The Terminally-Ill Duke Clings to Me Every Night - Chapter 33

‘When did I ever cause an accident.’

Leah pursed her lips as she set down the tray she had brought on the Duke’s table. As if looking around, Leah asked the Duke.

“By the way, it seems Jane is not here yet?”

“She’s a bit late today.”

Usually, the meal would be brought to match the time for Sanjoin tea. But since the butler had gone to find Jane, it seemed she would be a little late coming to the bedroom as well.

“The butler said he went to look for Jane. I guess that’s why.”

“Is that so?”

Leah casually dropped mentions of the butler and observed the Duke’s reaction. But seeing no change in Akkia’s expression, Leah was about to set down the Sanjoin tea.

“Before the tea gets cold……”

Seeing the Sanjoin tea swirling in the teacup, the missing medicinal herbs suddenly flashed through her mind.

‘Wait a minute, come to think of it, those herbs……’

Individually, they were good ingredients, but the problem was they caused excessive oxidation when combined with Sanjoin.

They were threatening even to a healthy person. For the Duke, whose blood vessels and heart were already in poor condition due to Porarium, it would be fatal.

In an instant, a chill ran down Leah’s spine.

‘Could it be…… Jane planned this?’

The herbs she took were exactly the ones that conflicted with Sanjoin. Moreover, the relationship between the butler and Jane that she overheard from the maids in the morning.

If their frequent meetings were not because of a personal relationship.

‘It’s related to the plot against the Duke.’

If so, all of Jane’s recent odd behavior would be explained. As her thoughts reached that point, Leah, who was about to set down the Sanjoin tea, picked up the teacup again.

The moment she saw the Sanjoin, a red flag went off in Leah’s mind. Perhaps sensing Leah’s hand trembling slightly, the Duke raised his head.

“What’s the matter?”

Despite the Duke’s puzzled gaze, Leah stared intently at the teacup as if contemplating something, then downed the entire Sanjoin tea.

– Gulp, gulp.

Watching the tea go down her throat, the Duke made an astonished expression. Leah set the empty teacup down in front of the Duke.

She needed to confirm what Jane was thinking. Whether she was really acting under the butler’s orders.

“Your Grace.”

At the sound of Leah calling him, the Duke’s eyes sharpened. As their gazes intertwined in the air, Leah’s eyes sparkled.

“I think it would be best for you to refrain from drinking Sanjoin for the time being.”

“Why is that?”

The Duke asked, his eyes demanding an explanation.

“Last night. I discovered Jane coming out of the medicinal herb storage. And after Jane left, two types of herbs were missing.”

“……”

“The two herbs individually pose no significant problems when consumed, but it’s a different story when taken with Sanjoin.”

Leah calmly explained what issues Heteria and Kiana caused when consumed with Sanjoin.

Listening to Leah’s words, the Duke stroked his chin.

“Why are you so sure that maid intends to have me ingest those herbs? If they’re not poisonous, she could have stolen them for herself or another family member. Herb theft is quite common, after all.”

Leah nodded in agreement with the Duke’s opinion.

“As you say, Your Grace, it’s a fairly common occurrence. In fact, I heard Jane’s young brother is suffering from an incurable disease.”

The fact that Jane’s brother was ill was already known to many in the mansion. Perhaps even the Duke was already aware of it.

Despite pretending to be indifferent to worldly affairs, he was the one who understood the inside of the mansion better than anyone else.

After organizing her thoughts for a moment, Leah quietly murmured.

“But then a thought occurred to me. Where does the money for Jane’s brother’s treatment come from?”

The hemophilia Jane’s brother suffered from was a rare disease where once bleeding started, it would not stop.

There was no fundamental cure, so he would have to live on medication for life.

But the problem was that the cost of the medicine was outrageously expensive. Too much for a commoner family to afford.

Jane’s family consisted only of her frail mother and young brother.

So could Jane’s maid salary, as the practical head of household, cover not only the living expenses of the three-person family but also the cost of medicine?

‘No. Absolutely not.’

It was impossible. Moreover, Jane did not seem desperate for money. In fact, she was one of the people who eagerly rushed to buy Leah’s nutritional supplements.

“I believe that treatment cost comes from the butler Bayern.”

Leah recalled the conversation between the maids from earlier.

Jane frequently visiting Bayern’s room. And the herbs that disappeared from the medicinal herb storage. The timing was too uncanny to be coincidence.

“This isn’t the only time the butler has looked for Jane. If it’s gotten to the point of being talked about among the maids, I think my guess is correct.”

Determination flashed in Leah’s eyes. Although his face remained expressionless, Akkia was inwardly surprised.

‘To figure out that Jane is Bayern’s pawn.’

In fact, he had known about this whole situation for a long time.

That Jane reported everything he did, down to trivial habits, to the butler every time she entered his room.

And that in return, Bayern paid for her brother’s medicine. He knew it all. But to discern that fact from just a few circumstances.

As he had thought before, Leah was quite clever.

“Your guess is correct. Jane has been monitoring me under the butler’s orders. If that maid took something from the apothecary, there’s a high probability it’s to have me ingest it.”

“……You knew about that?”

Does that mean he kept her by his side despite knowing the maid in charge was spying on him?

“Then you mustn’t drink the Sanjoin……”

“No.”

The Duke cut off Leah’s words.

“I will continue drinking the Sanjoin, and I will also eat the food that maid brings.”

‘What?’

Did she mishear something? Leah blinked rapidly, unable to hide her surprise.

“You mean you’ll consume it even if Jane brings the drugged food? That’s no different from poison for you who drinks Sanjoin!”

“I know.”

“Then why……”

“Have you forgotten, Leah.”

Unlike Leah, whose face was colored with bewilderment, Akkia continued with a relaxed expression.

“You fed me Alparadia before.”

Leah let out a small sigh. Only then did she recall giving the Duke the Alparadia she had painstakingly obtained.

Since it hadn’t even been three months, the effects should still remain.

‘Since he took Alparadia, there won’t be any life-threatening poison.’

For a moment, Leah had forgotten about the existence of Alparadia, being too absorbed in the matter of Jane and the butler.

The Duke was at ease because he knew that fact. Only then did Leah understand the Duke’s intentions.

‘He intends to get rid of Bayern altogether.’

Even after taking Alparadia, frequent poisoning was not good for the body. Especially since the Duke was already addicted to Porarium poison.

Normally, she should stop the Duke from consuming what was essentially poison. But seeing the determination the Duke showed, Akkia seemed willing to ingest the poison Jane handed him numerous times.

As Leah pondered what to do about this, something flashed through her mind.

‘He just needs to appear as if he’s been poisoned, right?’

“Your Grace, I have a good idea.”

A smile played on her lips.

And at that moment, a knocking sound rang out in the bedroom.

Leah silently watched Jane prepare the meal on the table in front of the Duke.

Jane was in charge of preparing the Duke’s breakfast, so the only time she faced Akkia was during breakfast.

If she intended to make a move, it would be during breakfast. Seeing her prepare the meal as usual, it didn’t seem like she was adding the herbs now.

‘That means she already added them before coming.’

Which food did she put the herbs in? The Duke had started eating, but he didn’t consume much. Only a little of the main dish.

‘As expected, the main dish.’

Leah’s sharp gaze fell on the potato soup placed right in front of the Duke. Having finished the meal preparations, Jane bowed in greeting.

“The preparations are complete, Your Grace. Then I will take my leave……”

As Jane turned to leave after finishing her greeting, the Duke, who had been sitting and watching quietly, began to write something down.

Watching the Duke, Leah called out to stop Jane.

“Jane.”

At the voice calling her, Jane’s steps came to a halt. After checking the contents written on the note, Leah gave her a bright smile.

“The Duke is asking you to feed him, Jane.”

“Feed him, me?”

Jane’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes. Usually he asks me, but today he wants you to do it.”

Leah, smiling with her eyes curled prettily, handed the note to Jane. The note had the Duke’s order for her to feed him instead of the apothecary, just as Leah said.

It had been 3 years since Jane started working as a maid in this mansion after being hired by the butler Bayern. Not once had the Duke asked Jane to feed him.

No, he had never requested it of any maid, not just Jane. She knew from rumors that the immature apothecary fearlessly fed him.

Jane’s eyes, which had widened in surprise, gradually narrowed. Erasing the startled expression, Jane nonchalantly approached Akkia.

“Yes. Since it’s the Duke’s request….. I’ll do it.”

Jane’s gaze lingered on one particular dish among the food on the table. The gaze that seemed to waver for a brief moment soon settled calmly.

‘As I thought, it seems she put the drug in that dish.’

Holding the utensils, Jane began feeding him one dish at a time, starting with the closest one.

And she was leaving only the main dish right in front of the Duke. The dish Jane had undoubtedly added the drug to.

‘This much confirms that Jane’s reason for taking the herbs is because of the butler.’

Leah’s suspicions towards Jane were now certain. And just as Jane was about to put a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

“Jane. By the way, did you know?”

About to swallow the soup, Jane paused and looked at Leah.

“About the nutritional supplements I sell. They contain Sanjoin.”

And an eerie smile appeared on Leah’s lips as she spoke to her.