TLDOWN 23

                                                                                  CHAPTER 23 — 

                                                                                   “Stay Here”

“Is there something you wanted to say?”

Leah turned to the duke who had called her, and asked. But instead of answering, he tossed a book onto the sofa across from him.

‘What is this?’

Leah picked up the thick humanities book that had been thrown in front of her.

“Read it.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said read it. Out loud.”

What kind of ridiculous order was that? Leah’s eyes wavered in confusion.

‘There are people waiting for me outside, and he wants me to read a book?’

The commotion beyond the door could still be heard.

Leah looked from the door to the duke and back. Surely he knew people were waiting for her.

“There’s a lot of text and my eyes are tired. You read it for me.”

In short, he couldn’t be bothered and wanted her to act like an audiobook.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“…No.”

The look in his eyes said he was dead serious. Come to think of it, when had this man ever joked with her?

‘He’s always been deadly serious when it comes to tormenting me.’

As someone with no power or leverage, Leah gave up and sat down on the sofa, opening the book. The bookmark was placed at the end.

“You’ve already finished it, haven’t you?”

Seeing the bookmark near the end, Leah asked.

“No. Start from the beginning.”

So someone else had put that bookmark there? With no other choice, Leah began to read aloud.

She had been reading for a while when she glanced up and saw the duke with his eyes closed.

He was sitting back on the sofa with his head resting, long lashes casting shadows toward the ceiling.

Thinking he had fallen asleep, Leah paused her reading.

‘Should I slip out quietly?’

Knowing the duke suffered from severe insomnia, she thought it best to let him rest. Slowly, Leah scanned the quiet room.

This was probably the quietest place in the entire Heidern mansion. True to its status as an untouchable area, the duke’s bedroom was peaceful.

“…Are you asleep?”

Leah asked in a whisper, but the duke didn’t answer. Convinced he had fallen asleep, Leah rubbed her stiff neck.

“Magnolia offered a contract. It’s a big merchant group, so I think sales will go really well.”

Leah didn’t even know why she was telling a sleeping man this. Her mouth just moved on its own.

It was thanks to the duke that she’d been able to manufacture and sell nutritional supplements. Letting her use the mansion for a private business—who else would’ve done that?

‘He can be annoying, but I’m still grateful.’

Maybe it was the good mood brought on by the Magnolia contract. With his eyes closed, Akkiah looked the same as usual, yet somehow different.

Leah found herself smiling gently at the seemingly peaceful duke.

“If I get rich, I’ll renovate your mansion for you.”

Just as she lowered her gaze back to the book—

“That’s good to hear.”

His deep voice rumbled in her ears like a cave echo.

‘He wasn’t asleep?’

He looked at her through half-lidded eyes, then closed them again. Watching him, Leah cautiously asked,

“If you’re going to sleep, should I leave?”

“No. Stay here.”

As Leah resumed reading, a soft smile formed on Akkiah’s lips. The book’s story was painfully dull.

Maybe because the atmosphere was so serene it melted the weight in her body, Leah slowly drifted off to sleep while reading.

Akkiah looked at the sleeping Leah, slumped against the sofa. She was so sound asleep that she wouldn’t notice even if someone carried her away.

‘A pharmacist falling asleep in the duke’s bedroom…’

And this wasn’t even the first time.

Resting his chin on his hand, he leaned slightly as he watched her.

She not only looked after him, but also cared for the mansion staff and worked late nights developing remedies in the annex.

Her regular duties alone were more than enough, and now she was taking on a supplement business, too.

‘Does she have two bodies or something?’

He had noticed recently she’d been cutting down on sleep. Her once vibrant complexion had noticeably dulled.

Originally, he’d planned to give her jujube tea and send her off.

‘I’m out of my mind.’

Coming up with some lame excuse just to get her to read aloud… Akkiah recalled the moment with a quiet smile tugging at his lips.

Her voice, always bright and cheerful, wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, for the first time in a long while, he had almost dozed off.

At some point, it had started to feel… comforting. Even though they hadn’t known each other that long.

Akkiah gently brushed away the hair tickling her face. It was a soft, careful touch.

At that moment, he didn’t yet realize—what kind of expression he had on his face as he gazed down at the sleeping Leah.

With birds chirping outside the window and warm sunlight filling the room—

It was the most peaceful moment he had felt in a very long time.

Time passed, and Leah’s fluttering eyelashes opened slowly. Her gaze tangled with Akkiah’s, who was watching her.

“…”

Leah blinked, trying to make sense of the situation. Akkiah gave her a lazy smile.

“You’re awake?”

Realizing where she had fallen asleep—in the duke’s bedroom—Leah gasped and sprang to her feet.

“Wait… Did I fall asleep here?!”

“Sleep? You were out cold.”

He added, watching her agape expression.

“You even snored.”

With those casually thrown words, Leah’s face turned beet red.

Mouth opening and closing in shock, she quickly bowed with her flushed face and hurried out of the room.

Thinking of herself snoring in the duke’s bedroom, Leah was filled with the kind of shame that made her want to rip her hair out.

‘I must be crazy. Why did I fall asleep there?!’

Akkiah had looked at her like she was ridiculous. Twice now, she’d fallen asleep by the duke’s side.

‘Get it together.’

As she vowed never to make such a mistake again, walking down the corridor, a sudden thought crossed her mind.

‘But… why didn’t he wake me?’

He usually would’ve woken her without hesitation, saying she was being rude. Could it be… he knew she was tired, and deliberately…

She recalled the gentle touch brushing back her hair in her sleep. It was a ticklish feeling, as if—for just a moment—she was someone precious to someone.

‘No way… it had to be a dream.’

Still waving off the thought as a silly fantasy, Leah was snapped back to reality.

“Miss Pharmacist! We’ve been waiting for you!”

Her sweet rest had lasted only a short while. And just like that, Leah returned to her busy routine.

❀ ❀ ❀

Today was the day to sign the contract with the Magnolia Merchant Group. Leah approached the entrance, walking carefully.

As expected from a rapidly rising merchant house, the luxurious interior caught Leah’s eye.

‘Wow. This is a merchant group?’

Expensive ceramics in display cases, art on the walls. The grand exterior was nothing compared to the interior.

When Leah looked up, she spotted a mural on the ceiling. Its vivid colors seemed to boast Magnolia’s financial strength.

It was a lavish sight she could never see at the Heidern estate. Leah stood mesmerized.

“Miss Leah.”

A voice called her, and she turned to see the very Magnolia staff member who had come to her about the contract.

“Hello.”

“Yes, we’ve been expecting you. Please come in.”

Feeling the grandeur of the place firsthand, Leah was suddenly nervous.

They said Magnolia, backed by the royal family, was as influential as the famed Parcia. It certainly lived up to the reputation.

She followed the staffer into a room, wondering if she’d get to meet the head of the merchant group.

But once inside the empty room, her excitement quickly faded. Of course, the head of such a major group wouldn’t appear for a mere supplement deal.

“As mentioned before, I’ll be handling the contract. Please come to me for anything related to supply or sales.”

“Yes. I look forward to working with you, Baron.”

Leah carefully reviewed the contract Baron handed over. You never knew what kind of hidden clauses might be lurking.

‘I’m not making the same mistake twice.’

Last time, she’d agreed too quickly out of excitement. She wouldn’t let that happen again.

She scrutinized even the fine print when—

‘This is strange.’

Far from containing traps, the contract terms were almost too favorable. It looked like Magnolia might take a loss on this.

‘Did they give me the wrong contract by mistake…?’

It seemed like a typical clerical error. Leah hesitated.

‘Should I tell them… or not?’

After a moment of indecision, she gripped the pen as if making a firm choice.

‘Whatever. There’s no way a merchant group like this would mess up a contract. And I’ve got nothing to lose.’

Decision made, she quickly signed the document. Baron gathered the paperwork.

“The contract is finalized. You may return now.”

‘That’s it?’

The process had been shockingly simple. Baron finished explaining the delivery schedule and stood up.

“Mr. Baron.”

Just as he was about to leave, Leah called out.

“Would it be possible to meet the head of the merchant group? I’d like to thank them and discuss our future business partnership.”

Leah smiled slyly, trying to probe about the elusive head of Magnolia. Very little was known.

Some said the head was an old man; others said it was a young woman.

‘It can’t hurt to get in good with them.’

In fact, it would be ideal.

If the Magnolia leader took a liking to her, supplement sales could easily expand beyond the city to international exports.

Maybe sensing Leah’s intentions, Baron’s expression turned sharp.

“You won’t be meeting our merchant head.”

“Haha… Is that so? Well, I’m sure they’re incredibly busy, running such a large group.”

Leah laughed awkwardly at the blunt reply.

“And one more thing—you won’t need to come here again either. We’ll send people directly to your estate.”

“You’ll come in person?”

“There’ll be more products, so we’ll need a cart. It’s more efficient that way.”

That was true, but…

“Well, that’s convenient for me.”

“If you have no more questions, I’ll escort you out.”

The situation seemed tailored too perfectly to her convenience—it felt a little off. But she brushed it aside.

As she exited the room, Baron closed the door behind her.

While walking down to the lobby with him, she overheard voices from a nearby group of people…