Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 78

Episode 78

Exiting with Hadiger’s farewell, I folded the paper and clenched it in my hand. 

To return to the castle, I mounted on Guadang. As I tried to grab the reins, the paper in my grip rustled. I held the paper and reins together loosely. 

When Guadang started moving, my body swayed lightly. I looked back at the cabin. The conversation I had with Hadiger slowly came to mind.

‘But did I ever mention sending a letter to the upper town?’

We hadn’t met for a while, so it seemed unlikely. The back of my neck felt cold. It felt similar to when I saw Roman releasing a pigeon.

‘No, I didn’t. I couldn’t have.’

While I tried to convince myself, my thoughts kept wandering. 

In a way, Hadiger was a person who wasn’t there in the past. I wasn’t involved in the access control. I was too busy to properly attend festivals before I died. So I didn’t know all the names and faces of the poets who had visited then. 

There were even some blind people among them. But no one came a month before the festival. The reason I didn’t suspect was that so many things had changed due to the aftermath of the revenge failure.

‘What’s making me so uneasy?’

Guadang came to a halt. Unconsciously, we had entered the garden. Once we passed this place, we would reach the main entrance of the castle.

“Thank you, Guadang. Go and rest in the stable.” 

I patted Guadang’s black mane, and he flicked his ears a few times. Then, he turned and headed towards the stable on his own.

My mind was a mess. I sat on a bench in the garden to gather my thoughts. In the distance, near the annex, a familiar face caught my eye.

“Leonel!”

I called out loudly, and he turned his head. He hesitated for a moment but soon turned in my direction.

It seems the butler’s words about him not avoiding me were true.

I stood up and walked quickly towards him, and a faint smile briefly crossed Leonel’s face.

“Why is it so hard to see you?”

There was a tinge of hurt in my voice, and it made me blink in surprise even after saying what I had to say.

I nervously cleared my throat, feeling his penetrating gaze on me. Why was he looking at me as if examining a strawberry pudding?

My cheeks felt like they were burning, so I took a step back. In contrast, Leonel stepped forward. Perhaps due to his longer legs, the distance between us was even shorter than before as he advanced.

My eyes involuntarily rolled at the sight of his reddish eyes that met mine. 

“Uh…”

My heart was beating too fast. Was the silence uncomfortable? Was that why? I didn’t do anything wrong… did I? Maybe not. Yes, no.

“Uh, Leonel.”

“Speak.”

“I’m sorry.”

Was the apology out of place? Leonel tilted his head.

“Was there something to apologize for?”

“Yes. I thought you were avoiding me and acted impulsively…”

Spending money on personal feelings is an inappropriate behavior for an estate manager. If Leonel had genuinely been avoiding me, I could have left shamelessly, but this was a misunderstanding.

In any case, if I submitted a report to Leonel, it would be exposed. It was better to handle this before that.

“I bought a lot of wine.”

Thinking I was going to get scolded, I tightly shut my eyes, but I heard suppressed laughter from ahead. I raised my head. Though I couldn’t see a smile, his eyes were softer than usual.

‘So, why does he keep looking at me as if examining a strawberry pudding?’

Trying to avoid his gaze discreetly, I couldn’t help but face him when he spoke.

“Indeed, you’ve spent quite a sum.”

Feeling sheepish, I closed my mouth.

“But considering the occasion of accommodating Her Majesty, it’s not excessive. If you don’t prepare to that extent, it wouldn’t be proper.”

Phew. I nodded in relief, exhaling a breath of relief. Leonel placed his hand on my back and started walking towards the castle.

“Did you also hire the chef of Braushtete on impulse?”

“No, it was for personal reasons. I wanted to eat the food.”

I tried to brush it off as a joke, and a smile flickered at the corner of Leonel’s mouth. But it disappeared soon.

“But this is a bit of a problem.”

“What is it?”

“Both Braushtete and the wine are favorites of Her Majesty. If she finds out what you’ve prepared, she’ll be even more tempted.”

“Hmm. That’s why I chose Raeblun wine.”

I looked triumphantly at Leonel. He seemed to not understand what I was saying.

“Hadiger said Raeblun wine tastes terrible.”

“Hmm…”

Leonel’s reaction was unclear.

This is not good. I need to go and check quickly. I stood for a moment, looking at him, then hurriedly moved my steps.

As soon as I entered, I headed straight to my room. I opened a drawer and found and pulled out the response from the upper town that had come from Raeblun. As I laid down the paper I had in my hand beside it, I saw the unwanted result.

“Oh my.”

I slumped into the chair and Leonel closed the door behind him, coming inside and resting his arms on the backrest of the chair. He glanced at the letter and the paper on the desk with his other arm.

“The spelling is different.”

The paper Hadiger gave me had “Raeblun,” while the response had “Laeblun.” When written, there was a clear difference, but it would be hard to notice in pronunciation due to the overlapping sound.

Why was my ominous feeling proving to be correct? I stared at the paper absentmindedly and cautiously asked.

“Do you think Her Majesty will like it? She shouldn’t… “

“You ordered it knowing it’s a brand Her Majesty likes, didn’t you?”

“What should I do? I originally didn’t intend for this… I thought of going against the Queen’s wishes!”

“Well, the wine is excellent, so you’re in for a treat.”

No. The Queen surely wants a competent estate manager. But all I’m good at is failing at revenge!

I grabbed Leonel’s clothes like a lifeline, desperately looking up at him.

“I don’t want to leave, Leonel.”

His reddish eyes seemed hazy as if submerged in moonlight. He looked at me as if entranced, then closed his eyes tightly.

There was a sudden snapping sound near my ear.

Startled, I turned my head. A wooden ornament from the backrest had fallen, held by Leonel’s grip.

I said I didn’t want to leave, but why did I end up breaking the chair? What does it mean?

Leonel placed the broken ornament on the desk and fell silent for a moment.

“It’s broken.”

“…Indeed.”

I looked at the broken backrest. The edge was sharp and pointed.

“Is your hand okay?”

Belatedly startled, I grabbed his hand. Leonel flinched for a moment but didn’t withdraw his hand. I carefully examined it to make sure there were no injuries. Fortunately, it seemed like the thorn didn’t pierce.

“I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

As I was about to let go, this time Leonel held my fingertips. He looked at me with an inscrutable expression and gently guided me.

“It’s dangerous to touch the backrest.”

Saying this, he sat me on the sofa and called a servant. The chair was quickly replaced with a new one. Leonel went to the desk and brought the note Hadiger had given.

“Poor handwriting.”

“Doesn’t it seem like it was written by a left-handed person using their right hand?”

I made this comment absentmindedly while looking at the crooked handwriting, but Leonel’s expression changed. His eyes turned even colder than usual.

“Have you heard from him that the queen is fond of wine?”

I nodded, and he made a strange sound and crossed his legs. What if he questions me about Hadiger? I didn’t have the confidence to defend him like last time. While I was just staring at the ground, surprisingly, Leonel shifted the topic first.

“How about breakfast tomorrow morning?”

“Are you coming down?”

He nodded.

“But why did you do that last time? You suddenly ran away.”

“Ran away?”

“…You left your seat.”

“I left?”

A mischievous smile crossed Leonel’s face. He stood up and slowly circled the coffee table, coming to stand beside me.

Locking eyes with me, Leonel slowly bent at the waist. His perfect face drew closer, and his shadow completely engulfed me.

I could have easily avoided it, but my body didn’t move. The face that was approaching head-on slightly turned towards my ear.

“Nelly.”

Gulp.

A breath brushed against my ear with a low voice. The hairs all over my body stood on end, and tension gripped the tips of my toes.

“Do you understand the reason now?”

The whispering voice seeped into my ears. Without realizing it, I jumped up and moved away from Leonel.

“I, I, I’ll, I’ll just go now!”

I turned around and walked away quickly, but a warm hand settled on my shoulder from behind.

Startled, I pressed my back against the wall as if bouncing. Leonel swept the hair that had fallen over his face and smiled faintly.

“This is your room, so if someone’s leaving, it should be me.”

As I lost my composure, the sound of Leonel leaving made the tension ease.

I sat down, sliding down the wall like slipping down a hill.

It felt like my neck was burning as if I had swallowed strong liquor. The heat seemed to spread throughout my body along with the rapid heartbeat.

The part where Leonel’s hand had touched felt as if it had been immersed in fire. I buried my face in my arms and closed my eyes.

* * *

My mind was in a daze. For days, Leonel’s face had been floating around me.

The suggestion to have breakfast together had not been honored, and unintentionally, I had been avoiding Leonel by leaving early for work.

His face, gradually getting closer, and the whispering voice kept coming to mind, making it impossible to concentrate on work.

Moreover, the surroundings were too noisy.

“Aaah!”

Lizzy had her hands around her cheeks, looking out the window. Sophie was continuously exclaiming, “Oh my, oh my,” while dealing with Gerald. Tom seemed ready to burst out of the window.

The other supervisors were also huddled by the window, trying to figure out what was happening outside.

Of course, no matter what was happening, Leonel’s face had a destructive power like no other…

‘This is crazy!’

I gave my cheeks a good pat, snapping myself out of my thoughts. Fortunately, the sound of my patting was drowned out by the sudden burst of cheers and applause.

I thought it might be better to join the crowd and see what was happening outside, so I stood up.