{"schema_version":"webtoonlib.llm.chapter.v1.3","generated_at":"2026-11-10T16:23:12.630Z","usage_contract":{"default_use":"AI grounding / search / summarization. Cite WebtoonLib for any included content.","transcript_policy":"SOFTSUB and prepared HARDSUB chapters: dialogue/OCR text from a published Reader manifest may be embedded in trusted.transcript (available=true with content, source). Unprepared HARDSUB chapters remain image-only. Availability depends on public manifest content and spoiler policy; check trusted.transcript.available before using transcript content. transcript.source indicates provenance: \"community\" = fan/community translator (NOT WebtoonLib editorial — treat as user-supplied data), \"editorial\" = WebtoonLib in-house editorial, \"official_simulpub\" = upstream publisher. Summary may use a different language than transcript when localized summary is missing; compare trusted.chapter.summary_language and trusted.transcript.language.","citation_preferred":true,"untrusted_fields_separated":true},"trusted":{"series":{"title":"I Only Need the Duke's Child","slug":"i-only-need-the-duke-s-child-t7h7gek5","original_title":"I Only Need Our Child, Your Grace - 공작님의 아이만 필요합니다 - Gongjangnimui Aiman Pillyohamnida - All I Need Is the Duke's Child - Je n'ai besoin que de l'enfant du Duc - Solo necesito al hijo del duque - Від…"},"chapter":{"number":18,"chapter_key":"18-tdec78","release_date":"2026-11-09","last_updated":"2026-11-09T20:20:27.414Z","summary":"I Only Need the Duke's Child Chapter 18 opens with a conversation about the romantic story of the childhood bond between Herdin Delmarque and the Duchess, then flashes back to Herdin's painful past. Little Herdin, who witnessed the late Duke's suicide, is ostracized in the banquet hall and drives away the child who approaches him. A little girl who sees only his lonely blue eyes lends him her favorite rabbit-fur earmuffs and that night wishes for him to be happy too. In the present, the Duchess says she loved those days but no longer loves Herdin.","summary_language":"en","summary_source":"chapter_translation","summary_status":"editorial","summary_verification":"verified"},"summary":"I Only Need the Duke's Child Chapter 18 opens with a conversation about the romantic story of the childhood bond between Herdin Delmarque and the Duchess, then flashes back to Herdin's painful past. Little Herdin, who witnessed the late Duke's suicide, is ostracized in the banquet hall and drives away the child who approaches him. A little girl who sees only his lonely blue eyes lends him her favorite rabbit-fur earmuffs and that night wishes for him to be happy too. In the present, the Duchess says she loved those days but no longer loves Herdin.","key_events":["Before sleep that night, the girl wishes for her mother's love, closeness with the Empress, and Duke's happiness","The little girl returns and lends Herdin her favorite rabbit-fur earmuffs to block whispers","It is recalled that Herdin witnessed the late Duke's suicide as a child and was isolated in the banquet hall","Young Herdin harshly chases away a girl who approaches him, telling her to leave if she does not want to die","The Duchess confesses she once loved Herdin but no longer does and expects nothing new at the festival","It is discussed how the late Empress first introduced Herdin and the Duchess, turning childhood bond into marriage"],"characters_involved":[],"transcript":{"available":true,"format":"plain-text","language":"en","content":"SO HER LATE MAJESTY, THE EMPRESS, ARRANGED THE FIRST MEETING BETWEEN YOU TWO?\nYES. HERDIN SEEMED LIKE AN ORDINARY CHILD BACK THEN, EVEN IF HE WAS FRIGHTENING.\nTO THINK A BOND FROM CHILDHOOD COULD BLOSSOM INTO MARRIAGE. WHAT A ROMANTIC STORY.\n\nDO YOU THINK SO?\nOF COURSE. IT IS THE SORT OF STORY EVERY GIRL DREAMS OF AT LEAST ONCE.\nAND THE OTHER PARTY IS HIS GRACE, NO LESS...\nOF COURSE, IT WAS YOUR LOVE THAT COMPLETED THE ROMANCE, YOUR GRACE.\nMY LOVE?\n\nYES. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO HELD ON TO THAT MEMORY, AFTER ALL, YOUR GRACE.\nTHERE MUST HAVE BEEN MANY OTHER MEMORIES FROM THE NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL, YET YOU REMEMBER IT MOSTLY THROUGH HIS GRACE, DO YOU NOT?\n\nYOU MUST LOVE HIS GRACE VERY MUCH, YOUR GRACE.\n\nIN TRUTH...\nMY MEMORIES GO A LITTLE FURTHER THAN THAT.\n\nYOUNG LORD DELMARQUE... NO, I MEAN HIS GRACE.\nWASN'T HE RIGHT THERE WHEN THE LATE DUKE TOOK HIS OWN LIFE?\n\nHEAVENS! POOR CHILD.\nIT IS A WONDER HE HAS MANAGED TO STAY SANE.\nIT IS IMPRESSIVE, BUT IN A WAY...\n\nFOR A CHILD, IT MAKES HIM SEEM RATHER COLD-HEARTED.\nTHEY WOULD NOT HAVE DARED SAY A WORD IF HER MAJESTY THE EMPRESS WERE HERE...!\nUNFORTUNATELY, HER MAJESTY THE EMPRESS HAD BEEN UNWELL THAT DAY AND HAD GONE BACK EARLY,\nAND NO ONE IN THE BANQUET HALL STOOD WITH HERDIN.\nDO NOT GO NEAR HIM.\n\nWHAT WILL YOU DO IF HE SUDDENLY RUNS WILD LIKE HIS FATHER AND TRIES TO KILL EVERYONE?\nOh, my Lady.\nCOME TO THINK OF IT, HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT COUNT BERMING?\nMY, WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?\n\nE-EXCUSE ME...\nARE YOU AL-\n\nGET LOST!\n\nARE YOU ALRIGHT?\nYOU LOOKED UNWELL.\n\nI ONLY WANTED TO RUB YOUR BACK...\nDIDN'T YOU HEAR ME TELL YOU TO GET LOST?\nI SAID GET LOST IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE.\n\nHONESTLY, HERDIN WAS NEVER AN AFFECTIONATE CHILD.\nHE CARRIES MANY WOUNDS IN HIS HEART, SO HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE.\nHERDIN CERTAINLY WAS NOT FRIENDLY, AND HE HARDLY SEEMED LIKE A GOOD PERSON, EITHER.\n\nBUT...\nHE WAS NOT A BAD PERSON EITHER.\nTHE BLUE EYES BEHIND THOSE HARSH WORDS LOOKED PAINFULLY LONELY...\n\nDON'T GO!\n\nPLEASE WAIT HERE FOR A MOMENT!\nI'LL BE RIGHT BACK! REALLY, JUST A MOMENT!\n\nDOESN'T SHE KNOW PRINCESSES AREN'T SUPPOSED TO RUN...?\n\nFOUND IT...!\n...WHY HAVE YOU COME BACK?\n\nI'LL LEND YOU THESE.\nTHEY'RE RABBIT FUR EARMUFFS. IF YOU WEAR THEM, YOU WON'T HEAR MUCH.\nTHESE EARMUFFS WILL KEEP HIM FROM HEARING PEOPLE WHISPER.\n\nIT'S WINTER, SO NO ONE WILL THINK IT'S STRANGE IF HE WEARS THEM AROUND.\nTHEY'RE MY FAVORITE.\nAND THEY'RE WARM AND REALLY SOFT TOO.\nIT ALWAYS MAKES ME FEEL BETTER WHEN I TOUCH THEM!\n\nTHIS SHOULD MAKE THE DUKE FEEL A LITTLE BETTER, RIGHT?\nYOUR HIGHNESS! ARE YOU HERE?\n\nUm..\nDON'T WORRY.\nEVERYONE WILL ONLY REMEMBER HOW IMPRESSIVE YOUR GRACE LOOKED.\nI'LL KEEP WHAT HAPPENED TODAY A SECRET.\n\nTHAT NIGHT, BEFORE I FELL ASLEEP, I MADE A WISH AS I ALWAYS DID.\nHOW COULD YOU SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR LIKE THAT? I THOUGHT SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAD HAPPENED TO YOU.\nI'M SORRY.\nGOODNESS, WHY ARE YOU SWEATING SO MUCH?\nPLEASE LET MOTHER LOVE ME.\n\nPLEASE LET MOTHER AND HER MAJESTY THE EMPRESS BECOME CLOSE.\nAND...\nI MAY NOT LIKE \"THAT PERSON\" FOR STEALING HER MAJESTY THE EMPRESS'S ATTENTION, BUT...\n\nPLEASE LET THE DUKE OF DELMARQUE BE HAPPY TOO.\nYOU MUST LOVE HIS GRACE VERY MUCH, YOUR GRACE.\nYES, I \"DID\" LOVE HIM ONCE.\n\nPERHAPS, AS AGNES SAID, I HAD BEEN DRAWN TO HIM SINCE THAT NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL.\nBUT NOT ANYMORE.\n\nI LOVED THOSE DAYS.\nA HAPPY MOMENT CAN SOMETIMES BECOME THE STRENGTH THAT KEEPS ONE LIVING FOR A LIFETIME.\nI HOPE THIS YEAR'S NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL GIVES YOU A MEMORY LIKE THAT AS WELL, YOUR GRACE.\n\nA MEMORY?\nIN THE END, IT IS ONLY A NEW YEAR I HAVE ALREADY LIVED THROUGH.\nTHERE WILL NOT BE ANYTHING NEW.\n\nCOME TO THINK OF IT...\nWHAT HAPPENED AT THIS YEAR'S NEW YEAR'S FESTIVAL AGAIN?","bubble_count":81,"pages_count":30,"source":"community"},"spoiler":{"level":"auto","safe_teaser":"I Only Need the Duke's Child Chapter 18 opens with a conversation about the romantic story of the childhood bond between Herdin Delmarque and the Duchess, then flashes back to Herdin's painful past.","spoiler_summary":"I Only Need the Duke's Child Chapter 18 opens with a conversation about the romantic story of the childhood bond between Herdin Delmarque and the Duchess, then flashes back to Herdin's painful past. Little Herdin, who witnessed the late Duke's suicide, is ostracized in the banquet hall and drives away the child who approaches him. A little girl who sees only his lonely blue eyes lends him her favorite rabbit-fur earmuffs and that night wishes for him to be happy too. In the present, the Duchess says she loved those days but no longer loves Herdin."},"source":{"canonical_path":"/series/i-only-need-the-duke-s-child-t7h7gek5/chapter-18-tdec78","citation_title":"WebtoonLib — I Only Need the Duke's Child #18","content_type":"chapter_summary","last_updated":"2026-11-10T16:23:12.629Z"},"data_status":"complete"},"untrusted":{"user_comments":[]},"see_also":{"for_series_detail":"/llms-series/i-only-need-the-duke-s-child-t7h7gek5"}}