Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 65

Episode 65

“It must be uncomfortable.”

“…”

“It’s a bit awkward. But I permitted you to show me your face yesterday, so I can’t hold you back. Okay. Go.”

“Until next time, then.”

Leonel politely bid farewell and gestured for me to follow. After hastily greeting Archduke Landers, I followed Leonel.

As we walked, we made eye contact with a lady seated at the farthest table.

“Oh.”

Her green eyes stared intently at me.

Unlike a few years ago when she had coldly rejected me, she was now smiling warmly towards me. It was the same kind of smile she occasionally showed when our father was alive.

I had no idea what was happening. I tried to turn away and leave, but the woman approached.

“Nelly.”

Leonel, who had been walking a bit ahead, stopped and turned around.

I briefly met his gaze before looking at the woman. She fanned herself while casting greedy glances at Leonel.

Everyone who saw it looked uncomfortable. I discreetly moved forward toward Leonel but didn’t know what to say, so I stayed silent.

Her face seemed rigid, and her complexion was pale. The woman firmly grasped my hand.

“It’s been a long time. Have you been well?”

She showed no interest in me whatsoever. The people who had been talking among themselves suddenly turned their heads to us.

The sudden attention was focused on the woman.

“Viscountess Morgane, are you acquainted with the estate manager of Altwood Estate?”

“I’ve heard so much about her; I’ve been wanting to meet her. Please introduce me.”

“I’d like to be introduced as well.”

The woman, no, now known as Viscountess Morgane, smiled with delight. She raised her head and fanned herself.

“She used to stay at my brother’s house for a while.”

I tried to suppress my laughter but held back. I clenched my fists, and then a large hand rested on my shoulder.

“Nelly, it’s time to go.”

His tone was unusually affectionate. With a bewildered look, I glanced up at Leonel. He gestured for us to leave. I nodded slightly in response.

As I tried to turn away without saying anything, the attention of others shifted to us. In a moment, we became the center of attention. Startled, Viscountess Morgane, who had been flustered, suddenly grabbed my hand firmly. My sleeve was pulled up slightly as I reached out, revealing faint bruising on my arm.

“Wait! Nelly. Sit down here for a moment. Let’s talk before you go. Huh? After all this time, don’t you even wonder how I’ve been?”

I did wonder. I wanted to ask why she had abandoned a child who was not even ten years old, why she had never come to see me, and why she had coldly rejected me when we met.

My gaze shifted to her wrist, hidden by her sleeve. I couldn’t tell whether it was just a bruise from a bump or a sign of violence.

‘If you abandoned me, at least you could have lived well.’

I bit my lip and turned my head, avoiding her gaze. I wasn’t curious. I wouldn’t let myself be curious.

But then, Viscountess Morgane lightly took hold of my hand and led me away.

“Nelly, were you upset because I pretended not to recognize you last time? I’m truly sorry. There were circumstances back then.”

I wished she had threatened me like an uncle or even thrown a chair at me instead. Her pleading manner left me uncertain about how to respond.

Moreover, the Duke’s gaze had been fixed on us since earlier. It was a formal occasion, so I couldn’t bring up the past or express any resentment.

Feeling awkward and immobilized, Leonel finally tugged at my shoulder.

“Is the Viscountess trying to hold onto something that even the King won’t hold onto?”

Only then did Viscountess Morgane, startled, step back.

“My apologies, Your Grace. I acted thoughtlessly.”

“Be careful.”

Leonel shot a cold look and resumed walking. The voices of the people gradually faded away.

Leonel’s large, strong hand still rested on my shoulder. To remove his hand, I placed my hand on top of his, forgetting for a moment that he was still holding onto me.

He hesitated for a moment and then let go of my shoulder.

“Thank you.”

I spoke in a hesitant voice, causing Leonel to stop in his tracks. He stared at my face intently and then chuckled softly.

“I’m not sure what you’re thanking me for. I just wanted to leave sooner.”

That was a lie. He probably already knew about my situation from Arette. 

Besides, Viscountess Morgane had openly referred to me as “the used to stay at my brother.” She had likely inferred something about our relationship.

‘She’s quite astute.’

I felt a little relieved, thinking that he probably knew about my private life without me having to say anything. I glanced at him briefly and then headed for the carriage.

When the coachman came down the stairs to assist us, Leonel reached out his hand.

I took his hand.

* * *

I was 10 years old back then. My hands were still small and chubby. With hands that bore no traces of hardship, I held onto my mother.

“Mom, can’t I just live with you?”

“Nelly, I said you were going to Uncle. Or do you want to live alone?”

“With you…”

“The man I’m going to marry thinks you’re not with me, so we’re getting married.”

“Then I won’t call you ‘Mom.’ Just… um… I’ll call you Aunt or Auntie. Or, Mrs. Pepper, I’ll call you that!”

She stared at me for a while. If she had shown remorse, maybe I would have resented her less. But she had the same look in her eyes that she had always had when she watched a stray puppy following her around.

Still, I begged. She was all I had left.

“Please. I promise I won’t let anyone know that you’re my mom.”

“Nelly.”

She sighed.

“How can I believe that?”

“Mom…”

“You’re so careless, and you have no sense. You wander around everywhere. Even if I were with you all the time, you’d still get into trouble. How can I trust taking you with me?”

“Then if I become someone you can trust, then can I live with you?”

“That might be possible.”

She forcibly pulled my hand, which held the money I had earned from my part-time job, away from her and handed the money to the coachman. Then, without looking back, she left, leaving me behind in the carriage.

I leaned out of the moving carriage, staring at her retreating figure, even after she became out of sight. I continued to stare at the space where she had disappeared.

That’s how I ended up at my uncle’s house, where I had never seen her face in my entire life.

At first, I tried to adapt. I wanted to be loved and trusted, but it wasn’t easy at all.

“Who broke this dish? Speak up, now!”

“Nelly did it.”

“I didn’t do that!”

“Are you accusing me of lying? Well, I guess you learned from your mother.”

Minor accusations like this were not uncommon. As time went on, groundless mistrust grew stronger. There were even times when I was slapped for something I didn’t do, like when my cousin stole money, and I was blamed for it.

No one listened to me.

I was just a rolling stone, drifting from place to place. It was the same when I left my uncle’s house to find work.

“These accounts don’t add up. Who took the money?”

“Come on, we all know each other. Who would take the money? How would they show their face if they got caught?”

“There’s that girl from out of town too. I heard she has no parents. Kids like her are all the same.”

Even if I worked hard, I was always the first to be suspected when something went wrong. They made up ridiculous reasons.

Later, even when it turned out to be a simple calculation error or someone else’s doing, apologies were rare. Afterward, it became awkward to face them, so I left first.

And now, I had landed in the territory of Leonel Altwood, a late-stage paranoid patient.

Truly, I had no luck or sense at all!

* * *

“Oops!”

I had a nightmare about meeting her. A nightmare, or past life, or whatever it is.

 I couldn’t fall asleep again after lying down. After tossing and turning for a while, I got up. I went to the bathroom and then looked at Leonel’s room door.

I could see a faint light seeping out from under the door. I leaned against the hallway wall and clenched my fist.

What could be keeping him up? He seemed to have been sleeping a bit in the carriage. But if left alone, he’d undoubtedly spend the night awake. 

‘Could it be that he can’t sleep alone?’

I wondered, tilting my head to dismiss the fleeting thought that popped into my mind.

Nah, it couldn’t be. 

Leonel, with his many suspicions, was sensitive enough. If he couldn’t sleep with someone next to him, he definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep alone. It was a miracle that he had managed to fall asleep, contorting his body in the narrow carriage.

‘Or maybe he prefers to sleep all crumpled up? It’s just a guess, but should I give it a try?’

Before I could decide on an answer, my hand moved on its own. Oops, by the time I realized it, I had already knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Leonel hearing me asking him to sleep all crumpled up as a preference would probably think I’m crazy, just like he was seeing a mad person if I told him to try sleeping crumpled up. Should I run away? Let’s get out of here. If there’s no one when I open the door, I’ll just think it’s a ghost!

I turned intending to quickly head back into my room before Leonel could sense my presence. I was about to rush away, but I heard the sound of the door opening.

“Nelly.”

I was caught. Awkwardly, I turned around and Leonel followed my lead a beat late by adding my name.

“Pepper.”

“Just call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Before I died, he usually called me the estate manager. However, when we were alone, he often called me Nelly, so it didn’t matter what he called me now.

Leonel didn’t reply and instead furrowed his brow slightly, lowering his gaze. The warm-toned light danced on his skin, and his crimson eyes seemed to shine even brighter. I stared at that radiant color for a moment and then shook my head vigorously.

‘Crazy, Nelly Pepper! Don’t get lost. Snap out of it!’

I tried to give my cheeks a light slap, but Leonel caught my face with his hand. As a result, my palm hit his knuckles.

“Oops, sorry.”

Stepping back a large stride, my cheek slipped through Leonel’s hand. He looked down at his hand briefly, then gently cupped it and extended it downward.

“What’s going on?”

“I just went outside, and the lights were on.”

“Why were you outside at this hour?”

“The bathroom.”

A rare hint of embarrassment flashed across Leonel’s face. I suppressed the urge to laugh and bit my lip. Unfortunately, Leonel quickly regained his usual composure.

He moved aside and nodded as if to invite me in. I hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

“I’ll just go back.”

“Seems fully awake.”