Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 79

Episode 79

At the same time, Lizzy turned her body. With a bewildered expression, she ran towards me, giggling.

“Miss Nelly! Have you seen it, Miss Nelly?”

“Yeah? Seen what?”

Hearing my informal tone, Lizzy, with teary eyes, approached me falteringly and looked at me. Ducking behind Sophie, Tom answered for Lizzy.

“Just now, the Duke of Castern Empire came on horseback and passionately confessed love to the Duchess before leaving together. Isn’t it so romantic?”

“With so many people around?”

“Yes. I want to try it too if I get a lover!”

“Is that so.”

Nodding absentmindedly, respecting Tom’s preferences, Lizzy broke through Sophie’s defense and grabbed me.

She led me to the sofa and occupied the seat next to me.

“Have you ever been confessed to, Miss Nelly?”

Confession? Leonel’s face, which I had neatly folded and pushed away unconsciously, popped into my mind without warning.

It’s not him I called! Disappear!

And it wasn’t even a confession. It was just a whisper in my ear. Probably just a teasing joke. Yeah, that’s it.

I shook my head, trying to shake off the incredibly handsome face to the point it sent shivers down my spine.

Then I said casually.

“Ah, no!”

Huh? I was supposed to say it casually…

I could feel the blood rushing to my face.

Other supervisors raised their heads. I should run before I become the target of mockery! I tried to get up, but my arm was pulled. The strength was so strong that it could sell well in the market.

“Lizzy?”

When I turned my head, Lizzy’s face was there.

“Well, if you were to receive a confession, what kind of confession would you like to receive?”

I quickly glanced around. I thought they were ready to tease, but the supervisors beyond the open door were all busy with their work. Sophie was the same.

… It’s a bit suspicious that my hand isn’t moving.

As soon as Tom and I made eye contact, he whistled while looking out the window. I turned my head back to Lizzy.

“But why bring this up all of a sudden?”

“We were just having this kind of conversation! When Tom falls in love, he said he’d stumble into the square and present a bouquet, even if he’s not good at it.”

Lizzy gathered my hands in hers, clutching them tightly with both of hers.

“I want to be confessed to on a moonlit night, with lots of lamps lit around, and confess from within them!”

Her sparkling eyes seemed to say it was my turn now.

“I…”

I’ve never really thought about this because I’ve been too busy with life.

“Just simply…”

If I were to receive a confession, I imagined what it would be like. Holding hands and tender words. And… Why does it keep turning into Leonel’s face?

My face flushed as if I were sitting by the fireplace.

“Right. Let’s check the farmlands.”

“…Farmlands, you mean?”

I don’t know what I said in my confusion, but I nodded anyway. I abruptly got up from my seat and headed towards the door, not thinking, walking towards the stairs.

“Miss Nelly!”

Sophie called from behind, but because my face had turned crimson, I couldn’t bring myself to turn around.

* * *

“After the harvest, there shouldn’t be anything in the farmlands…”

Sophie’s voice trailed off wistfully as she watched Nelly disappear beyond the stairs.

“What is she going to see there?”

“A desolate field…?”

Tom muttered with a puzzled tone. While the two of them were baffled, not having seen Nelly’s face due to their distractions, Lizzy let out a laugh.

“Hehehe.”

“Hehehe, nailed it!”

Sophie emerged from behind her desk with a delighted face and sat next to Lizzy. Gerald, hearing the laughter, also came inside.

“Do you have some good idea?”

“I saw Miss Nelly’s face blush! But these days, she’s always in a hurry to escape when she encounters the Duke.”

Tom’s face turned red.

“You’re embarrassing her!”

“Just confessing is all she needs to do.”

“If it goes well, she won’t want to leave, right?”

Sophie and Gerald also joined the lively conversation. The office was now abuzz with chatter.

Lizzy watched the scene happily and then got up from her seat.

“I should share this happy news with Mr. Faust.”

“And we should also tell His Grace about Miss Nelly’s confession preference. Lizzy, are you off today?”

“Yes. But I was planning to go and see the Duke…”

“No, you can’t.”

Sophie firmly shook her head.

“What if you get caught and end up having to work? On your day off, don’t even think about turning towards work. Just leave it to Mr. Faust.”

“Okay!”

Lizzy replied energetically and stormed out of the office like a whirlwind.

The remaining three happily tidied up the scattered items as Lizzy left.

As the office was getting organized, Lizzy was entering the village. She knocked on the door, glancing around like a person on a secret mission.

Contrary to her efforts, the person inside carelessly swung the door open.

“Oh, Lizzy?”

“Yes. I’ve brought good news.”

“What is it?”

Faust scratched his head nervously and asked in a gruff tone.

Lizzy whispered to Faust, holding a piece of parchment in her hand. As the story unfolded, Faust’s face brightened.

“Is that for real?”

Lizzy nodded firmly.

“That’s why I’m telling you. I think you should subtly leak Miss Nelly’s confession preferences to the Duke.”

“Dropping information casually is like drinking cold soup for me. Isn’t that my specialty?”

“Then I’ll trust only you, sir!”

Faust shook hands with Lizzy as she left. He entrusted his son to the neighbor and headed towards the Duke’s residence.

“Faust, come in.”

When the door opened, Leonel, wearing glasses, appeared. His red eyes briefly met Faust’s before returning to the paperwork.

Faust hesitated for a moment and then sat in Lizzy’s seat.

Only then did Levance, who had been burying his face in the documents, raise his head.

“Did you come to help with work?”

Faust glanced at Levance’s desk. Perhaps due to the festival being only a week away, the desk looked like a battlefield.

The piled-up documents and the ink-stained hands of Levance made Faust shiver.

“No, not at all. I just came because something interesting happened today.”

Levance’s smile deepened.

“If something interesting happened, you should go to the tavern and chat. Why are you here in the office? To curse the ink?”

He seemed sensitive due to the workload. Familiar with this demeanor even on the battlefield, Faust calmly brushed it off.

“Well, kind of both.”

Grinning slyly, he turned his head and looked at Leonel.

He didn’t even pay attention to Faust. Sometimes, the way he chuckled seemed like he had wind in his lungs.

Faust gestured to Levance with his eyes, asking, ‘Why is he like this?’ but Levance just shook his head.

Putting aside his questions for a moment, Faust got to the purpose of his visit.

“More importantly, the territory has been buzzing, thanks to the neighboring Duke.”

Levance chuckled and then turned his gaze back to the paperwork. He seemed utterly disinterested. 

But someone had to respond to keep the conversation going, and Faust, as himself, found it awkward.

‘I should have brought Lizzy.’

Faust regretted for a moment, then cleared his throat and raised his voice slightly.

“The estate manager seemed interested too. Could it be that she’s got a crush on someone?”

“Haha. What can I say…”

“Did you meet Nelly?”

Leonel’s question interrupted Levance’s voice. Faust wiped the smirk off his face and cleared his throat.

“Ahem! I didn’t meet her, but it seems Lizzy did.”

“Hmm.”

Leonel crossed his legs and rested his clasped hands on his knee. He was eager to hear the story.

Feeling on the spot, Faust grabbed a chair and moved closer to Leonel. He briefly explained what had happened in the estate and then continued.

“Tom likes romance novels, doesn’t he? He would have been ecstatic witnessing something novel-like unfold before his eyes.”

“Probably.”

“At that moment, the estate manager said she prefers a simple confession.”

Faust smiled proudly, feeling like a person who had completed a mission.

However, Leonel was still watching Faust. He was listening, indicating to continue.

Faust scratched the back of his head.

“That’s the end of the report.”

Leonel let out a small sigh. He took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes.

“How did she seem or did she appear to have any concerns?”

He hadn’t had a good look at Nelly’s face for a few days. Even a hint of an encounter made Nelly subtly avoid him.

If Leonel wanted, meeting her wasn’t difficult. But for now, he decided to leave her be.

He thought she needed time, just as he did. Whatever she felt, it was time to name it and decide how to act on it.

While there was no guarantee she felt the same, he didn’t concern himself with that.

‘Anyway, since I’m not going to let go.’

The pace will just change. If she feels the same, he’ll approach quickly; if she doesn’t, he’ll take it slow.

‘But wanting to see her is a different matter.’

Wanting to see her. The thought felt unfamiliar yet ticklish, making a chuckle escape Leonel. The corners of his mouth shot upwards towards the ceiling, unfamiliar and yet oddly pleasing. Leonel brushed away the laughter, tickling his cheeks.

Then he looked at Faust, waiting for a response. But Faust just smiled sheepishly.

“I didn’t hear anything.”

“… Get out.”

“Yes.”

Faust left, looking flustered. Levance, who had been watching, asked Leonel.

“I heard that the neighboring Duke visited; is everything alright?”

If it was an intrusion without permission, it could potentially become a diplomatic issue. If relations were strained, the intrusion might be seen as an act of war, possibly leading to conflict.

However, Leonel had received a hint from above. The Duke would probably come briefly to visit the Duchess, so he was asked to open the door if he came by.

“They got permission in advance.”

“Understood.”

Levance turned his attention back to the documents. Leonel also put on his glasses but soon took them off again.

Perhaps because Faust mentioned Nelly, her image flickered in his mind. He couldn’t concentrate at all.

“I’ll take a walk.”

“Please do.”

Leonel nodded and left the office.