< — The Taran Dukeās Family Doctor — > (4)
TN: Vision = secret manual.
Hugo hated that she was sick. People opened their mouths left and right, telling him her condition wasnāt normal. Like a parrot, the only thing the doctor Anna said was that she was looking for a cure. Indeed, the old manās medical skills seemed to be different from other people.
āI have no intention of meeting this doctor. Not only do you dislike the idea of me meeting him, you also donāt want to either. Am I right?ā (Lucia)
ā…You are right.ā (Hugo)
āCould this doctor have harmed you in the past? Is there a reason to have someone you dislike so much around you?ā
There were several complicated reasons as to why Hugo kept Philip alive. The biggest reason was that he owed him his brotherās life.
āI owe him a life. My brother survived several times thanks to him.ā
Of course, there was a secondary reason. Philip knew all of the dirty laundry of the Taran Family. The existence of Philip made Hugo not forget the darkness he had inside. Until the day Philip died, Hugo had to live with the discomfort of his soles treading on sand.
Hugo put up with this as punishment towards himself and atonement towards his late brother. However, no matter the reason, if Philip was ever judged to be dangerous, Hugo would not hesitate to eliminate him.
However, for now, to him, the old man was nothing more than a mere doctor. When the old man opened his mouth, he was infuriating with his ābloodline thisā and ābloodline thatā but the old man was truly acting according to the will of the late Duke, and as his family had done for generations.
When it came to continuing the lineage, as long as Hugo didnāt cooperate, that was the end of that. And as for meeting Damian, Hugo had completely blocked off that path. So in the end, the old man was just clinging to life.
āI see.ā (Lucia)
Luciaās doubts were dispelled and she felt reassured. The benefactor from her dream was not a bad person.
āBut you said he knows the cure.ā (Hugo)
āYes. But you do not trust this doctor. Will you able to trust him with my treatment?ā (Lucia)
ā…ā
An old man who was nothing more than a mere doctor. Even though Hugo belittled Philip this way, he still felt somewhat uneasy. He wouldnāt be relieved at all if he left his wifeās treatment in the old manās hands. But Philipās medical skills were true. The old man wasnāt one to say he could treat something when he couldnāt.
āTo be honest, I know the cure.ā (Lucia)
āWhat?ā (Hugo)
āWell, I missed the chance to tell you at first. And after that, I was angry at you telling me to treat it at all costs, so I didnāt tell you. What I mean is, I donāt need the doctorās help.ā
ā…ā
Hugo felt both relieved and stupefied. His feelings were complicated. The more he knew about her, the more mysterious she felt. His wife was mild and gentle. But at unexpected times, she broke off that mold and threw him off balance.
āI am not sick. I have no problem in my daily life and my health is fine. I can treat it at any time and not treating it is of my own will.ā
āIs it because of me? Because I said I donāt want a child…ā
āI understand where youāre coming from. So itās fine. We can take our time and think it over. If you donāt want to, then I donāt want to either. But I wonāt treat it without telling you first.ā
āBut…your body isnāt the problem.ā
Hugo couldnāt bring himself to tell her she couldnāt have a child.
āIf she knows, she might leave me.ā
He felt like he was slowly sinking into a muddy pit with its depths unknown.
āWhy was I born with this body?ā
Until now, he had thought it was fortunate that he couldnāt leave a descendant behind. But now, he realized it was a curse. A curse that did not allow him to have a normal family with the woman he loved like other people could.
He recalled the face of his brother telling him that he had a woman he wanted to marry. If his brother knew that his son was born, would he still be happy after learning the secrets behind his sonās birth?
He would. If it was his brother, he would accept it and think only of the happiness in the future.
Rather, Hugo envied his brother. The guy fell in love without knowing it was his half-sister and died without knowing till the end. If he had to perform the sickening act of feeding his blood to someone else, Hugo didnāt want a child. He felt like the moment he did that, he would really become a monster.
It was already too late to use this method with her anyways but even if he could, he didnāt want to.
āYou can do as you like.ā (Hugo)
Her treatment was completely out of his hands. Hugo couldnāt tell her to treat it or not treat it. He didnāt want to give her hope of getting pregnant by telling her to treat it, and he didnāt want her to think he was against having children by telling her not to treat it.
āCome here.ā
Hugo spread his arms. Lucia gave a small laugh and stood up from the sofa to walk towards him. When she got within his reach, he pulled her into his embrace.
She fell onto his legs with a thump and Hugo wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled his head in her ample breasts.
āAnything else happen?ā (Hugo)
āNo. Ah…there was a letter from Damian.ā
ā…A letter comes every day.ā
āItās not every day. Itās once or twice a month.ā
Once Damian became the topic of conversation, Luciaās eyes began to twinkle. Hugo was still not pleased by her excessive attention to the boy. But as time passed, he became more understanding of their mother-son bond and was more forgiving.
āWhat did the boy say?ā
āHe says heās doing well.ā
Lucia began to bombard him with details of Damianās academy life that sheād read from the letter. Hugo chuckled as he remembered the report he received some time ago. It said that the boy wore the red scarf she sent him every day until the weather got warmer.
āYou said when you saw Damian for the first time, you felt like you were seeing me, right?ā
āYes. It felt like I was seeing you as a child.ā
Her as a child. How would it feel to see a little child that was the very painting of her childhood? How would a child without evidence of his cursed blood, without black hair or red eyes, look? Hugoās chest tightened.
He could give her an abundance of wealth and power but he couldnāt give her a child. What if this hurt her later on? What could he do if she implored him to have a child? Hugo felt as though he was wandering an eternal maze with no way to get out.
Translatorās Corner:
* Dirty laundry = dirty secrets.
*Oh and uh…you guys are going to love/hate the next part…
*,*,*
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 56 – 61 - December 21, 2025
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapters 50 – 55 - December 7, 2025
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapters 47 – 49 - November 22, 2025
Hate/love the next part? wHaT DoeS THaT mEAn?!
Ruby, i love you, but you gotta stop screwing with my mind…
š
She does know how to tantilize,doesn’t she. I love it!!!
You can Hugh.. That mad doctor lied to u.. But your child gender is female only.. But maybe because how amazing Lucia is they can have boys too..
It’s ok to have child .. But if they’re child is female that Make that doctors to just obsess become MAD obssess ..
I hope Lucia will break the curse
Thanks for the chapter
I think Lucia is secret step sister and the child is a son!! Yay!!
…
Instead of step sister, I’d rather think of her as someone who has the some noble blood with the same as those ancient Tarans of the past, esp. with the dream powers she had. Step sister doesnt sit well with me.
Yeah, me either!
Her father is the king. No ands, ifs, or buts
Im so suspicious how she got reincarnated / dream. Did the force of the teran blood invoke an ancient magic that make it possible for the bloodline to continue?
Dude… I think he is tearing himself up about this WAY more than Lucia is. Lol
Come to think of it, doesn’t he always?
I don’t know… i feel like its karma. Him being heartless to other girls before Lucia. Feel its justified that he worry every little thing Ć bt Lucia.
Thanks for the chapter!
Phillip’s little white lie (about feeding blood and stuff) became a really big predicament in hugh’s life… Poor guy, he doesnt even know Phillip is gloating behind the scenes..
Suspense is killing me but thanks for the chappie!!
I love and hate this novel. The emotional roller coasters Lucia and Hugh had been through make this such a worthwhile read. But at the sametime, I just wish that they open up everything to each other already, because every single problem that came up in this novel can be solved just by doing so.
Aiihhhh…. i am conflicted too… i want little girl Lucia too.
Uhhh!! Philip, I HATE U. You’re ruining people life with all this BS š
Hi Ms. Ruby,
I don’t mean to offend, but can you change the ‘stepsister’ to ‘half-sister’ instead?
They both have different meanings.
The first one pertains to
A couple who had their own child/children with different partners before their marriage: their children becomes step-siblings (non-blood related)(stepbrother/stepsister).
Half-siblings (brother or sister) pertains to siblings with blood relations. It is either they share the same mother with different fathers or a father with two or more different mothers.
In Hughs case their blood need to copulate with the half-siblings(sister) to create a Taran Male.
They can copulate with a non-Taran blood to create females but they need certain conditioning.
I don’t know if it’s a crime in the novel, but if you have a sexual relationship with your own blood kin it is called incest.
I Hope you consider my opinion.
Thank you for your works! š
Oh np. Half-sister seems more appropriate. For now, I will change it and check the raws. Thank you š
Gdi, I hate Anna for the simple fact that she was given a simple instruction of “do not lie next time” and she goes and covers for the creeper who was obliviously ADAMANT to meet the duchess, come on Anna, come oooooon. But glad the both are open to each other and conversing more. Thinking about it, if Lucia accidentally becomes pregnant with a child wouldn’t he actually blame her for cheating on him since he believes that Phillip’s make up method is real?
*inhale*
sweEET HOME ALABAMA
I’m sorry.
Awww baby boy Hugh ;w; don’t lose hope
Anyone else think itās kind of stupid that Hugh hasnāt realized the contradiction in Damianās birth? Supposedly this half-sister would have to have been fed Hugoās blood continuously for a long time span (canāt remember it exactly) before Hugo had slept with her. But Hugo was supposedly completely unaware of them being siblings despite supposedly having been feeding her blood? And how does Hugh justify his kind/gentle brother supposedly being able to feed his lover his blood when even he, the cruel/heartless brother, wouldnāt do such a thing. Hugh is smart enough to see these contradictions, so this is a pretty major plot hole
Iām re-reading this novel & wonder why I didnāt see this ālittle plot holeā last time.
I was about to say something, but you beat me to it š¤£
I also thought how weird it was for Hugh to believe that the brother heād known would make the girl he loved to consume his blood.
Likeā¦really? The soft & kind-hearted Hugo???
And if Hugo knew & practiced this method intentionally (whether he noticed the real identity of the girl or not), why would he then choose to kill himself, and without telling Hugh & asked Hugh to take care of a child that might be born after his death?
It just didnāt make sense š¤·āāļø
Damien mother was his half sister so she didn’t need to eat the herb.
Two people with taren blood can have segs and concive a Child normally but it will always be a boy.
To have a daughter he would have to have segs with someone of normal blood and she would need to eat the herb.
Hope this explains it
Iām scared to read the next part O.O
Oh my God! I’m in agony even without reading the next part.
Thanks for the chapter!
Uhh this woman Anna is sooo infuriating like girl wtf š I honestly don’t want luci to have a baby yet