chapter 03

Chubby cheeks and a large mole on his face.

When I first heard the name Prug, I wasn’t entirely sure—but the moment I saw his face, the description from the novel came back to me, and I became certain.

Prug Rempel.

An early antagonist in the original story, he had been secretly embezzling the already meager wealth of the family, even going so far as to touch the inheritance left behind by the male lead’s father.

When the male lead later discovered the truth and tried to kill him, Prug quickly caught on and fled.

In the original story, the male lead waits for a chance to kill the traitorous Prug—and eventually does so early on.

“So, if we just have money, we can call a doctor, right?”

“Of course. I truly care about the young master as well—if we had the money, I would call one immediately.”

“Really? Okay.”

I left the office with Bella.

“Madam… what—what should we do now?” she asked, nearly in tears.

“What do you mean what? We go get money.”

“Pardon?”

Bella stared at me, stunned.

“First, go check on the Duke’s condition.”

“Madam? Madam!”

Ignoring her calls, I walked off confidently, recalling what I had read in the book.

Prug’s room was at the very end of the second floor.

Unlike my own room, his had a lock on it.

Others might not think much of it—but I knew exactly why he kept it locked.

Because he had been hiding all the money he embezzled in there!

Just like in the novel, when I lifted a nearby flowerpot, I found a shining key underneath.

Prug’s room key.

Careless as he was, after nearly losing it several times, he had started keeping it in a place only he knew.

“Hiding keys under flowerpots really is universal, huh?”

I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The room was a mess—cluttered with random items, and books piled high across the bed and floor.

“Ugh… what is that smell?”

I covered my nose and frowned, carefully stepping through the room so as not to disturb anything.

“How am I supposed to find it here…?”

In the novel, the male lead found the hidden compartment instantly—but it never explained how.

I tapped the wooden floor lightly with my heel.

Knock, knock.

I pressed against the walls, tapped them, even tugged at the coat rack—but nothing budged.

“What is it…?”

If it had been found so easily, it couldn’t be that complicated. Yet I had no clue.

“This is bad…”

Panic began to creep in.

If I couldn’t find the hidden money, there was nowhere else I could get funds immediately.

Sure, there were other options—but nothing that would help right now.

If I couldn’t call a doctor by tomorrow, who knew what would happen to the male lead?

“Ughhh!”

As I raked my hands through my hair in frustration, something caught my eye.

Dust on the floor.

Strangely, one area had noticeably less dust—like something had been sitting there.

My gaze shifted to the carpet.

If I moved it, the dust pattern would probably match exactly.

A spark lit up in my mind.

I aligned the carpet with the dust pattern and lifted the wooden plank beneath it.

There it was—a small wooden box hidden in a hollow space under the floor.

When I opened it, I found a pile of jewels.

“Wow…”

Money for firewood, medicine, servants’ clothing—and even the male lead’s inheritance.

He really siphoned off everything meticulously.

“How much did he even steal to gather this much…?”

Along with relief, a bitter feeling crept in.

The jewels didn’t look extraordinarily valuable.

Right now, they felt like a huge sum because the ducal household was so poor—but in truth, this wouldn’t even cover the cost of a single dress the male lead would later gift the female lead.

For other nobles, this was the kind of money they would spend in a single night of entertainment.

Yet for the Duke Valfruga, this was everything he could leave behind for his heir.

There was also a ring engraved with the Valfruga ducal seal.

A ring passed down through generations.

According to the novel, Prug had taken it after acquiring the belongings of the duke who died in an accident.

The male lead had believed it was lost in the accident—but later discovered it while investigating Prug’s embezzlement.

At that moment, his rage had been immense.

“Well… he brought it on himself.”

After a brief hesitation, I took only a single emerald—the smallest and least noticeable one—and shut the box.

For now, just enough to call a doctor. I’ll come back later.

There was nowhere safe to hide the rest anyway—and I was in a weak position.

Right now, I was just a newly married orphaned commoner.

Even if I accused Prug of embezzlement, it would sound like slander.

If the male lead said it, everyone would believe him—but not me.

I’ll deal with this later, once I get closer to him.

I put everything back as it was, replaced the carpet, returned the key, and headed back to the male lead’s room.

Bella, who had been tending to him, greeted me.

“Madam! Where did you go?”

“Just… a short walk. How is he?”

“His fever won’t go down at all… what should we do…?”

The child still hadn’t opened his eyes, breathing unevenly.

Bella genuinely looked worried.

At least she seemed trustworthy.

“Bella. Go get a doctor.”

“But Madam, the money…”

I handed her the jewel.

Her eyes widened in shock.

“I found it while walking around the estate. I don’t know how much it’s worth, but it should be enough.”

“You found this while walking?!”

Her disbelief was almost amusing.

“If she saw the rest, she’d faint,” I thought.

“Exchange it for money, call a doctor, and if there’s any left, bring it back to me. If anyone asks, say it’s my dowry.”

“Y-Yes!”

Truthfully, I was a little worried.

Bella could run away just like that maid who fled overnight.

But I needed someone to help me moving forward.

And I still had more jewels—so this was also a test.

“Hurry! How long are you going to let the Duke stay sick?!”

Clutching the jewel tightly, Bella ran out.

She even tripped once, judging by the loud noise—but quickly got back up and kept running.

I sat beside the bed, clasping my hands like in prayer.

“Just hang in there a little longer. The doctor will be here soon.”

Not long after, Bella returned with a doctor in a white coat.

He was so out of breath that he couldn’t even speak properly at first.

“Doctor! Please! Quickly!”

Bella urged him frantically.

He hurriedly opened his bag and examined the boy.

His serious expression made my heart sink.

What’s with that face…?

Is it really bad?

He checked the boy’s eyes, listened to his heartbeat, examined his body.

The more he checked, the more anxious I became.

He survives in the novel… doesn’t he?

So what’s going on?

Finally, after checking his ears, the doctor spoke.

“Fortunately, it’s not severe. It’s a common fever for children his age.”

“Thank goodness…”

I let out a sigh of relief.

“No lasting effects, right?”

“None. He’s been malnourished lately, which weakened his body. With proper meals and medicine, his fever will go down quickly.”

After seeing the doctor off, I sat beside the child, completely exhausted.

A duke… suffering from malnutrition.

Does that even make sense?

Looking at his thin cheeks, my chest ached.

I had Bella buy meat with the remaining money.

After taking the medicine, his fever dropped quickly.

I stayed by his side all night—and eventually fell asleep.

Then—

Rustle.

“…Mm…”

The child stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

Our gazes met.

His red eyes sparkled like stars, flickering like flames.

A beautiful, mysterious color I had never seen before.

“See? I knew they’d be pretty.”

As expected of the male lead.

“Hello, husband,” I said with a smile.

He looked at me cautiously.

“I’m your wife—the one you were married to. Pelia Foldvish. You can just call me noona.”

He tilted his head slightly.

So cute.

“What’s your name?”

“…Lucius Valfruga.”

“Can I call you Lus?”

After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded.

His wary expression made him look like a wounded little animal.

“Lus, how do you feel? Are you still sick?”

“…I’m okay now.”

“You can speak casually. You’re the Duke now.”

He flinched at my words.

Does he not like that?

“Before that, you’re my husband. So we’re like… friends. Close friends! And friends speak casually, right?”

…Though you can keep speaking formally if you want.

“…Okay.”

“I’ll tell Bella to bring you food. The doctor said you need to eat well to recover.”

“You called a doctor? That must’ve cost a lot…”

His face turned pale.

A sick child worrying about money before himself—it was heartbreaking.

“It’s okay,” I said gently. “Your health matters more.”

“But—”

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of everything.”

I’ve read the original, after all. I’ll make sure you eat meat with every meal.

“So don’t worry about anything. Just eat well and grow up healthy.”

…and please don’t kill me later.

I really don’t want to die.