The Terminally-Ill Duke Clings to Me Every Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
On a bright spring day.
Leah had barely managed to secure employment in a tiny estate tucked away in a corner of the Empire, just a few months after passing her apothecary exam.
And today was her first day of work at the place she’d so hard-won.
On this long-awaited first day of work, she sat in the study with the butler to receive a brief orientation.
But then.
“…I’m sorry, could you repeat that? Who did you say?”
“He is the former Crown Prince of this Empire—and Duke Haideorn.”
‘Ah. I’m doomed.’
Leah, seated in the reception room, quietly murmured as she listened to the butler.
Duke Haideorn—there was likely no citizen of the Croatea Empire who didn’t know that name.
Because he was…
‘Wasn’t he the one with barely any time left to live?’
Duke Haideorn was the legitimate eldest son of Philippe III, the late Emperor of Croatea.
The ill-fated prince who should have become the current emperor. Everyone in the Empire knew he had been frail and sickly since childhood.
Hence, everyone also knew his days were numbered. In fact, more people probably believed he was already dead.
Thus, the late Emperor Philippe had no choice but to appoint his nephew from a collateral line as Crown Prince.
After Emperor Philippe passed away, his cousin ascended the throne in place of the ailing prince. Ever since the duke left the palace, public interest in him had faded.
‘So… the duke is practically on his deathbed right now…?’
As this thought struck her, Leah’s body trembled slightly.
She’d heard that if a member of the imperial family died of illness, the physicians and apothecaries assigned to them would also be executed.
‘No wonder the salary was absurdly high.’
How could she have forgotten? There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Hadn’t she learned that firsthand in her past life in South Korea? Yet she’d forgotten such a crucial fact.
‘I should’ve realized something was off the moment I saw a salary of five silver coins. Ugh, I’m going insane.’
Five silver coins equaled two to three months’ worth of living expenses for an average family of three. And they were offering that as a monthly wage.
‘And to a completely inexperienced rookie apothecary, no less.’
In her 22 years of life, she’d never heard of any apothecary position paying such an outrageous sum—especially not in some obscure, unheard-of estate on the outskirts of the Empire.
A silent scream escaped her lips. Her fingertips, clutching her skirt, trembled.
Everyone must have refused the position. Who in their right mind would risk their life trying to save a terminally ill duke?
At eight years old. While doing her usual chores, Leah suddenly recalled memories from her past life.
As time passed, those memories had grown clearer and proved quite helpful in this life—at the very least, she never went hungry.
But there was one thing she’d learned from those memories:
“Nothing is more important than your life.”
Remembering how she’d died while fleeing in her past life, her attachment to survival had only grown stronger.
‘Live quietly and for a long time.’
That had become her life’s goal.
‘No matter how much I love money, I can’t possibly take a job as an apothecary for someone who might die at any moment!’
As if making a firm decision, she lifted her chin.
“Butler, there must be some misunderstanding. I’m still an inexperienced rookie apothecary. For someone like me to serve as Duke Haideorn’s apothecary…? It’s far too great an honor. Please consider someone more qualified instead…”
“We don’t mind. The Empire’s most renowned experts have already come and gone. We’d actually like to see the boldness of a newcomer like you, Miss Leah.”
She’d tried to politely decline—but was swiftly and firmly rejected.
‘Then… I’ll have to be direct.’
“I’m sorry, but I’m simply not suited for the duke’s household. Let’s consider the contract null and void.”
She hoped her old room in the capital was still available as she declared her intent to cancel the contract.
“Oh dear, then there’s nothing we can do.”
Seeing the butler finally sigh and stroke his chin, her expression visibly lightened.
“Thank you for your understanding, Butler.”
“The penalty fee of fifty silver coins must be paid within this week.”
“Yes, I understand… wait, what?”
‘A penalty fee?’
At the unexpected mention of a penalty, Leah froze stiff. As if he’d anticipated this, the butler handed her a sheet of paper and said,
“You definitely received five silver coins as an advance payment before coming here. Please read the contract carefully—it clearly states what happens if you unilaterally terminate the agreement after accepting the advance.”
With trembling hands, she skimmed the contract the butler had given her.
‘I’m doomed.’
Incredibly, the contract did specify a penalty clause.
‘The penalty is ten times the advance. How could they write it in such tiny, ant-sized letters?’
Blinded by desperation for a job and dazzled by the large sum, she now wished she could slap her past self.
After a long pause, Leah carefully handed the contract back to the butler and said,
“…Now that I think about it, I’d feel terribly uneasy leaving His Grace while he’s unwell. Though my skills are lacking, I’ll do my very best.”
Fifty silver coins—there was no way she had that kind of money. Resigned, she quickly changed her answer.
“By the way, may I meet the duke’s personal physician? I’d like to review his medical records and the physician’s notes before preparing his medicine.”
Butler Bayern interrupted Leah, who was speaking earnestly.
“Oh dear, Miss Leah, it seems you didn’t hear properly.”
“Huh? Hear what…?”
“There is no personal physician for the duke.”
“What?”
Leah stared back as if asking what he could possibly mean. No personal physician for the duke? At first, she thought she’d misheard.
“What do you mean…?”
Butler Bayern gave her an enigmatic look, closed the file he’d been reading, crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and continued,
“The reason the salary is five silver coins is because the apothecary must also perform the duties of a physician. That’s precisely why we selected someone skilled in medicine like you.”
‘What?’
His words reminded Leah of something odd during her interview.
Before leaving for Duke Haideorn’s estate, the interview agent she’d met in the capital hadn’t asked her a routine question.
[How proficient are you in medicine and healing arts? Are you quite skilled?]They’d asked a mere apothecary about medical and healing skills.
Since such demands were highly unusual for an apothecary, she’d only found it strange at the time.
‘No wonder… They didn’t even ask about my experience in potion-making—just jumped straight to medical skills.’
A throbbing headache pulsed through Leah’s temples. In the end, she had no choice but to reluctantly accept the role of both apothecary and personal physician to Duke Haideorn.
[This is the timeline separator]“Follow me.”
Perhaps not noticing her near-tearful expression, the butler began climbing the stairs, saying he’d introduce her to the duke.
The butler continued speaking quickly about something, but Leah couldn’t focus—only the name “Haideorn” echoed in her ears like a haunting refrain.
“Understood, Miss Leah? From now on, there are several key points to remember when serving His Grace…”
After walking for a while, the butler stopped before a large door at the end of the mansion’s corridor and spoke.
“Oh, and just in case…”
‘What else could possibly be left?’
The realization that there was still more to learn cast a shadow over Leah’s face.
“His Grace has an extremely sensitive temperament.”
“…Huh?”
Sensitive?
Stunned by the butler’s oddly unsettling words, Leah gaped blankly.
—Click.
The moment he finished speaking, the butler opened the duke’s door. As it slowly swung open, a strange fragrance brushed past her nose.
‘This scent…’
She was just trying to recall what it reminded her of when—
—Crash!
Something flew toward her, accompanied by a sharp, explosive sound.
‘Huh?’
As Leah slowly blinked, trying to make sense of the situation,
She felt a burning sensation on her left cheek, followed by a warm liquid trickling down.
‘What on earth…?’
Moving sluggishly, she raised her hand to wipe her cheek—and saw warm liquid soaking into her palm.
“…Blood?”
She turned her head and saw shattered glass scattered wildly across the floor. Only then did Leah snap fully awake.
‘This isn’t just “sensitive”—this is outright dangerous!’
As she slowly raised her head again, tucking her trembling hands behind her back, a shadow loomed close enough to block her view entirely.
Swallowing hard, she faced the figure radiating not just sensitivity—but outright aggression.
The room was dark, thick curtains drawn tight as if refusing even a sliver of light.
Though she couldn’t see clearly, she knew without doubt—the person standing before her was the infamous duke himself.
A heavy silence settled thickly between them, as if each were cautiously assessing the other.
‘…Is this really the Duke Haideorn I know of?’
Impossible. The oppressive aura of the shadow before her was suffocating.
Gripped by an inexplicable fear, she clenched her fists tightly.
The countless rumors about Duke Haideorn were usually tinged with pity.
Born as the emperor’s legitimate eldest son of noble blood, yet frail and awaiting death—the ill-fated prince.
A pitiful man, stripped of everything by his cousin and banished to the remote frontier. And underlying all those rumors was one shared assumption:
‘His body is so sickly he’s living on borrowed time.’
Yes, the Duke Haideorn she knew was feeble—so frail that no one would question it if he dropped dead at any moment.
‘But then…’
From the darkness, a pair of crimson eyes flashed and swept over her.
‘Those eyes could never belong to a sickly man.’
Just as Leah wondered if she might be mistaken, rolling her eyes in confusion—
—Whoosh.
The curtains parted with a rustle, and suddenly the room flooded with light.
“Ugh…”
Startled by the sudden brightness, Leah frowned.
“Still keeping the curtains drawn, I see.”
As if this were nothing new, the butler smoothly finished tying back the curtains and approached.
“No wonder His Grace’s condition isn’t improving.”
His tone sounded rather cheeky for someone addressing a duke, but Leah had no time to care.
“…Huh?”
The strong sunlight streaming through the window now clearly illuminated the duke’s figure—making her wonder if she’d imagined things due to the glare.
Leah opened her tightly shut eyes.
‘What in the world…’
As the dazzle faded, she carefully examined the young man standing right before her.
Duke Haideorn. He looked nothing like the image she’d pictured just minutes ago.
Unlike his intimidating gaze, his frame was gaunt, with deeply sunken eyes—and above all, he looked far younger than her, like a mere boy staring right at her.
‘Younger than me?’
She was certain the duke was at least four years older than herself.
Yet the man—no, the boy—before her couldn’t possibly look older than seventeen, no matter how generously she estimated.
While she stared at him, shaken by his unexpected appearance, their eyes met—his gaze fierce and sharp.
‘He’s just like…’
A stray kitten hissing at a stranger—so pitifully wary, insignificant, and helpless.
That was Leah’s first impression of the duke.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
agustus_orchid
I’m glad you found a job and are starting your life, Latieana.
Your employer is also very good.
You’re lucky, Latieana.
agustus_orchid
I commented on the wrong story. I’m sorry
Please ignore my comment.