Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 20

Episode 20

Exaggeration, isn’t it? How can a snail be faster than a person? 

I grumbled to myself, and Leonel asked.

“Where were you trying to go?”

“Where else? I need to get back to the estate.”

Leonel opened his mouth, then closed it, looking behind. I did the same, and at the same time, Leonel grabbed my shoulder and started walking ahead, dragging me along.

As I was reluctantly pulled along, I saw the prince with his hood pressed deep into his face. He waved a hand in my direction. Though his face was hidden due to the hood, I could imagine the smug smile beneath it.

‘He didn’t even want to return my money purse!’

Anyway, thanks to him, I found the money purse. I leaned into Leonel’s hold, allowing him to guide me comfortably as I nodded and gave a polite greeting.

At this, the prince chuckled again. Truly… he seemed to be someone who laughed a lot.

Engaging in thoughts with little substance, I allowed myself to be pulled along while Leonel suddenly came to a stop. The prince was nowhere to be seen, but he hadn’t left the alley yet.

Why did he stop? Did he lose his way?

Looking around, Leonel released his hold on me.

“I heard you tried to run away.”

“Me? Why?”

“Didn’t you?”

“Well, yes. I’ll stick right by the Altwood Dukedom.”

Until my revenge is successful, that is.

“I’m not going anywhere!”

“…Do you have any connection to Adelhardt?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Hmm…”

Leonel stared at me for a while before turning away.

“Let’s go back.”

I nodded and followed Leonel. As we emerged from the alley, I could see the Altwood carriage waiting in the square.

Leonel got onto the carriage first.

I followed him up, and our eyes met with the coachman. I wasn’t sure why, but he nodded with a satisfied expression.

Awkwardly smiling back, I greeted him and entered the carriage. As soon as I sat down across from Leonel, the carriage began moving.

“What about your luggage?”

“Yes?”

“I heard you had a luggage.”

Of course, there’s no way Leonel wouldn’t know. He probably dashed over in a single stride!

Does he also know that the contents are dresses? What should I do?

Even if I lie, it seems like he’ll see through it anyway…

Leonel is quite perceptive. So maybe the maid told him that my closet was empty.

Right, if he’s going to find out anyway, I might as well just confess! Confidently!

“I disposed of them.”

“Did you have items to dispose of?”

“Yes! They were dresses that the Duke had given me as gifts.”

Thankfully, Leonel’s left eyebrow, which tends to twitch whenever he’s displeased, remained still.

“Why did you sell them? Did you not like them?”

“Regardless of whether I liked them or not, they were too extravagant for me to wear. They felt more like compensation than gifts. I prefer money to dresses.”

I hope he doesn’t ask me to give him the money I earned from selling the dresses. Clutching the money purse, I continued explaining whatever came to my mind.

“I don’t think I’ll need that many dresses in the future. I’ve kept just one simple one…”

I trailed off, looking at Leonel. He stared back at me for a moment before nodding.

“Seems reasonable.”

…That seemed to go well.

* * *

Certainly, one shouldn’t engage in unfamiliar activities, especially exercise. I shouldn’t engage in any activity at all. Just a simple attempt to catch one child, and now I’m suffering from body aches. 

Thanks to that, I spent my precious holiday lying in bed in agony.

However, after a day of rest, I felt better.

‘This wretched body!’

Since I was going to be in pain anyway, I should have just let myself rest another day. Dragging my feet, I opened the door to the management office.

“Good morning…”

I greeted weakly, and Gerald looked up.

“Ms. Nelly, haven’t you been resting? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“Yes, I had muscle pain.”

Upon hearing this, Sophie approached us quietly.

“Shall I massage you?”

Sophie. Her fingers seemed sinister.

I forced a smile and shook my head awkwardly. While trying to avoid Sophie, I took a step back and accidentally brushed against the windowsill with my hip.

When I turned my head, I saw a fully bloomed flower.

“Is this the potted plant Lizzy left here?”

Sophie nodded as she kneaded my shoulder.

“Yes. Isn’t it vibrant?”

“That’s right. It’s become more vibrant without Lizzy around.”

“I found out that Lizzy was using the tea she drank to water the plant. She even put eggshells from her breakfast in the pot.”

“She used leftovers to nourish it?”

“No, she thought it would be good for the flowers. I saw it somewhere, but not everything in books can be trusted.”

This is it!

I stifled the scream that was about to escape my lips and then pulled Sophie into a tight hug.

“Thank you, Sophie!”

“Huh? I haven’t finished massaging you…”

“It’s enough! I’m heading to the fields for a bit!”

I hugged Sophie tightly once again before stepping outside. I greeted the residents of the estate as I looked around the fields. They were just planting the seeds. In some of the faster-growing plots, fresh sprouts were already poking through the soil. If I let them grow like this, they should provide a bountiful harvest to fill Leonel’s warehouse, shouldn’t they?

That’s right, if I let this be, I’m not Nelly Pepper!

“Watch me. I’ll succeed!”

But as soon as I said that, I began to feel uneasy. To be honest, I’ve never seen a villain’s “watch me” actually result in success.

‘Cancel the whole “watch me” thing.’

I silently rephrased my thoughts. After observing the budding fields, I returned to the management office.

“Tom, could you possibly get me some eggshells?”

“Eggshells? What do you need them for?”

“Just… I need them.”

I answered, avoiding Tom’s gaze as he looked at me intently. He didn’t seem suspicious at all. He stopped what he was doing and quickly stood up.

“I’ll be back shortly!”

Not long after, he returned with a clean handful of eggshells.

“I washed them before bringing them here. I didn’t want Ms. Nelly’s hands to get dirty.”

“Thank you! I’ll put them to good use.”

“Yes!”

Seeing his big smile made me feel slightly uncomfortable. With the eggshells in my arms, I entered the office.

‘If I plant them like this, it’ll be too obvious, right?’

What should I do? Should I crush them into smaller pieces to make planting easier? As I was contemplating, Sophie walked into the room.

“Ms. Nelly, I think we need to repair the fountain in the square. I’ve come to get your approval for the budget.”

After confirming the documents and signing them, I handed them back to her.

“Here you go.”

“Is there something you’re hesitating about?”

“Uh, I just wanted to know if there’s a good way to crush eggshells finely. I can’t think of a suitable method.”

“How about using vinegar? The shells will dissolve in vinegar.”

“Really?”

Sophie smiled warmly and nodded. I took her hand and shook it, expressing my gratitude.

“Thank you, Sophie! Oh, by the way, do you think vinegar might be harmful to plants?”

“Well, if it dissolves eggshells, it should be harmful to plants, right?”

That’s right, Sophie’s right. If it can dissolve hard eggshells, it should be harmful to plants that are naturally more delicate.

“Hehehe.”

I chuckled to myself, then cleared my throat to prevent Sophie from being startled. However, oddly enough, she seemed to be smiling even more than before.

Huh? Why is she so happy?

Curious, I tilted my head and observed her. She picked up the documents.

“Well then, I’ll be on my way. Please take care of this matter again. Stay strong, Ms. Nelly!”

…I’m not sure what she’s cheering me on for. She couldn’t possibly have figured out my revenge plan, could she?

‘I need to be a bit more cautious.’

I pledged to myself as I finished my work.

After work and secretly acquiring vinegar and a glass bottle, I returned to my room. I crushed the eggshells Tom had brought and placed them in the glass bottle before pouring vinegar over them.

After letting it sit for about a week, just as Sophie had said, the eggshells didn’t appear to be visible due to the vinegar. The smell was also strong and unpleasant. On top of that, I added strongly brewed tea to the mix.

‘Great, it’s fragrantly stinky.’

The color was murky, the smell was nauseating—it looked toxic just by appearance. If people couldn’t be killed, at least plants could be killed in an instant. Moreover, it was a proven method that Lizzy had used before.

‘If the crops die for no apparent reason, Leonel’s warehouse will be empty, won’t it? The residents of the estate will defend themselves, saying they did their best and worked as hard as they used to. I won’t be able to punish them.’

This plan was truly perfect! Becoming a murderer, no, a plant-killer, I will make sure to see Leonel in despair!

In the dead of night, I rose with the foul liquid in hand. I needed to spray it onto the fields secretly, without anyone noticing. I placed the glass bottle into my leather bag and slung it over my shoulder. However, it turned out to be much heavier than I anticipated.

‘Carrying this to the fields…’

Even just walking down the stairs felt like my shoulders were about to dislocate. At this rate, my arm might fall off before I even reach the fields. Or maybe I’d end up with four shoulders!

Feeling overwhelmed, I switched the bag to my front and clutched the glass bottle, then stepped outside. Since it was dawn, the main gate hadn’t been opened yet.

‘If I ask them to open it, Leonel might find out. What should I do?’

While pondering, someone tapped my shoulder. Startled, I turned to find a young man dressed in knightly attire, looking quite meek.

“Are you the estate manager?”

“Yes. Hello.”

“Where are you going?”

“To work.”

“At this hour?”

The knight gestured towards the clock near the gate, illuminating it with a torch. I quickly glanced at it and saw that the clock’s hands pointed to the number four.

Work? It was an unbelievable excuse. Who would be insane enough to work at this hour?

“You’re certainly diligent!”

Am I the one who’s insane?

“But are you walking there? If you need, I can summon a carriage for you.”

“Well… Oh! I mean, if the sound of the carriage wakes up the people sleeping, that wouldn’t be good.”

Alright. My improvisation skills were getting better every day. Satisfied, I felt my lips curl into a smile. When I chuckled, the knight nodded with a pleased expression and opened the gate.