Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 5

Episode 5

Mr. Faust also spoke to me. He’s even drunk, so if I insisted that he wasn’t, he’d agree.

“In person?” 

Leonel made a strange sound, seemingly suspicious.

My heart raced, but instead of jumping up, my shoulders shrugged. And I smoothly redirected the conversation.

“At a time when the land is not fallow, he’s just idling around. That’s the only reason I entrusted it to him because it’s so similar to Mr. Faust.”

“Similar?”

“Tall and leisurely.”

The nobleman stared at me as if he could pierce right through me.

It was an incredibly intimidating expression as if he could cut off my lifeline in an instant if there was even a hint of falsehood.

Perhaps due to being too tense, my throat felt dry. However, I didn’t even swallow a drop of saliva for fear of arousing suspicion.

I simply maintained an expression that conveyed how I couldn’t understand why he was looking at an honest person like me with such eyes.

After a while, Leonel withdrew his intense gaze.

“You entrusted 5,000 plots to Faust based solely on your intuition?”

I quickly nodded.

“I hope your intuition is right. If there’s a problem with my territory…”

Leonel slowly rose from his seat. Overwhelmed by his red eyes staring down at me, I found myself involuntarily swallowing my dry saliva.

“You will pay the price.”

Leonel opened the door and passed by me. I stepped out of the room as if entranced. The door closed behind me with a thud. The sound snapped me awake as if I had been pulled from a dream. The cunning and elusive Levance who had abandoned me and fled was nowhere to be seen. 

‘I won’t let it slide when we meet next.’

I grumbled to myself and continued walking.

However, strangely, I heard footsteps from behind. A chill ran down my spine, and as I turned my head, there they were: unmistakable translucent red pupils.

“Why, why are you following me?”

“I’m just concerned about how the estate manager is adjusting, so I decided to follow along.”

Leonel spoke with a cold face. If he were lying, he could at least pretend to be worried!

I muttered to myself as I headed towards where the carriage was. As soon as we arrived, the Duke extended his hand like an escort. Usually, since the floor of the carriage is elevated, it was customary for the driver to place the step for the woman after taking out the footrest. However, Leonel wasn’t someone who would typically be an escort for someone he’d just met.

‘What’s this? He never did this kind of thing before we got close.’

As I glanced at him with a suspicious look, Leonel reached his hand out toward me again. I placed my hand on top of his. Leonel’s firm and rough fingertips brushed gently against the palm of my hand.

“You have calloused skin.”

“Oh, yes.”

I went into the carriage hastily, making my way inside. Leonel followed me inside and asked,

“Weren’t you a noble?”

“My father was a non-hereditary noble, so only half.”

“Hmm…”

With Leonel’s peculiar intonation, the conversation abruptly stopped.

The reason for asking whether I was a noble or not was quite clear. First of all, I can guarantee he wasn’t interested in me. Estate managers are typically hired by well-off nobles or minor nobles, so he probably just asked casually. Or could it be that some distant relative with aspirations for the Duke’s position sent a curious noble as a spy? No, that can’t be it. Surely, he wouldn’t suspect me?

Before I could bring up the subject, the carriage jolted heavily.

“Ah!”

The carriage wall came uncomfortably close. Thinking I was about to hit my head, I shut my eyes tight. However, I felt no pain at all. Instead, I sensed hands around my shoulders and a firm embrace.

When I looked up, Leonel’s face was right beside mine.

“Ah!”

I screamed without realizing it. Leonel moved back. His face and chest were now distant.

I was startled and felt like I was going to collapse, but Leonel seemed completely unfazed. He opened the carriage door without permission, just as he always did with the same expressionless face.

“What’s going on?”

“I apologize, Your Grace. We hit a boulder, and the wheel came off.”

Upon hearing the carriage driver’s words, Leonel got off the carriage. I leaned out the window, noticing that the carriage had tilted. It seemed like the ride was coming to an unexpected stop.

“I’m sorry if I’m late for work.”

I found myself muttering, and Leonel immediately responded.

“We’ll go by horse.”

Then he looked at me.

…Wait, did he say “we”? It seems like it’s not just the horse or the driver included in “we,” but me as well.

I awkwardly got off the tilted carriage. Leonel had brought one horse with him from the carriage.

“Do you know how to ride?”

“No.”

Leonel, who had approached, asked for permission.

“Excuse me.”

“What’s the excuse for… Ah!”

Only after being lifted did I understand what he was asking permission for. He had grabbed me by the waist with both hands and swiftly lifted me onto the horse.

Thanks to that, I let out a scream without even finishing my sentence.

And once the scream had died down, there I was, sitting on the horse, awkwardly hunched over, clutching Leonel’s forearm.

“Straighten your back.”

“I feel like I’ll fall!”

“Do you not know how to ride a horse?”

“I don’t know!”

Moreover, it felt like I was sitting in thin air, which was terrifying in itself! As I started to panic and let out a yelp, Leonel promptly climbed up behind me.

His arms, not particularly thick but unbelievably firm, wrapped around me. Without much time to process anything, the scenery began to flow past us.

“Ooh, move! Move!”

I heard a mocking sound from behind.

Laughing when you’re scared to death? Isn’t that a bit much?

Even if I wanted to glare, I was too scared to turn my head. Instead, I clung tightly to Leonel’s forearm, filled with resentment.

“Is this all the strength you’ve got?”

“Are you picking a fight?”

“Seems like you haven’t done much fighting or training.”

“I might not be good at fighting, but I’m good at sewing.”

So, if you don’t want to get pricked by a needle, don’t pick a fight. I was about to say that, but my words began to stumble as the horse picked up speed.

A gust of wind slapped my cheek. The landscape passing by quickly on the side was so intimidating that I shut my eyes tightly. My body tensed involuntarily. I wanted to yell at Leonel to slow down if he wasn’t going to let me down, but then the horse abruptly stopped.

“Huh?”

I looked up at Leonel. A small sigh escaped his lips. It was an expression of regret that anyone could see.

‘So, who insisted on following?’

As I stared at him with resentful eyes, he dismounted from the horse. Left alone on the horse, I was suddenly overwhelmed by fear.

“You’re not planning to leave me behind, are you?”

“Would you say getting off when we reach the destination is also considered leaving you?”

When I turned my head, I saw the estate office building.

I could just say we’ve arrived. Anyway, haven’t seen such a pretty sight before?

In an attempt to hide my embarrassment, I glared at him, then tried to dismount from the horse. However, when I looked down, the ground suddenly felt dizzying again.

“I can’t get down.”

“Just jump off.”

“What if the horse gets startled and kicks?”

“My horse isn’t that scary.”

How can I believe that? Right after hearing Leonel say people don’t die that easily, I practically died!

Without any movement from me, he approached.

“Grab my shoulder. I’ll help you down.”

I didn’t want to accept Leonel’s help. But I was so scared that I couldn’t muster any pride. I obediently lowered my waist and grabbed his solid shoulder like a rock.

Leonel grabbed my waist, swiftly lifted me, and lowered me down.

Before I could exhale in relief, he was back on his horse.

“You’re going?”

Leonel nodded.

If he was just going to go, then why did he chase after me? Feeling irritated, I glared at him, and suddenly his earlier words came to mind. That triggered a surge of anger. I called out to Leonel, who turned his horse’s head.

“Just a moment!”

Leonel turned his head. His face was impassive. Just like that day when he said he didn’t believe I would return.

“Did you seriously doubt me?”

He neither confirmed nor denied it. But I already knew that his silence was confirmation.

It felt like my breath was stuck in my throat, and all the strength drained from my body, just like when I had died.

“You subtly checked my palms and asked about my fighting skills. I guess you thought I might be a spy?”

My hands trembled as I clenched my fists tightly. Betrayal and resentment surged inside me like flames. Over that, a voice as cold as ice poured.

“Is it worth getting so upset about guarding against someone you met for the first time yesterday?”

It felt as if cold water had been poured over me.

‘Right. I died and came back to the past. To Leonel, I’m just a stranger.’

My boiling emotions cooled in an instant. Bitterness smoldered on top of it.

It was all true, but I felt a strange emptiness in my chest. I felt a strange hollowing in my chest.

“That’s right. It’s only natural to be cautious of someone you’ve just met.”

As I weakly replied, Leonel seemed to hesitate briefly, then turned his head away.

“If you know that, try not to act suspiciously.”

With that, he left after a momentary pause.

The people I had spent three years with, experiencing ups and downs, and hearing both harsh and kind words from, were all gone now. In this place that had become so familiar, I had become a stranger.

Loneliness seeped through the gaps like a chill. Lethargy hung from my arms and legs like they were weighed down.

Shaken by that sensation, I shook my head vigorously.

‘No! I need to snap out of it.’

Being this melancholic won’t lead anywhere good! Loneliness is something I’m used to. I shouldn’t complain.

I gathered myself and took a deep breath.

However, the sense of abstraction still lingered in my mind. I needed something to focus on.

‘And revenge is what’s been my sole focus. I’ll make that nobleman, Leonel, taste the bitterness of his actions!’

I had to see Faust. I needed to confirm if he was cooperating well with my plan.

I borrowed a horse-drawn carriage from the estate and headed towards the land I entrusted to him.

“Faust!”

At the sound of my voice, Faust, who had been lying with a hat covering his face, quickly sat up.

I thought he wouldn’t lift a finger, yet here he was, out in the fields. I was slightly disappointed. Still, I should be grateful that he’s even doing some work. If he was just being lazy, I might have fired him on the spot.

“What now, the overseer.”

Faust got up lazily, scratching his belly as if he was bothered. Visible beneath his lifted shirt were sturdy muscles.

What are those muscles? Are they even useful for anything? If he put his mind to it, wouldn’t he be excellent at something?

Concealing my unease, I approached him.