The Terminally-Ill Duke Clings to Me Every Night - Chapter 35

Bayern had intended to pin all the blame on Jane if things went wrong. He planned to make it look like she did it out of greed for money.

Bayern looked much more at ease. How long those 5 years spent here to advance to the center had been.

Bayern clenched his fist at the thought that the time that felt like exile was now coming to an end. The voice of Marquis Rodrigo he had encountered in the capital echoed in his ears like tinnitus.

[If you want to come to the capital, you must prove your worth.] [… W-worth, you say.] [There are many ways to please him. You should know better than anyone else.]

The Duke’s life would be enough to ‘prove his worth’. Since the Duke was tenacious, he just had to make sure to end his life before the imperial palace people arrived.

“It’s almost over. I’ll be going up to the capital soon too!”

Bayern burst into maniacal laughter as he saw the goal right before his eyes.

– Knock knock.

A brief knock sounded and the door opened. The one who came to the office was Jane, summoned by the butler.

“I heard the butler called for me.”

Seeing Jane poke her head into the office, Bayern put the letter in the drawer. Jane bowed politely and approached.

“Yes. Jane, thanks to you doing your assigned task well, things worked out easily. Well done.”

“…It was nothing.”

A satisfied smile spread on Bayern’s lips. Though Jane seemed more subdued than usual, he lightly dismissed it, thinking it natural after such a big task.

‘Tsk tsk. With such a small capacity.’

It was quite different from how she had demanded money from him as payment for surveillance.

Well, it was somewhat understandable that Jane was anxious, having directly participated in framing the Duke.

“The Duke did eat the food containing the medicine, correct?”

Sharp eyes fell on Jane. Of course, seeing how the Duke had rapidly worsened, it was clear Jane had acted according to his orders.

But as the matter was serious, Bayern wanted to confirm once more to be certain.

“Yes. He ate about one-third as usual. Since his meal portions are always consistent, I added a bit m-more of the medicine than the set amount.”

“…”

“B-because of that, he seems to be unconscious now… Butler, this is okay, right?”

Jane was close to a state of panic. When Bayern had ordered Jane to do this, he explained that if she added the medicine, the Duke would suffer a lingering illness.

However, the Duke had immediately become critically ill after eating the food containing the medicine the butler had given. So it was natural for Jane to be so tense.

“Well, it’s because more medicine was added than the set amount. In any case, you’ve fulfilled your duty.”

“Then is this… really the end of my assigned task?”

Jane’s trembling voice was filled with anxiety. Seeing her like that, Bayern clicked his tongue.

“Yes. Your job will be done today. From now on, don’t let anyone near the Duke’s room.”

They said they would arrive from the imperial family today, so they should be here in a few hours. Now the finishing touches were up to Bayern.

“And.”

The butler opened the desk drawer.

A heavy metallic sound came from the pouch he placed on the desk.

It was different in size from the usual pouches he held out to Jane. Jane was someone who valued her own life above all else.

Receiving such a large sum of money would probably make her realize how tightly she needed to keep her mouth shut.

Bayern held out the pouch to Jane.

“You’ve worked hard all this time. This money should be enough for you to settle down and live elsewhere. When the imperial palace people arrive, leave the mansion immediately without anyone knowing.”

“…Thank you.”

Jane received the money, bowed deeply, and left the room.

– Thud!

As soon as the door closed, a terrible silence fell over the office. After staring at the door she had left through for a while, Bayern muttered.

“Of course, you’ll die before you can even spend that money.”

He had no intention of letting Jane live from the start. She was a cunning woman, so it was right to nip any potential danger in the bud.

“Hah.”

Bayern let out a long sigh and rose from his seat with a rather tense face. Then he headed towards the Duke’s room. To finish all of this with his own hands.

.

.

.

– Click.

Butler Bayern passed through the empty hallway and entered the bedroom where the Duke lay sleeping. Then he locked the door in case anyone might come in.

He approached with slow steps and looked down at the Duke.

The man lay with his eyes closed as if dead, breathing evenly. It had already been two days since the Duke had been confined to bed like this, barely clinging to life.

A maid was feeding him gruel and wiping his body, but.

Well, if this wasn’t a living corpse, what else could it be?

“So, Your Grace, you must also think it’s better to die, don’t you?”

Bayern leaned in close to the Duke. His skin, already pale from lack of sunlight, had turned as white as paper.

His dry, flaky skin and golden hair, almost like the imperial family’s emblem, had long lost their luster. He stroked the Duke with a gentle hand.

“I’ll send you to where Her Majesty the Empress is. You must miss your mother too. I hope you’ll grow up to be a great Emperor who inherits the throne there…”

Yes. He was merely trying to fulfill the Duke’s wishes.

Born of noble birth, but ultimately living such a miserable life.

Born as the one and only legitimate son of the former Emperor, but robbed of his position as Crown Prince for the sole reason of being sickly.

And when the former Emperor passed away, his cousin Ilaine inherited the throne as if he had been waiting for it.

He was saving such a pitiful man. The butler repeatedly told himself so. The butler who had now approached in front of the Duke picked up the pillow placed beside him.

“I didn’t want to use such a barbaric method.”

He had wanted to use methods that wouldn’t dirty his own hands if possible, like poison or an assassin.

But both would leave evidence of murder, so this method was the best option now.

‘This godforsaken place is finally coming to an end.’

And just as Bayern was about to cover the Duke’s face with the pillow after straddling his body.

Suddenly, the Duke’s eyes opened.

“My, it would have been better if you had gone without knowing.”

Though he had hoped for an easy passing, how unaware he was. As those blood-red eyes met his, Bayern’s lips twisted into a sardonic smile.

Just as he was about to press the pillow over the Duke’s face. A low, chilling voice reached the butler’s ears.

“…Bayern.”

“!!!”

Bayern, who had been moving leisurely, froze with the pillow raised.

“What are you doing?”

“Y-Your Grace. H-how can you sp-speak now…!”

Was he hearing things? Bayern’s face turned deathly pale, like someone who had heard something they shouldn’t have.

“How foolish.”

A laugh so low it chilled the heart played on the Duke’s lips.

‘This can’t be!’

Something had gone terribly wrong. An ominous feeling instantly gripped his entire body.

And before Bayern, frozen in the very pose of trying to kill the Duke, could react.

– Bang!

Startled by the thunderous sound of the door breaking, he turned his head.

“What on earth are you doing!”

At the door stood the priest, shouting with a pale face.

“Th-this is… this is…!”

Bayern’s body was now pitifully trembling.

He needed to spit out some kind of excuse, but caught red-handed, he was at a loss for words.

‘Why are they here so early?!’

Weren’t the priests and imperial people supposed to arrive in the territory three or four hours later according to schedule?

‘Don’t tell me.’

Only then did the butler realize he had fallen into a trap. Seeing the Duke looking at him with a twisted smile.

‘You bastard, you…!!’

He glared at Akkia with murderous eyes, gritting his teeth.

“Bayern.”

But he turned his head at the man’s voice that followed.

“What were you trying to do to His Grace just now?”

“M-Marquis Rodrigo. I…!”

The Marquis Rodrigo, the Emperor’s secretary, looked at him with cold eyes. Those eyes that looked at him as if he were useless.

Bayern knew that look in his half-brother’s eyes well.

It was the same look from when he would kill the mansion servants without hesitation when they made mistakes as children.

‘He’s going to abandon me.’

It would be fortunate if he just abandoned him. He might even kill him. That’s the kind of man his half-brother was.

Cold sweat seemed to trickle down his back.

Bayern, who was visibly shaking, quickly got up and knelt before Marquis Rodrigo.

Even though the one he should really be begging was someone else.

“Th-this is a misunderstanding! I was… I was just trying to turn His Grace over to prevent bedsores!”

“I see butlers climb onto beds to turn people over. With a pillow in hand, no less.”

“That’s…!”

At this point, Marquis Rodrigo, who had been silently listening to his nonsensical excuses, cut the butler’s words in half. He was firm, as if there was no value in listening any further.

“There are already many who saw you trying to assassinate His Grace. It would be better not to make any more excuses.”

“Marquis! I was just…!”

Bayern looked at the Marquis with pleading eyes, but the Marquis only stared back with cold eyes.

It was like an unspoken threat – if you want to live, don’t say a word.

“Alec, go check on His Grace’s condition.”

“Ah, yes…!”

The doctor, who had been watching this whole situation with a shocked expression, hurriedly approached the Duke. He was the doctor dispatched by the imperial family in place of Jacob, who had visited last time.

But before the doctor could even unpack his medical bag, the Duke raised himself up.

“Are you conscious, Your Grace?!”

At the sight of the Duke, the faces of everyone in that room were colored with shock.

“But he was said to be paralyzed…”

The priest, the doctor, and even the Emperor’s secretary.

The reason these people had come to the territory was to pronounce the Duke dead and strip him of his right to succeed the throne.

But now the Duke, who was said to be unconscious, was getting up from his seat so normally. Everyone present froze in place.

Except for Marquis Rodrigo alone.

The Marquis, who had been alternately looking at the trembling Bayern and the perfectly fine Duke, inwardly clicked his tongue.

‘I see… This was all the Duke’s scheme.’

Just as Marquis Rodrigo seemed to have finished assessing the situation and was about to approach the Duke. A clear voice rang out in the room.

“I’ll speak on behalf of His Grace.”

It was Leah, who had been out of sight for a while.