I Stole The Duke - Chapter 96

As soon as Olive returned to the Tower Master’s office, he began frantically pressing the magical summon bell.

“You called for me, Master?”

‘What excuse is he looking for this time?’

The staff mage’s gaze dropped to the mountain of untouched paperwork on the desk. He had long been frustrated with the new Tower Master, who seemed more interested in escaping the Tower than running it. The mounting backlog was generating complaints from across the Tower—but all of them were directed at the staff, not the all-powerful Master.

“Bring me every document related to House Ascher.”

“Only current contracts, or…?”

“Everything. Ongoing, proposed, or pending.”

“Yes, understood.”

Before long, a pile of documents relating to House Ascher was neatly stacked on Olive’s desk.

“Hm…”

Olive began reading through the documents one by one, his expression serious and focused.

‘Oh… is the Master finally acting like a real Tower Master?!’

The staff mage quietly withdrew, delighted by the sight. Until now, the young-looking Master had seemed immature, but perhaps he was finally settling into his role.

Rustle.

Olive didn’t leave his seat once that day. He read through the documents deep into the night.

‘So… 17% of the Tower’s total revenue comes from House Ascher?’

Just as the Emperor had hinted, the Tower’s relationship with House Ascher was indeed significant. For a single noble house to have such a share—it couldn’t be ignored.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Olive crossed one leg over the other and began tapping his foot lazily.

‘Shall we squeeze our dear VIP customer a little?’

In a battle where both sides stand to bleed, the one who’s more desperate is bound to lose. And if it came to that, House Ascher would be the one to take the fatal blow.

‘They’ll either cough up more gold… or reveal whatever secrets they’re hiding.’

Just imagining the proud Duke Ascher’s face twisting in frustration made Olive smile. It was enough to satisfy his hunger.

“You summoned me, Master? Ah—did you stay up all night?”

The staff mage, summoned again early in the morning, rubbed his eyes—then widened them in shock.

“Send word to every mage in the Tower. I want all research papers on current projects and any research halted due to lack of funds.”

“…I’m sorry?”

“I’ll review them personally. If I find them sound, I’ll allocate supplemental funding.”

“Y-yes, of course, understood!”

A spark lit up in the staff mage’s eyes. The Tower, once slow and stagnant, was about to be brought back to life.

‘Let’s see how long our beloved patron can keep up.’

Olive had made up his mind to become a real Tower Master—with House Ascher footing the bill.

After a month full of ups and downs, the long and noisy trip to Wespa had come to an end.

Clip-clop. Clip-clop.

As the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoed outside, Eliana leaned her head against Michalis’s shoulder.

“Sigh…”

She took a deep breath, and the familiar scent of the sea filled her lungs.

“Feels that good, does it?”

Seeing Eliana glowing with joy, Michalis found himself smiling as well.

“Yes… because this is home.”

The white walls of the castle perched on the cliff grew closer with every minute. What had once felt stifling now looked warm and welcoming.

“Our home, huh?”

Michalis’s lips curled upward. Just hearing those words made him feel light.

‘Now all that’s left is to live a peaceful life with my husband.’

Wrapped in that sense of security, Eliana’s eyes slowly fluttered shut. With the threat of time magic now gone, there were no more dangers left to fear.

Ba-ba-da-dum!

Her eyes snapped open.

Ba-ba-da-dum! Ba-ba-bum!

As the carriage passed through the outer gates, the sound of brass instruments boomed like thunder.

“Huh? What’s that music?”

Eliana peeked curiously out the carriage window—

‘Oh my goodness. What on earth…?!’

Her jaw dropped in disbelief.

Ba-ba-da-dum! Ba-ba-da-dum! Ba-ba-bum!

The military band had assembled in full force—with trumpets, trombones, clarinets, and drums of all sizes—standing in perfect formation and playing a rousing march.

“Welcome home, Your Grace and My Lady!”

And that wasn’t all.

Chak! Chak! Chak!

Starting with the Blue Knights, all 110 knights not involved in the recent mission drew their swords in unison, raising them high into the air.

“Congratulations on your victory in the territory war!”

Their booming voices shook the castle walls.

“We should step out for a moment.”

“…Yes.”

If the retainers had prepared this kind of reception, it was only proper to show their faces.

Da-da-da-dan! Da-da-da-dan!

As Michalis stepped out of the carriage first, the rousing march shifted seamlessly into a ceremonial fanfare.

‘Oh no…’

Eliana’s face burned red as Michalis offered his hand and helped her down.

“What is all this…?”

Even Michalis hadn’t expected this level of welcome.

Chak. Chak. Chak.

With perfect timing, the knights sheathed their swords and shouted their final salute.

“Honor!”

From atop the walls, the soldiers on watch also stood to attention and saluted as one.

“Honor!”

Michalis raised his hand in a brief salute as the knights returned the gesture.

‘This relentless pressure… how am I supposed to get used to this?’

Eliana hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should salute as well. But when Michalis lowered his hand, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Sir Alejandro, what is all this?”

“It is an honor to hold even a modest version of the victory procession for Your Grace’s triumph in the territorial war.”

The Ascher family had acquired everything from the vast farmland and forests to the mana stone mines once owned by the Espensen family. A week-long celebration wouldn’t have been too much.

“……”

‘Wait… this is modest?’

If she was going to live as the Duchess, Eliana figured she’d better start getting used to this kind of overwhelming display.

Ba-ba-da-dum! Ba-ba-da-dum, ba-ba-bum!

The carriage carrying the Duke and Duchess began to move again. The military band followed, playing a marching tune all the way to the inner castle.

Three days later, back in Flencia…

“Ugh…”

Finally, she arrived. The one who made you feel oddly neglected in her absence, yet always unwelcome when she showed up.

Eliana lay curled in bed, clutching her lower abdomen. Her stomach and back throbbed dully with pain.

‘Why doesn’t magic work on this?’

No healing spell helped. Magic could paralyze limbs or freeze a person solid—but it had no effect on menstrual cramps.

Knock, knock, knock.

“My lady, I’ve brought the physician!”

Amy had rushed off in a panic and returned with the ducal family’s doctor.

“I heard the news, my lady!”

Dr. Tyneno looked positively delighted.

By Eliana’s memory, it had been five months since her last period. The pain was excruciating, but in a way, this was a hopeful sign—her health had returned to normal.

“Can I get a painkiller?”

“What symptoms are you experiencing?”

“My head feels foggy, I’m nauseous, my lower back feels like a stone is pressing on it, and my pelvis feels like it’s being wrung out.”

In short: It feels like death.

“Let me check your temperature… Hmm, good news—no fever. I’ll have the medicine sent up right away.”

“I’ll wait.”

About three hours later…

“Riana, I brought the medicine. Are you still in pain?”

“Ah… yes, a little.”

To her surprise, it was Michalis himself who entered, carrying a tray. Eliana forced her aching body upright and leaned against the headboard.

“Aren’t you incredibly busy?”

Even after their wedding night, she’d barely seen Michalis outside of dinner. Land transfer documents and supply orders had been pouring in non-stop.

“I can spare a moment.”

He sat on the bed and held out a mug.

“Wait a second, Michal! This—this is the painkiller?!”

She nearly cursed.

She had thought the mug contained water and that the clear glass bottle was for pills. But inside the bottle were dark black pills—and this mug was filled with something green and herbal-smelling.

“Despite appearances, it should work well. Still… can you not drink it?”

“No, it’s fine.”

‘Oh no…’

The painkiller he brought wasn’t a pill—it was a murky green herbal tonic that smelled like freshly scooped pond water. She suddenly felt betrayed by the name she once trusted: Dr. Tyneno.

“Thank you, Michal.”

Seeing that he brought it himself, Eliana clenched her eyes shut and prepared to drink it.

“Ugh…”

It tasted like fresh algae from a still pond. A straight-up green sludge latte.

‘Well… it won’t kill me, right? Just think of it as a health drink.’

Eliana knew instinctively: this would only get worse if she didn’t down it in one go.

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.

“……”

Michalis’s eyes widened as he watched her finish it all. His petite little wife could be shockingly brave sometimes.

“I finished it.”

“Here—have a candy.”

He popped a candy into her mouth.

“…What are the pills in the bottle?”

Eliana eyed the glass bottle still sitting on the tray as she rolled the candy on her tongue.

“They’re contraceptives.”

“Oh…”

“I thought it would be best to wait until you’ve fully recovered before trying for an heir.”

That was why he had made time to personally bring the medicine.

“Of course, it’s not an obligation. If you ever feel ready, you can stop taking it.”

This was the kind of conversation best had between husband and wife, not through a doctor.

“Take one each day starting today. And if you need more, tell Dr. Tyneno. He’ll prepare another batch.”

“Thank you… Michal. Really, thank you.”

Eliana’s eyes grew red as she held back tears. As head of a noble house, he must want a successor—but his consideration moved her deeply.

“There’s still plenty of time, so don’t feel pressured.”

Michalis gently brushed her hair back as he leaned closer.

‘Ah… with this mood… the smell of that drink’s gone by now, right?’

It was definitely a candy-kiss kind of moment. Eliana closed her eyes and slightly puckered her lips.

“Ahem.”

Michalis swallowed hard and cupped her chin.

Knock, knock, knock.

Of course—just then, a knock echoed through the room.

‘Should I kill them?’

‘What now?!’

Their foreheads twitched in perfect sync.

“Looks like… someone’s here to see me.”

And just like that, their first quiet moment in ages was shattered into pieces.

Support