Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 107

Episode 107

Viscountess Morgane urgently lowered her head. 

They are indeed aiming for Nelly, but she can’t escape without telling a lie.

Once she’s out of here, she’ll never come back to the capital.

“It’s not related to Nelly.”

Adelhardt laughed satisfactorily and stepped aside.

Viscountess Morgane walked briskly. Whenever she encountered nobles, she heard laughter, but she didn’t care.

She knocked on Gardner’s door. There was no answer from inside.

A maidservant approached without saying a word handed a note to Viscountess Morgane and left.

[East gallery, 2nd floor, room 128. G.]

Viscountess Morgane went to the location written in the note without hesitation.

In the room, Marquis Gardner was waiting for her.

“If you hang around my room like that, it’s not good, Viscountess Morgane.”

“I’m in a hurry.”

“No matter how much you are in a hurry. If I was in the room and let you in, everyone would have suspected us. Don’t you know that there are eyes even on the walls of the palace?”

“I’m sorry.”

Gardner sighed irritably and rubbed his forehead.

“Please, have a seat.”

Viscountess Morgane hesitated and took a seat.

Gardner looked her up and down, and then he forced a smile. He asked in a gentle tone.

“So, why did you come to see me?”

“I happened to overhear the Archduke and Duke Leonel having a conversation, and I thought I should tell you.”

“Please tell me.”

“Duke Leonel said he would leave the capital. To harm Nelly, we need to take advantage of that time!”

This was already known. Devondus had set a trap so that Leonel had no choice but to leave.

When Gardner looked disappointed, Viscountess Morgane added.

“And this is just my thought, but can Prince Adelhardt help us?”

“Prince? Are you talking about the Prince?”

“Yes, I was caught eavesdropping, but he let me go without incident. We had a brief conversation, and it seemed like Duke Leonel wants him to disappear.”

This was somewhat useful information. 

It was the first time Prince Adelhardt had openly shown enmity towards Leonel. He wanted to involve the prince, but the plan had already been completed. It would be unwise to be greedy and risk everything.

‘I should inform Lord Devondus about the prince later. If this mission succeeds, this information might become irrelevant.’

Gardner smiled kindly at Viscountess Morgane again. 

She didn’t seem much older than her daughter, likely due to giving birth to Nelly at a young age. They had a similar build, eye color, and hair color. Their eyes and eyebrows were quite similar, and with the right adjustments, Nelly could easily pass as Viscountess Morgane.

‘It’s probably why Lord Devondus planned such a thing.’

Gardner examined Viscountess Morgane’s face once more and smiled kindly.

“Right now, we need your help more than the prince’s.”

“My help?”

Viscountess Morgane’s eyes flickered with unease. 

In reality, she was planning to escape immediately, before Adelhardt found out about her false promise not to harm Nelly.

“I plan to return to Morgane Manor.”

“Already?”

It was as if he was questioning her decision to flee, even though that was her intention. 

Contrary to Gardner’s expectations that her true intentions would go unnoticed, Viscountess Morgane glared at him with angry eyes.

“I’ve done what I can.”

“Is that all you can do, fail once with a mere rumor?”

“What more can I do? Until I got into this situation, Marquis Gardner just stood by. Even Lord Devondus refused to see me.”

“Didn’t we say it was for each other’s protection?”

They had. They needed to avoid getting entangled when one was caught. That’s why they pretended not to know each other, even though Gardner had been told not to help her if she got into trouble. 

Gardner, too, had to follow that plan.

Given Morgane’s personality, pretending not to know Gardner was not difficult, but the lack of support was hard to bear.

“I know. But how long do I have to endure this humiliation?”

Viscountess Morgane bit her nails.

“She’s ruined everything, how could she, how could anyone, how could she live to be that age!”

“Exactly. She should have died in the gutter long ago if she had been abandoned. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes. She was entrusted to my family, thinking she’d be taken care of!”

“It’s unacceptable to just leave such an ungrateful person.”

Viscountess Morgane nodded, and Gardner, with a resigned sigh, offered a warm smile.

“Then, I will help you this time.”

If it succeeded, it would be Gardner’s achievement, and if it failed, it would be Viscountess Morgane’s fault. 

Viscountess Morgane agreed without knowing the truth.

* * *

I sat silently, watching Mary as she packed Leonel’s luggage. 

Leonel. He’s really going.

He is. He’s not going to fake it, is he?

Why was I sad when I told him to be careful? If I look gloomy, Leonel won’t be able to leave in peace.

I shake my head, but a rough, warm hand grabs my cheek and pulls me upright.

“Why do you have such a wet squirrel-like expression?”

“Leonel…”

What kind of expression is that again? He corrected himself with a smile.

“A magnificent squirrel soaked in rain.”

My body remained slouched, devoid of vitality. As I embraced his waist, I felt the touch of his hand stroking my head.

“Nelly, I know of a place to show you.”

As I raised my head, he let go of my arm and took my hand. I got up and followed as he led the way.

As we went outside, he confirmed there was no one around and changed his pace.

When he opened the door, the third one on the left in the room we use, I saw portraits of former kings and below them, animal sculptures lined up in a row of eleven characters.

Most of the animals were different, but there were quite a few lion statues.

“Why are we here?”

Leonel pulled me inside without answering the question. Turning back and smiling, he looked like a boy.

I was led by the first time I saw his expression. I walked along with Leonel but stopped.

When I raised my head, I saw a portrait of the king. On either side of the portrait were plaster sculptures of lions and donkeys.

“Try pushing the wall between the lion and the donkey.”

I tilted my head for a moment at the sudden request but did as I was told. However, like any other wall, it didn’t budge.

“Are you making me do strength training?”

“Hmm……”

He, emitting his unique nasal sound, approached me.

Under the frame, there were decorative moldings in the shape of a square frame. Leonel ran his hand along the boundary between the wall and the molding.

“Add a bit more weight, and try again.”

“Even if we do that, will the wall move?”

Hey! The wall moved backward. As a result, a gap appeared between the square frame molding and the wall.

Could it be a secret passage?

My heart raced as I held Leonel’s hand tightly and looked at him.

He kissed my forehead with a face that seemed to suppress a laugh. Then, he grabbed my hand and inserted it into the gap between the molding and the wall.

The edge of the wall was gripped by the handle.

“Push it to the side.”

I did as he said, and the wall opened like a sliding door. Beyond it, a narrow staircase appeared, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.

Leonel entered it first.

“It’s much narrower than I remember.”

He pulled out a candlestick hanging on the wall and lit it with a flint, signaling for me to come in.

After holding the handle inside the wall and sliding the door to the side, he checked that the wall was securely closed, and then approached me.

The stairs were quite steep and high. I hesitated out of fear, and he reached out to me.

As we held hands, the fear vanished, replaced by curiosity.

“What is all this?”

“A secret passage.”

When I whispered a question, he answered in a whisper.

“I used to hide here often when I escaped to the palace.”

“To avoid the governess?”

“Yes. Originally, it was supposed to be a place only three of us knew about…”

He trailed off unexpectedly. His voice carried a hint of bitterness. Wanting to comfort him in some way, I took his hand and kissed his lips.

Leonel turned to look at me, flashed a faint smile, and then continued forward.

“These stairs lead to a room on the first floor.”

Leonel pulled and pushed the wall at the end of the stairs, revealing a reasonably spacious area.

I entered and looked around. There was a sofa, a table, chairs, a few pieces of charcoal, and some sheets of paper. The only thing missing was a door.

‘I’d better remember where the opening in the wall is, or I might get stuck in here!’

There was a long window at a height that I could barely reach, allowing sunlight to enter freely. Thanks to this, even though three sides were walls, it didn’t feel stuffy.

“Is it only possible to enter through here?”

“There’s one more passage.”

His fingertip pointed to the empty wall.

“It’s the path Adelhardt often uses. It’s close to his room.”

In amazement, I approached the wall and tapped it. 

In books, they usually figure it out like this. No matter how much I tapped, I couldn’t tell how it was different from a regular wall.

I tilted my head and pressed my ear against the wall. Laughter came from behind.

I thought I might have discovered a memory and tried to turn around, but Leonel embraced me from behind.

“If you ever need to run away or hide, come here. I told Adelhardt in advance, so if you wait here, he’ll come to rescue you.”

“Okay.”

I recalled the scenery in the portrait room. There were quite a few lion statues. To avoid confusion, I replaced “between a lion and a donkey” with something more familiar.

Between Leonel and Guadang. Perfect.

“If you need to leave, go with Adelhardt. Otherwise, ask for an escort from the Archduke.”

I turned my body to face him in his embrace. I held his cheek and kissed his lips.

“Why are you so worried? They won’t be able to do anything in the palace.”

“That’s true.”

“Don’t worry about me, just focus on your mission. Return quickly and safely! Promise.”

I extended my pinky, and Leonel smiled as he hooked his pinky around mine.