Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 113

Episode 113

Faust turned around for a moment at my words. 

As I cautiously expressed my opinion, Frer nodded.

“Nelly is right. I’d rather you provide security. I know a safe place, so I’ll guide you there.”

“Alright.”

Frer moved his stride again. I followed slowly. My feet hurt, and my legs were aching, but I tried not to show it.

Breathing was difficult. With the sound of my heart beating, it was hard to hear anything else, and Frer stopped walking.

“We’re here.”

As I raised my head, a gloomy mansion came into view.

Gasping for breath, Faust grabbed my forearm to support me. As soon as I stood up, he saw the mansion and had a surprised look on his face.

“What’s this? Are you rich? Why are you doing the work of a ranch keeper when you a place like this?”

“It’s not our house.”

“What?”

“It’s not our house.”

Saying that, Frer pushed aside some ivy. There was just enough space for one person to pass through.

Frer took off his coat, laid it on the ground, and put Mary on it. Then, he entered first and pulled his coat over himself.

Faust looked puzzled as he pushed Mary’s feet toward Frer and asked.

“Is it okay to enter a place that’s not your house?”

“It’s okay.”

Faust ushered me inside and entered himself, asking.

“Whose house is it? Is it okay?”

It can’t be Adelhardt’s house. Frer opened his mouth as soon as that thought crossed my mind.

“It’s the Prince’s residence.”

Faust straightened up as he entered and his gradually revealed expression was extremely cold.

He cursed and drew his sword.

“Who the hell are you? Are you a spy?”

“What?”

Frer made a bewildered sound.

“It’s not the wrong word, but…”

He scratched the back of his head and trailed off. I sighed deeply and touched my forehead.

‘What if I say yes here!’

Leonel and Adelhardt were still pretending to be enemies, so the fewer people who knew they had reconciled, the better. I didn’t distrust Faust, but since this was a residence, we needed to be cautious about who might be listening to our conversation.

Still, leaving things as they were would likely result in more bloodshed. I started by placing my hand on Faust’s arm and gently pushed the sword down.

“First, put the sword away, and I’ll explain.”

He didn’t resist, even though I didn’t have the strength to overpower him. However, he still kept a wary eye on Frer.

He seemed ready to cut Frer’s throat at any moment if Frer acted even slightly suspiciously. Frer, after scratching his head for a moment, lifted Mary with a face devoid of tension.

As I followed behind him, I whispered to Faust.

“When I was kidnapped…”

“You were kidnapped?”

I fell silent. Faust drew his sword again.

“It’s a misunderstanding! Well, not a misunderstanding, but there were circumstances.”

I explained the situation to the now quiet Faust. After hearing my explanation, he sheathed his sword completely.

Frer breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief. It was somewhat amusing, but I couldn’t exactly step on his foot while he was holding Mary. So, I changed the topic.

“But can you just enter the Prince’s residence like this?”

“I can.”

Frer answered with strange confidence and went through the back door. Faust turned to me, looking as though he was asking if it was okay to follow the Prince’s people.

I nodded, and we entered the room with Frer. Inside, there were all sorts of weapons, medical tools, and dried herbs. Frer laid Mary down and brought a thin glass vial, pouring its contents into Mary’s throat.

“What is that?”

“It’s a paralysis potion.”

“Why are you giving that to her?”

“We’re going to close the wound, and if she wakes up in the middle of it, it’ll hurt.”

Then Frer brought a needle and thread. I couldn’t bear to watch, so I turned away.

“Tell me when it’s all done.”

“Yes.”

Unlike me, who had turned around, Faust was looking at Mary. 

Perhaps it was due to the exhaustion of running around to find Mary, my eyes were heavy, and I kept blinking.

Faust brought a chair over.

“Manager, rest your eyes.”

I obediently nodded and dozed off. However, I woke up from my nap when I heard a knocking on the door. It wasn’t a loud sound, but it strangely made me alert.

I turned my head and checked Mary’s condition first. Apart from the bandage on her arm, she looked fine.

I was about to ask Frer when Mary would wake up, but the door opened.

“Of course, you’re here.”

Adelhardt entered. As soon as he saw me, he came over and checked my condition.

“Are you injured?”

I nodded, and he frowned.

“No. Your hand is a mess.”

Hands? When I looked at my palm, I saw several small cuts. They stung a bit. They were probably from when I picked up the glass shard. Compared to Mary’s condition, they were nothing.

“But how did you know I was here?”

“I tracked you down and went to get you, but there was no Nelly, just a bunch of bad guys and this.”

Adelhardt handed a rectangular bag to Frer. It was the medical bag he had brought.

It seems the sound of hooves I heard before running away was Adelhardt coming.

When Frer took the bag, Adelhardt added.

“It was lying near the window. I thought it was yours, so I brought it to my house.”

“I see.”

Frer placed the bag to one side and came over to me. In his hand, he held ointment and narrow, thin bandages.

He took my hand and began to treat it. Adelhardt let out a small sigh.

“Sorry for being late.”

“It’s okay.”

“We arrested all those guys and put them in jail, so don’t worry.”

I nodded, and Adelhardt turned to speak to Faust this time.

“It’s been a while.”

“Oh, yes.”

There was a brief, awkward silence. Faust seemed unsure of what to do, scratching the back of his head. After a moment, Adelhardt spoke again.

“Why did you come to the capital?”

The question I was curious about happened to come out of his mouth.

“Yes, exactly. Do you know how surprised I was when you suddenly appeared?”

“Oh, that.”

Faust hesitated for a brief moment, clearly looking at Adelhardt. Then, he finally spoke.

“Devondus came to the manor and fired Lizzy. That’s why we were meeting to discuss what to do about it, but Lizzy suddenly started worrying about the estate manager.”

“Worried about me?”

“Uh, the fact that the heavy-assed bastard took it upon himself to get you down here suggests that the real target is you, the estate manager, alone in the capital.”

Faust explained the situation in more detail. 

Levance sent a letter, asking me not to come down, but Lizzy was anxious. She anticipated that the timing of the letter’s arrival and Leonel’s descent would overlap.

Her prediction came true, and I received the letter. It helped us avoid a crisis, but it was after Leonel had already left.

“I waited for His Grace to come down, but if I waited to send the message, it would be too late. That’s why I came up.”

Frer, who had been listening silently, interjected into our conversation.

“I told him that there were many people in the capital to protect it, but they were all in a panic and he wanted confirmation of safety.”

“And I brought this guy along because I figured if you got hurt, you’d need someone to take care of you right away.”

Adelhardt nodded.

“In that case, Leonel should be on his way to the capital by now.”

Hearing his name, I wanted to see him even more. I was slumping my shoulders, and Adelhardt comforted me.

“Is it okay for me to stay here for a few days? Mary hasn’t woken up yet, and I’m worried about leaving her.”

“I was going to ask you to stay a few days anyway.”

“Why? Is something happening at the palace?”

“The Queen has called for Devondus. I don’t want him to meet Nelly if possible.”

Ugh, Devondus. Just the thought of him made me uncomfortable. I shuddered, and Adelhardt burst into laughter.

Faust stared at Adelhardt, scratching the back of his head.

“I’ll be in your debt, then. It’s because I’m worried.”

“Sure, stay as long as you want.”

* * *

“Your Highness, Marquis Gardner has arrived.”

Archduke Landers, who was reviewing next year’s budget for the palace interior, raised his head. 

He had expected Gardner to visit upon hearing the report that Nelly had left the palace in the early morning. It was still early, but it felt a bit late compared to the time Archduke Landers had speculated.

Archduke Landers nodded with a smiling face when the door opened and Gardner entered. 

He asked about the matter first.

“What brings you to me?”

Gardner promptly handed two documents to him.

Archduke Landers looked at Gardner with a questioning look.

“You are aware that I’ve been visiting the fatigue recovery potion factory recently, Your Highness.”

“Yes, I’ve heard.”

“Nelly Pepper’s behavior raised suspicions, and I’ve been keeping an eye on her. I was worried that she might dare to embezzle your money without any fear, so I kept an eye on her.”

Gardner’s voice trailed off as he watched Archduke Landers go through the documents. Seeing this, Archduke Landers smiled warmly.

“Double-entry bookkeeping, I see. Does this mean that Pepper has embezzled my money?”

“I’d rather not believe it. However, I discovered something suspicious today when I went to the public treasury.”

“What did you find?”

“Before I explain, may I bring one more person in?”

“Please do.”

Gardner instructed his servant to bring the waiting person inside. Soon, a man entered and courteously greeted Archduke Landers.

“I am a teller from the public treasury.”

Archduke Landers nodded in acknowledgment and ordered him to proceed with what he had to say.

“Today, Baroness Nelly Pepper came to deposit money. However, the safe in which she deposited the money did not belong to her; it was in the name of a person named ‘Mary.'”

Gardner interrupted.

“I also came across Miss Pepper. She was hiding half of her face as if planning something suspicious.”

“How do you know that the money belonged to Pepper even though her face was hidden?”

“The hair color, eye color, eye shape, and eyebrows were all identical.”

The man working in the treasury also nodded.

“I saw it too. Green eyes are not common, so I remember it distinctly.”

“And she deposited the same amount of money as the one manipulated by the bookkeeper.”

Gardner concluded after receiving the man’s statement. Archduke Landers looked at Gardner with an inscrutable smile and nodded.

“In that case, we should summon Baroness Pepper for questioning. We’ll need witnesses, so I’ll call you again as soon as she’s apprehended.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“You may leave.”

Gardner saluted and left the room with the man from the treasury.

Archduke Landers sipped his tea alone and recalled what he had heard from Lady Etkin yesterday. The forger and the owner of the abandoned tower, both stated that Nelly Pepper, whose face was covered, had hired them and rented the tower.

“This is a very elaborate scheme.”

Archduke Landers examined the documents once more and called the head of the guards.

“As soon as Nelly Pepper returns, corner her and bring her to me.”

“Your Highness, someone who has committed a crime wouldn’t come back so boldly. Shouldn’t we consider searching for her instead?”

“Adelhardt will bring her back, so there’s no need for a search. Just wait for her to be brought here.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”