The Terminally-Ill Duke Clings to Me Every Night (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
“Go ahead and do it already, will you?”
He tilted his head, urging Leah to hurry up and do what she’d prepared.
“Your Grace, I think there’s been a misunderstanding…”
“Why? Wasn’t this exactly what you intended to do?”
The Duke’s warm breath tickled her cheek. Trapped almost completely in the man’s embrace, Leah couldn’t move an inch.
Worried about how to reveal what she had to show him, Leah let out a small sigh.
“Your Grace, could you at least close your eyes for a moment?”
“Why should I listen to you…”
But before Akia could finish his sentence, Leah’s hand moved first. Each time her pale fingers shifted, her fair skin contrasted starkly against the black dress.
“You…!”
Did this woman have no sense of modesty at all? Or had she truly had another purpose from the very beginning?
Akia let out a short, exasperated breath, his face crumpling helplessly.
And just as Leah finally slipped her hand inside her dress, Akia seized her wrist, stopping her impulsive action.
Well, he tried to stop her. But then—
“…I was going to show you this.”
What met his eyes was—
“A gold coin?”
Leah pulled a gold coin from the sachet hidden inside her dress.
“Yes. This is the coin given to me by the person who hired me to spy on Your Grace.”
Even in the dim room, the gleam of the gold coin filled the awkward silence between them.
“I don’t know what Your Grace expected, but I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
Leah offered a strained smile and whispered softly.
“……”
“……”
Silence stretched between them.
Akia stared fixedly at Leah with an unreadable expression, then rose to his feet as if nothing had happened.
“Is there something wrong with that coin?”
At the Duke’s question, Leah straightened herself and held out the coin.
“As you can see, it’s a coin guaranteed by the Parcia Guild. However, the person who gave it to me today was seen contacting the Magnolia Guild—even on their day off. That suggests it’s unrelated to the manor, at the very least.”
“So?”
The man raised an eyebrow, as if urging her to continue.
“I suspect the Magnolia Guild might be behind all this.”
“……”
“It’s even possible that Parcia and Magnolia, who appear to be rivals, are actually closely connected.”
The Duke watched Leah as she spoke confidently, then let out a brief sigh.
He picked up a blanket from beside him and tossed it toward Leah’s body.
“At least cover yourself properly. It’s an eyesore.”
‘What? An eyesore?’
At his words, Leah reflexively looked down at herself.
‘In what world is this an eyesore?’
Objectively or subjectively, her figure was far from unattractive. Pouting slightly, Leah wrapped herself in the blanket he’d thrown her.
“Well, what you told me today… it’s a somewhat plausible theory. I’ll give you that.”
“Then about the deposit…”
“But you only have circumstantial evidence. Where’s the proof?”
“Huh?”
He twisted the corner of his mouth.
“Bring me more concrete evidence, and then I’ll give you the deposit.”
‘Ugh. Getting paid is such a pain.’
Leah was silently cursing Akia in her mind when—
“Oh, and just so there’s no misunderstanding…”
He looked her up and down, taking in her thoroughly disheveled appearance.
“I’m not attracted to women.”
‘What?’
Leah’s eyes widened at the Duke’s words. With that, he turned and walked away from the bed with haughty strides.
But Leah stood frozen, shocked by his statement.
‘Not attracted to women…’
Could it be…
She covered her mouth with her hand as she watched Akia’s retreating back.
‘It’s not that he has a physical issue—it’s that he likes men?!’
Or maybe both.
Thus, in Leah’s mind, the Duke’s identity kept shifting day by day—unaware that it was all a misunderstanding.
[This is the timeline separator]Recalling last night’s events, Leah frowned as if it gave her a headache. No matter how she thought about it, the road ahead was long.
At this rate, she wouldn’t just fail to earn the Duke’s trust—she might never receive the remaining payment. Leah sighed quietly.
“Whew.”
She hadn’t wanted to go this far…
Leah stopped in front of the bedroom and glanced briefly at the trolley she’d brought along—it held the Duke’s lunch.
On her way to the Duke’s bedroom, she’d met his personal maid. The maid had handed over the trolley immediately, as if she’d been waiting for Leah’s offer to deliver it herself.
Rumor had it the Duke often turned away maids who brought him meals.
‘Well, given his personality, that’s hardly surprising.’
Leah nodded knowingly and knocked on the bedroom door.
“Your Grace, it’s Leah. May I come in?”
She opened the door as if it were routine by now, then wheeled the trolley close to the sofa where the Duke sat.
“What is it?”
Expecting her usual check-up visit, the Duke frowned when he saw Leah carrying food instead.
“It’s Your Grace’s lunch.”
“Who asked you that? I meant, why are you the one bringing it?”
“I brought it while doing my rounds.”
Leah set the meal on the table in front of the sofa where the Duke sat. After briefly explaining the lunch menu, she took out an extra set of cutlery from the trolley.
“I’ll test it first.”
“What?”
She sliced a small piece from the edge of the steak meant for the Duke.
‘Never in my life did I think I’d end up tasting food for poison.’
Her plan was this:
Since the Duke never gave anyone an inch, she’d pretend to care for him by tasting his food, hoping to ease his wariness.
After confirming the silver cutlery showed no discoloration, Leah put the piece in her mouth and flipped the hourglass beside her.
“What are you doing?”
Akia’s expression twisted slightly as he watched her.
“Tasting. To check if there’s poison in the food.”
“But why you?”
“It’s only natural to check. In the imperial court, tasting always happens before meals.”
Leah grinned shamelessly, widening her eyes innocently.
“After all, even though you hold the title of Duke, you’re still the Empire’s sole prince.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t your safety the top priority for those who serve you? The food is fine—you may eat.”
Akia let out a hollow laugh at Leah’s smoothly fabricated excuse. He was utterly dumbfounded.
She was the first person in this manor to volunteer to taste his food. Duke Haideorn was under constant imperial surveillance.
Not even a single grain of rice could enter the estate without the Emperor’s explicit permission.
Having stayed here, she must have noticed the servants’ hostile attitudes toward her.
‘She wants to taste my food?’
Ridiculous.
It was an obvious ploy to win his trust.
‘Now that I think about it, she seems more like a con artist than an apothecary.’
Even after Leah announced the tasting was complete, Akia showed no intention of picking up his spoon. Instead, he sank deeper into the sofa.
“So it’s fine?”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard by his sudden question, Leah froze where she stood.
“As you said, poison has been found in food here before. That’s why I never eat anything prepared in this house.”
Her eyes darted busily as she tried to process his meaning—it was quite a sight. After a few seconds of silence, Leah coughed as if choking.
“Kehhk! Khk!”
Staring at the Duke, whose expression hadn’t changed a bit, Leah’s face turned deathly pale.
‘Serves you right.’
The Duke smirked, clearly amused by her reaction.
.
.
.
True to his word that he had no intention of eating, the Duke didn’t take a single bite. Perhaps he really had faced assassination attempts before.
After finishing her rounds, Leah asked the Duke,
“Is there anything else troubling you?”
“I haven’t been able to sleep well lately.”
“Your insomnia was always severe, wasn’t it? I’ll prepare some medicine for you.”
The previous apothecary’s notes had also mentioned the Duke’s extreme insomnia. She was just considering the appropriate herbs when—
“Sanzoin would be best.”
“Sanzoin?”
“Yes. I used to drink it as tea whenever my insomnia got bad, but I’ve just run out.”
Sanzoin was the seed of the jujube tree. Though said to help with insomnia, it was actually a folk remedy from ancient Eastern texts.
“I’m not sure if it’s available at the city’s herbal shops. I’ll go check.”
Coincidentally, just a few days ago had been market day—the once-a-month event. Even the evening primrose tea the Duke was currently drinking had been bought that day.
Moreover, sanzoin wasn’t common in this world. At Leah’s uncertain words, the Duke’s lips curled slightly.
“You’re not seriously planning to buy it, are you?”
“Of course I was going to buy it. It’s not a common herb.”
“Right. Since it’s rare, it must be expensive.”
At the Duke’s odd remark, a faint crease formed between Leah’s brows. She was increasingly irritated by the smug upward curve of his lips.
She felt uneasy. Something didn’t feel right.
“What do you think of the manor?”
“It’s… not shabby—rather, it feels charming, as if it’s preserved exactly as it was in the old days.”
Leah nearly spoke honestly. The Haideorn manor was so old and run-down it was hard to believe it belonged to a Duke.
Akia let out a soft, hollow chuckle at Leah’s diplomatic shift in words without a flicker of change in her expression.
“Right. How could this household afford such an expensive herb? Go get it yourself.”
Leah’s lips trembled slightly.
‘What kind of ridiculous excuse is this? What about that huge sum you promised me before!’
Just because the manor’s finances were poor didn’t mean the Duke himself was destitute!
Clearly, the Duke was deliberately giving her a troublesome task.
“Hahaha. You’re joking, right?”
Leah gave a forced laugh and waved her hand dismissively. But seeing the Duke’s lips curled up in utter seriousness, she realized he wasn’t joking at all.
“Do I look like I have enough free time to joke with you?”
His low, deep voice resonated in Leah’s ears. The playful smirk had already vanished from the Duke’s lips.
“Since you’d go so far as to taste food I didn’t even ask you to, this apothecary must be deeply loyal.”
“……”
“So fetching a few seeds shouldn’t be hard, should it? I need to drink it tonight.”
Leah clenched the hem of her skirt tightly, suppressing the urge to throw her stethoscope—or anything else—out the window.
That man was a goose that laid golden eggs. She had to endure him until he laid those gold coins.
While her insides burned with frustration, Akia picked up his teacup with utmost leisure.
After sipping his tea with an air of infinite grace and elegance, he set the cup down.
“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going?”
‘A madman with manners.’
Unable to say it aloud, Leah instead gritted her teeth and smiled.
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
[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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