The Terminally-Ill Duke Clings to Me Every Night - Chapter 8
“Go ahead and do it, will you?”
He tilted his head and urged Leah to do what she had prepared.
“Your Grace, I think there’s been a misunderstanding…”
“Why? Isn’t this what you were planning to do?”
The duke’s hot breath tickled her cheek. Leah, trapped in the man’s arms, couldn’t move an inch.
Leah, who had been contemplating how to show the duke, let out a small sigh.
“Your Grace, could you at least close your eyes for a moment?”
“Why should I listen to you…”
But before Akkia could finish his response, Leah’s hand moved first. With each movement of her white fingers, pale skin contrasted against the black dress was revealed.
“You…!”
Does this woman have no sense of modesty? Or did she really have a different motive from the start?
Akkia’s face contorted as he exhaled sharply in disbelief.
And finally, when Leah put her hand inside her dress, Akkia grabbed her wrist, stopping her impulsive action.
Or rather, he tried to stop it. But then.
“This is what I wanted to show you.”
What entered his sight was.
“Gold coins?”
Leah pulled out gold coins from a pouch inside her dress.
“Yes. These are the gold coins given to me by the person who commissioned me to watch you, Your Grace.”
The glint of the gold coins, shining even in the dark room, filled the awkward silence between the two.
“I don’t know what you were expecting, Your Grace, but I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
Leah whispered softly with an awkward smile.
“…”
“…”
Silence fell between the two.
Akkia, who had been staring at Leah with an unreadable expression, stood up. As if nothing had happened.
“Is there a problem with those gold coins?”
At the duke’s question, Leah stood up and handed over the coins.
“As you can see, these are gold coins certified by the Parthian Guild. However, the person who gave these to me today was in contact with the Magnolia Guild. On a day off, no less. It’s certainly not related to the mansion.”
“And?”
The man raised an eyebrow as if to say, go on.
“I think the Magnolia Guild might be behind this.”
“…”
“Perhaps the seemingly rival Parthian and Magnolia Guilds are actually closely connected.”
The duke, who had been staring intently at Leah as she spoke confidently, let out a brief sigh.
Then, picking up a blanket that was nearby, the duke tossed it over Leah’s body.
“Why don’t you cover up for now? It’s unsightly.”
‘What? Unsightly?’
At the man’s words, Leah reflexively looked down at herself.
‘How is this unsightly?’
Her body was objectively and subjectively far from unsightly. Leah pouted as she wrapped herself in the blanket the duke had given her.
“Well, what you’ve told me today is… a plausible conjecture, I suppose. I’ll give you that.”
“Then, the down payment…”
“But it’s just a hunch. There’s no physical evidence, is there?”
“Pardon?”
He twisted one corner of his mouth.
“When you bring more convincing evidence, then. I’ll give you the down payment.”
‘Hah. It’s so damn hard to get money from him.’
As Leah was internally grinding her teeth at Akkia, he spoke again.
“Ah, and just in case you misunderstand, let me tell you this.”
Then he looked Leah up and down in her disheveled state.
“I’m not attracted to women.”
‘What?’
Leah’s eyes widened at the duke’s words. With that final statement, the duke walked away from the bed with haughty steps.
However, Leah froze, seemingly shocked by the man’s words.
‘Not attracted to women.’
Could that mean…
Looking at Akkia’s back as he turned away, Leah covered her mouth with her hand.
‘It’s not that he has a problem with sexual function, but that he likes men?!’
Or maybe both.
And so, Leah’s perception of the duke’s identity was changing day by day. Not realizing it was all a misunderstanding.
* * *
Recalling last night’s events, Leah furrowed her brow as if she had a headache. No matter how she thought about it, she still had a long way to go.
At this rate, forget about gaining the duke’s trust, she might never receive the remaining balance. Leah let out a low sigh.
“Huu.”
She didn’t want to go this far, but…
Leah stopped in front of the bedroom and briefly glanced down at the trolley she had brought. It was the duke’s lunch.
On her way to the duke’s bedroom, Leah had encountered the dedicated maid. When she offered to deliver it instead, the maid handed over the trolley as if she had been waiting for this.
Rumor had it that maids bringing meals were often turned away at the door.
‘Well, with that personality, it’s understandable.’
Nodding as if she understood, Leah knocked on the bedroom door.
“Your Grace, it’s Leah. I’m coming in.”
Leah opened the door to the bedroom, as if it were now a routine occurrence. Then she approached the sofa where the duke was sitting, pulling the trolley.
“What is this?”
The duke frowned when Leah appeared with a meal, obviously thinking she had come for a check-up.
“It’s your lunch, Your Grace.”
“Who asked about that? Why are you bringing it?”
“I brought it along with my check-up visit.”
Leah set up the meal on the table in front of the sofa where the duke was sitting. After briefly explaining the lunch menu, she took out another set of cutlery from the trolley.
“I’ll check it first.”
“What?”
She cut off the edge of the steak the duke was about to eat.
‘I never thought I’d end up being a food taster.’
Her plan was this:
Since the duke was unwilling to let anyone close, she thought she’d pretend to care for him by tasting his food, hoping to lower his guard.
Leah put the food in her mouth after confirming there was no discoloration on the silver cutlery. Then she turned over the hourglass that was with her.
“What are you doing?”
Akkia’s expression twisted subtly as he watched.
“Food tasting. I’m checking if there’s any poison in the food.”
“Why are you doing that?”
“Of course I should check. At the imperial court, they always taste the food before meals, don’t they?”
Leah smiled shamelessly, her eyes curving into crescents.
“Although you’ve received a duke’s title, you’re still the empire’s only prince.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t the safety of the person I serve the most important? There’s nothing wrong with the meal. You can eat now.”
Akkia burst into a laugh at Leah’s skillfully fabricated words. He found it ridiculous.
In this mansion, she was the first person to volunteer to taste his food. Duke Haidern, he was under the surveillance of the imperial family.
Not only the servants, but even a single grain of rice entering this mansion required the Emperor’s permission.
Surely she must have seen the hostile attitudes of the servants towards him while staying here.
‘She says she’ll taste the food?’
How amusing.
It was an obvious ploy to gain his trust.
‘Now that I look at her, she seems more like a con artist than an apothecary.’
Akkia had no intention of picking up his utensils even after she said the tasting was over. Instead, he sank deeper into the sofa.
“You seem fine?”
“Pardon?”
Leah froze where she stood at the sudden question.
“As you said, there was often poison in it. That’s why I don’t eat the food served in this house.”
Her eyes moved busily as if trying to grasp the meaning of his words. The sight was quite entertaining. After a few seconds of silence, Leah coughed as if she had choked.
“Kheek. Kek!”
Leah’s face turned pale as she looked at the duke, whose expression hadn’t changed at all.
‘Serves her right.’
The duke raised the corner of his mouth as if finding Leah’s predicament amusing.
.
.
.
The duke had said he had no intention of eating, and he truly didn’t touch even a spoonful. Had he really been under the threat of poisoning?
Leah finished her check-up and asked the duke:
“Is there anything else bothering you?”
“I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately.”
“You’ve always had severe insomnia, right? I’ll prescribe some medicine for you.”
The previous apothecary’s chart also noted that he suffered from extreme insomnia. As she was considering appropriate herbs, the duke spoke.
“Zizyphus jujuba would be good.”
“Zizyphus jujuba?”
“Yes. I used to drink it as tea whenever my insomnia was severe, but I’ve just run out.”
Zizyphus jujuba is the seed of the jujube tree. While it’s said to help with insomnia, it’s a folk remedy passed down in Eastern ancient texts.
“I’m not sure if it’ll be available at the town apothecary. I’ll go and ask.”
Unfortunately, the monthly market day had been just a few days ago. Even the evening primrose tea the duke was currently drinking was made from herbs bought on that day.
Moreover, Zizyphus jujuba is not common in this world. The duke’s mouth twisted at Leah’s uncertain response.
“Surely you’re not thinking of buying it?”
“Of course I was planning to purchase it. It’s not a common medicinal ingredient.”
“Right. Since it’s not common, it’s expensive.”
A crease appeared between Leah’s brows at the duke’s strange words. She had been increasingly irritated by that raised corner of his mouth.
She felt uneasy. This didn’t feel right.
“How does this ducal residence look to you?”
“It’s shabby… I mean, it has a certain charm, as if preserving the old.”
Leah had almost spoken honestly. This Haidern mansion was so old and dilapidated that it was hard to believe it was a ducal residence.
Akkia let out a snicker at Leah’s diplomacy, changing her words without a change in expression.
“Right. How could this household afford such expensive medicine? Go and gather it yourself.”
Leah’s wide lips trembled.
‘What kind of nonsensical sophistry is this? Then what about the large sum you said you’d give me before!’
Just because the ducal residence is in a sorry state doesn’t mean the duke himself is impoverished!
It was clear that the duke was deliberately giving her a troublesome task.
“Hahaha. You’re joking, right?”
Leah waved her hand, letting out an empty laugh. But seeing the duke’s endlessly curled lip, she realized the man was serious.
“Do I look free enough to joke with you?”
The low, deep voice resonated in Leah’s ears. The smile that had been on the duke’s lips just a moment ago had vanished.
“If you’re devoted enough to taste food without being asked, surely gathering a few berries won’t be difficult? I need to drink it tonight.”
Leah tightly gripped the hem of her skirt. She had to suppress the urge to throw the stethoscope or whatever else at him.
That man is a goose that lays golden eggs. She must endure until he lays the gold coins.
While Leah was seething inside, Akkia leisurely picked up his teacup.
After sipping his tea with an infinitely noble and elegant gesture, he put down the cup.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going?”
‘Elegantly insane bastard.’
Unable to say that out loud, Leah instead gritted her teeth and smiled.
*
Save yourself from story hunger — the novel below will blow your mind!
[su_service title=”My Husband Asks for a Divorce Every Day (Female-dominant)” icon=”icon: star-o” size=”16″][/su_service]
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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