Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 10

Episode 10

Since it turned out like this, there’s nothing I can do. As the esteemed Leonel has made adjustments to the order, the dessert will be served. At that time, I must seize Leonel’s favorite strawberry compote!

I need to clear this dish and receive the dessert quickly.

I also tasted the ordered dishes little by little. The enchanting flavor filled my mouth, but I didn’t indulge further as I knew I couldn’t finish everything anyway.

Instead, I placed a piece of the duck leg confit that I had carved into my mouth. After pushing the meat into both cheeks, I raised my hand and called the waiter.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Please clear the remaining food and bring the dessert.”

“…You haven’t touched the food much. Could it be that the flavors don’t suit your taste?”

“No. It’s not that.”

Upon hearing that, the waiter’s expression turned pleased.

“I’ll prepare it shortly.”

While looking at the waiter, my eyes met Leonel’s.

He was looking at me with eyes that resembled a beetle, unsure if it was a helpful insect or a pest.

Seeing that gaze, I suddenly thought of my colleagues at the estate management office. By now, they might be struggling and suffering like turned-over beetles…

“By the way, please allow for the appointment of more supervisors.”

“Supervisors?”

He understood everything, so why ask again? I nodded with a plump expression. Then, I discreetly chewed and swallowed the pieces of meat I had pushed to the inside of my cheek.

“The estate is quite extensive, and there are many facilities to manage. However, we have only three people, including me, overseeing the site and keeping the records.”

“Fewer people are better.”

“Does ‘better’ mean something like ‘it’s the perfect time to die’?”

“People don’t die so easily from just that.”

I know because I’ve experienced it, and it’s deadly!

I wanted to scream, but that would surely get me treated as insane. I swallowed my frustration and took a deep breath.

“Duke, have you not visited the management office?”

“With you there, do I need to go?”

“Come and see the condition of the supervisors. If things continue like this, we’ll have a mess to clean up by the end of the year.”

Leonel glanced at me with a slightly amused expression. His gaze was so eerie that it seemed ominous.

My pupils were betraying my will and kept drifting downward. My shoulders hunched inward like a squid over a fire. Just as I was feeling low, I heard the sweet and malevolent voice of the young lord.

“I distinctly told you not to do anything, didn’t I?”

Hearing those words made me angry again. No, he keeps piling on tasks while telling me not to do anything.

“Then you shouldn’t have hired me!”

“Are you back-talking me now?”

“Well, yes! I’m doing my job, but you keep scaring me!”

“Me?”

Yes, you! Pretending not to know!

I raised the strength beneath my eyes and looked at Leonel with the fiercest expression I could muster.

“You’re staring at me like this!”

“I’m staring like that?”

“Yes!”

“…Am I looking at you with a squirrel that’s eaten well expression?”

What? What kind of expression is that? I gave him a look of disbelief, and Leonel burst into laughter.

“It’s not scary at all.”

This isn’t scary? With a face full of playful malevolence?

I turned my head and looked at the waiter who was placing the dessert. Our eyes met, and the waiter stifled a laugh with a ‘pfft’ sound.

However, he quickly composed himself and bowed politely.

“Please enjoy the taste.”

And then, as if fleeing, the waiter left.

…It might have looked funny rather than scary, but in various ways, the expression was certainly threatening.

I looked at Leonel again.

“So, you’re going to allow it, I mean?”

A faint smile appeared on Leonel’s lips. It was undoubtedly a wry smile. I tried to put on a pitiful expression.

“Please. Sophie, Tom, and Gerald are suffering, barely sleeping, and dying from exhaustion.”

“…You’ve already memorized their names?”

Well, they aren’t difficult names. I worked with those people for three years before dying.

Seeing how he was making needless remarks, it seemed like he didn’t intend to grant permission. After hesitating for a moment, I offered a milk pudding with strawberry compote as a sacrifice.

“Please, I’m asking you! It might cost a little more money, but it will improve efficiency.”

Of course, I’m going to be a hindrance! I said that, but I’ll do my best to ensure that efficiency doesn’t improve.

For the sake of poor Sophie, Tom, and Gerald, I could tell this level of lie. I’ll even create leaving time and provide vacations!

Since my target for revenge is the Duke, I need to give my poor colleagues a chance to catch their breath. And I’ll spend the Duke’s money like there’s no tomorrow.

I glanced at Leonel and smiled while pushing the pudding towards him. He responded with a mixture of indulgence and a sharp smile, taking not only the milk pudding but also the strawberry cream cake.

“Sure. Do as you wish.”

If you’re going to allow it, you should do so gracefully, not with a warning tone! There’s no need for unnecessary intimidation.

With an annoyed look, I glared at Leonel. Whether I spoke or not, he gracefully finished the dessert and stood up.

When we got outside, the carriage we had ridden in was waiting. As soon as we got on and closed the door, the carriage started moving.

Outside the window, it was peaceful and quiet.

Perhaps due to being full or from exhaustion from working all night, sleep overwhelmed me.

‘But I can’t fall asleep….’

Even that thought drifted into the distance, becoming distant and elusive.

I nodded off and ended up falling asleep.

* * *

From the moment Nelly started to doze off, Leonel had his arms crossed and was observing her.

Could she fall asleep? And indeed, she fell asleep.

A hollow laugh escaped Leonel’s lips. How many people can sleep so well in front of others?

‘Is she deliberately doing this to let her guard down?’

With each bump of the carriage, Nelly’s head bobbed like a pendulum. After a while, it leaned to the side, and then her body shifted uncomfortably. Not long after, a small snoring sound was heard. Her fragile arm slipped out of the seat and hung over the edge.

Leonel deftly avoided Nelly’s arm falling towards him. Then, he unlocked a drawer with a key and took out documents and ledgers.

Sophie, Tom, and Gerald were quite good at managing the site and collecting taxes. However, they still found preparing documents bothersome.

Previous estate managers simply left out any information that wasn’t ready in time. Some even left their work and audaciously demanded punishment for their supervisors.

‘But Nelly Pepper seems to have filled in the gaps herself.’

Leonel looked at Nelly.

His gaze was as perplexing as encountering a creature from a fantasy or an unknown being. She didn’t seem like a bad person and worked hard, but there was something suspicious about her. 

“Your Grace, we have arrived.”

As he stared at Nelly, he heard the voice of the coachman.

Suddenly, it was completely dark outside, and the carriage had arrived at the Duke’s estate.

“Nelly Pepper. Wake up.”

He called her, but the snoring sound didn’t stop.

Leonel stood up and gently shook Nelly’s shoulder. In response, Nelly murmured and swatted Leonel’s hand away.

“Nelly Pepper. Estate Manager.”

Nelly remained unfazed. Leonel hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to leave her. Then, his gaze fell on the ledgers. He took the documents and stepped out of the carriage.

A butler was waiting there to greet him. Leonel handed the reports to the butler.

“Place these in the study.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Head to the west tower.”

Leonel instructed the coachman and then re-entered the carriage.

When the carriage stopped in front of the tower, Leonel lifted Nelly. Her delicate body sprawled over his strong arm.

Her head tilted back, revealing her pale neck. Her curved neck caught Leonel’s eye. But he quickly averted his gaze and went inside.

“Your Grace!”

“Where is the estate manager’s room?”

“I will guide you.”

The maid politely bowed and led the way. She opened the door for Leonel, who was holding Nelly and stepped aside.

Leonel laid Nelly down on the bed.

As her head touched the pillow, Nelly stirred and pulled the blanket around herself. Then she placed her legs on top of it. Leonel began to cover her with the blanket but stopped and left the room.

Upon entering his study, Levance, who was working, looked up.

“Already back?”

Leonel nodded as he removed his coat, then went to his desk and sat down. He checked the reports brought by the butler to make sure nothing was missing.

“Levance.”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever talked to Nelly Pepper about my preferences?”

“What do you mean by preferences?”

“Hmm…”

Leonel pressed his index finger against his chin.

“It’s strange. Or maybe I look like I would enjoy strawberries?”

“Not at all.”

Levance denied it flatly.

Leonel had the same thought. In truth, judging preferences by appearances alone was difficult.

“But Nelly Pepper removed the dessert with strawberries. She said she has no intention of currying favor, so she took it out.”

“It seems she knows Your Grace’s preferences accurately. She knows something other than being the closest adviser, it’s suspicious.”

“Even to the question of whether there’s an agenda, she got overly flustered.”

“That’s also strange.”

“Despite claiming she’s not currying favor, she used to sprinkle sugar and salt on my steak. And she deliberately ordered a lot of food to share with orphans.”

“Isn’t that a problem that even the Queen was troubled by? Well… it seems she tried to cater to your taste.”

“I thought so, but on the way here, she even talked in her sleep.”

“She has no inten… tion of currying favor?”

Leonel rasped his voice, scratching his chin.

“I really can’t figure her out.”

“Let me meet her once to see if she can discern Your Grace’s preferences.”

“And ask Arette to investigate Nelly Pepper’s past activities.”

Levance recalled Nelly’s face as she handed him bread with a reluctant expression.

“Do we need to go so far as to investigate her background? She didn’t seem that bad.”

“What’s concealed is more terrifying.”

Leonel’s voice turned chilling as if he were chewing on past betrayals. Levance nodded offhandedly.

“Then I will convey that to Arette.”

Leonel nodded and picked up a pen.

He compared the ledgers Tom had written with the reports Nelly had prepared. Along the way, he noticed that Tom’s handwriting was crooked in places. It was handwriting that had been interrupted and resumed.

“She said she wants to hire more supervisors. Allocate the budget accordingly.”

“Pardon?”

Levance doubted his ears.

Leonel wanted to run the estate with a trusted few. As a result, his subordinates couldn’t casually suggest increasing the workforce.

“Are you serious?”

Leonel nonchalantly pretended to look at the documents. Gerald’s ledger was also written in a seemingly sleep-induced scrawl.