The Terminally-Ill Duke Clings to Me Every Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
– Tap tap.
Akia flicked his finger against the tabletop.
The clock’s second hand pointed to 8:30 p.m.—thirty minutes past the time he’d agreed to meet Leah at the annex.
“Where on earth is she, and what could she possibly be doing?”
His quiet mutter was laced with irritation. Perhaps it was because he’d been treating her too leniently lately.
The apothecary, who had silently broken her promise to him, was beginning to seem downright infuriating.
Finally, Akia’s patience ran out. He rose from his seat and headed straight for wherever Leah was likely to be.
Just as he stepped out of the annex and was about to enter the manor, he heard the voices of servants between the manor and the open courtyard.
Akia had assumed they were merely venting about their tiring day and intended to slip past quietly—until he heard a familiar name from within the group.
“You’re the one who met Leah this time? Why? I chased after her so much!”
Someone asked in a deeply disappointed tone.
“You still don’t get it, do you? Chasing her won’t make her meet you—it’s all up to Leah’s heart.”
“But that’s just unfair! I waited all day just for her to finish her consultations!”
The man, who had cried out indignantly, now wore a sullen expression under the scolding of the other servants.
“Tsk tsk. That’s exactly why you fail. Use your head, man.”
The men gathered together, leaving the sulking fellow behind. Akia’s eyebrows twitched as he watched them.
Truthfully, it wasn’t unusual for young men to talk about women. The problem was that the woman in their conversation happened to be Leah.
“How much did you spend?”
“Ten donghwa. It’s a bit pricey, but not a waste when it’s for my girl!”
The surrounding servants whispered excitedly, urging him to go on. Yielding reluctantly to their prodding, the man continued in a hushed tone.
Akia couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation, but he could guess roughly what they were discussing.
‘Did they offer money to win Leah’s affection?’
Scenes from earlier that day flashed through Akia’s mind like a reel—Leah laughing among a group of men.
Her gesture of lightly touching a servant’s arm while speaking must surely be connected to the topic of their current gossip.
‘Hah.’
The duke exhaled sharply—a sigh tinged with disappointment.
‘What does it matter to me whether she acts that way or not?’
In truth, it was none of his concern whether Leah saw other men or engaged in something more.
Her sole role was to prepare his antidote.
Yet… why…
‘Does it bother me so much?’
Their chatter grated on him like a stubborn stone jutting out from flat ground. He felt an impulse to yank it out and toss it away.
He strode toward the apothecary’s chamber with a different gait than before—slightly impatient, even visibly angry.
And the moment he reached the apothecary room and opened the door—
“James, did you forget something?”
Leah called out a strange man’s name in a clear, ringing voice—as if that man had just been with her there moments ago.
And this was late evening, when everyone else had finished their duties and retired for rest.
‘A secret meeting with another man in an apothecary room no one visits…’
He let out a dry chuckle at the thought of such secrecy.
Simultaneously, the servants’ crude conversation from moments ago left a lingering impression in his mind.
“If you tell me, I’ll go find it for you… Huh?”
Her eyes, always bright with fresh green innocence, blinked. Such a naive face.
He clenched his fist unconsciously, irritated for reasons he couldn’t explain. He needed to verify it himself.
“Why don’t you show me too? Whatever it was you did with James.”
The image of Leah from the men’s gossip.
[This is the timeline separator]‘Show me what?’
Was he implying something about what she and James had done in the consultation room?
Leah blinked, unable to comprehend the duke’s words.
Then it struck her.
‘Could it be…’
The thought suddenly flashed through Leah’s mind—that the duke had misunderstood something terribly.
‘Does he think James and I are… involved?’
Her face flushed with embarrassment.
James had only come by for a sprain examination—how could the duke possibly imagine such a thing? She was speechless with exasperation.
The duke clicked the door shut. Then, slowly, he approached the desk where Leah stood.
‘Why, why is he coming over?’
As he drew nearer, Leah shrank under the strange aura emanating from him. Instinctively, she stepped backward to avoid him.
“You wear such an innocent face.”
Her back bumped against the hard desk. Somehow, the distance between them had narrowed to less than a handspan.
“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I might have been fooled.”
“Huh? Wait! Your Grace, please listen to me.”
Leah waved her hands frantically in the air. Clearly, the duke had misunderstood—badly.
Where should she even begin explaining? One thing was certain.
‘I only spoke to James for the first time today!’
She could guess what he was imagining, and it made her feel utterly wronged.
“What you saw this morning was all a misunderstanding! I was just—!”
But before she could explain, the duke planted both hands on the desk and leaned his upper body toward her.
“So, how much was James?”
“Huh?”
“How much did James give you?”
‘What on earth is he talking about? How much I received?’
Leah blinked, trying to make sense of his words.
“From James? I’ve never taken money from James.”
She waved her hands dismissively, assuming he meant payment for treatment. Even if she loved money, as a salaried apothecary, she wouldn’t accept extra fees for consultations.
“What? You didn’t take money? So he was that serious?”
“Huh?”
Why was he bringing up money during a consultation? Leah felt their words were completely missing each other.
“You seem quite popular among the manor’s staff. Yet James was genuinely serious, was he?”
“Oh?”
Suddenly, Leah exhaled sharply as if realizing something.
She’d assumed he meant the consultation, but now it seemed he was talking about the nutritional supplements.
“It just sort of happened—everyone said they liked them. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be this popular.”
“Hah?”
Leah’s candid confession made Akia let out a hollow laugh, utterly dumbfounded. Only then did Leah understand the situation.
They were supposed to meet at the annex, but she’d been absorbed in making supplements instead of the antidote he’d asked for—he must be furious.
Lowering her gaze apologetically, Leah began to mumble an excuse in a small voice.
“I’m sorry. I needed a little money, so I did it.”
“So, the male servants in the manor really did give you…”
“…I’m sorry.”
Leah admitted her fault without offering any defense, prompting the duke to sigh in exasperation.
He’d still held a sliver of hope that perhaps he’d been mistaken.
“How many men?”
‘Is he asking how many people I sold supplements to?’
Leah counted on her fingers one by one.
“About ten so far.”
“Incredible.”
There were only fifteen male servants working in the manor.
Yet ten of them had apparently confessed to her—and even offered bribes so shrewdly!
His head throbbed as if it would split.
“So how much did you take?”
“Two hundred donghwa…”
As his tone grew increasingly sharp, Leah’s voice dwindled further.
Two hundred donghwa?
How could the servants, with their modest wages, afford to give her so much?
‘So many men were desperate to win this woman’s favor.’
Stunned, he leaned back slightly. Watching his stiff expression, Leah bit her lip and asked cautiously,
“Does Your Grace… have any interest as well?”
“…What?”
“I just thought—since you came so suddenly, maybe you were considering it.”
Now that she’d been caught, what else could she do?
She’d admit her mistake and promise not to interfere with antidote development anymore. All she needed was his permission to keep selling the supplements!
And before asking for his approval, a bribe was essential. Convinced of this, Leah hurriedly added,
“I won’t charge you anything, Your Grace! Especially for you!”
“What kind of girl are you…!”
Just as Akia was about to scold her for her boldness, an unfamiliar vial was thrust before his eyes.
“What’s this?”
“Nutritional supplement!”
“Supplement?”
“Yes!”
‘A supplement all of a sudden? What does she expect me to do after taking it—gain strength for what?’
His brow furrowed in sudden displeasure. Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Leah sighed as if she’d expected this and explained,
“It’s a product that boosts vitality—high in vitamins and minerals. In short, it’s a health supplement. Normally, I charge ten donghwa, but for you, I’ll give it away for free—forever!”
“What?”
“I promise I won’t interfere with antidote development anymore. Could you just… overlook my selling these in the manor?”
“Hah?”
Akia began piecing together the situation as he looked at the so-called supplement before him. After a moment, as if finally understanding everything, he stepped back away from Leah.
“Your Grace?”
– Thud.
His legs seemed to give out, and he sank into a chair, rubbing his face with his hands.
‘How absurd.’
Everything he’d imagined had been a foolish misunderstanding. So the servants’ conversation had all been about these supplements?
Akia felt utterly pathetic.
“Your Grace? What’s wrong? Are you unwell…?”
Seeing him act so unlike his usual self, Leah approached cautiously. Akia lifted his head and asked her,
“Why do you sell these things?”
He took the vial from Leah’s hand and shook it idly.
“You keep talking about deposits, and frankly, you seem quite obsessed with money.”
“Obsessed? You’ve got the wrong idea about me!”
Yet, as the saying goes—thieves feel guilty at the mention of their own feet. Leah flinched, feeling as if her true motives had been exposed.
A soft chuckle escaped him, and his narrowed eyes fixed on Leah.
“If you’re not planning to hand over all the money you’ve earned, why not just be honest?”
‘How petty!’
He crossed his arms and looked down at her as if he truly meant it. And she knew—this man would absolutely follow through if he said he would.
‘Tch. As if I’d let him take the money I earned working day and night.’
She couldn’t possibly reveal that this obsession stemmed from her past life. In her previous life, Leah had grown up in an orphanage and constantly struggled with poverty.
Even after reincarnating into this world, her orphan status hadn’t changed—here too, she was utterly alone.
But Leah didn’t want to share such dark stories. She’d need to run away someday, and revealing personal information was dangerous.
When in doubt, appeal to emotion.
“I have a sick younger sibling…”
“You’re from an orphanage.”
How did he even know that?
Leah sighed in disbelief. Since he knew she was from an orphanage, maybe mentioning financial hardship would help…
“It’s precious money needed for the orphanage’s operating expenses…”
This time, Akia snorted at Leah’s utterly implausible excuse.
“You don’t look that financially strained to me.”
That didn’t work either.
Apparently, the duke had investigated her more thoroughly than she’d thought.
“So in the end, it’s just selfish greed.”
Just as she was about to retort—
– Knock knock.
A familiar voice accompanied the knock at the door.
– Miss Leah, are you in there?
It was Head Butler Bayern. Startled by the sudden presence, the two exchanged wide-eyed glances.
‘What could the head butler possibly want at this hour?!’
“Y-Your Gr—Mmph!”
Just as the flustered Leah was about to call out to the duke, his large hand clamped over her lips.
“Quiet.”
He whispered so softly only she could hear. Leah nodded vigorously at his command.
When his hand loosened slightly from her mouth, she finally exhaled. Then, at the sound of another knock, she jumped in alarm.
‘What should I do? If he finds out the duke is here, it’ll be a disaster!’
Her eyes landed on the cabinet directly ahead.
Right! She’d hide the duke inside temporarily and send the butler away.
“Get in here, quickly!”
Leah urgently whispered, yanking open the cabinet door and pushing the duke inside. He stared at her as if bewildered by her antics, but was shoved in nonetheless.
Hearing the butler’s voice, which sounded as if he’d enter at any moment, Leah whipped her head toward the door.
– I’ll come in for a moment.
As the doorknob clicked open, Leah hurried to shut the cabinet—but in that instant, the duke grabbed her arm.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)