The Terminally-Ill Duke Clings to Me Every Night - Chapter 25

The brief reunion with Theo was short-lived.

Leah had to go straight to the shop run by Magnolia, so she moved her feet, putting aside her joy at seeing him.

However, the path to the shop was littered with piles of garbage from flood damage and broken tree branches at every turn.

Her heart felt heavy at the situation, which was more serious than what she had vaguely seen from the carriage.

‘I’m glad I came here.’

She thought it was good that she had come to Tren, even if it was pushing it. As she looked around with a sympathetic gaze at that moment.

When the Magnolia shop came into view not far away, Berun, who was walking with her, spoke up.

“We’re almost there. Given the extensive damage, you’ll probably have to work hard for a few days.”

“Yes. I was somewhat prepared for that. Seeing it in person, it’s worse than I thought.”

“Indeed. I hope the damage to the merchant group isn’t too severe.”

Berun sighed as he saw the sight of a shop with its roof caved in. The largest herbal medicine shop in Tren was the apothecary run by Magnolia.

Leah stepped into the shop, which was covered in mud.

‘There was a river nearby, wasn’t there?’

The reason the Tren area suffered such severe flood damage was due to the large river that crossed the territory.

Due to the overflowing river caused by heavy rain, not only the Magnolia shop but the entire village was covered in debris.

“This is too serious, isn’t it? These herbs near the entrance can’t be sold.”

“Yes. It seems so.”

The herbs covered in mud were not only unsellable but it was uncertain if they could even be used as immediate remedies.

Leah entered the shop, pushing aside the messy display stands.

At least the Magnolia merchant group employees who were in Tren had cleared a path wide enough for people to come and go.

Leah began taking out and gathering medicines from the display stands closest to the ceiling.

“The top row should be fine since they’re in bottles. Let’s gather these and ask for them to be cleaned.”

She had wondered why an herbalist was needed, but the flood had made all the medicine labels a mess. Leah hurriedly classified them, writing the names of the medicines on the bottles.

“I’ll sort these roughly, Berun, please gather them and label them properly.”

“…”

“Berun?”

“Huh? Oh! I’ll do that.”

Berun had been staring blankly at Leah working smoothly without hesitation, and came to his senses when he heard her voice calling him again.

The way she skillfully handled the situation didn’t seem like a young pharmacist who had just turned twenty.

“I understand it’s chaotic, but we don’t have time to just stand around. Please.”

It was a moment when the remnants of the K-people’s blood somewhere in her body shone.

.

.

.

After hurriedly sorting out the usable items, Leah began separating the herbs and medicines that needed to be discarded.

The bottom shelves were in worse condition than imagined.

The stench of medicinal substances that had spilled from broken bottles and mixed with rainwater filled the air. As Leah reached into the mud and pulled out whatever she could grab, she picked up one bottle.

“What’s this?”

It was a bottle containing a bluish liquid with a strange hue. Leah tilted her head at the unfamiliar medicine and opened the lid.

“This doesn’t seem like medicine.”

Just as she thought the pungent scent that numbed her nose was strange, one of the merchant group employees who was cleaning the shop with her approached and said,

“Ah. That looks like spider venom.”

“Spider venom?”

Why is poison in an apothecary?

As a look of puzzlement appeared on Leah’s face, the man smiled as if it was nothing unusual.

“Yes. Like arsenic, research has shown that spider venom is effective in treating epilepsy, so people have started looking for it quite a bit.”

“So it has therapeutic effects for epilepsy?”

It was the first time she had learned this fact. Then she recalled what she had heard about Sopolian bark at the apothecary she had visited before.

‘Well, even poisonous plants can become medicinal herbs.’

Leah nodded and classified the bottle labeled ‘spider venom’ into a basket. How long had she been organizing like this?

The sunset cast diagonal lines through the window, illuminating the inside of the shop. After bending over and sitting for a long time working, her back was stiff.

As she was hitting her lower back with her fist to loosen up the stiff muscles, she saw Theo entering the shop.

“Leah. Are you done with work? Is there anything I can help with?”

Theo, who had come back from helping repair the village, asked, but there wasn’t much he could do.

“Well, I haven’t finished organizing the herbs yet…”

It was a bit difficult for Theo, who had no knowledge of herbs. As she was contemplating what to do, Berun spoke up with a tired expression.

“Why don’t we stop here for today and continue tomorrow?”

Come to think of it, it was almost dinner time. Leah, who wanted to have dinner with the orphanage family after a long time, tidied up her clothes.

“Then let’s stop here for today, and I’ll come back tomorrow morning to finish up.”

With that, the two of them left the shop, accompanied by Berun who looked visibly pleased.

She strolled through the market streets with Theo.

They needed to buy groceries for dinner, but there weren’t many shops open. When they stopped at the largest grocery store among the visible shops and were selecting vegetables,

“Oh my, aren’t you Leah?”

“Mrs. Jane!”

Leah stopped picking vegetables and grasped the hands of the middle-aged woman who approached. She was a vegetable shop clerk she had known well during her time at the orphanage.

“I heard you became a pharmacist and went to the capital, and now you’ve become such a fine young lady?”

“You haven’t changed at all, Mrs. Jane. You’re exactly the same.”

“Oh my, isn’t that the best compliment for a middle-aged woman?”

Leah smiled brightly as she looked at Jane, who still had the same kind smile. Only then did the shop owner recognize Leah and approached.

It was then, as she was exchanging greetings with familiar faces she hadn’t seen in a long time in her hometown. Jane glanced at Theo standing behind Leah and smiled subtly.

“Leah, by the way, is that man behind you the one you’re going to marry?”

“What?”

“I thought so. You two look good together. Did you come back home to introduce the man you’re going to marry, Leah?”

Leah turned to look at Theo in surprise. It was surprising that Jane didn’t recognize Theo, even though she herself had been away from her hometown for five years.

‘Theo has really changed a lot, hasn’t he?’

Theo, who she thought would step forward and explain that it wasn’t the case, didn’t say anything.

Was it because of the reddish sunset glow? Theo just scratched his head with his cheeks flushed red.

“Mrs. Jane. This is Theo. Don’t you recognize him?”

“What? This is Theo?”

“Oh my, it is. It is Theo!”

I can’t believe this. Only then did the ladies recognize Theo and burst into laughter.

“You two look quite good together. Why don’t you get married while you’re at it?”

“No way. Theo and I are like siblings.”

At Leah’s firm words, Theo’s body flinched slightly, but she didn’t notice.

Perhaps because they found it amusing to tease the young pair, the talk of marriage continued until Leah and Theo left the market.

Perhaps because they met hometown people after a long time, they chatted away without realizing how time passed, and soon it was dark around them.

Unable to delay any longer, they headed towards the orphanage with both hands full, promising to meet again.

“I really can’t believe how no one could recognize me.”

Chattering away about things they hadn’t been able to talk about for a while.

Theo pouted, seemingly quite shocked that the villagers, including Leah, didn’t recognize him.

“It’s because you’ve grown so tall.”

Leah laughed, pointing to her head which didn’t reach Theo’s chin even when she stood on her tiptoes.

The orphanage was on a hill a little distance from the village. When she was very young, the road to the orphanage always felt long.

Was it because she had grown? Before she knew it, the brightly lit orphanage came into view.

“I wonder if the director is doing well? I can’t wait to see her.”

She had an expression full of excitement as she thought about the orphanage people she would soon meet.

“Hey, Leah.”

Theo, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

“Yes?”

“I really missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

Theo’s face turned as red as a ripe apple, seemingly embarrassed even though he had brought it up himself.

Was it that hard to say those words? Leah tilted her head, not understanding why.

“No, that’s not what I mean. I…!”

Theo’s lips quivered as if he had something to say to Leah, who was looking at him like that.

Oh?

Just as Leah was about to notice something in his innocent appearance, like a boy confessing to his first love.

“That looks nice.”

A familiar voice brushed past her ear from somewhere.

As she turned her gaze to where the voice came from, she saw the figure of a man leaning against a tree at an angle.

‘Who is it?’

She tried hard to identify the man, but due to the deeply pulled down robe, she couldn’t see even a strand of hair, let alone his face.

Theo, who had been looking at her, blocked Leah’s way and asked the man,

“Who are you?”

His attitude was full of caution. But that was understandable because at the end of the path the two were walking on, there was only the orphanage.

So anyone would be wary of a man standing there in suspicious attire.

Leah was also looking at the unfamiliar man with suspicious eyes when,

“I didn’t give you a vacation to flirt with a man.”

Leah’s eyes widened at the man’s voice that she heard again.

‘This voice…’

A somehow familiar voice. It was a voice that shouldn’t be heard here.

‘No way.’

It couldn’t be. The person she was thinking of couldn’t be here.

But the all too familiar gait and similar build. And above all, the red eyes that were briefly revealed with each step.

The man who had now approached close and was staring at her with a crooked gaze was.

‘…Duke?’

It was Akkia.

‘Good heavens.’

Why. How. For what reason was the Duke here?

Is this what it feels like to meet your nemesis of a boss at your vacation spot after a long time? Leah stared at him with a stupid expression, her mouth wide open, not even thinking to close it.

“How on earth did you…”

“I heard you were making an antidote, so I thought I’d help out a bit…”

He answered, glancing back and forth between Theo and Leah.

“It seems I’ve interrupted something?”

Akkia narrowed his eyes at the two of them.