Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 39

Episode 39

Instinctively, I moved my body back to avoid it. However, his fingertips touched my forehead.

“It’s covered in dirt.”

It was true. There were grains of sand on his hand.

You could tell it was sand from the riverside!

I was startled, grabbed his wrist, and brushed the sand off his hand. The grains of sand fell weakly to the floor.

Leonel looked down.

Deliberately raising the lamp slightly, I quickly brushed my forehead. Then I shook my foot, scattering the sand on the floor.

“I went to the field! I was curious if the barley was doing well.”

“You rode a donkey there.”

“Oh, how did you know?”

Did he have someone watching me after all?

As I stepped back cautiously, Leonel pointed at my clothes with his finger.

“Because there’s a lot of donkey fur stuck to you.”

“Oh, I thought it was Arette chasing me again.”

“You think that I…”

When our eyes met, Leonel stopped speaking. He let out a long sigh and rubbed his forehead.

“It’s my fault… I can’t blame…”

Leonel muttered so quietly that I couldn’t hear him properly. I tilted my head and asked again, but he waved his hand.

“Never mind. Sit down and let’s talk. What’s there to discuss?”

“Well…”

I hadn’t thought about it. I don’t know. I’ll just say something for now!

“It’s about barley. Since it’s a foreign crop, I thought it might not grow well because the climate might not be suitable.”

“Hmm… That could be possible.”

“How about researching the climate of its place of origin?”

“It’s such a small, distant country with little information available. It might be challenging.”

“Perhaps we could look through books to find something?”

“Books about such far-off countries are more like novels, filled with extravagant tales. It’s all fiction, so I’d rather not bother.”

“I see.”

I nodded, and the conversation ceased.

“Is that all you wanted to discuss?”

Yes, that’s it. It’s over. I came here with nothing to say in the first place. Saying something, anything, felt like an achievement.

But for some reason, it seemed like I had to bring up something, even if I had to make it up. I mentioned a few problems that came to mind.

Leonel listened to all of them without showing any signs of annoyance.

The problem was that there was no sign of fatigue whatsoever on him. I’m exhausted!

‘I shouldn’t have come here for no reason.’

I can’t wait to see that smug look on his face turn into a look of exhaustion!

Before I died, I remembered the improvements made over the past three years.

“Oh, by the way, it would be a good idea to pave the road. The current path is too rough, making it inconvenient for carts to pass.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“And people raise pigs and chickens individually, right? What if we gather them together for management?”

“Is there a need for that?”

“Yes! Right now, people are keeping livestock inside their homes, and it creates a lot of odor and isn’t very hygienic.”

“Are you suggesting building a barn?”

“Yes. If we gather them together, it’ll be easier to manage, levy taxes, and facilitate breeding.”

“That makes sense. The capital is changing in that direction. Let’s consider it.”

He nodded, and I inadvertently dozed off. As I tried to regain my composure, I felt a firm palm against my head.

Leonel seemed to catch my head, which was about to hit the table, with one hand.

“It’s better to go back and rest.”

“I’m still okay.”

“You’ve been helpful enough at this point. If you have more to say, rest and come back later.”

Well, well. Leonel is worried about my sleep. This is unexpected.

I blinked my eyes widely, and a strange sound reached my ears.

“Sophie said that Roman came a few days ago.”

“Oh, right.”

I replied, rolling my tongue lazily.

“What did you talk about?”

“Just… relationship advice.”

“Were you that close with him?”

“Well, sometimes it’s easier to seek advice from someone you’re not close to.”

Words are getting longer. My body is getting heavier.

Almost instinctively, I tried to lie down, but then I abruptly sat up. I saw Leonel’s surprised face across the table.

I wanted to leave when I saw Leonel struggling, but it seemed like I might end up struggling first.

I pinched my thigh, which helped me regain some clarity. Regretfully, I anticipated the next move and got up from my seat.

“I’m going to sleep now. Have a good rest.”

“…Okay.”

As I walked unsteadily, I heard what seemed like a sigh. However, I didn’t have the presence of mind to turn back and ask what was wrong. I just went back to my room and fell asleep as if collapsing.

* * *

Roman sat on the bed, his legs trembling.

[If you can’t capture Nelly Pepper, kill her.]

Such an order existed, but in truth, Roman rarely wanted to kill anyone. So he had gone to capture Nelly Pepper, but her response had been ambiguous.

‘I did get a promise…’

Could this be considered a successful capture? She had promised to keep his secret, so this might be considered a rough success. Moreover, Nelly Pepper had told him that she had a strained relationship with the Duke in her own words.

Roman contemplated the conversation he had with Nelly and received a letter a few weeks later. Roman deciphered the encoded message, which seemed like a regular greeting.

[Have you not killed her yet?

Do you believe what she says?

If she’s not captured immediately, she will only disrupt the plan.]

The words written in various handwriting styles irritated him.

Roman let out a sigh, securing a dagger on his forearm and covering it with his sleeve.

* * *

The fatigue was piling up, and I could feel it. Nevertheless, I had roughly finished making the upper channels.

Now, all that was left was to create a path to drain water from the fields. Why was I feeling so drowsy?

Well, it had been a whole week since I had slept properly so that probably explained it. I was dozing off as I worked the land when suddenly Guadang, my donkey, perked up its large ears.

Donkeys had sensitive hearing and could pick up even the faintest sounds.

‘Could it be a wild animal?’

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I lifted the lamp and turned swiftly. Perhaps it was because I was near the river, but a faint mist hung in the air.

Beyond that, I saw a black silhouette. The red light from the lamp reflected off something in the figure’s hand, or rather, on some object he was holding.

‘What could shine like that?’

Even as I thought that I instinctively took a step back. I stepped on some rocks with my heels.

The black silhouette slowly approached me. Just in case, I picked up the largest stone I could find and Guadang pressed against my side.

But then, Guadang pricked its ears backward and lowered its head. It even started shuffling its hind legs.

It was a typical combat stance. And there was only one person Guadang would react to like this.

“Roman?”

As I called out his name, the object illuminated by the lamp’s light vanished.

Roman slowly revealed himself, with one hand hidden behind his back.

I didn’t relax my guard, tightly gripping the stone in my hand.

“What are you doing here?”

Roman’s eyes shifted to Guadang. He said nothing, and for a long while, he just stared at the donkey.

Guadang moved forward as if trying to nudge him, and I tightly held the reins.

Only then did Roman speak.

“I woke up for a moment and couldn’t find Vexiadria Larelius. I was looking for him.”

…Was he still using that name?

Anyway, it was my fault. I had secretly taken Guadang out in the early morning. In truth, I didn’t expect to get caught until the irrigation channels were completed. 

I felt a bit guilty, but Roman didn’t strike me as someone diligent enough to wake up and inspect the animals.

“I took him out for a moment.”

“At this hour?”

“Yes, I had some… work to do.”

Guadang nudged my side with his snout.

“Just a moment, Guadang. We’re in the middle of a conversation. Wait.”

I tried to soothe him, but he kept urging me. With a troubled expression, I looked at Guadang, and Roman approached me even closer.

“I will help you.”

“No, it’s okay.”

If I accepted his help, I would incur the wrath of Roman’s beloved! 

I raised my hand forcefully to refuse, but Roman continued to advance. With one hand, he grabbed the spade I was holding.

“I will help you.”

As he tried to snatch the spade away, I applied all my strength to hold it with both hands. However, the difference in strength was significant, and it was soon wrested from me.

Just as Roman was about to take the spade, Guadang suddenly lowered its head and charged at him.

“Kuk!”

Roman, who had been hit in the side, rolled to the side. At the same time, I heard the sound of something hitting a solid object.

“Are you okay, Roman?”

As I approached, Guadang intervened and lightly headbutted me.

“Why are you acting like this today?”

“…I’m fine.”

Before his words could finish, we heard voices somewhere. It seemed that the patrolling soldiers had heard the commotion.

I was startled and climbed onto Guadang. Simultaneously, Guadang started running.

“I’m going to leave! Roman, run, no, I mean, return to the pasture!”

I shouted as I quickly distanced myself from Roman. Although I couldn’t see him clearly, it seemed like Roman was also running away.

If we were caught by the soldiers, it might lead to unnecessary trouble.

‘Safe getaway!’

I silently cheered him on as Guadang quickly ran to the castle through the secret passage.

And he stopped in front of the main castle.

That was because I had been tormenting Leonel before returning to my room these days.

‘I wonder if I’m tormenting Leonel, or if he’s tormenting me.’