arrived. Perhaps the new medicine? That might explain why he’s started eating too.”
Once she began, Jane kept talking as if a dam had broken. At the mention of “apothecary,” Bayern immediately thought of Leah.
‘An apothecary, huh…’
She must be about twenty-two by now. For a novice, her gaze had been unusually sharp from their first meeting. Though Leah appeared cheerful and carefree on the surface, she was quick to read situations.
She’d even instantly adjusted her attitude upon hearing the term “breach penalty.”
Moreover, she was the only apothecary who examined the notoriously sensitive Duke Haideorn every day.
And that wasn’t all.
‘Her hair is awfully irritating too.’
Her crimson locks, vivid as if soaked in blood, drew attention wherever she went in the mansion. In the Croatea Empire, red symbolized nobility.
That was precisely why Bellarus, the lion and one of the Empire’s three founding guardian deities, was associated with the color red.
Bayern had been irked more than once by Leah’s appearance—an orphanage-born apothecary bearing such an extravagant look.
“Oh! He’s also been leaving his bedroom more often. Though he only walks the corridor on the third floor where his room is.”
“Is that so?”
The Duke had changed. The shift was subtle, yet Bayern sensed it too.
“Jane, keep a closer watch on His Grace. For now, report to me twice a week.”
Whether this change was truly due to the new apothecary, as Jane claimed, or something else entirely—only time would tell.
“Yes! Since it’s twice a week now, might I possibly…?”
Jane smiled, revealing her ulterior motive. Bayern instantly recognized she wanted extra payment and clicked his tongue inwardly.
Tsk. Greedy little wench.
He opened his desk drawer, pulled out a pouch filled with silver coins, and tossed it onto the table.
– Thud!
At the heavy sound of the coins landing, Jane’s face flushed with delight.
“Thank you! I’ll make sure not to miss even the smallest detail, Butler!”
Tucking the pouch into her bosom, Jane bowed deeply. After she left, a heavy silence settled over the study.
“I suppose I’d better check things myself before His Lordship arrives.”
Lost in thought, Bayern tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, a faint, sardonic smirk playing on his lips.
[This is the timeline separator]Leah had been holed up in the clinic making nutritional supplements for two days straight.
Except for brief breaks at mealtimes or for appointments, she’d been busy with the preparations all day. At this pace and workload, she ought to have collapsed from exhaustion.
‘How much is all this worth…!’
But the thought that everything she made equaled money made Leah forget her fatigue—she even felt happy about it.
Just as she refocused on mixing her ingredients—
– Knock knock.
A man peeked into the clinic at the sound of a knock.
“Who is it?”
“You are the apothecary, correct?”
The man with deep navy hair looked familiar.
Having crossed paths with him several times around the mansion, Leah recognized him as one of the household staff.
“Yes. What brings you here…?”
When Leah eyed him warily, he gave an awkward smile and limped toward her desk on his left leg.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m James, in charge of the gardens. Earlier today, I slipped off a ladder while trimming trees.”
Leah glanced at his left leg. The way he winced with every movement suggested his pain was worse than he let on.
“It was fine earlier, but my leg started hurting terribly when I tried to sleep. I hope I’m not disturbing you at too late an hour…”
“No, not at all. I was just working… Come this way. Let me take a look.”
At first, Leah thought her only duty was serving as the Duke’s personal physician.
But seeing patients from the household come to her clinic, she realized caring for the staff was part of her role too.
She examined the leg of the man who’d rolled up his trouser cuff.
When she touched the swollen ankle to palpate it, James grimaced sharply.
“Does it hurt?”
“Yes. It hurts whenever it’s touched or moved.”
Leah nodded as if she’d expected this.
“It’s a sprain—likely twisted when you fell. It’s not severe, but if the swelling persists, come back again.”
“Oh…”
“Rest well and soak your foot in cold water as often as possible. Cold compresses help reduce swelling.”
Rest was the best remedy for a sprained ankle. James stared at her, impressed by her clear, confident instructions.
He’d heard rumors that the new apothecary was obsessed with selling supplements and driven by greed, which had made him hesitant to seek her help, doubting her medical competence.
But after this consultation, James changed his mind—she was clearly a highly skilled apothecary.
After finishing the splinting, Leah straightened her back.
“Here’s your medicine. Avoid overexertion for now. If the pain worsens, I’ll prescribe something stronger.”
“Thank you.”
James thanked Leah repeatedly before leaving the room. The moment the door closed, Leah clapped her hands together and muttered,
“Time to get back to work.”
She’d momentarily forgotten while treating James, but the scent of cornstarch tickling her nose brought her back to her senses.
‘I need to focus and finish this quickly.’
She hadn’t even completed half the orders on her reservation list. Turning her head, she saw that a pitch-black night sky had already spread beyond the window.
‘I’ll wrap up to this point and head back.’
With a resigned sigh, Leah was about to resume her delayed task when—
– Swish.
She heard someone entering again.
“James, did you forget something?”
Still focused on her work, Leah asked cheerfully without looking up. But James gave no reply.
Only the sound of firm footsteps approaching her desk echoed in the room. Slowly, Leah raised her head.
“If you tell me, I’ll find it for you… Huh?”
Leah froze, staring straight ahead. She’d assumed it was James.
But the man facing her wasn’t James. In a cool voice, he asked Leah,
“Who is James?”
“Your Grace?”
Leah’s eyes widened in confusion as she looked at the Duke.
“I asked who James is.”
The Duke’s gaze sharpened as he repeated his question. His deep red eyes glinted in the flickering candlelight.
‘Why is he acting like this?’
She had no idea what was going on—or why the Duke looked so angry.
“He’s the gardener—James is the gardener.”
“The gardener…”
He murmured James’s name softly, as if trying to commit it to memory.
“But how did you end up here?”
“What? Am I not allowed to come here?”
He tilted his head slightly, as if asking whether there was a problem.
“Well… it’s not that…”
This was the first time the Duke had visited the apothecary’s clinic—and at such a late hour, no less.
Leah’s mind raced, trying to guess why he’d come.
But Akia, seemingly uninterested in her thoughts, simply glanced around the room.
“What were you doing here at this hour? Weren’t you supposed to come to the annex today?”
“…The annex?”
Leah blinked blankly at his words, then suddenly clapped her hands as if remembering something vital.
‘Oh, right!’
Today was the day she’d agreed to research the antidote with the Duke in the annex. But she’d been so absorbed in making supplements that she’d completely forgotten.
Leah let out a small, self-reproachful sigh.
‘So that’s why he came all the way here.’
He must have waited in the annex and then decided to look for her. Now she understood why he was upset.
Feeling guilty for making the Duke wait, Leah hurriedly gathered her things.
“I’m so sorry! I completely forgot. Let’s go now! It’s not too late—we can still spend about an hour on research…”
Just as Leah, now ready to leave, rushed toward the door—
– Slam.
The half-open door abruptly shut—closed by the Duke’s hand. Leah tilted her head, puzzled by his sudden action.
“Your Grace?”
“Out of curiosity.”
“…About what?”
Something about his demeanor—so unlike his usual self—stirred an uneasy feeling within her.
“What you were doing in this room.”
“…”
“Why not show me too? Whatever it was you did with James.”
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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