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PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
LUCIA
C51 [part 2] - < — The Taran Duke’s Family Doctor — > (1)
< — The Taran Duke’s Family Doctor — > (1)
After Anna left, Philip sat on the sofa with his head low and hands clasped tightly together. The lights were off in the sitting room causing it to be dimly lit. In this lighting, the silhouette sitting like a doll in the dreary atmosphere was enough to frighten any who saw it.
“Kuhuhuhu…”
Philip’s body began to tremble and he burst out laughing like a madman.
“Kuhahaha!! It’s not the end! It’s not over yet!”
It was not the usual Philip that kept his emotions in check without losing his calm expression. His eyes were bloodshot and the veins on his forehead bulged. Like an evil spirit, his expression was distorted, full of madness and obsession.
He discovered a possibility for the obsession he’d half-way given up on, so he was overwhelmed with excitement.
After the former Duke met a tragic death and the new Duke succeeded him, Philip was one day kidnapped by a suspicious person. When he woke up after fainting, he found himself locked up in a prison. He was imprisoned for the whole day. And the person that showed up in front of him in the prison was Hugh, the one who had become the Taran Duke.
[Old man. I hear you know the way to make a child? Tell me. I combed through that cursed room but it wasn’t there.]
The Hugh Philip saw after he became the Duke had changed. Deep rooted disgust and hatred overflowed in his eyes. Philip came to realize that the cause for this was the room which Hugh referred to as ‘that cursed room’. It was the room that contained secrets of the Taran bloodline.
[You entered the secret room.]
[That’s right. It was really interesting, you know? The girl that the late Duchess had in her womb was supposed to carry my child in the future. It’s truly a shame. My future wife didn’t get to see the light of the day and was turned into a lump of flesh to be thrown away in her mother’s stomach. If I knew, I would have at least checked her face. I mean, since the Duchess’ stomach was practically bulging, there must have been some kind of shape.]
Unlike his words, the Duke’s expression looked nauseous like he couldn’t stand the mere thought.
[Indeed a huge secret and according at those scribbled documents, the Duchess must give birth to a son so she could never be an ordinary woman. But this time, was it because my mother died? Then, if one bore a daughter, one would not be able to able raise it publicly and can only hide it away.]
Philip did not give any response or acknowledgement. The late Duchess had indeed planned that as soon as her daughter was born, she would treat it like it were dead and raise it outside.
The Duke continued with his inference of Philip’s thoughts.
[And since that girl and I differ greatly in age, I don’t believe she would be left alone with me. That old fogey would have probably made me marry a woman that’ll give birth to the girl that would be my son’s bride in the future. But, if it goes this way, the woman that gives birth to my son, the woman with the oh so precious Taran blood, becomes a mistress. And her son becomes an illegitimate child. There’s no way such a flaw would be allowed. So, on a second thought, the wife that gives birth to my daughter will probably end up dead in time. Whether by sickness or by accident. And my step-sister that grew up well outside will come in as my second wife and give birth to my son. What do you think? Did I hit the nail on the head?]
[…]
[But what can one do? Since my step-sister is dead, my son won’t be born. Forever.]
Looking at the extremely delighted Duke, Philip did not reveal that the child of the late young master Hugo was conceived and growing up nicely. If the Duke knew now, he would kill both mother and son immediately.
[But a daughter can still be born as usual. You disgusting bastards will do anything to make me have a daughter without hesitation. Now tell me, Old man. How this monstrous family came to retain such a tenacious bloodline. I don’t plan on leaving anything carrying my filthy blood behind on this land.]
Philip could predict what the Duke would do if he told him the truth about the mugwort. Even if it sounded impossible, he would try to root out all the mugwort that existed in the world, and if he really needed a woman, to avoid future troubles, he would either embrace a prostitute once then get rid of her, or avoid embracing the same woman more than once. In this way, the possibility of the Taran bloodline continuing would disappear.
[If you want stay locked up and never see the sun again, keep your mouth shut.]
Philip would never divulge his family’s secrets and using the pretext that he couldn’t resist under the Duke’s threat, he spun a tale.
[The Taran male that will become the father of the child has to steadily administer his blood to the woman for over a year, then take her virginity.]
And the Duke believed those nonsensical words. From this, one could guess how much the Duke thought of the Taran blood as a sickening monster.
Since the Duke thought that pregnancy was impossible without himself voluntarily acting on it, he treated Philip like a completely non-existent person afterwards. Making the most of this indifferent approach, Philip did not stop trying to progress to his goal.
Those of Taran blood inherited madness in their blood from generation to generation. It caused one to urge for slaughter or increased one’s sex drive. In the Duke, the extent was severe and it got even worse after his brother’s death. By the second half of his late teens, it was to the extent that the Duke couldn’t sleep without slaughter or sleeping with a woman.
Philip bought a young orphan beggar and prepared her body by feeding her mugwort. He taught her sexual practices to match the Duke’s tastes and knowing that the Duke did not like maidens, he took measures using his family’s secret manual to prevent virgin blood from flowing out.
Just in time, war broke out, becoming an opportunity and Philip’s access to the Duke became much easier. He fed the prepared woman pain-killing drugs so she wouldn’t feel the pain of breakthrough (TN: pain from first sex) and sent her into the Duke’s quarters. The Duke, excited from the madness of slaughter, did not care who the woman let into his quarters was and united with her.
But Philip’s attempts always ended in failure. For pregnancy to happen, the Duke had to have a steady relationship with a woman but the Duke was quick to lose interest. The amount of unsuccessful women Philip had killed to silence numbered more than a dozen.
As the war came to a lull, the Duke began to gradually temper his recklessness and lack of self-restraint. It could be that by seeing his fill of blood through the war, his thirst was somewhat relieved or it could be due to the Duke entering his mid-twenties. His preference also changed to luxurious noble women so he only took women like those to bed.
No matter how resourceful Philip was, he couldn’t obtain aristocrats like he obtained orphans. If there was a daughter left behind by the late Duke, he would have looked after her to make sure she bore an offspring for young master Damian in the future but unfortunately, all females of the Taran blood were dead.
The discarded daughter who lived without Philip and the late Duke knowing gave birth to Damian and died, the girl being raised to be the future Duchess fell off her horse in an accident and died, the girl in the womb of the newly taken Duchess of the late Duke was killed along with her mother, by the hands of young master Hugo.
The birth of young master Damian was by Heaven’s aid. However, if young master Damian did not have a bride, the Taran bloodline would end. Without the Duke’s cooperation, the path to securing a bride was far-off.
But. Without him (Philip) putting any effort, someone that met all the needed conditions became the Duchess. To confirm this, he had lied to Anna that it needed special conditions.
It was perfect. It was definitely a miracle. The heavens were still watching over the existence of the Taran bloodline.
‘A beautiful bride will be born for you soon, Young Master Damian.’
In the darkness, a dark smile spread across his lips. Philip was already considering several variables, and various plans were being made in his head.
The long-cherished wish of his family passed down for generations. The persistent obsession that was asleep in his blood for a while was ignited once more.
_______________
LUCIA
C52 [part 1]
Chapter 52 [part 1]
< — The Taran Duke’s Family Doctor — > (2)
TN: Vision = secret manual.
It was now routine for Lucia to take the medicine Anna prepared for her every other day. The maid usually brought it one or two hours after she’d had dinner. Lucia habitually brought the bowl of medicine to her mouth but was surprised and reflexively took it away from her mouth.
“…Vanilla scent?”
She brought the bowl closer to her nose again and took in the smell. There was no doubt. It was scent of vanilla. It was the cure that she couldn’t find in her dream even after putting a lot of effort and time. The wandering doctor she’d miraculously met called it his family’s vision. It was not a medicine that could be found so easily. Lucia called the maid and asked for Anna to be brought to her.
“Anna, today’s medication is different from before.”
“Yes, it’s a new remedy.”
“Is it a method you found?”
“…Yes.”
If Anna replied that she’d received someone else’s advice, Lucia would’ve thought that Anna may’ve met the doctor from her dream. But she couldn’t believe that Anna found it.
“Anna, I’ve studied medicinal herbs for a while because I was interested in them.”
After saying so, Lucia went on to list three different herbs. These herbs all belonged to the side of medicinal herbs with strong composition so they were herbs that should be examined and carefully prescribed according to the constitution of the patient. For a doctor, this knowledge was close to common sense.
“Do you know what happens if you mix these three herbs together and eat it?”
Anna couldn’t grasp the intent behind this abrupt question but she answered truthfully based on her knowledge.
“Those medicinal herbs are herbs that should never be mixed together. Each is different in nature so when taken together, it will act as a poison.”
“Is that so? Then Anna, you brought this medicine to try and feed me poison.”
“What?”
Poison! Anna’s entire body grew rigid as she froze stone-cold. The petite woman in front of her suddenly seemed to change into an enormous steel wall. The Duchess wasn’t one to assert her authority or observe proper decorum with the people under her.
So, Anna had forgotten. She’d forgotten that the Duchess was a grand high-ranking noble that she would never be able to see in her lifetime if it wasn’t for her becoming the primary doctor.
‘Have I done something to offend the Duchess?’
A chill ran down her spine. The life of a doctor who was suspected for attempted poisoning was akin to the life of a candle flame before the wind. Whether it was true or not did not matter. The problem was such a suspicion being made in the first place.
“Did you know this medicine has a vanilla scent?” (Lucia)
“Yes, Milady.”
“Do you know why it has a vanilla scent?”
“…”
“If you mix the three herbs I mention earlier and boil it down, you get the scent of vanilla. You doesn’t seem to know this, Anna.”
“…What?”
“You said it’s a treatment method you found. How can you not know?”
After Lucia’s menstruation re-started because of the cure the wandering doctor gave her in her dream, she became interested in the cure itself. Whenever she went to buy medicinal herbs, she would remember the words telling her that certain herbs mixed together caused huge problems.
Philip’s lonesome expression as he tore the page from the note containing his family’s vision and gave it to her also kept coming to mind. In particular, she was curious about the medicine’s vanilla scent. So, out of curiosity, she began studying medicinal herbs.
Her studies did not measure up to that of a professional’s. She just learnt the type and efficacy of the medicinal herbs in the prescription Philip gave to her. She took the medicinal herbs on the prescription apart piece by piece and repeatedly tested mixtures. Through this, she found that the vanilla scent came from mixing the three herbs that were not commonly mixed together.
Anna’s complexion turned white. Anna did not know what kind of medicinal herbs went into the medicine. The medicine Philip handed over to her was in a finely ground state.
[At least once a month. It should be taken regularly till menstruation begins again. The method of dosage is simple.] (Philip speaking)
[I cannot have a patient take medicine that I don’t know what went into it. The prescription should be given along with the medicine.] (Anna)
[It is our family vision, I cannot reveal this.]
[Philip. I do not doubt your conscience or ability as a doctor. However, this is not an ordinary patient]
[Anna, if so I can personally explain to the patient.]
[That cannot be done. Sir Philip is prohibited from approaching the Madam.]
Anna had been very excited to learn there was a treatment method but while she waited for Philip to make the medicine, a forgotten matter rose to the forefront of her mind. In the past, the butler had said that even if they found cure, it had to be called Anna’s. Even a simple mention of Philip’s existence was not to be made in front of the madam.
[I will not ask what the circumstances are but I cannot let you meet Milady, Philip.]
[…I can stake my neck to assure you. If you are really worried, you can eat some it to test. It is a medicine that has no effect when a normal person takes it.]
[You said it has to be administered long term. A problem could occur when it’s taken long term.]
[Anna, do you think I will make a drug that will harm a patient?]
Anna’s trust for Philip, her conscience as a doctor and her desire for a cure were in fierce conflict inside her mind. She personally took the medicine for a week and watched over her body’s condition for anything odd. While doing this, she received a summon from the Duke.
The Taran Duke usually called Anna about once a week to ask her about how the Duchess’s treatment was going. And Anna’s answer was usually the same.
[I’m looking for a cure.]
The Duke wouldn’t question more and with an answer of ‘Got it’, the discussion was over.
However, this time when she was summoned by the Duke, while in possession of the cure, she felt pressured. She felt a sense of shame that she wasn’t doing her job properly even when she was being paid a huge sum of money to serve as a doctor.
And Anna’s trust in Philip had already occupy a huge spot in her heart so eventually, Anna brought the medicine to the Duchess.
‘This…I did something crazy.’
Only after Lucia questioned the drug’s components did Anna realize. A doctor prescribing an uncertain drug to their patient. Before considering the problem that this patient was the Duchess, it was a fatal error in one’s judgement as doctor.
“I have nothing to say. I am sorry, Milady. Truthfully, It is not my cure. I took the medicine for a week to verify it.”
Lucia sighed, feeling Anna’s anguish and efforts through her words.
“To have consulted about my condition, it must be someone you have great trust in. Who is it?”
“I’m sorry, Milady. I cannot say who it is.”
“Did the person that prescribed the medicine ask not to be revealed?”
When Lucia thought about it, the wandering doctor from her dream wasn’t one to covet credit.
“…”
Since Anna wasn’t allowed to speak of Philip’s existence, she couldn’t give an answer.
“I cannot take this medicine. I cannot trust it. Do you understand?” (Lucia)
“Yes, Milady. I committed a grave mistake.”
“I know you did it because you want to treat me. But do not lie next time.”
“Yes, Milady.”
Lucia was once of the notion that if Anna found a cure, she would not reject it. At the time she was angry with Hugo and her attitude was ‘I-don’t-care-whatever-happens. But when she realized why he didn’t want a child, her mind changed.
He was not ready to be a father at all. If a child was born, it would be a tragedy for everyone involved as well as the new-born child. Lucia did not want to have a child that Hugo did not want. She wanted to have a child that receive much love from his/her father.
Hugo grew up without knowing love from his parents and Lucia spent her childhood neglected by her father. They both experienced lack of normal families. Lucia thought that in order to complete themselves in what they lacked, they needed to perfectly understand each other.
‘Not giving birth to a child could be the happier side.’
There was regret. She was in love with him. She wanted to have a child for the man she loved. But now wasn’t the time.
When she thought back to her tiring life in her dream, it taught her about a lot of things. If not for the dream, she wouldn’t have such huge patience nor would she have been able to see the distant future.
___________________
LUCIA
C52 [part 2]
Chapter 52 [part 2]
< — The Taran Duke’s Family Doctor — > (2)
Following the Duchess’ will, Anna informed Philip that his medicine was rejected. As Philip listened to her story, he couldn’t conceal his surprise.
“So… she knows the herb mixture that gives the vanilla scent…?”
Philip muttered to himself repeatedly.
“Let me meet the Duchess. This is most definitely a cure.”
“You know that can’t happen. What ever did you do to be under surveillance?”
“It’s a personal matter and has nothing to do with medicine. Do you plan on giving up on the Madam’s treatment like this?”
Anna shook her head.
“For me, there’s no other way. Just as you say, Sir Philip could meet Milady and directly explain it to her but the meeting itself is impossible.” (Anna)
“Anna, I cannot give up on a patient in front of me.”
“…Then, I will ask His Grace the Duke when he returns.”
The Duke of Taran was currently not in Roam as he was inspecting the fief so Philip couldn’t miss out on this opportunity. Once the Duke came back, he would never be left alone with the Duchess.
The Duke did not know the secret behind the mugwort but if the Duchess got pregnant after receiving Philip’s prescription, the Duke would immediately see through Philip’s manipulations and tricks. And the Duke would do everything within his power to stop the child from being born.
Therefore, the Duke must not know that Philip was involved in the Duchess’ pregnancy. and to do so, Philip had to meet the Duchess. He was confident that once he met the Duchess, he could coax and persuade her.
“The will of the patient is priority. The most important thing is whether the patient wants a child. Do you think his Grace the Duke wants a child from the Madam when he already has a child born out-of-wedlock as his heir? Nobles are cold-hearted. They are different from ordinary people like us. Succession and affection towards one’s wife are thoroughly differentiated. The Madam must also want to child to look at in her old age. Don’t you think it’ll be a shame if the Madam is never able to embrace her own child?”
Philip calmly tried to persuade Anna. And Anna, whose heart leaned positively to Philip, was easily persuaded.
‘Their relationship might be good now but…’
In the first place, noble relationships were like this. Whether male or female, they kept separate lovers and enjoyed themselves even when they were married. The only thing left was the child.
Anna thought the same way as the servants who gossiped that the Duchess was thinning because she had to enter an illegitimate son into the register as soon as she married in.
“I’ll try and talk to Milady.”
To Anna, it was for the Madam’s sake.
***
“Milady, the doctor that I talked about the other has requested to meet you.”
“Is that so? That’s fine with me.”
“However, Milady. This doctor…actually, he’s the Duke’s doctor.”
“The Duke’s?”
“Yes. The butler called me some time ago and informed me so. I was told the Duke’s doctor was being watched and should not be allowed to meet Milady nor should his existence be mentioned to Milady. I was told it was an order from His Grace the Duke.”
Anna’s expression and tone were resolute. Lucia’s feelings of expectation towards seeing her benefactor began to subside.
“Then, you are committing a grave mistake right now. You are disobeying the order not to mention this to me.”
“I am aware and I will take responsibility. But Milady, the doctor said you can be definitely be cured. He wants to meet Milady and explain.”
“Responsibility? How will you take responsibility?”
“…I will resign from my position as doctor. I lack too much in many areas.”
“…”
Lucia studied Anna’s haggard expression. It was an expression that said the woman had a lot of worries on her mind.
“Anna, the matter of the medicine last time was so, and the matter this time, likewise. These things won’t happen if you kept to your duty.”
“I know I have acted out of line. I just want to treat Milady so Milady can have a lovely child.”
Lucia sighed. Anna wasn’t a bad person. On the contrary, it was rare to see someone with passion as pure as Anna’s. So Lucia liked Anna. However, she wasn’t one to be tactful with people.
“What is the name of the Duke’s doctor that wants to meet me?”
“…Sir. Philip.”
“Sir?”
“He is titled a baron.”
Could the wandering doctor Philip be the Duke’s doctor? For what reason would the titled doctor of a Duke wander around? The Philip she saw in her dream seemed used to the life of a wanderer. He wasn’t some traveler taking a short trip.
‘Could something have happened to the Duke of Taran at that time?’
In the later part of her life, Lucia lived enclosed from the world. She didn’t know what was going on in the world much less hear news about the high society. It was the most tranquil time of her life in the dream but Lucia suddenly felt angry with herself in the dream. It would have been nice if she lived paying a bit more interest to things around her.
‘Why didn’t he(Hugo) want me to learn of the doctor?’
At most, the man was simply a primary doctor. If Hugo hated the sight of him, he could simple expel the man and never see him again. Why was he going through the complicated process of planting eyes around the doctor?
“This doctor of the Duke, has he worked for the Duke for very long?” (Lucia)
“I hear he’s been the Duke’s doctor in the household for many years.”
Once Lucia heard the words ‘household for many years’, she recalled something Hugo said.
[I can’t tell you everything. These are things I don’t want to reveal even when I die.]
‘The secrets he wants to keep. This doctor…he knows them.’
It was just a feeling. However there was something she didn’t understand. If her guess was really true, the doctor would have already died in Hugo’s hands. The clues on her hands were too little to reach a further conjecture but one thing was certain.
He didn’t want her to meet the doctor. If she wanted to meet the doctor, the best chance would be now that Hugo was absent but her instincts were telling her not to meet the doctor without Hugo knowing.
“I won’t meet this doctor.” (Lucia)
Anna sighed ruefully.
“Anna, as a doctor and as someone of the Duke’s house, you have committed a great blunder. I can forgive the mistake you’ve made as a doctor however, I cannot do so for the mistake you’ve made disobeying the orders of His Grace the Duke. As for your resignation, I will accept it but not right now. We may be going up to the Capital soon so keep it with you until we go to the Capital.”
Lucia then called for Jerome.
“Jerome, today my doctor Anna told me that the Duke’s doctor wished to meet me. However, Jerome has previously cautioned me about this.”
For a moment, Jerome’s sharp gaze went to Anna solemnly standing at the side with her head lowered, then his gaze went back to his Madam.
“Yes, Milady. Master sent down the order.”
“If it is his order, then there is certainly a reason. I have no intention of meeting the Duke’s doctor. And as for this incident, I will personally inform him when he return.”
“Yes, Milady.”
“Anna wanted to offer her resignation but I refused. She will remain as my doctor until we go up to the capital. That is to say, there is no need to interrogate Anna additionally.”
“Yes, Milady.”
Jerome’s attitude was akin to a solemn knight kneeling before his King to receive a command. Jerome always respected the Madam’s wise decisions. There was nothing lacking in the one that reliably held up the House of Taran.
Jerome was really glad to be of service to two respectable masters.
______________________
LUCIA
C53 [part 1]
Chapter 53 [part 1]
< — The Taran Duke’s Family Doctor — > (3)
TN: Was going to do “a refresh in 5 minutes for real chapter” but maybe next time ?
“Welcome, Kate.”
Although Kate was visiting without any prior notice, Lucia greeted her with a light hug and welcomed her in happily. The friendship of the two was as before.
Despite the gap that existed between them as Duchess and daughter of a vassal, both of their personalities were able to destroy those barriers. With Lucia who didn’t assert her authority as Duchess and Kate who was straightforward and didn’t take advantage of her friendship with the Duchess, they simply treated each other as one person to another.
“Do you feel better now?” (Lucia)
“Yes. I have completely recovered so I came to see you.”
Kate had been stuck at home for nearly a month due to a cold fever.
“I wanted to go see you but…I’m sorry.”
Lucia was unable to go because Hugo completely refused to allow it. Even when she tried to explain that it was just a short visit so she wouldn’t catch a fever in that short amount of time, he acted like he wasn’t hearing anything. Rather, using the reason that there was a outbreak of cold fever, he prohibited outings altogether.
“What are you talking about? You did well not coming.”
Kate could only fear for future problems if she had mistakenly passed her sickness on to Lucia. She didn’t wish to incur the anger of the Duke.
On the other hand, Kate was itching to tell Lucia about the changes in northern atmosphere these days. Apart from having a tea party twice or thrice a month, the Duchess had no other official activity and had unknowingly became a big shot in the social circles.
However, although one was a leading figure, one wasn’t in the spotlight.
It was similar to how the Duke of Taran ruled over the north but reigned virtually unseen. Lucia met as many as fifteen people at a time and the small scale tea party alone limited the public’s understanding of her psychology. Her presence was sought at the center of the northern high society more than she could guess.
Kate saw that the northern circle were on the lookout for news on the Duchess and had clamored to her great aunt about informing Lucia but was told off for being too hasty.
Madam Michelle strictly told her that if the Duchess were to hear such words from others before being conscious of her position, it would be difficult for her gauge her surroundings properly.
“His Grace is inspecting the fief?” (Kate)
“Yes. It usually takes around four to five days so he should be back by tomorrow. How is Madam Michelle?”
“Same as usual. The nagging has increased. I’m tired of hearing I should at least resemble half of the Duchess.”
“You know she’s just saying that. One knows how beautiful and charming you are Kate.”
“I think Lucia is much more charming.”
“Thank you.”
Looking at Lucia’s smile as though thanking her for the lip service, Kate didn’t stress that she really thought so. Even if she did, it would just be laughed off as pleasantries.
Every time she saw Lucia, she always felt oddly charmed. Lucia was not a stunning beauty but the more one looked, the more one’s eyes got drawn to her. It wasn’t a luxurious appearance but she herself was like a scent that drew people in. Like filling an enclosed space with flowers, even after all the flowers are removed, the view remained, resonating in one’s memory.
“The weather has gotten warmer so I was thinking of going fox hunting. Let’s go together.” (Kate)
“Is it okay to do that when you’ve just recovered?”
“Sure, there’s no problem. Although, since you don’t have a fox, you can only watch.”
“The experience alone is enough for me.”
Tuuung…
The sound of a horn was heard.
“His Grace must have returned.”
Following those words, Kate began to stand up but was dissuaded by Lucia and sat down again.
“You’re a guest so it’s fine if you’re here. I’ll excuse myself for a bit.”
Lucia left and Kate was all alone in the receiving room so she relaxed comfortably into the sofa. She recalled watching Lucia’s face light up at the sound of the flute and a giggle escaped her mouth. It was a cute sight.
Did she like her husband that much? While talking to Lucia, Kate often saw her become like a shy maiden when it came to her husband. The rumor that the ducal couple had a pretty good marital relationship was very widespread but people were in doubt as they hadn’t seen it personally.
People who saw the Duchess tilted their head and carefully said that the Duchess was not that beautiful for the Duke to fall hard. However, Kate didn’t think one could understand Lucia’s charm after just sitting with her for tea one or two times. Kate could fully understand how the Duke fell for Lucia’s charm.
Around when the tea in her cup got lukewarm, the door opened. Kate turned to look and her eyes widened. A largely built, dark-haired man strode into the room, holding the Duchess by the hand and pulling her in. As soon as the Duchess stepped in, he leaned her onto the closed door and began to kiss her.
‘Wow…’
Unable to even think of turning away from the unexpected situation, Kate stared blankly at the display of affection in front of her. The Duke was conferred his title before Kate made her social debut and during the war, Kate had no chance to see the Duke’s face. After the Duke married and returned to the North some time ago, he had never attended a social gathering, so Kate had never seen the Duke personally.
However, the black-haired man holding and kissing the Duchess could only be the Duke.
‘The ducal couple’s relationship is pretty good?’
The rumor was wrong.
‘I don’t think this counts as just pretty good.’
Kate’s face gradually reddened. It wasn’t a short and refreshing kiss to share the joy of reunion. It was a kiss filled with hot passion and explicit desire to fling off one’s clothes and entangle one’s body with another.
The sofa Kate sat on faced the entrance in a slightly diagonal direction so she could see the face of Lucia leaning on the door. When her eyes widened, her gaze met Lucia’s and as she watched Lucia’s face go bright red, her face flushed red too. In spite of herself, a small laugh escaped her lips and she turned away.
Lucia had forgotten about Kate for a moment and after meeting Kate’s gaze, she could only feel intense embarrassment She knocked on Hugo’s chest as hard as she could and Hugo feeling the fierce rebellion withdrew his tongue from her mouth. He sucked her lips, kissed the side of her mouth then moved away.
“What?” (Hugo)
“Guest…A guest…”
Her amber eyes were filled with embarrassment. Looking at her wet lashes that made it seem like she would tear up, Hugo really wanted to have her on the spot.
‘Can’t we just do it here? I can’t endure till evening.’
He wasn’t able to have her for a few days and his body was going crazy with want. She liked cleanliness so it was rare for her to allow him to have her without washing up and preparing first. She also disliked any location other than the bedroom.
Any attempt to send all the servants away and try it in the hallway or garden was met with rejection. Even when he was working in the office, he didn’t know how many times he’d suppressed to urge to carry her to his table and have his way with her. He certainly wanted to do it someday.
“A guest?”
Hugo repeated after her and turned his head sideways to find a woman sitting on the sofa with her head lowered. But there was no change in his expression. His hand holding Lucia’s waist and hugging her remained as it was.
“Lady Milton…” (Lucia)
“Ah.”
The famous one.
Hugo walked towards the sofa, his hand still on Lucia’s waist and Kate quickly stood up to give a deep bow.
“Greetings to Your Grace the Duke. I am Kate, daughter of Count Milton.”
“Pleased to meet you, Lady Milton. I seem to have interrupted your refreshments.”
He gave Lucia a light kiss.
“Have a nice time.”
He let go of the waist he’d been holding and left the receiving room. He was like a storm that blew in and disappeared as fast as it came. What was left was up to the people inside.
Lucia couldn’t be as shameless as Hugo and act like nothing had happened. She couldn’t hide her embarrassment and stayed silent sipping the cold tea. Like that, the two of them sat there, not saying anything for a while.
“You…you were talking about hunting. When is this?” (Lucia)
“In…five days. I hope you can come.”
Their conversation continued clumsily and somewhat out of place
__________________
LUCIA
C53 [part 2] - < — The Taran Duke’s Family Doctor — > (3)
Chapter 53 [part 2]
< — The Taran Duke’s Family Doctor — > (3)
As soon as Jerome heard the meeting was dismissed, he went into the conference room. Hugo sat at the head of the table, looking through documents.
To those new to this, it was a tense atmosphere but to those who busying around their day, it was as always. They all knew that the Duke had the habit of looking through the content of the meetings for around 30 minutes after it was over.
“Your Grace.” (Jerome)
“Mm.”
Hugo responded with a lift of the hand, signaling that he didn’t want tea.
“Fabian is here.”
“Tell him to come here.”
A while later, Fabian came in and turned in his report. Hugo glanced at Fabian and acknowledged him with a nod then took the report. As he was looking through it, he frowned. Why was the Countess of Falcon suddenly approaching his wife’s acquaintance, the novelist?
“…What the hell is this?”
Fabian tensed up at the Duke’s fierce reaction.
“It hasn’t been just once or twice since you’ve come in, yet you only bring this now?”
Fabian swallowed hard. If he didn’t bring it now, he’d really be in big trouble.
“I apologize. It was a lapse in judgement.”
Knowing the nature of his lord, Fabian readily admitted his fault. Several times, he’d witnessed the scene of other people making numerous excuses and having something fly at their head.
Hugo continued reading the report and his expression grew more and more vicious. The additional report included that the Countess of Falcon had done a background check on Princess Vivian.
Due to lack of time, it was still under investigation as to how the Countess of Falcon tracked down the relationship between the female novelist and Princess Vivian.
“A background check?”
Hearing the Duke’s tone laced with threat, Fabian broke out in cold sweat.
“Who is in charge of investments? Send him in.”
A while later, Ashin came in. Ashin wasn’t the person in charge to be exact but he was in a position to understand the flow of investments and bookkeeping so he came in on behalf of the person who was absent today.
“Have we invested in any high market or business owned by Count Falcon?”
Hugo remembered asking the person in charge to review a business plan passed to him by the Countess of Falcon. If the plan was judged to be profitable, the person in charge was responsible for deciding whether to invest. Normally, Hugo left matters concerning investments to the manager and unless there was a loss reported, he didn’t get involved.
Ashin quickly combed through the documents he brought in and found the related document.
“Withdraw all investments. Immediately.” (Hugo)
“Do you mean…right away? At least a month’s notice in advance…” (Ashin)
“Right. Now.”
Hugo cracked his knuckles in emphasis and Ashin straightened up.
“Yes, sir. I’ll deal with it right away.”
After Ashin left the room with careful steps, Hugo commanded the nervous Fabian.
“Send down this warning. If such nonsense is ever repeated, it’ll be one’s head next time.”
Withdrawing investments and even sending a threat. For the first time, Fabian found the Countess of Falcon slightly pitiful. The Taran Family invested on quite the huge scale so to suddenly lose such a large amount of money, Count Falcon’s businesses would be shaken.
Still, to a woman he once shared intimacy with, it was truly ruthless. The Duke of Taran wasn’t one to pursue an investment turnover unless a loss had been suffered so it was Fabian’s first time seeing the Duke withdraw an investment for emotional reasons.
‘Should I ingratiate myself to the Duchess a little?’
Fabian revised his thoughts that the Duke was just having fun and fascinated with being a newlywed. This wasn’t just fascination, it was more like his lord had fallen for his wife.
***
After dinner, Lucia asked Hugo to give her some of his time. They went to the receiving room and sat facing each other.
“When you were absent, I was told the Duke’s doctor wanted to meet me.” (Lucia)
Hugo’s expression instantly froze over. He had definitely ordered that she was not to learn of the old man’s very existence. This was the first time Jerome hadn’t fulfilled his orders.
Feeling his master’s gaze on him, Jerome lowered his head with a stiff expression.
“Don’t be angry with him. My doctor is the one who disobeyed your orders. It seems my doctor met your doctor while looking for a cure all over and asked him for advice. I hear you called my doctor once a week to ask about the treatment so I think the pressure on her should have been considerable.”
Lucia hadn’t known he’d been calling Anna to ask about the treatment. She thought he had already forgotten about it and the fact that he’d been constantly asking about it made her feel thankful. But she could also understand how much of a mental burden it could have placed on Anna.
“Anna, my doctor, will be resigning. I hope you don’t punish her additionally.”
Lucia thought highly of Anna’s efforts. The woman went beyond her role as a primary doctor and did her best to treat Lucia. She did all the work Lucia had done in the dream. She found Philip whom Lucia had miraculously met in the dream.
She met the Duke’s doctor and after constantly interacting with him, she grasped his personality and medical skills before asking for advice, and then when she received the medicine, she personally tried it on herself. Hence, the cure was found as a result of Anna’s efforts.
However, Anna was rash. It was fortunate that Lucia knew what medicine it was or else she would have taken a drug with unknown ingredients. It didn’t matter whether the drug was the real cure or not.
Anna seemed unaware of how much of a mistake she’d made. If Jerome knew about this, he would definitely tell her husband and once her husband knew, Anna’s life was forfeit.
Anna’s arbitrary decision happened because of her heartfelt care so Lucia didn’t want the woman to be charged of a crime to that extent and decided to keep the matter between herself and Anna alone.
“Alright.” (Hugo)
“My doctor seemed confident that your doctor knows the cure.” (Lucia)
“…I see.”
Hugo acknowledged that the old man had remarkable medical skill. If it was the old man, it wasn’t strange that he knew the cure.
“Could that fellow have used your doctor to try and meet you?” (Hugo)
Putting Philip’s medical skill aside, Hugo couldn’t believe the man himself.
“No. My doctor said she actively arranged for it. I was told your doctor didn’t want to reveal himself until the end.”
Anna put on the blame on herself as much as possible and covered for Philip. She didn’t want to implicate Philip who was already under surveillance and to Anna, Philip was a teacher close to her heart and a genuinely true person.
“Jerome.”
Hugo made an eye gesture, signaling for Jerome to leave and Jerome bowed his head in response and exited the room.
“There is a reason I took action to prevent you from meeting my doctor.”
The old man couldn’t do anything to her nor was there any reason for him to harm her. What the old man obsessively desired from Hugo was a daughter, that is, a bride for Damian and she couldn’t have a child of Taran blood.
Hugo was simply worried about what kind of nonsense the old man might say to her so he kept her away.
“Ah, yes. You wouldn’t do it for no reason.” (Lucia)
“If you want to meet him, it’s okay if you do so while I’m there.”
If the three of them met him together, the old man wouldn’t be able to say stupid things. Hugo didn’t want to see the old man again but if the man knew the cure, it couldn’t be helped.
Translator’s Corner:
*Just in case: I didn’t mistranslate Countess of Falcon to Count of Falcon. The business is indeed owned by the late(?) Count Falcon or I guess you could say it’s under his name.
*Lol at Fabian.
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