The Immortal Duke’s Physician Is an Internist - Chapter 64

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“When did Crestor Monastery become a forbidden area for men? When I was there, anyone could come and go as they pleased.”
“Your Grace. Your sense of time has grown dull, so you may not realize it, but three hundred years have passed since the war ended. Mountains and rivers change in ten years—did you truly expect Crestor Monastery to remain unchanged?”
After the war ended, monasteries across the land transformed in their own ways.
Crestor Monastery, among them, had made the deliberate choice to gather only women who had sworn to dedicate their bodies and souls to Yufri, the Creator of this world, and to raise them as priestesses.
To dedicate one’s body and soul meant, in essence, to forgo marriage. And so Crestor Monastery had naturally become a forbidden area for men.
And as for our heroine…
‘An unwilling pregnancy of the heroine’s mother. Fleeing pursuit, she enters Crestor Monastery and gives birth there. The heroine, born and raised in that place, naturally walks the path of a priestess… until one day she sneaks out to attend a village festival and encounters the hero. Something along those lines, I believe.’
In this world where I have thus twisted and warped the Original Work, I cannot begin to predict exactly how the heroine will come to meet the Duke…
But either way, I had to go there myself.
“It would be no trouble for you to accompany me as far as Kyev in the east, where Crestor Monastery lies, but after that you’ll simply have to return. Rather than put you to such effort, I think it might be better if I went alone…”
“As it happens, we’ve just received word that the Variev Trading Company in Kyev—with whom we do business—has procured some fine gemstones. They’ve asked me to examine the items in person and negotiate the price, so I’ve decided to go.”
In other words, the Duke was suggesting they travel together because he happened to have business in Kyev.
‘So he’s coincidentally going on a business trip? I’m grateful, of course, but…’
Was it narcissism to feel like everything was revolving around me?
In any case, I had no further grounds to refuse, so I bowed my head slightly.
“Very well. I’m in your debt.”
* * *
“My lady! Thank you so much for taking me along. I promise to attend to your comfort!”
Lily bowed brightly, and in her sky-blue dress and bonnet—not her maid’s uniform—she looked perfectly sweet and fresh.
“No, thank you for coming with me. Have you got everything packed?”
“Of course! I was so excited I barely slept last night.”
While Lionel and Lily were chatting away, the Duke and Kaelen approached. The Duke, dressed as casually as ever, offered a greeting.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes, we’re all set.”
“As always, we’ll use Warp to get close by, and then travel the rest of the way by carriage.”
“Understood.”
Lionel and the Duke led the way, with Kaelen and Lily following behind.
But Lily’s pace seemed to slow, and soon she was whispering in a low voice.
“Kaelen.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“I do hope that on this trip, my lady will return having conceived a child.”
Kaelen spat out whatever he was about to say.
Regardless, Lily pressed on with complete seriousness.
“The two of them haven’t even taken a honeymoon, making all sorts of excuses, and they haven’t even slept together.”
“Ah, well, ha ha… Lily? A married couple’s affairs are their own, so it’s best if we don’t meddle unnecessarily…”
“No! I think this is exactly when we should get involved. My lady is still quite young, so His Grace is being considerate, but…!! A man must act like a man when the time calls for it!”
“Lily, weren’t you supposed to be a minor? Don’t you know far too much about these things?”
“That’s exactly why, Kaelen! On this trip, we need to set the stage so the two of them can share a passionate night together. If you truly care for His Grace, you absolutely must participate in my plan, understand?”
Kaelen couldn’t bring himself to reveal that they were a fake couple. So, much against his will—truly, much against his will—he nodded his head.
‘Ah… and the trip hasn’t even started and I already want to go home.’
Kaelen gazed at the back of the Duke’s head as he walked ahead.
In truth, whether or not they ended up sharing a passionate night hardly mattered to him, but… one thing was clear: this entire business trip was driven by the Duke’s personal interests.
Kaelen recalled an incident from a few days prior.
“Your Grace, I need your signature on the invoice from the Variev Trading Company. Then I’ll send it by post.”
Normally, the Duke would have simply scrawled his signature with a pen and been done with it, but that day he stared at the invoice with an unusually serious expression.
Then, abruptly, he blurted out:
“What is the quality of goods the Variev Trading Company usually sends?”
“Pardon? The Variev Trading Company always sends us only the finest gemstones. We’ve been trading with them for a long time, so they’re quite trustworthy, but… is there a problem?”
“No matter how reliable a supplier has been, it never hurts to conduct a surprise inspection from time to time. With that in mind, Kaelen—pack your bags.”
“Sir?”
“We’re going to Kyev.”
“Sir?!”
‘…If he’d just said he was worried and wanted to go, that would’ve been enough. Why does he have to twist things around and stage everything like this…’
As Kaelen grumbled to himself, something caught his eye.
The handkerchief peeking out from the Duke’s outer coat pocket—the brave little thing Lionel had given him long ago.
Kaelen recognized it and let out a soft laugh.
“…Though honestly, it seems like they’ll manage just fine without our help.”
“Pardon? What did you just say?”
“Nothing at all. Shall we be on our way?”
Kaelen walked forward in silence, and Lily followed after him.
* * *
“Duke of Carseido! Thank you so much for visiting us in person. It must have been quite the journey.”
Upon arriving in Kyev, we made straight for the Variev Trading Company.
As we stepped into the glittering building, a middle-aged man bedecked entirely in gemstones greeted us as expected. He was the master of the Variev Trading Company.
“A pleasure to meet you. Lionel Frenscia… of Carseido.”
“Ah, the Duchess! I’ve heard rumors of your recent marriage. Though perhaps not timely, please accept my heartfelt congratulations! I am Reymon Variev, proprietor of this establishment.”
Kyev in the east was a city born from mining, with gemstone merchants frequenting it regularly until it gradually took its place as a commercial hub.
House of Carseido had conducted business with the Variev Trading Company since the city’s founding, or so I was told.
Now that company had grown so vast it had become the largest trading house in the empire.
The moment the Duke and I took our seats at the table, Reymon called out loudly for someone.
“Demian! What’s taking you so long with the tea and goods! Why are you moving like a snail!”
His voice was so fierce it made guests uncomfortable. Shortly after, a tall young man emerged from the back of the reception room, pushing a trolley.
“My apologies for the wait, Duke of Carseido, and madam. I am… Demian Variev. I’ve prepared the tea.”
The pink-haired youth with a gentle expression bowed repeatedly in our direction.
He set down the teacups and arranged the gemstones before disappearing back into the reception area. Reymon, who had been regarding him with obvious displeasure the entire time, sighed and spoke to us.
“He’s my own son, but truly, his movements are sluggish and he’s so indecisive. Every time I see him, my heart aches with worry over whether I can entrust this company to him.”
“He doesn’t strike me as particularly problematic. Perhaps you’re simply too strict with him?”
The Duke said this, but Reymon shook his head.
“Of course, when left alone he seems presentable enough, but he makes errors in simple calculations repeatedly, and whenever he negotiates prices he invariably fails, always paying more than he should. I’ve even sent him to arranged meetings now that he’s of age, yet the results have been poor… I would dearly like to know the secret of how the former Duke Ricar raised his son so excellently.”
‘That Duke Ricar is standing right in front of us, very much alive.’
That’s what I thought, of course, but I kept it to myself. As I quietly sipped my tea, Reymon thrust a box toward me.
“Well now, the fact that you’ve traveled this great distance with your wife surely means you wish to purchase gemstones from our company for the lady, yes?”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“Which is why, from the moment I received word of your visit, I’ve had our finest raw stones from all five of our mines cut and polished. Look here—behold this magnificent luster!”
The moment he opened the box lid as he spoke,
“Ugh…”
I immediately shielded my eyes. The dazzling array of gemstones was so brilliant I could scarcely bear to look upon them.
Emeralds, sapphires, rubies, opals, amber, and… what else? What is this? As I found myself speechless before a display of gemstones whose very names I could scarcely identify,
The Duke beside me, having glanced at them only once, suddenly spoke.
“I’ll take them all.”
Are you insane, human—or rather, Immortal?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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