Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 72

Episode 72

“The Duke is here too.”

“They say the Queen will be attending the Harvest Festival. Did he come out to inspect due to that?”

Adelhardt moved, listening to their conversation. Then, a scream came from behind.

“Ahh!”

Lizzy whirled around, startled by the sight of the horse, and bumped into Nelly. The surprise was genuine, but the way she pushed Nelly towards Leonel was quite deliberate.

“Oof!”

Nelly let out a short cry as if about to fall. Leonel instinctively caught her.

“Are you okay?”

Nelly nodded with her head bowed deeply.

“Any injuries?”

This time she tilted her head sideways. Her head had grazed her nape. Leonel felt an unnamed emotion welling up within him once again.

Lately, the itching sensation in his chest had become frequent enough to feel almost familiar. He took a deep breath.

As the surroundings started to buzz, Adelhardt turned around.

Nelly’s expression couldn’t be seen due to the thin cloth covering her eyes. However, it was clear that she was held in Leonel’s arms. His arms wrapped around her closely, causing a twinge in his nerves.

He smoothed his furrowed face and asked around, unable to see anything.

“What’s going on?”

Someone explained the situation, but Adelhardt heard with one ear and let it pass through the other. Instead, he recalled the conversation between Sophie and Faust that he had overheard in his mind.

‘Are they not trying to put Nelly in danger but rather entangle her with Leonel?’

He didn’t understand why someone would do such a thing, but it didn’t sit well with him.

‘If the two of them get entangled in romantic emotions, it will be harder to separate them.’

Adelhardt thanked the person who had explained the situation and turned around.

Although he was frustrated that the plan had hit a snag, he knew he needed to avoid a confrontation with Leonel, regardless of how he felt.

He limped his way back home, irritated by the disruption in his plan.

When he had distanced himself adequately, Nelly lifted her head.

As she came face to face with Leonel in the bright daylight, her mind seemed to go blank. 

Unconsciously, she pushed Leonel away at the sound of the commotion.

Although she had managed to stand beside him, she felt too awkward to walk together like this.

While she was fidgeting, trying to divert attention somehow, she spotted a familiar figure that made her feel relieved.

“Hadiger!”

Leonel turned his head in the direction Nelly’s gaze led him. He saw the back of a man with brown hair and a hat, revealing the root of the hair. He noticed Nelly moving away as she limped in her steps.

“I’ll go say hello and come back!”

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and rushed towards him.

As Nelly caught up to him and called his name, Adelhardt slightly turned his body.

Leonel observed him. The eyepatch and the bangs covered half of the man’s face, leaving only the bridge of his nose visible.

Nelly’s voice, pitched higher, occasionally reached them, but the bard’s voice remained unheard.

Leonel slowly walked towards them. However, the conversation ended before he could get close.

“See you in the evening, Hadiger!”

Adelhardt tilted his head and limped away. Simultaneously, Nelly turned back.

She looked at Leonel and paused for a moment before approaching.

“Um… Would you like to take a walk and look around from that side?”

“Sure.”

Leonel waited until Nelly stood beside him before taking a step forward.

“You must be so happy to see a face you see almost every day that you run over there on your way to work.”

Nelly widened her eyes and looked at Leonel. Leonel realized that what he had said might sound like a reprimand.

“I didn’t mean to criticize you.”

“I see.”

“Are you planning to visit the minstrel for dinner tonight too?”

“I need some help.”

“What kind of help?”

“He agreed to help choose the wine for the feast.”

“I probably know more about wines than the minstrel… Or Levance. The butler might know too.”

“Leonel, you’re busy. The other two are busy with festival preparations as well.”

“We have enough time for that.”

Nelly blinked and rolled her eyes in confusion. She seemed taken aback.

That feeling was mutual for Leonel. He couldn’t understand why he was pleading like a child who had lost a friend.

“Or you can ask Faust. He has a deep understanding of alcohol.”

“He’s not just a drinker, you know?”

Nelly’s voice carried a playful tone. Leonel chuckled softly.

Lizzy looked at the relaxed pair with a pleased expression. She glanced at Faust, who was watching from a distance, and gestured as if to say, “This is your chance.”

Lizzy nodded enthusiastically, and as the conversation paused, she spoke up.

“Um, Duke, hee!”

She stumbled over a stone, falling towards Leonel as he turned around. In an instant, dozens of thoughts flashed through Lizzy’s mind. But one thing remained.

If he falls into the Duke’s arms like this, it’s over.

Lizzy tightly shut her eyes.

‘Let’s roll to the side!’

As she tried to twist her body, Leonel grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her back, helping her stand. In an instant, Lizzy, who had regained her balance, blinked in confusion.

Unknowingly, she turned her head and looked at where Sophie was hiding.

Sophie urgently made an ‘X’ mark in front of her chest, gesturing with her mouth, keeping an eye on Leonel.

‘Don’t look this way!’

Faust touched his forehead, and Lizzy choked up.

Nelly, with a worried expression, placed her hand on Lizzy’s shoulder.

“Lizzy, why are you crying? Are you hurt?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Lizzy bowed her head and turned towards Leonel.

“I was just startled.”

“Hmm….”

Leonel looked at Lizzy silently. It was a gaze that seemed suspicious.

When Lizzy’s face turned pale, Nelly brought a crumpled piece of paper from her hand.

“I’ll check the progress. Lizzy, please go back and rest. Is that okay?”

Nelly sought Leonel’s permission.

“Sure.”

“Thank you!”

Lizzy turned and ran off as if she’d been waiting for them.

Leonel and Nelly continued walking down the road. Their gaze was fixed on the paper.

They passed through the square and reached an empty place. Leonel, watching Nelly’s busy eyes, spoke up.

“The bard. Was the name Hadiger, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a very bard-like name.”

Nelly tilted her head. Leonel’s lips twisted at her completely unsuspecting gaze.

“It sounds like it’s straight out of a story.”

“That’s right! I guess his parents liked Hardy Boys.”

“Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”

Nelly’s gaze turned cold in an instant. It was as if she were saying to Leonel, ‘You were quiet for a moment, but here you go again.’

“It’s fine to doubt and watch, but don’t order me around. We’re friends.”

“Hmm… Is it okay to keep an eye on him?”

“Leonel’s personality is like that. And since he’s an outsider, it’s natural to find it suspicious and keep an eye on him.”

Though she said this, her expression resembled a stubborn rabbit. 

Leonel chuckled, but he didn’t like the idea of Nelly being close to an unidentified outsider.

“I just meant to be careful.”

“But we’re friends?”

“So, you should be even more careful. If you get betrayed, you won’t trust anyone.”

Nelly stopped abruptly. As the sound of footsteps faded, Leonel also turned around to face her.

A few steps away, Nelly was looking at Leonel with an unfamiliar expression. It seemed both regretful and incredibly sad.

The wind brushed past the two of them. The only sound that could be heard was the chirping of crickets.

Leonel, unable to bear the silence, approached Nelly. As the distance closed, her lips showed signs of hesitation.

He stood still and waited for her to speak. She hesitated for a moment and then asked in a low voice.

“Were you friends with someone named Tatiasun?”

Leonel’s face froze, completely devoid of expression.

“How did you know that name…?”

Leonel couldn’t finish his sentence and held his head. His head throbbed. Where had she heard that name? 

Why was it being brought up now? What answer did he want to hear from himself?

Doubts constantly surfaced, as if trying to push away the unpleasant memories. The voice that kept breaking through the thoughts of suspicion was Nelly’s.

“Leonel mentioned it in his sleep.”

“When?”

“The day when we’re going back to the palace, the day you held my wrist and wouldn’t let go. That day.”

It came back to him. The voice that lifted him in his nightmare. The touch that gripped his forearm.

It must be that day. After that, he didn’t have nightmares while being with Nelly.

The tension in his shoulders eased. It was only then that he realized he had been tense. The anxiety that filled his lungs mixed with a long sigh and escaped his body.

Leonel absentmindedly ran his hand through his hair and turned around. As he started walking, light footsteps followed behind him.

Leonel had started walking first, but his steps were slower than usual. Thanks to that, it didn’t take long for Nelly to catch up to him.

After walking silently for a while, he finally spoke, his voice strained.

“Yeah.”

Nelly turned her head. His face looked distorted, as it did when he had nightmares.

Suddenly, she wanted to hold his trembling large hand lightly. Surprised by her thought, she looked back at him. She deliberately offered a joking remark in a brighter tone.

“I thought it was the name of your fiancée.”

“Come to think of it, she betrayed me too.”

It was a minefield.

Nelly closed her mouth and cautiously observed Leonel’s reaction. 

Their gazes met. The green irises seemed to be searching for words or something in his eyes.

A mischievous smile spread across Leonel’s face.

“While I was on the battlefield, she ran away with my cousin.”

“Uh… I’m sorry.”

Nelly apologized with a bewildered expression. Leonel burst into laughter eventually. Pausing their steps, he looked at Nelly with a smile that didn’t disappear.

The blue leaves swayed in the wind. But the widened pupils were even bluer than the leaves.

Leonel managed to suppress his laughter.

“No need to apologize. It wasn’t a love-filled engagement.”

Leonel’s enemies had noticed the queen’s intentions. They feared Leonel returning victorious from the war.

Considering the family’s standing, they urged him to marry before going to battle. They emphasized that if marriage was too soon, at least he should be engaged. 

Since he wasn’t in a relationship at the time, it seemed like a way to prevent his participation in the war.

Coincidentally, she was also seeking a way out due to her family’s declining status, so they had a mutually beneficial understanding.

“But still, running away while on the battlefield isn’t exactly courteous.”