Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 17

Episode 17

With a smiling face, I looked at Lizzy as her voice gradually grew louder. Amidst her nervous chatter, she suddenly came to a halt.

“Can’t do it. I’m sorry, Ms. Nelly!”

“Where are you trying to run off to!”

I can’t let her run away when Leonel’s room is right around the corner! Thankfully, I was still holding onto Lizzy’s hand. I almost let the talent slip away.

I stopped walking and faced Lizzy. With both hands, I held onto her hand.

“It’s just a rumor. They’re not as scary as they sound. And if you work hard, they’ll recognize your efforts.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Whether my passionate defense had an effect or not, Lizzy obediently followed me. As I opened the door, Arette immediately came into view.

Perhaps due to Arette’s imposing figure, Lizzy hid behind me.

We walked in, and Lizzy tagged along like a shadow. I gently pulled her in front of me.

“It’s the Lizzy I told you about.”

“She looks young.”

Lizzy’s hand trembled in mine as she softly replied.

“Y-yes, I’m seventeen.”

Just in case Leonel tried to nitpick her age, I promptly spoke up.

“But she’s good at her job despite her age.”

At that moment, Levance looked up from his work.

“She’s not that young. There’s only a two-year difference between her and Arette.”

For a moment, I wondered who he was talking about. Then, I realized it was Arette. I was surprised and turned my head. Arette, with his calm expression, stated, 

“I’m nineteen.”

Younger than me. A bit shocking, but it was better. At least they wouldn’t send Lizzy away just because of her age!

I confidently faced Leonel.

He stared at me for a moment before nodding slightly towards the desk next to Arette.

“Keep an eye on her for a few days.”

“Thank you!”

Alright, that’s settled! I need to come by every three days and witness Leonel gradually softening up! I spun around and tightly hugged Lizzy.

Leonel probably hadn’t expected to let someone work at the estate, as Lizzy stood there with starry eyes. Only after I let her go did she manage to bow slightly.

“I’ll work hard!”

“That’s what you should do.”

In no time, Lizzy’s face had turned pale.

Why were they scaring the poor kid? I glared at Leonel, then leaned in to whisper into Lizzy’s ear.

“It’s alright. He’s just trying to sound intimidating.”

My words had been directed at Lizzy, but Levance burst into laughter.

…His chuckle seemed a bit more than just a whisper.

I flicked a glance at Leonel, who was watching. His hand with the poised pen looked especially firm today.

Would he cut Lizzy some slack due to her emotional state?

He wasn’t that capricious, but it was better not to appear too pleased. I leaned in to whisper into Lizzy’s ear again.

“It’s just an encouragement for you, Lizzy.”

Even though I addressed Lizzy, Leonel sighed audibly this time. He put his glasses back on and ran his hand through his hair before gesturing for Lizzy to move towards the empty desk.

I flashed two clenched fists at her to signal her to stay strong, then walked out of the office with light steps.

‘Three days later, I’ll get to see Leonel lose his cool, won’t I?’

Just the thought of it gave me a thrilling sensation. I found myself humming a tune as I headed back to the administration office.

Three days passed like this.

I couldn’t sleep the night before, imagining how haggard Leonel might appear. For the sake of maximum satisfaction, I purposefully avoided Lizzy for those three days.

And today, the moment I finished work, I rushed to Leonel’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Without realizing it, I opened the door a bit forcefully.

“Ms. Nelly!”

Lizzy’s voice was excessively cheerful.

With a nervous heart, I looked at Levance. His face was also far too bright. Leonel, too, was without his glasses and seemed to be in good spirits.

Well, it had only been three days, so it wasn’t surprising that he was still on edge. He was like that even when he was working at the administration office. Next time, when the time comes, I’m sure I’ll witness Leonel struggling with his blood pressure.

After finishing the report, I left and cheered on Lizzy.

“Lizzy, don’t be too nervous and just work comfortably!”

“Yes!”

Seeing her respond confidently eased my mind. However, my steps weren’t as light as when I first brought her to the office.

‘I’m anxious. There’s no way Leonel has only done good things again, right?’

No, don’t think like that. That’s how rumors start. I shook my head to dismiss the thoughts.

I was sure that chaos would ensue in three days. Lizzy was a three-day wonder, no, a three-day genius!

This time, I met Lizzy intermittently to help ease her tension. As I expected, she gradually grew more sullen. It was a positive sign. It meant Lizzy was about to make a mistake!

I held onto Lizzy’s hand, trying to comfort her.

“Lizzy, is there something bothering you?”

“I keep making mistakes lately… What if I get fired? What if I disappoint them?”

“Well, if that happens, you can just come back to the estate management office to work. You don’t have to worry about losing your job, Lizzy. There’s no way they’ll let you go. So, don’t be nervous and just work comfortably.”

“Ms. Nelly…!”

Lizzy looked at me with moist eyes and then hugged me tightly. I patted her back gently, feeling a bit guilty. If Lizzy came back to the management office, I’d have to be even better to her than before.

Three days passed once again.

With high expectations, I headed to the office. But just as I approached, I heard a piercing scream.

“Ahh!”

It was a scream as clear and vibrant as a crow’s call! This was the sound Lizzy made when she had made a significant mistake!

I hurriedly rushed in, throwing the door open. There were ink puddles on the floor like rainwater. Leonel was pressing his forehead with one hand.

The corners of my mouth involuntarily turned up.

‘I shouldn’t laugh.’

I quickly covered my mouth and assessed the situation. I wished at least one thing had gone wrong! If only it had been Leonel’s work! I scanned the surroundings while chanting spells under my breath. However, the documents were still intact. It seemed the only thing that had been spilled was the ink on the floor.

“Lizzy, it’s okay—”

“M-Ms. Nelly!”

Seeing me, Lizzy hurriedly moved and accidentally hit the documents with her elbow.

Alright! If it falls like that, it’ll be covered in ink!

I watched with anticipation, and Arette reached out his arm and caught the documents before they hit the floor. He quickly straightened them out.

Oh, Arette…

“Thank you, I’ll clean up the ink!”

Lizzy hastily began wiping away the ink. Then, she accidentally bumped into Levance’s desk.

The penholder that had been standing there wobbled precariously.

‘Fall! Fall! Fall onto the documents!’

I mentally cheered for the pen, but this time, Levance reached out and caught it. The delicate pen was now in Levance’s grasp.

He’s like a wicked landlord. The pen was ready to take a break, but Levance stood it back up again! He was making it stand up after it had decided to rest on the documents!

I looked at the pen with sympathy, but then I heard dull thumping sounds in quick succession. I turned to see what Lizzy had spilled again, but it wasn’t her. It was Leonel, who had tapped the desk to get my attention.

“Report.”

Leonel’s tone was as exasperating as when he asked for salt.

He wasn’t being malicious. It was just that he had grown up reserved, and after spending a long time on the battlefield, he had become laconic.

I understood it in my head, but no matter how many times I heard it, it was still irritating.

I lowered my voice, imitating his tone, and added the cut-off part that he would have said. Before Leonel could respond, I continued nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.

“Can you do that for me? Yes, of course.”

Laughter echoed from behind me. Leonel stared at me with fiery eyes, but I brushed it off lightly.

…Actually, I avoided looking at him because he was intimidating.

“Here are the ledgers and reports.”

I placed the documents in front of him and began the report. But I couldn’t concentrate because of the sounds from behind.

This place was clearly for organizing documents. Why was there the sound of combat here?

I peeked behind me. The scene unfolding behind me resembled the combat of swordsmasters. When Lizzy dropped something, Arette used clever hand movements to catch everything. And when Lizzy stumbled, Arette was there to support her.

‘This is like a duel between a spear and a shield… No, an accident and quick reflexes?’

Levance wasn’t to be taken lightly either.

Though Lizzy’s sudden body movements struck him repeatedly, all his belongings were neatly arranged. He intercepted Lizzy’s questions, calculations, and accidental missteps.

If Lizzy was a landslide, Arette was a stone wall, and if Lizzy was a wave, Levance was a breakwater.

‘My human disaster…’

It’s being prevented!

Sighing, I looked at Leonel, who knocked on the desk, possibly to get me back on track.

“Nelly Pepper.”

I snapped back to attention and turned my head.

“Hmm! Sorry, where were we?”

Leonel pointed to a section of the report with his finger. I resumed the report, silently cheering Lizzy on.

‘Just a bit more! Sweep through it all like you did at the management office! Don’t let Leonel’s intimidating attitude get to you!’

As soon as our eyes met, I nodded my head with a resolute expression. My encouragement seemed to have worked as Lizzy nodded back with teary eyes. And then, she entered a calm state. She became excessively composed.

No, it wasn’t meant to calm down!

As I wrapped up the report, Leonel spoke up.

“Are you worried?”

“No. She’s doing well.”

“Doing well?”

Leonel furrowed his brow and emitted an odd hum while stroking his chin.

Is something wrong with what she’s doing? Is Lizzy too much for Leonel to handle? If possible, I’d prefer Lizzy to be someone extremely challenging!

When I looked at Leonel with twinkling eyes, he nodded.

“It’s better than nothing. At least we’ve bought some time to eat and rest.”

I had hoped Lizzy’s storm would overwhelm him, but it seemed it hadn’t. I smiled, hiding my disappointment.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Right. Let’s think positively. It’s a fortunate thing that we’ve gained more time to eat and rest now that a genius like Lizzy has joined us. If we had more time, Leonel would probably invent things to keep us busy.

Not that I’m worried about him, of course.

When the boss creates work, the subordinates are bound to be busy!

“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

I bid Leonel a nod and headed outside. Another failure this time. Honestly, it’s demoralizing. I walked a bit, my head drooping in thought.