Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 16

Episode 16

Why didn’t I think of that? I could send Lizzy to Leonel! People are unpredictable variables, and I decided not to use them for my schemes, but Lizzy is an exception. She’s human, but her destructive power isn’t at a human level!

‘At first, she’ll do well, but after a few days, she’ll probably become a human tornado once her tension loosens.’

The Duke’s estate holds valuable items, so the damage could be extensive. Given Leonel’s personality, he probably won’t ask Lizzy for an explanation, so Lizzy’s job is safe.

“Hehehe.”

Great, it’s perfect. This time, I’ll enjoy watching Leonel suffer!

As I raised my head, the gathered overseers, who had finished tidying up, were all looking at me with uneasy expressions. I just smiled brightly, regardless of what was on their minds.

“Now that everyone has adapted to their tasks to some extent, shall we work on the contract?”

“I’m ready!”

“Thank you very much, Supervisor.”

“Waaah.”

I heard sobbing, so I subtly looked away. Both Faust and Lizzy are like that, and if you try to console crying people, things tend to get messed up, so I’ll pretend I don’t know.

Suddenly, pretending to remember something, I hurriedly entered the office. And by the time the sobbing had subsided, I had taken out the pre-written contract.

“There are quite a few contracts, aren’t there?”

“Sophie, you’ll need to rewrite the contracts. By the way, Tom and Gerald too. From now on, each of you will take a day off in rotation.”

Gerald looked at me with a puzzled expression. 

“Do you mean taking a day off is not working?”

“Yes, it’s a holiday. There are also set working hours. You should come to work by 8 AM and leave by 5 PM.”

“Leave? Leave? You mean there are set leaving hours?”

Tom kept mumbling, seemingly unable to believe it. Tears were welling up in his eyes, so I quickly warned him.

“Don’t cry! If you cry, I’ll use this contract as kindling!”

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Sophie grabbed Tom by the back of his shirt and promptly ushered him outside.

Gerald, who was muttering something about being able to take a day off during the week, fell silent at the sight. When Sophie returned, she had a triumphant expression as if she had accomplished something significant. She briefly nodded at me, but I didn’t quite understand the meaning, so I just smiled and brushed it off.

“Anyway, please sign the contracts.”

I handed Sophie eight contracts. While she was distributing them, Tom came in, wiping his tears. Observing his appearance, I addressed Lizzy.

“Could Lizzy have a chat with me?”

“But the contracts…”

Lizzy’s face turned pale as she looked at Sophie’s hand. There are nine people, but only eight contracts, and Lizzy seemed to realize this.

Her eyes started to well up with tears. I quickly grabbed Lizzy’s hand before anyone else could see and led her into the office. As soon as I closed the door, Lizzy clung to me.

“Supervisor, I know I’m useless! But, I’ll work even harder, so please don’t fire me!”

Lizzy eventually burst into tears. I needed to clear up any misunderstandings before her sobs grew louder.

“Lizzy, calm down. The reason I didn’t give you the contract immediately is because I have a different proposal.”

“A pro-proposal?”

Lizzy’s voice wavered as she sniveled into her left sleeve. I stood by her right side and nodded.

“What if you try working at the Duke’s manor instead of the estate office?”

“Me? B-but…”

Lizzy kept repeating the same words like a broken gear. I quickly raised both hands.

“I’m not saying you should go right away! I just wanted to talk about it while we review today.”

“But, would someone like me be okay?”

“Someone like you? What are you saying? Have confidence. You’re a genius, Lizzy.”

Lizzy looked at me with a moved expression and suddenly hugged me tightly.

“You’re the first person to say that to me, Supervisor. Until now, all I’ve heard is that I’m useless…”

She trailed off and buried her face in my waist, her tears moistening my waistband.

With a gentle smile, I patted her shoulder and thought to myself. I need to change my clothes.

* * *

“Nelly, you’re here?”

Levance greeted me with a face that seemed on the brink of death. When I turned my head, there was Arette, an unusual sight, also standing next to Leonel. His expression seemed as if he had just emerged from a closet.

He typically doesn’t deal with paperwork much due to being the head of the knights. The only reason he’d be sitting next to Leonel, in that particular fashion, was usually to deliver some kind of urgent news.

‘Looks like Arette’s bear-like hands must be busy enough for him to help!’

I suppressed the impulse to chuckle at the thought. I approached Leonel, stifling my amusement.

His face looked half-dead as if he hadn’t eaten properly for a few days. He was wearing glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose.

Leonel sometimes wore glasses when his fatigue caused his eyesight to deteriorate. It wasn’t the first time I had seen him like this, so it didn’t seem awkward. However, his demeanor seemed twice as cold, making it difficult to strike up a conversation.

“Report.”

His voice was as cold as ice, as usual.

I placed the ledger in front of him.

During the few days I hadn’t seen him, his face had become pallid. He opened the ledger as I reported. His expression while skimming through the pages seemed odd.

As soon as I finished the report, as if on cue, Leonel brought up the neatened ledger.

“It’s much easier to read.”

“Indeed.”

The corners of my mouth twitched upwards.

Leonel removed his glasses and wiped his face as if fatigued.

“If the report is finished, I…”

“Are you curious about who organized it?”

I swiftly pulled a chair and sat in front of him before the command to leave could escape his lips. I unfolded the report on the desk.

“Take a look at this. Isn’t the report much neater? There’s also more content, and the processing speed has improved.”

Levance showed interest in my words. He subtly approached and glanced over my shoulder, brushing the documents slightly with his fingers.

“Indeed.”

“As you can see, Mr. Levance?”

Levance nodded.

Leonel exchanged glances with me and Levance before twitching his left eyebrow slightly. Then, he tidied up the papers.

“So?”

“Wouldn’t you like to see who organized it?”

Leonel subtly spread the papers he had organized, but I had already disarrayed them. My petty revenge seemed to have worked as he furrowed his brow and tidied the papers again.

“And?”

“Among the new supervisors we hired, there’s a girl named Lizzy who’s a genius! She’s incredibly fast and look at this—she tidies up the ledgers so neatly.”

Leonel glanced at the papers that I had messily spread out. Perhaps my small revenge had an impact, as he furrowed his brow and tidied them again.

“So?”

“Could you make her your assistant, Duke? If being an assistant to the Duke is too burdensome, you could give her a position that involves aiding in tasks or something similar…”

My words got stuck at the end due to the intense look in his eyes. Why did he have to stare like that? It’s unsettling. I pulled my lips into a pout and noticed that Levance had sat down nearby, though I hadn’t realized when he had brought a chair over.

“If she’s that good at her job, I’d feel comfortable putting her under Nelly as a supervisor.”

Even if Lizzy is skilled, she wouldn’t be an easy subordinate. My conscience prickled for no reason, and I cleared my throat.

“That’s true, but I have enough supervisors now. Besides, you’re the proper authority. You need to have time to rest and eat.”

I heard a strange sound from the front. Following the oppressive gaze fixed on me, I turned my head. Leonel was looking at me, his chin resting on his hand.

“I’m eating and resting sufficiently.”

“…Duke, you don’t look in the mirror, do you?”

Leonel’s expression became openly uncomfortable.

What’s the point of that expression? It’s not going to work on me! If anything, I was getting a thrill out of this.

Of course, I had to persuade Leonel, so I suppressed the corners of my lips that were about to curl up. Then, I sighed, feigning concern.

“Half of your face is as good as gone.”

Despite my genuine concern, the nobleman furrowed his brow.

…Did my acting seem too awkward? I glanced at Levance. His uninspiring pupils and perfunctory smile were evident.

I got the message. I should stop pretending.

“But it’s true, half of your face is gone. Mr. Levance and Mr. Arette look half-dead as well.”

When I mentioned Levance and Arette, Leonel exhaled a short breath. His brow remained furrowed.

And Levance and Arette’s faces had become pale too.

If they keep sweating, it’ll only trickle down their foreheads.

I grumbled inwardly as Arette came over. He scanned the reports Leonel had organized.

“I think she might be better than me.”

“If we have one more person, would you finally catch your breath? Lizzy is truly talented!”

A different meaning of “talented” though – more like a human disaster! But well, a talent is a talent.

“If you don’t like her because I’m recommending her, find out.”

Leonel’s fingertip twitched. Then, he looked at me with questioning eyes.

What? Why? What?

I didn’t look away, intentionally intensifying the eye contact. Leonel weakly gestured, turning the documents around to face me.

“Bring her in three days.”

“Yes! You won’t regret it!”

As I smiled brightly and spoke, Leonel clenched his jaw.

“We’ll see.”

Leonel was right. We’ll see.

“Hehehe, well! Ahem! Ahem.”

I ended the unexpectedly emerged laughter with a fake cough and embraced the documents.

“See you in three days then!”

* * *

“Is it okay?”

Lizzy held onto my collar, visibly anxious.

“It’s fine!”

“Did he really tell me to come? To entrust me with work?”

I nodded and took Lizzy’s hand, walking briskly. She followed me, stumbling a bit.

“Can I do well? What if I make mistakes again?”

What I’m aiming for is exactly that!

“What if I get kicked out? What if it tarnishes the reputation of the manager? What if Duke Leonel looks at you unfavorably for recommending me? They say both Duke Leonel and his aides are terrifying. What if I’m executed for messing up?!”

Why is it that our territory’s people don’t listen to others when they get excited?