Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 44

Episode 44

“Ughhh….”

I woke up, but my body wouldn’t move. I had taken medicine and fallen asleep, so why did I feel like I was about to die? It’s as if every muscle is tearing apart!

I crawled on the bed like a zombie, then turned my head when I heard the door opening.

Then, a crushing pain surged from my neck down to my shoulders and arms.

“Ugh, s-save me…”

“Miss Nelly, please don’t move.”

The maid Mary firmly stopped me and approached.

“Yes?”

“You had a high fever last night.”

“Me?”

Strange. I never had any illnesses like this before. Of course, before I died, I often thought I’d rather fall ill and lie in bed because I was tired of each day, but that’s beside the point.

I was just blinking my eyes when Mary placed her hand on my forehead.

“Of course. The Duke was so worried about you.”

So I had a fever, and it seemed like my hearing was affected.

Haha. I almost misunderstood it as Leonel worrying about me! The face of Leonel I saw in the dream left a deep impression.

Perhaps the square meant that Leonel was worried about me. Of course, since the square is a place, it can’t feel emotions. But it made sense. It was more plausible than saying Leonel worried about me.

Did a fairy take refuge in the square?

“That’s right. The square. Square, Square Lord. A fairy took refuge.”

“Do you still have a fever……?”

Mary, your telepathy is way too clear. But even to me, what I had to say sounded insane, so I had no words.

I left Mary to check if I had a fever by placing her hand on my forehead and looking around. When I turned my head, I saw the curtains swaying in the breeze.

“But what happened last night?”

“Happened?”

“I thought I heard something like a scream in my sleep.”

“…It seems like you had a nightmare.”

Yes, I did have a nightmare. I nodded, and Mary turned, walked over, and closed the window.

As I stared at the now-quiet curtains, Mary turned back with a gentle smile.

“Come to think of it, a beetle came in yesterday, and there was a bit of a commotion.”

A beetle? Was she talking about an insect? If there was a commotion…

“Was it a really big cockroach?”

“Well, something like that.”

Ugh, just thinking about it made me feel disgusted. Unintentionally, I shivered and buried my face in the pillow, my whole body aching.

“But don’t worry too much. The Duke caught it and handed it over to the soldiers.”

If it caused such a commotion that even soldiers were involved… how big was that cockroach? I’m grateful I was asleep; if I had seen it, I might have fainted.

I closed my eyes tightly, and Mary continued speaking.

“And there was a fire, and wolves were seen too.”

“A fire? Were there any casualties?”

Mary shook her head.

“Th-then someone…”

I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence and trailed off. Mary nodded again.

I let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. I sighed in relief and tilted my head.

But what on earth happened?

‘Why did so many bad things happen? Was it an unlucky day? Or did someone curse it?”

Fire, giant cockroaches, wolves, and fainting. On top of that, muscle pain.

Yesterday was a day off, but if it had happened on a workday, it would have been a disaster… a disaster!

Today is a working day! I reflexively sat up.

“Ah!”

“Miss Nelly, are you okay?”

Mary rushed over and supported my back. My whole body was screaming in pain, but I desperately put my feet down.

“What time is it now?”

“It’s probably past noon.”

Late. No, it’s more than just being late. It’s almost like playing hide and seek!

I remembered mentioning something about work to Leonel before I passed out. If he finds out I missed work and forgot about it…

I tried to put some strength into my legs, but Mary gently laid me back down.

“You’re not thinking of going to work, are you?”

Right, I can’t. She’s right.

Even if I got sick while working in the rice fields, I shouldn’t overdo it. Besides, I have somewhere to go now. I just need to follow the arrangements Roman made for me.

As I stayed still, Mary looked at me with a suspicious gaze.

“Are you thinking about going to work? I won’t let you.”

I never had such a dreadful thought!

I tried to shake my head, but then I heard an unfamiliar voice.

“You were moaning in pain all night, and now you want to go to work? That’s quite something.”

What is Leonel doing in my room? Why is Mary winking at me? Why did she whisper, ‘I’ve heard everything from the butler,’ and make room for me? And why is Leonel coming closer to the bed?

Confused and trying to sit up, Leonel pressed his index finger firmly against my forehead.

“Ah!”

I tried to resist but ended up falling back.

Leonel let out a short chuckle and took a seat on a small chair next to the bed.

“How’s your body feeling?”

“It feels like I’ve been beaten up by five people for an hour.”

A small note of admiration crossed Leonel’s face.

“That’s surprisingly accurate.”

“What?”

“The diagnosis of the former ranch keeper. Oh, he’s the ranch keeper now?”

What does that even mean?

I’ve only been asleep for about a day. What on earth could have happened that I can’t understand a word he’s saying?

I might have been asleep for about a year.

“Are you talking about Frer?”

“Yeah.”

“Why did Frer become a ranch keeper? And what about Roman?”

Leonel tilted his head sharply and stared down at me.

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“Yes.”

“Roman was a spy.”

I took a deep breath and, startled, remembered the letter that Roman had sent. 

“I knew it! See, I was right, wasn’t I?”

I opened my eyes wide and looked at Leonel, but he didn’t display any signs of annoyance. Instead, he smiled faintly and nodded his head.

What’s going on? Normally, he would have scolded me for using such an impolite tone.

“Yes, you’re right. I’m thinking about rewarding you.”

Money? I hope it’s money.

“You often go out with Vexiadria Larelius.”

Why does everyone refer to him by that strange name?

“Yes, he’s my closest friend.”

“Then, I’ll give him to you. You can use it without permission from now on.”

I’ve been using him without permission anyway, so is this a reward?

I blinked my eyes, and Leonel twitched his left eyebrow.

“Don’t you like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that it doesn’t feel real. So, if I ever leave the estate, can I take him with me?”

“Are you planning to leave?”

The conversation was taking another strange turn. I did consider leaving, but wait. Roman was a spy, right? And now he’s been cut off. What happens to my job? If I’m cut off here, I’ll have nowhere to go.

“No! Why would I leave? It’s just… I might be dismissed because of something I did…”

I glanced at Leonel, hoping to get lucky.

“Something you did? Are you talking about the waterway?”

I nodded with my eyes closed tightly.

Leonel crossed his legs and placed his folded hands on his knees. Then, with a strange sigh, he looked at me.

Please, don’t talk about cutting off anything. I still have a lot of revenge to carry out, and there’s plenty of money I haven’t taken!

“Did you know what you were doing?”

“Yes?”

“Rice thrives when it’s friendly to water and forms a community. I thought you knew that.”

I didn’t. But I couldn’t tell the truth. I had planned to play dumb and act like it was just an accident if the rice withered away, but now that I’ve been caught, that won’t work.

The Queen is a fearsome person. She’s famous for personally executing half of the opposition during her coronation. That made her the subject of fear for a while, known as the Bloodthirsty Monarch.

And it’s her crop I’ve been entrusted with. If it’s discovered that I intentionally tried to kill it… I’ll be in deep trouble.

This had to be something I did knowingly. Even if I didn’t know, I have to say that I did. I must never admit that it was a deliberate act!

“Well, yes. I read about it in a book.”

“Even so, you didn’t have full confidence.”

I had a different kind of confidence. Confidence that it would die… No, don’t think about it.

I kept my mouth shut, but Leonel spoke again.

“Considering that, it was quite a radical move to make a canal to water the field.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Have you ever seen rice planted somewhere else?”

“No.”

“Hmm.”

With Leonel’s brief sigh, the conversation ended.

Silence filled the room.

It’s uncomfortable. It seems like there’s nothing more to say, but why is Leonel still here? Isn’t he busy? He must be busy.

I was just watching him in silence when I heard a knock at the door.

“Come in!”

As I called out, the door opened, and Levance entered.

“Your Grace, here are the approval documents.”

So why are you bringing approval documents here?

“Leave them here.”

Why does Leonel keep telling them to leave it here? What’s going on? Is this a new form of torment?

I looked back and forth between Levance and Leonel, and Levance locked eyes with me.

I tried to get up from the bed, feeling embarrassed lying down, but Leonel placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Rest.”

“Yes, Nelly. You should rest, especially when you’re not feeling well.”

How can I rest when both of you are working here?

I glared at them, fighting back tears. Then Levance looked at me with a sympathetic expression and chuckled.

“If you want to work, just wait until you get better.”

Why does everyone mistake a look of wanting to leave for a look of wanting to work?