Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 130

Episode 130

“Already going back to the territory?” 

I looked up as I was selecting seeds to plant in spring with Mary’s family. 

Mary nodded. 

“I have about 4 days of vacation left. If I leave now, I can arrive at the Altwood estate just in time.” 

I wanted to go too. I want to see Leonel when I get there!

“Miss Nelly, are you going back to Uto…?”

“Utopia!”

“Yes. Are you going back to your inherited house?”

Mary seemed hesitant to utter the word ‘Utopia’ aloud. I pondered. In reality, despite the name Utopia, life there was peaceful but not necessarily happy. 

Without answering, I stayed silent until Mary’s family insisted I stay here until they filled a month. But that’s not what I wanted.

“Mary, I want to go with you.”

“Even when you arrive at the territory, there’s still a long time until the promised period. Are you sure?”

“I’ll just sneak in for a moment, see his face, and come out. I won’t get caught.”

“Altwood is heavily guarded. It won’t be easy.”

“It’s okay! I have my ways.”

I chuckled mischievously, tapping my palm on my lips. Then I returned to the territory with Mary. The knight at the checkpoint was familiar with me.

But he didn’t recognize me.

“Mary, who’s this beside you?”

“My cousin. She got her face badly injured.”

I have bandages all over my face!

My hood was pulled down low. So, unless he thought I was a ghost, he wouldn’t recognize me. Just as I thought this, a guy who looked like a ghost popped out from beside the knight.

“Cousin?”

Arette asked Mary.

Mary nodded with a tense expression. Arette tilted his head.

“You don’t have any cousin.”

How does he know that?

Ah, right. Usually, Arette reported on people’s backgrounds to Leonel. 

I swallowed nervously. I left Guadang at Mary’s in case I got caught. 

What should I do now? Feeling helpless, Mary stepped forward and discreetly shielded me.

“She’s a distant cousin who recently appeared. My aunt remarried, you see.”

Mary’s aunt, whose name I didn’t know, remarried without even realizing it. My apologies.

“She’s curious about the Altwood estate, wondering if they accept immigrants during this period. So, I brought her.”

Arette stared at me for a moment and then nodded.

“Let her in.”

I slightly nodded in acknowledgment and quickly passed through the castle gate with brisk steps.

Mary and I entered the territory together. As we walked to the castle, I noticed an odd atmosphere among the residents. I leaned close to Mary and whispered.

“Mary, doesn’t the atmosphere in the territory seem strange?”

“Yes, it does. But I think it’ll get better soon.”

She smiled reassuringly and entered the castle. We encountered the butler and Levance on the way but managed to deceive them and pass through. I unpacked my belongings and quietly followed Mary, observing the atmosphere within the castle.

If Leonel was sensitive, the atmosphere inside the castle was always cold and sharp. But now, it wasn’t like that. It seemed a bit melancholic, but that was all.

‘Could Leonel be feeling down?’

Suddenly, I became worried. 

I cautiously avoided people’s eyes and came out to the backyard where the office window was visible. Despite jumping as high as I could, I couldn’t see the office on the second floor.

‘What should I do?’

While wandering, I noticed a large tree near the balcony on the second floor. Even if I stepped on its branches, they seemed sturdy enough not to break. I secretly sneaked into the storage and brought out a ladder.

‘I’ll just take a quick look and come down. I’ll hide in Dames for about a week and then come back.’

I made up my mind and leaned the ladder against the tree. I collected some rocks to stabilize the base and slowly climbed up. Just as I was about to climb onto a branch at the top, my legs tensed up too much due to nervousness.

“Oh no, this isn’t good!”

I grabbed the branch and reached down, but the ladder had already fallen to the side, lifeless.

‘How am I going to get down?’

Looking down, it seemed higher than I thought, making me dizzy. Cold sweat broke out.

I gazed at the ladder lying comfortably as if mocking me, then turned my head.

‘For now, let’s see Leonel’s face first.’

To secure safety, I adjusted my position. Suddenly, the balcony door creaked open.

Leonel, with a pale face, stepped outside. He stared at me for a while, then took a long breath and swept his hair back, looking a bit disheveled.

“What are you doing up there so dangerously?”

Did he recognize me? Or not? I perched on a branch, leaning against the tree trunk, maintaining caution.

“I heard from the butler. Mary’s cousin, right?”

I nodded, knowing I could be recognized with my voice. 

Leonel leaned against the railing, reaching out towards me.

“It’s dangerous there. Come over here.”

What? Why is he being so kind when he probably knows I’m a stranger? 

He didn’t seem as gloomy as I expected. His complexion was fine, better than when I was with him. His lips were the only things slightly downturned, but Leonel gently urged me forward.

“Quickly.”

I nodded and cautiously moved towards him. As I got closer to the treetop, the branches became thinner. Although they were as thick as my thigh, it was still intimidating.

Approaching almost crouched, I slowly stood up near the railing. Simultaneously, Leonel also climbed onto the railing.

‘What are you doing dangerously!’

I was about to tell him to stop, whether he recognized me or not, but Leonel swiftly lifted me and brought me down onto the balcony.

I pulled Leonel down from the railing. He stared at me for a moment, then reached out and removed my hood. As our eyes met, he touched the bandage on my face with trembling hands.

“Are you hurt?”

I dodged his hand, shaking my head. Leonel’s other hand on the opposite side untied my bandage.

A cool breeze touched my face.

“I didn’t know Mary had such a lovely cousin.”

“…Did you know I was coming?”

“Arette told me.”

I got caught after all! Embarrassed, I tried to flip my hood back, but Leonel brushed aside my disheveled hair, thwarting my attempt.

“I tried to act like I didn’t know.”

“Well, it’s not that I didn’t trust Leonel; I just… I just…”

I wanted to say it so many times a day, but now that I tried to speak it out loud, my face turned red.

As I lowered my head, he grabbed my cheeks and lifted them.

The lips and warmth I missed so much penetrated my chilled skin as the wind blew.

“I missed you, Nelly.”

“…Me too. I came because I missed you, Leonel.”

He laughed and kissed me again. As our temperatures blended, he pulled his lips away.

“How does it feel to see me in person?”

“I think you look much better than I imagined.”

“You’re still going to fill in for a month, though, aren’t you?”

No! I don’t want to fill it! I was about to reply, but then I remembered how I had boldly stated that there were no compromises, so I clamped my mouth shut.

He chuckled and held my hand, folding my fingers.

“Nelly, I have a better idea.”

“What is it?”

“During the time we were apart, I realized how incredible and strong you are. If you promise to be with me in the future, I won’t be afraid anymore.”

A cold thing passed through my left ring finger. As I lowered my head, a ring came into view.

One of the rings, with the same design, was already on Leonel’s finger.

“Will you promise to marry me? Then, there won’t be anything to fear.”

As his large arms enveloped me entirely, I felt certain.

What I needed wasn’t the smell of bread I could enjoy every morning or the rocking chair on the terrace. It was the place where I could be most comfortable and natural, the place I could return to. 

It was right where Leonel was.

Lifting my head and meeting his eyes, laughter burst out along with tears. Despite the chilly wind, my heart was warmer than ever.

“Okay!”

I beamed at him, nodding vigorously with a powerful smile.

END.