Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 101

Episode 101

I can’t leave it like this. 

I’m jealous, but I’m more worried about Leonel’s health. The last time I saw him sleeping was two days ago, and it was only for a mere 4 hours.

I got up from my seat with determination, snatched the documents, and turned his chair around, taking off his glasses.

“Let’s go to bed!”

Leonel, who had frozen for a moment, raised both his hands and placed them on the desk, then stared at me intently. It seemed like he had tensed his jaw a bit.

“By ‘bed,’ you mean…?”

“Not here, in the bedroom!”

Leonel leaned on the armrest and turned his head, covering his mouth with his hand.

Why is he hesitating like this? Is he pondering something?

I found his indecision intriguing, but at the same time, his slow response made me a bit frustrated. Maybe his tiredness was slowing down his thought process.

‘I should take him to the bedroom, even if it’s by force.’

I pulled his hand, dragging him along without resistance. He followed obediently. On our way to his room, I called the butler.

“I’m sorry, but could you please tidy up the study?”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

“Thank you.”

The butler nodded with a pleased expression. Since he always worried about Leonel not sleeping well, he was on my side!

As I triumphantly grabbed Leonel’s bedroom doorknob, he stopped in his tracks.

“Nelly, wait a moment.”

“Why?”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that.

“Is something bothering you?”

I grabbed Leonel’s arm, which was as stiff as a statue, with both hands and pulled him to the bed. 

Even though I lightly pushed him, he remained solid, his body collapsing onto the bed. Strangely, his eyes seemed clearer now. Did he wake up on his way here?

I blinked my eyes, and he attempted to push himself up with his elbow to sit up. I tried to lay him down again but was stopped by his hand.

“Oops!”

Due to the wind caused by his struggle, I ended up lying next to him. As I turned my head, I saw that Leonel was halfway up. To lay him back down, I reached for his free hand.

However, his fingertips brushed slowly against the thin skin between our fingers, giving me a brief shiver. While my body trembled, Leonel rose above me. My fingers remained firmly entwined with his.

Wait, this isn’t a sleeping position…?

“Leonel?”

He kissed me on the lips. It was a more intense and direct kiss than usual. When he lifted his head, our lips met again, making my heart race.

He released one of my hands, and his hand became free. The problem was that his freed hand unexpectedly moved in an unexpected direction.

“Oh! Wait, wait!”

“Hmm?”

Leonel stopped moving and looked at me.

“Do you not want this?”

It’s not that I don’t want it, but I’m not mentally prepared for this! I just wanted to put him to sleep, but why did the atmosphere suddenly change like this?

First, I need to clear up the misunderstanding and put Leonel to sleep. I reached out my hand to stop him, but Leonel planted a kiss on my palm.

“If you don’t want to, should I stop?”

His tired eyes, perhaps due to accumulated fatigue, looked unusually languid and seductive. His lips were redder than usual, maybe because of the kiss.

I stared at him for a moment and then covered my face with both hands.

“No, please continue.”

Before I could finish speaking, he swept me off my feet and kissed me again.

As he embraced me, I thought to myself.

Damn, those enchanting looks!

* * *

My whole body aches. 

Every movement sends a wave of muscle soreness through my entire body.

Is this normal, or is it because my stamina is lacking? Or maybe it’s because Leonel is just too healthy. 

It’s probably a bit of both. Even though Leonel was tired, he didn’t release me until I begged him to.

‘Still, it felt good.’

Considering the fragmented memories, I wasn’t quite in my right mind. I can’t even remember how I managed to wash up and fall asleep.

‘Did Leonel clean me up?’

Thinking about it made me blush, even though there was no one there to see me. I buried my face in the pillow and tried to cool down my reddened face. 

When I rolled over, Leonel, who should have been lying beside me, was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where did he go?’

As soon as I sat up, the mystery was solved. Leonel was sitting at the desk, engrossed in something. I reflexively checked the wall clock. It was seven in the morning.

I brought him to bed to sleep, and now he’s working early in the morning. He pushed himself hard last night, so why is he doing this?

I wanted to give him a piece of my mind, but I couldn’t find my clothes. After a moment of panic, I wrapped the blanket around myself and got out of bed.

Leonel, who had been moving a quill, looked up.

“Nelly.”

He set the pen down and moved back, turning his body. It appeared to be a gesture to sit on his lap with his arms spread wide. I approached him, blushing with embarrassment.

Gently, I sat on his lap and buried my face in his broad chest. Leonel’s arms wrapped around me perfectly, giving me a sense of tranquility that melted away any desire to scold him, just like summer cream in the sun.

“Why are you working again after I brought you to bed?” 

I mumbled, my head lowered in frustration.

I lifted my head, having a slightly annoyed expression. 

I had hoped to scare him a little and send him to sleep, but instead, Leonel burst into laughter. Then, he gently lifted my chin and kissed me.

“I’m not working.”

“Oh?” 

He folded the paper he had been holding and handed it to me. The royal seal of the kingdom was imprinted on the broken seal.

“Is this from Adelhardt?”

Leonel’s left eyebrow twitched. He didn’t like the idea of me calling the prince by his first name.

‘I find his jealousy quite endearing.’

I chuckled as I playfully kissed his lips and then turned my attention back to the letter.

If it’s not a message from the prince, is it from Archduke Landers? Strangely, a shiver ran down my spine, and I had a foreboding feeling.

‘This seems ominous.’

In my mind’s eye, I saw the faces of Lady Etkin and the queen flash by like wraiths. 

When I opened the letter, I found an invitation to the New Year’s celebration, with both Leonel’s name and mine written side by side.

However, I don’t think we have to attend.

“They said we must attend, Her Majesty insisted.” 

“Leonel, do you read thoughts?”

He smiled and kissed me. The touch of our lips was light, but the mood was no less light.

“Perhaps Her Majesty doesn’t intend to spare Leonel’s life?”

The New Year’s celebration spanned from the last day of the year to the first day of the new year. However, nobles who received an invitation customarily stayed in the capital from the first day of December to the last day of January, a period of two full months. 

This schedule was particularly challenging for Leonel, who had the pressing duty of developing our territory.

“Before we go to the capital, we should inquire with the construction guild. It won’t be too burdensome if we leave the work in their hands for the two months.”

“Leonel had already chosen the contractors after careful consideration; I’ll give you their details.”

“Thanks to you, it’ll be much easier.”

“It’s all thanks to Leonel.”

“If you hadn’t come back from the past, I wouldn’t have known about it. So, it’s thanks to you.” 

He said, with a hint of awkwardness in his words.

It might sound a bit forced, but it didn’t make me feel bad. I felt my facial muscles relax, completely oblivious to it.

“How about speeding up the acceptance of new residents?” 

I turned to face Leonel, sitting across from him.

“Even if we delegate the task, our staff won’t be sufficient, so allowing newcomers to move more comfortably and help build their homes would be a good idea.”

“Is that also Leonel’s idea?” 

I asked, making it sound like I was talking in the third person.

I bit my lip to suppress a laugh and then cleared my throat.

“Um, no. This is Nelly’s idea.”

“If we do that, the residents may develop an attachment to the territory. Besides, we plan to develop the land across the river, so there will be very little friction with existing residents.”

“I’ll draft a report and present it as an agenda item for a meeting.”

Leonel nodded and released the hand that was resting on his waist as I got off his lap and rearranged the sheets.

“But, where are my clothes?”

Leonel fell silent for a moment, avoiding my gaze.

“They got torn.”

I had thought he had forcefully taken them off, but it turned out he had just torn them.

“I only have five outfits…”

“Hmm…”

Leonel stood up from his seat. I wondered if he was going to retrieve my clothes or something, but suddenly, he lifted me off the ground.

“Eek!”

Terrified of the sudden movement, I tightly closed my eyes. When I asked where he was taking me, he simply replied that I would know once we got there. Then, he opened the door.

No, what if I go out like this?

I struggled for a moment but stopped when I felt the sheets being loosened. It was better to be caught in the act of cuddling under the sheets than to be caught naked in the hallway.

I pressed the sheets like a hood, hoping not to encounter anyone in the hallway.

Thankfully, Leonel stopped walking not long after. I peeked my head out and glanced around.

“Is this an empty room?”

“It was until yesterday.”

Holding me, Leonel opened the door to the room next to mine. As we entered, I saw dozens of outfits. On one side, there were undergarments, stockings, and accessories neatly laid out.

“The assistant complained. You’ve been so busy that you didn’t have time to buy clothes.”

I never really cared about clothes…!

“I was planning to go shopping anyway. It’s just a matter of time before I hear complaints about when I’ll change.”

“No need to go shopping. Everything in here is yours.”

Does that mean all the clothes in here are mine? Surely not. Maybe he means to choose a few outfits that I like.

With a quizzical look in my eyes, I gazed up at him. Our eyes met, and he gave me a reassuring smile, placing me gently in a chair.

“It’s all yours. Pick whatever you like and come out in it.”

After kissing my forehead, he left the room.