Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 51

Episode 51

The black donkey that Nelly referred to as “Guadang” let out a snort and flicked its ears, then lowered its head. It was a typical defensive posture for horses and animals.

‘At least he seems somewhat reliable.’

It was as if Leonel was trying to make eye contact with Guadang, lowering his posture. The donkey’s ears twitched in a different direction.

Leonel also turned his head in that direction. Someone was approaching the cabin from the opposite side. A dagger was in his hand, and his face was covered by a black cloth.

It was just like when Roman had invaded Nelly’s room.

‘Typical.’

Guadang snorted and tried to run forward, but the reins tied to the hitching post kept pulling him back.

Leonel, appearing excited, blocked Guadang’s view and whispered.

“I’ll handle this, so stay quiet.”

Leonel said in a hushed tone.

With that, he moved, leaving Guadang snorting behind him, suppressing any noise.

The man was standing next to the door, holding his breath. He seemed intent on stalking Nelly when she came out, planning to attack her as soon as she entered a quiet place.

Leonel glanced briefly at the curtain-covered window and drew his sword. The sound caught the man’s attention, and as their eyes met, the man hurriedly began to turn and flee.

Leonel slowly followed the man, waiting for him to get far enough from the cabin. When the man entered the densely wooded forest, Leonel forcefully threw the sword. The heavy blade pierced the air sharply.

Startled by the swooshing sound, the man gasped and dropped to his knees.

“Ugh!”

The sword passed through where the man’s head had been and lodged deeply into a tree.

While the man was still trembling with fear, Leonel pulled out a dagger and approached briskly.

The man regained his composure and lunged toward the tree, gripping the hilt of the sword embedded there. However, no matter how hard he tried, the deeply embedded sword wouldn’t budge.

In the meantime, Leonel drew closer. The man gave up on the sword and drew his dagger.

Leonel struck the man’s arm aside with force, knocking it out of the way. Simultaneously, the man attempted to kick at Leonel.

Leonel withdrew his leg and, seizing the man’s arm, flipped him to the ground.

“Ack!”

The man let out a short scream. At the same moment, the cabin door swung open, and Nelly stepped outside.

Leonel, who glanced at her, saw the man twisting his body. Holding the dagger in his left hand, he aimed for Leonel’s throat.

Leonel managed to reflexively dodge, but it grazed him, causing a sharp pain in his neck.

‘He’s better than the guy in the underground prison.’

The man’s attempt to draw a longsword and his skill with the dagger was quite formidable.

Thinking back to his experience with handling swords, Leonel stomped on the man’s forearm. At the same time, the sound of hooves caught Leonel’s attention. He lowered his stance and looked in the direction of the noise. Two knights on horseback were approaching the pasture and came face to face with Nelly.

“Estate Manager?”

“Why are the knights here at the pasture?”

Nelly, riding Guadang, tilted her head as she asked.

They exchanged glances with each other. Although they had rushed here after missing the intruder who had crossed the walls, they gave completely different answers.

“We were just on patrol.”

“That’s right, the Duke told us to increase patrols because of the spy thing.”

Nelly nodded without much thought.

“I see! Thank you for your service.”

Nelly nodded and was about to continue when one of the knights stepped forward.

“Since it’s getting late, we’ll escort you.”

“It’s not necessary…”

“Please, allow us.”

Nelly found herself with an unexpected escort and left the pasture.

As soon as she was out of sight, Leonel got up from his position. He snatched the man’s dagger and threw it far away, making a loud clatter as it hit the ground. The knight turned his head.

Leonel stood up while keeping the man under control and then pushed him as if throwing him towards the knight’s feet. The knight quickly dismounted and tied the man up with a rope.

Leonel stared at the scene in silence.

“I thought I told you to increase your guard.”

Leonel said with a cold tone, causing the knight to startle and tremble.

“I apologize.”

Leonel, with his fiery eyes, looked down at the man. 

“Are you a spy?”

The man shuddered under the authoritative attitude. He didn’t utter a word, but his expression revealed everything.

“I’ll spare your life but deliver this message to your master.”

The man who had stopped writhing rolled his eyes for a moment and then slowly nodded his head.

“If you’re going to fail because of a manager, you might as well not do it, whatever it is.”

It was a fairly moderate statement, considering the murderous rhyme.

The man looked at Leonel with a faint sense of doubt. When their eyes met, his bright red pupils relaxed.

“So, if you dare to touch my manager again, there won’t be any mercy.”

His tone was indifferent, but there was a cold determination in his eyes. The man nodded apprehensively.

Leonel raised his gaze to the knight standing nearby.

Even though the hostility was not directed at him, the knight’s throat seemed to tighten. He swallowed dryly and stood up straight.

Leonel gestured towards the man.

“Cut off both of his thumbs and send him out of the territory.”

“Would it be acceptable if we don’t kill him?” 

“Send him out.”

The knight bowed deeply, signaling his obedience. Then, he struck the man’s neck from behind, rendering him unconscious.

After placing the man on the ground, the knight nodded respectfully to Leonel and left.

As the knight disappeared from view, a calm and tension-free voice came from behind.

“Well, that was ruthless.”

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Leonel turned without much surprise.

When their eyes met, Frer scratched the back of his head with his staff.

“Who is that? A thief? A robber? Is he targeting me by any chance?”

Leonel stared at Frer’s face intently

He looked into the darkness where the man had hidden before bringing Nelly Pepper into the cabin. Pretending not to know was starting to seem suspicious.

“Well, who do you think it might be?” 

Frer responded to the question upon his return, casually scratching his head with his staff. Frer acted as if nothing was amiss, but cold sweat was running down his spine.

‘What’s the intention behind that question?’

Leonel and Frer weren’t close enough to engage in wordplay like this. Did he ask that just because he didn’t want to reveal anything? No, if he didn’t want to answer, he could have just ignored it.

Frer maintained his usual expression and finally replied.

“If I answer well, will you offer me some meat? In that case, I’ll do my best to answer.”

Leonel chuckled as if finding it amusing. 

“Sure, giving a good answer would be in your best interest.”

Frer blinked innocently and thought to himself.

‘I shouldn’t have said anything.’

He had hoped to gather some information, but instead, he found himself caught off guard. Should he enter now or not? As he pondered, Leonel initiated the conversation.

“Is your name Frer?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I don’t have a last name since I’m a commoner.”

“Your father was a rancher.”

“Yes.”

Even though it was true, it felt like his heart was pounding for no reason. Frer briefly glanced at Leonel, who was stroking his family ring with his thumb. With the darkness around and the lowered gaze, it was impossible to read Leonel’s expression.

“Why did you refuse the offer to extend the contract for 10 years?” 

When Nelly had collapsed earlier, Leonel had offered Frer a 10-year extension of their contract. However, Frer had only extended it by one year. The original contract had already ended. His new mission was to gather information about Nelly.

‘No, wasn’t it supposed to be about living happily with animals?.’

Regardless, Prince Adelhardt was expected to arrive soon, so there was no need to stay at the Altwood estate for ten more years. But that was the excuse as a spy. As a ranch keeper, there was no reason to leave. Frer had told Nelly that his father was ill, but it was uncertain if Leonel would buy that excuse. 

Nonetheless, there was no suitable explanation.

“My father is sick.”

“Then shouldn’t you be returning home right away?”

“Well, my father’s condition isn’t that severe yet, and I’ve heard about the people of Altwood…” 

Frer started, feigning sympathy, but then he realized his mistake. Hadn’t he gotten into trouble the first time he met Nelly by pretending to be sympathetic? But leaving a beloved place due to a sick father was a difficult act to fake.

Frer continued to wear a gloomy expression, trying to maintain the act.

Leonel stared intently at Frer’s face, trying to ascertain the truth. There didn’t seem to be anything suspicious, but his instincts still kept him on guard.

“Did you see me earlier?”

“Yes.”

“And did you know someone was hiding?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you take Nelly Pepper inside?”

“Because I couldn’t leave the manager outside when there were two people who looked dangerous.”

“You sensed it well in the darkness.”

“It’s a basic skill to avoid predators like jaguars.”

His answers were confident, and he didn’t seem like someone hiding something. However, there were still lingering uncertainties.

“Why didn’t you tell her there was a dangerous man outside?”

This was because Leonel had ordered them to keep quiet about the assassin’s existence to Nelly Pepper. However, that was an order given only to knights or those who had been knights. It was something that the general public should not know, but Frer knew it through consistent spying activities.

“I thought the manager might get scared.”

“It would have been better for her to be scared and return safely to the castle. That way, she would be on her guard.”

“Oh, I see. That makes sense.”

Frer said as if he hadn’t considered it before.

“Hmm…” 

Leonel voiced his suspicion, but if Frer were truly suspicious, Nelly would have noticed it first. She had been closest to Frer and surprisingly observant.