The Terminally-Ill Duke Clings to Me Every Night - Chapter 26

“Du… ke!”

Leah covered her mouth with both hands, almost calling him “Duke” without realizing. Theo carefully asked about the strange atmosphere between the two.

“Leah. Do you know him?”

“Ah, he is.”

How should she explain? She couldn’t say that the Duke of Haidern had followed her on her vacation.

As Leah was racking her brain to choose an appropriate answer, the Duke took a step closer to the two and said.

“I am that pharmacist’s……”

‘Surely, he’s not going to reveal that he’s a duke?’

He was clearly going to go straight to the lord of Tren anyway.

Worried that the orphanage might be troubled by the fact that a duke had visited, Leah quickly intercepted Akkia’s words.

“He’s my assistant!”

It wasn’t a good answer, but it was the best Leah could come up with.

“What?”

“What?!”

The two responded simultaneously without anyone being first.

One with an expression of disbelief, and the other……

“Assistant! You already have an assistant? That’s amazing, Leah!”

Theo, with wide eyes, grasped Leah’s hands.

She avoided Theo’s gaze, which was looking at her with sparkling eyes.

‘It’s really fortunate that Theo is so oblivious.’

Although Akkia was showing a very disrespectful attitude for someone who was supposed to be an assistant, the pure-minded Theo didn’t suspect a thing.

‘The problem is the Duke……’

Glancing sideways, sure enough. He had an expression as if he had eaten something rotten.

‘Right. It’s shocking. Calling your employer an assistant.’

Cold sweat trickled down her back as she gave an awkward smile to Theo. What could she do if the Duke was upset? Leah deliberately ignored Akkia’s intense gaze on her.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Theo. I’m a friend who grew up with Leah since childhood.”

Akkia reluctantly shook the hand Theo had extended, looking at it with distaste.

“……James.”

Akkia seemed to have no intention of revealing his identity either, as he blurted out the name of a gardener working at the Duke of Haidern’s estate.

But due to his cold attitude without even the most common courtesies, Leah stepped forward as if to speak for the Duke.

“My assistant is very shy…… Haha.”

“Well, that can happen.”

Theo, who had become embarrassed, scratched his head and picked up the luggage he had put on the ground.

“Let’s go now. Everyone must be waiting.”

“Oh? Yes, we should. Then Ja… James, you should go back now?”

It was when Leah signaled with her eyes for him to leave.

“You said your name was James? Would you like to join us for dinner, assistant?”

‘Theo, there’s no way the Duke would have dinner at a humble orphanage.’

Thinking he would surely decline, Leah was nodding when an unexpected answer came from beside her.

“If you don’t mind, I’d be glad to.”

“What? You’re going to have dinner with us? No, why?”

He could eat a feast fit for a king at the lord’s mansion, so why?

Despite Leah’s eyes full of doubt, Akkia just snorted.

“Haha. That’s fine.”

Theo laughed, saying Leah had hired an interesting person as her assistant.

“Theo, my assistant has somewhere to……”

“James. Come on in!”

Leah carefully tried to speak to Theo who was walking ahead, but he didn’t seem to hear.

Really. Once again, she felt that Theo was truly oblivious.

As they entered the orphanage, an elderly woman greeted Leah.

“Director!”

The orphanage director Maribel was like a mother to Leah. Seeing Maribel after a long time, Leah ran to her in one step and hugged her tightly.

“Have you been well all this time?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“I see. I heard you’re working in the Haidern domain? Is the work manageable?”

“Well.”

Leah glanced awkwardly at Akkia standing beside her.

‘If you ask how the work is in front of my boss……’

“It’s very good!”

Answering that it’s good no matter what is just common sense. The answer to the question was already decided.

“But who is this?”

Maribel nodded towards Akkia who had followed.

“That person, I mean, he is my assistant. He came down with me to help with the Magnolia Guild’s work this time.”

“Someone who helps Leah. I’m glad to meet you. Your name is……”

Once again, Leah stepped forward to introduce the Duke. But.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is James.”

Unlike with Theo, Akkia answered first this time. Even kissing Maribel’s hand.

“Oh my.”

‘Why is he suddenly acting like this again?’

Leah shrugged at the Duke’s attitude that changed as quickly as flipping a hand. James and Leah entered the dining room following Theo’s lead.

Mealtime was as hectic as always. Warm bread and soup. And roasted chicken.

The children, who had only eaten potatoes and gruel for a while, couldn’t hide their excitement at the delicious food they were eating after a long time.

“Chew slowly and thoroughly.”

Leah was busy taking care of the children without even touching her own plate. Akkia, who was glancing at Leah like this, idly poked at his chicken.

‘Tsk. I let her go on vacation, and yet.’

Working at the guild all day, and now here, preparing meals and taking care of the children.

Leah couldn’t even take a spoonful as she was busy looking after the children.

Akkia stared blankly at the chicken he had prepared nicely to eat, then picked up his plate as if he had no choice.

And just as he was about to speak to exchange plates with Leah.

“At least eat this……”

“Leah, eat this.”

Theo was faster than Akkia.

Theo, who had placed the meat he had prepared nicely in front of Leah just like Akkia, added to Leah.

“You haven’t even taken a spoonful yet. I’ll take care of the children, so at least eat a little for now.”

“As expected, there’s no one but you, Theo. I was just getting hungry.”

Watching Leah deliciously eat the food Theo had given her, the Duke felt a strange bitterness in his mouth.

“Du-, I mean, James, what’s wrong? Does it not suit your taste?”

As she was asking the Duke who was staring at the plate in front of him with a disgruntled face, Akkia was about to answer that it was nothing when he let out a laugh seeing the sauce on Leah’s mouth.

“Really, so careless……”

Just as he was about to wipe the sauce from Leah’s mouth while scolding her.

“There’s sauce on your mouth, Leah.”

Theo wiped Leah’s mouth with his handkerchief first. Once again, Akkia’s hand was left hanging in the air by a hair’s breadth.

‘What’s with that guy?’

As similar situations repeated several times, Akkia’s brows furrowed. He stared intently at Theo sitting across from him.

It was hard to tell if he was having dinner or just staring at Leah, as his gaze was so focused on her.

He alternated between looking at Leah with worried eyes when she couldn’t eat, and smiling as he watched her burst into laughter with the children.

‘Does he like her.’

Leah.

This time Akkia’s gaze fell on Leah.

“Thank you. Theo, you should eat too.”

Usually quick to change her attitude, she seemed oblivious to Theo’s feelings. Smiling so defensively like that.

At first, when they were exchanging letters, he thought Theo might be Leah’s fiancé. But seeing it directly like this, it was clearly this guy’s one-sided love.

Akkia drank the water in front of him as his mouth felt parched as if in a drought.

– Gulp, gulp.

Even after emptying the full glass of water, his thirst did not subside.

A stuffy feeling as if his chest was blocked. Feeling like he might get indigestion if he ate more, Akkia put down his utensils.

“James, are you done eating?”

As James got up from his seat, Leah glanced at his plate. She saw food that was left half-eaten.

Despite paying quite a bit of attention, it seemed the orphanage food didn’t suit the Duke’s taste after all.

“I guess riding in the carriage for so long has affected my appetite.”

With those words, Akkia left the dining room. Leah kept seeing Akkia’s retreating back in her mind.

“Theo. Please take care of the children’s meal.”

Leah, who had been watching him walk away, got up from her seat.

.

.

.

Leah, who had followed right after, looked around for Akkia. She saw the Duke standing outside the orphanage looking into the distance.

“Duke!”

He turned around at Leah’s call.

“You called me assistant earlier.”

“Come on. When it’s just the two of us, I should use the proper title. You’re a Duke after all.”

Leah smiled brightly at the curt Duke. It seemed he was still holding onto the fact that she had introduced him as an assistant in front of people.

“Are you going straight to the Lord of Tren? Should I call a carriage for you?”

She wasn’t sure why he had come all the way here. If the Duke who never budged from the mansion had to move, there must be some reason.

Leah looked into Akkia’s eyes, trying to guess the reason, but.

‘Well, he’s not the type to show such things.’

She soon gave up. It was easier to think that he must have a good reason.

“Duke?”

Leah raised her head and met Akkia’s gaze. There was no answer to Leah’s question about whether he needed a carriage.

The dark night sky. In the darkness that seemed to swallow the two people without any light, the Duke alone shone.

Golden hair that seemed to hold all the light. And as she slowly lowered her gaze, red eyes entwined with Leah’s.

It was a look that made it impossible to gauge what the Duke was thinking. Akkia, who seemed to be staring at her for a long time, turned his head.

“No. It’s an unofficial visit, so I won’t be meeting the lord.”

“What? Then, where are you staying?”

Strange. If he hadn’t come to visit the domain as the Duke of Haidern, why on earth did he come?

As it was, there weren’t many inns operating properly due to the flood damage. Even the ones with intact facilities were being used as temporary shelters for disaster victims on the lord’s orders.

“I’m thinking of staying here.”

He answered that he would stay at the orphanage so matter-of-factly, without a moment’s hesitation. Leah’s eyes widened at Akkia’s unexpected response.

“What? There’s no place to sleep here either because of the flood damage!”

“……”

“Look at that! The building that was originally used as the children’s dormitory is completely covered in debris. We can only use the main building now.”

Leah pointed to a building not far away as she spoke. The building was a dormitory that had been ruined by mud when the overflowing river swept through.

“The children have nowhere to sleep either, so they’re all sleeping together in one big room……”

Besides, how could he say he would sleep here after seeing that mess of a building?

The main building was an old structure with very outdated facilities.

“As you can see, the main building is quite old. Cockroaches come out, it’s a bug paradise!”

The words ‘So quickly give up on such an absurd idea!’ were rising in Leah’s throat.

Just when she was inwardly relieved, thinking Akkia would back down at this point.

“Oh my, that’s fine. I have some sense too. Besides, if there are no rooms, it can’t be helped.”

He gave Leah a mischievous smile. As if he didn’t care about such things from the start. Then he stepped closer to her.

“I’ll specially sleep with you……”

It was before Akkia could finish saying ‘sleep with you.’ With the sound of the front door opening, Theo poked his head out.

“Leah.”

That guy again.

Akkia looked at Theo with the eyes of someone looking at a nuisance.

“What are you two doing here?”

“Huh? Oh, James said he didn’t have anywhere to stay, so……”

To Leah’s words full of trouble, Theo answered without hesitation.

“Really? Then he can sleep with me.”

“Huh?”

The combination of the Duke and Theo. Leah, who was listening from the side, was equally perplexed.

Akkia, whom Theo believed to be an assistant, was the empire’s one and only prince. If Theo made a mistake while sleeping together with Akkia, it would be a big problem.

Leah tried to stop him with a look of shock, but Theo was one step faster.

“Is that alright?”

Theo, who had thrown the bomb, smiled more brightly than ever.

“Brother.”