“Is there something you wish to say?”

Leah, who turned to the Duke who had stopped her, asked. However, instead of answering, the Duke tossed a book onto the opposite sofa.

‘What is this?’

Leah picked up the thick humanities book thrown in front of her.

“Read it.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, read the book aloud.”

What an absurd thing to say. Leah’s eyes wavered with bewilderment.

‘People are waiting for me outside, and he wants me to read a book?’

The bustling sounds from beyond the door were still continuing.

Leah looked back and forth between the bedroom door and the Duke. Surely the Duke knew there were people waiting for her outside.

“There are too many characters, and my eyes are tired. You read it instead.”

In other words, he was telling her to act as an audiobook because he found reading troublesome.

“Are you joking?”

“Does it look like I’m joking?”

“No.”

Looking at the gaze directed at her, the Duke was serious. Then again, when had this man ever joked with her?

‘He’s always been serious about tormenting me.’

Leah, the lowest of the low, sat on the sofa and opened the book, thinking she had no choice. The bookmark was placed at the end of the book.

“Haven’t you finished reading it?”

Leah asked, seeing the bookmark that suggested he had read to the end.

“No. Start reading from the beginning.”

Then this bookmark must have been placed by someone else. Reluctantly, Leah began to read the book aloud.

After reading for a while, only Leah’s clear voice echoed in the bedroom. When she looked up, she saw the Duke with his eyes closed.

The man sitting on the sofa with his head resting back.

His long eyelashes stretched towards the ceiling came into Leah’s view. Seeing him seemingly asleep, Leah stopped reading the book.

‘Should I quietly leave?’

Since the Duke suffered from severe insomnia, it seemed best to leave him be to sleep. Leah slowly surveyed her surroundings.

This must be the quietest place in the Haidern Duke’s mansion. The Duke’s bedroom was peaceful, befitting its inviolable nature.

“…Are you sleeping?”

Leah asked softly, but there was no response from the Duke. Convinced that the Duke was asleep, Leah rubbed her stiff neck.

“We received an offer to open a store in Magnolia. Since Magnolia is a large merchant guild, sales are quite anticipated.”

Leah didn’t know why she was telling this to the sleeping Duke. Her mouth was moving on its own.

It was all thanks to the Duke that she could make and sell nutritional supplements. Since they were made and sold in the Duke’s mansion, it was generous of him to allow private profit.

‘He can be annoying at times, but I’m grateful, after all.’

Perhaps because the world looked beautiful due to the Magnolia contract offer. Akkia with his eyes closed looked the same as usual, yet somehow different.

Leah, gazing at the Duke who seemed unusually gentle today, smiled softly.

“If I become rich, I’ll repair your mansion, Duke.”

And just as Leah lowered her gaze back to the book.

“That’s good.”

A low, resonant voice wrapped around Leah’s ears like an echo in a cave.

‘Wasn’t he asleep?’

He seemed to be staring at Leah with half-closed eyes, then the Duke closed his eyes again. Watching this, Leah carefully asked.

“Should I leave if you’re going to sleep?”

“No. Stay here.”

As Leah began to read the book, a faint smile appeared on Akkia’s lips. The utterly boring story of the book.

Perhaps because she felt so peaceful that her tired body seemed to melt away, Leah fell asleep while reading the book.

.

.

.

Akkia looked at Leah, who had fallen asleep leaning on the sofa. She was in such a deep sleep that she wouldn’t notice even if carried away.

‘An apothecary falling asleep in the Duke’s bedroom…’

And this wasn’t even the first time. Akkia sat askew with his chin resting on his hand, staring at Leah.

Not only taking care of him but also examining the mansion staff. Developing remedies in the annex every night.

With her days already full of assigned tasks, she even wanted to start a nutritional supplement business.

‘Does she have two bodies or something?’

He knew she had been reducing her sleep to work lately. He could see the vitality disappearing from her skin that always used to glow.

Originally, he had planned to send her out after drinking Sanzoin.

‘I must be crazy too.’

Making her read a book with such an absurd excuse. Akkia showed a subtle smile on his lips, perhaps recalling what had just happened.

Leah’s clear voice chattering as always wasn’t bad. He had almost fallen into a deep sleep for the first time in a long while.

At some point, it felt comfortable. How long had it been since they met?

Akkia gently touched Leah’s hair that was tickling her face. With a very soft and careful touch.

Until then, he didn’t know. What kind of look he was giving as he gazed down at the sleeping Leah.

The sound of birds chirping outside the window and the warm sunlight seeping into the room.

It was truly a peaceful time he hadn’t felt in a long while.

As time passed like that, Leah’s eyes, with her eyelashes trembling finely, slowly opened. And her gaze entangled with Akkia’s, who had been watching her.

“…”

As Leah blinked her eyes as if trying to grasp the situation, he gave her a languid smile.

“You’re awake?”

Realizing that she had fallen asleep in the Duke’s bedroom, Leah jumped up from her seat with a gasp.

“Don’t tell me… Did I fall asleep here?”

“Sleep? You were sleeping quite well.”

Looking at Leah, who couldn’t close her mouth open wide in disbelief, he continued.

“Even snoring.”

At Akkia’s casually thrown words, Leah’s face turned red.

Leah, who had been just opening and closing her mouth, bowed her head with a reddened face and then fled the bedroom as if escaping.

Leah felt a rush of shame that made her want to tear her hair out at the thought of herself snoring while asleep in the Duke’s bedroom.

‘I must be crazy. Why did I fall asleep there!’

Akkia had looked at her with incredulous eyes. Not once, but twice she had fallen asleep by the Duke’s side.

‘I need to pull myself together.’

As she walked down the corridor, vowing never to make such a mistake again, suddenly a question crossed her mind.

‘But why didn’t he wake me up?’

He should have woken her up, saying she was being impudent. Maybe, knowing she was tired, on purpose…

Suddenly, she recalled the gentle touch that had brushed her hair while she was half-asleep. It was a ticklish feeling, as if she had become someone precious to someone.

‘No way, it must have been a dream.’

But just as Leah waved her hand, dismissing it as her own illusion.

“Apothecary! We’ve been waiting for you!”

The sweet rest was only for a moment. And so, Leah returned to her busy daily life.

.

.

.

Today was the day to sign a contract with the Magnolia merchant guild. Leah carefully moved her steps as she looked at the entrance of the guild.

Befitting a rapidly rising new merchant guild, the luxurious interior decorations caught Leah’s eye.

‘Wow. Is this really a merchant guild?’

From the expensive porcelain decorating the display cases to the artworks hanging on the walls. The exterior of the guild building was grand as a new construction, but it was nothing compared to the interior.

As Leah raised her gaze along the wall, she saw a mural painted on the ceiling. The mural with its colorful hues seemed to flaunt Magnolia’s economic power.

Just as Leah was lost in admiration at the luxurious sight unseen in the Haidern Duke’s mansion.

“Miss Leah.”

Leah turned at the voice calling her. It was the guild employee who had visited her about the contract.

“Hello.”

“Yes. We’ve been waiting for you. Shall we go in?”

Leah felt a belated surge of nervousness as she personally experienced the atmosphere of the luxurious guild.

They said Magnolia was an influential guild no less than Parthia, which was under the protection of the Imperial family. It certainly seemed so.

Leah moved into the room, guided by the guild employee. She felt excited, wondering if she would meet the head of Magnolia guild.

But as she entered the empty room, that expectation quickly faded. Of course, the owner of the guild wouldn’t show up for a mere nutritional supplement business.

“As I introduced myself before, I’m in charge of the nutritional supplement contract. For future deliveries and store openings, you can contact me.”

“Yes. I look forward to working with you, Berren.”

Leah carefully examined the contract Berren handed her. There might be some unfavorable clauses.

‘I can’t repeat the same mistake.’

Last time, she had eagerly agreed to the contract out of joy, but now she would never do that.

As Leah was meticulously checking even the small print.

‘This is strange?’

Far from unfavorable clauses, the contract terms were too good. They were terms that could potentially cause losses for the guild.

‘It seems they might have given me the wrong contract…’

Leah pondered over the contract that looked like it could be a mistake by a low-level employee.

‘Should I say something or not.’

As Leah was debating whether to mention that the contract seemed wrong, she gripped the pen as if she had made a decision.

‘Never mind. There’s no way the guild would give the wrong contract, and I have nothing to lose, so it’s not bad, right?’

Having ended her deliberation, Leah quickly signed the contract Berren had handed her. Berren, receiving the contract, gathered the documents.

“The contract has been concluded. You may leave now.”

‘Is it really over just like this?’

The contract procedure was disconcertingly simple. Berren, having finished explaining about the delivery dates, stood up.

“Mr. Berren.”

Leah called out to Berren, who was about to leave with the documents.

“Is it possible to meet the guild master? I’d like to express my gratitude and have a conversation as future business partners.”

Leah asked about the guild master with her characteristic sly smile. There was little known about the head of Magnolia guild.

Some said the guild master was an old man, while others said it was a young woman.

‘It can’t hurt to know the Magnolia guild master.’

It would be even better.

If she could just get in the good graces of the Magnolia guild master, it would only be a matter of time before the nutritional supplement sales expanded from the city to international exports.

As if understanding Leah’s intentions, Berren’s eyes shone sharply.

“There will be no occasion for you, Apothecary, to meet our guild master.”

“Ah haha. Is that so? I suppose running such a large guild must keep them very busy.”

Leah laughed awkwardly at his words that drew such a firm line.

“And one more thing, you won’t need to visit the guild like this in the future. Someone from the guild will visit the mansion directly.”

“They’ll come directly?”

“As the number of nutritional supplements increases, we’ll need carts. It’s more efficient for the guild to move in that case.”

That’s true, but…

“Well, I appreciate that.”

“If you have no more questions, I’ll escort you out.”

The thought that it seemed tailored to her convenience made her feel somewhat uneasy, but only for a moment. As Leah came out of the room, Berren closed the door for her.

And as she was descending to the lobby with him, at that moment. The sound of people talking gathered not far away reached her ears.