Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 47

Episode 47

“When I saw her last time, she seemed quite friendly, didn’t she?”

“Nelly Pepper is a bit… well, how should I put it…?”

Elling muttered to himself and scratched the back of his head.

“Love-hate? No, not really. She didn’t seem that emotionally invested. Hmmm…”

“Try to be more explicit. Let’s speculate together.”

“Well, it’s a bit ambiguous. Nelly Pepper dislikes the Duke somewhat, but it’s not that intense, you know?”

Elling was unsure of what he was saying even as he spoke.

“Oh! Nelly Pepper is very suspicious of Leonel the Duke.”

“What did Leonel do wrong? Or is it possible that there’s some grudge against the Altwood family?”

“Despite that, she works incredibly hard.”

“And what are the results?”

“After spreading the developed medicine on the fields, the soil improved, and the crops became healthier. If it continues like this, I think the harvest could increase by about 30% compared to last year.”

That was an intriguing story.

While Adelhardt himself didn’t personally cultivate the fields, distributing it to the peasants could be beneficial.

Moreover, working so diligently under someone you dislike.

She must be a responsible person.

Adelhardt gestured for Elling to continue talking about Nelly. Elling recounted everything he had seen and heard about Nelly in the estate.

Most of it was praise for Nelly’s achievements and how she handled people.

“She excels at managing people and has a strong understanding of administration. She could be very useful to have around.”

“That’s true.”

“I like her, can we recruit her?”

“Well, I’m not sure. She’s a rather unpredictable person, and she’s a bit strange.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“She does things secretly.”

“…Is she a spy or something?”

“But if you look at it, everything she does benefits the estate. Why hide it? Usually, people like to show off, don’t they?”

“She claims to dislike Leonel. Maybe she’s doing good things for someone she dislikes. She probably wanted to keep it a secret.”

“I see.”

Adelhardt tapped his toe in contemplation.

He needed to know more about the person he wanted to recruit, but the more he heard, the more he thought she might be eccentric, and he couldn’t get a clear sense of her character.

“I should meet her in person.”

“She rarely leaves the estate.”

“Then I’ll have to go inside.”

“…Huh? Did I just hear something strange because I’m tired?”

Elling tilted his head and scratched his ear as he mumbled.

Adelhardt knew that he had a personality that didn’t hesitate to do whatever it took to recruit talent. However, even with that in mind, coming to the Altwood estate just to meet a manager?

This wasn’t just being unhesitant; it was bordering on reckless.

“You’re not just going to meet the manager, are you? Are you perhaps planning to assassinate Duke Altwood…?”

“If I were going to kill someone, I would have asked you to do it a long time ago.”

“I’m being a spy because the Prince doesn’t want me to kill people.”

“That’s why I didn’t ask.”

Adelhardt’s nonchalant smile seemed oddly mocking. Elling, after scratching his head for no apparent reason, asked again. 

“But seriously, what are you going to do when you get there?”

“I need to see the manager’s preferences, personality, tendencies, abilities, and reputation for myself. That way, I can try to persuade her. It’s better if we become friends.”

“If you leave your position for too long, it will raise suspicion.”

“Just say I went for a health treatment.”

“That’s a cliché excuse.”

“It’s effective.”

“Do you think the Duke Altwood will accept it?”

“I’ll go somewhere else for the treatment, and I’ll sneak into the Altwood estate.”

“…Then what about me?”

“I’ve got some things to finish up anyway, it’ll take a few months, and it would be weird if you disappeared as soon as I got there, so keep a low profile.”

Leaving Elling with a blank expression, Adelhardt stood up from his seat with a satisfied look on his face.

He opened the terrace door himself and spoke to Elling as he headed out.

“Well then, enjoy your time with the animals and be happy until we meet again, Elling Frer.”

* * *

While lying down until the muscle pain disappeared, I seriously contemplated. What on earth is going on? Have I been cursed or something, that everything I attempt turns out well? No, maybe it’s not a curse but a blessing. Anyway, things are going well. But why did I want to ruin them?

‘I’m getting needlessly confused!’

I turned my head quickly as I lay sprawled on the desk, kicking my legs back and forth.

‘It’s all because I lost sight of my initial purpose.’

Whether it’s ruining the estate or spending his money like water, those were just means to an end! I got so caught up in those means that I forgot the essence.

The reason I wanted revenge on him was to relieve the grudge of working to death at a young age. I wanted to give Leonel back some of the pain I went through.

But these days, how is it?

Leonel often comes to the fields, looking at the crops with a satisfied expression!

“I need to get back to my original purpose.”

Alright. Simple is best. Let’s not complicate things by trying to torment him with something else. We should go and torment him directly.

In reality, that method proved to be the most effective. Even if it was only for a moment, I got to see Leonel’s pale face.

‘Should I start visiting him every morning from today?’

I felt a momentary thrill but soon shook my head. I had tried that before, and I almost voluntarily worked myself to death. No matter how revenge had driven me over time, I needed to take care of my body first.

I took a deep breath and changed into fresh clothes. I had wasted too much time this morning.

There probably wouldn’t be any food left in the dining room now.

‘I might as well go to the fields and get some potatoes or corn.’

As soon as I opened the door and descended the stairs, I saw a glimpse of black hair.

“Duke.”

He’s here again. Suppressing the words I was about to say, I approached Leonel, who turned around when he heard me.

“You’re coming to work late today.”

“Yes, well…”

“If you skip breakfast, you’ll collapse quite frequently.”

Saying that, he handed me a paper-wrapped sandwich.

“Why all of a sudden…”

Why is he doing this? Why is he suddenly being affectionate? He shouldn’t bother giving me breakfast!

“I noticed a lot while you were resting.”

“What, what did you notice?”

For a moment, the despairing face of Leonel that I had seen in my dream flashed through my mind. Could it be that he was worried about me?

“With you not assisting with the work, things have been delayed. The morale of the residents has dropped, and the supervisors are not doing their jobs properly.”

It’s because of work after all. That’s how Leonel is. It’s reassuring when there’s a plausible reason. I guess I can accept this sandwich.

“I’ll enjoy it. But you don’t have to do this.”

“Then take care of it yourself.”

…Right. It’s my fault for lying.

I unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite as I walked to the carriage. Leonel, whom I had thought would just continue walking, walked beside me and started a conversation.

“Did you hear from Levance?”

“About what?”

“From now on, you’ll only report work once a month—.”

*Cough! Cough!*

“Do it.”

I choked on my sandwich at the ridiculous statement he made! I pounded on my chest, and Leonel ordered a servant to bring water. I coughed for a while and then drank the water the servant brought.

‘My sore throat tells me I’m not dreaming.’

Is he reducing my workload? Leonel? I handed the water back to the servant and took a step back, thoroughly inspecting him for any injuries, especially his head.

He seemed fine. Could it be that he’s not sober?

I cautiously approached and sniffed. But instead of the smell of alcohol, I sensed a strong odor of wood, ink, and paper.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh, nothing at all!”

I quickly moved my body backward. I stood there, blinking, and Leonel reached out his hand. He grabbed my hand, which was holding the sandwich, and brought it up to my mouth.

Almost instinctively, I took a bite of the sandwich, and Leonel spoke.

“And after work today, come to my office.”

“Your office?”

“Didn’t we agree that when you wake up, you’ll teach me the liquid fertilizer blending method?”

Liquid fertilizer? Oh, my special poison for plants. Leonel referred to the unfortunate poison that I used to make plants healthy as “liquid fertilizer.”

“Okay, I got it.”

I replied somewhat dazedly and continued walking. I felt Leonel walking beside me.

“But seriously, only once a month for work reports?”

“If you don’t like it, you can come every day.”

“No, no, I don’t dislike it!”

I answered, still feeling a bit bewildered. Could it be that he trusts me? It was hard to believe that I had gained his trust so quickly after three years of not having it.

With a vacant expression, I walked and climbed into the carriage. It was only then that Leonel turned his body and faced his true nature.

‘But this could weaken my resolve…’

As I watched his retreating figure, I felt a mixture of emotions. It felt like my fault that I hadn’t gained his trust before I was about to die.

No, I did my best back then. If the plans I had set in motion for revenge hadn’t worked out this time, Leonel wouldn’t have trusted me either. 

I sighed and pushed the remaining sandwich into my mouth, chewing and swallowing it in one go. Just as I finished, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.

I greeted the driver and got off the carriage, and as soon as I did, the residents crowded around.

“Did the manager get sick?”

“Are you okay now?”

“They said you collapsed because you were working too hard!”

“Your health is so fragile.”

“Don’t you need more rest?”

Questions poured in all at once, to the point where I couldn’t even tell who was asking what.

“I’m fine now!”

I purposely smiled broadly, and then worried words continued. Warm hands patted my shoulders and back. It felt comforting.

Standing there quietly, I suddenly felt a strange hand reaching out next to my arm. When I looked at the sleeve, it was the uniform of the Knights.

“Everyone, please step back a bit. If we continue like this, the manager might collapse again.”

“I’m not that weak…”

“Oh, we’ve held you too long!”

“Let’s go and work, work.”

“The manager should take it easy.”

Before I could make any excuses, the ladies and gentlemen scattered in the blink of an eye.