Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 91

Episode 91

Levance urgently knocked on the door of the cabin. 

After a brief commotion from inside, the door soon opened. He reflexively scanned the interior. One chair had fallen over.

“Whoa, what’s going on at this hour?”

Frer let out a yawn, rubbing his eyes. He looked like someone who had been dozing in the chair and was startled by the rough knock.

“I need the antidote for Agathium Van.”

“Ah, come in.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Levance’s gesture implied he preferred to stay outside.

Frer glanced around. He had hastily cleared the tea cups to the countertop, and Adelhardt was hiding under the bed with the unconscious Nelly. 

To dispel any suspicion, it was better to let Levance in.

“I’ll make it as fast as possible, so please come in. It’s a bit awkward to leave the guest waiting.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Frer scratched his head uncomfortably, and Levance reluctantly stepped inside. His demeanor was uneasy.

Frer also didn’t want to keep him in the room for long. 

He pretended to mix a potion, took the antidote he had prepared in advance, and handed it to Levance. 

As Levance turned to leave, he abruptly stood up.

“Let’s go.”

“Please leave first. I’ll turn off the lights and go out.”

Levance nodded and left. Frer whispered toward the bed as he turned off the lights.

“I’ll leave the back door open.”

Then he headed straight for the castle with Levance. 

Upon arrival, Leonel’s condition didn’t seem to be too severe. There were no noticeable signs of poisoning, and it seemed that the measures taken had been effective.

“Agathium Van naturally detoxifies unless it’s a lethal dose. People occasionally faint during the process because it causes extreme fatigue.”

Those gathered there breathed a sigh of relief. The butler looked at Leonel, who was lying down with a worried expression.

“So, there’s nothing wrong with his body?”

“He’ll feel heavy and sleep a lot for a while. Those symptoms will improve after taking the antidote. When he regains consciousness, give it to him.” 

Frer said as he handed the butler the antidote he had prepared.

“And if he has a headache, don’t give him any other medicine. It’s not life-threatening, but it’s not good for the liver.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

The butler replied, taking the medicine bottle.

Frer briefly glanced at Leonel. 

Adelhardt had asked him to confirm that Leonel took the antidote, but Frer was trembling, no longer wanting to be there.

By now, he imagined his Crown Prince fleeing with the unconscious Nelly through a relatively unmonitored route, the river.

‘I should probably make my escape too.’

He should only take the essentials. He thought as he mentally packed his belongings. But just as he was about to turn away, the butler suddenly spoke up.

“By the way, have you seen Lady Nelly? She mentioned going to see you, Mr. Frer, but I can’t seem to find her.”

Frer looked at Leonel without even realizing it. Leonel still had his eyes closed. Frer casually scratched his head.

“I haven’t seen her. Did our paths cross?”

“She left quite some time ago.”

“Is that so? Maybe she went to Hadiger…?”

Frer shamelessly betrayed his employer. His voice sounded so unassuming and puzzled that it was beyond belief to think someone who had just seen Nelly faint and disappear under the bed could be so dense.

“That’s unlikely. She said she was going to get some headache medicine.”

“Ah, I see. Then she probably didn’t go to Hadiger.”

Frer nodded casually.

“Don’t worry, there shouldn’t be any issues. Oh, just to be sure, I’ll stop by Hadiger on my way back.”

“It might be a bother, but please do.”

“Sure. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

Even as he said his goodbyes and turned around, his heart raced. 

Since there had been no mention of it, it was clear that Levance had not seen Vexiadria Larelius. Therefore, before Leonel woke up and gave chase, he needed to eliminate Guadang and erase the donkey’s tracks.

Or perhaps it was better to escape now.

‘Running away might be the better choice.’

It just happened to be the time when the festival was ending, and visitors were leaving. 

They likely wouldn’t be checking people leaving the area since they wouldn’t even know Nelly had been kidnapped yet. Frer could blend in and escape without a hitch.

Frer walked towards the door, rolling his head. When he had crossed about halfway through the room, Arette moved by the doorway. 

Thinking he might be caught, Frer unconsciously stopped in his tracks.

“Ugh…”

Arette passed by Frer, and right after that, a low groan came from behind him.

“Your Grace, please take the antidote.”

Leonel had awakened.

‘Well, that’s not happening.’

Frer inwardly sighed. If he just left abruptly from here, he’d look very suspicious.

Although he didn’t want to, Frer forced himself to turn around. He approached Leonel, who had his hand on his forehead.

“Nelly?” 

Leonel’s first question upon waking up was about Nelly. 

Frer couldn’t help but glance unconsciously at the door. It was a poignant moment when he understood the feelings that had driven Nelly to rush towards the door at the last moment.

‘This is why people should live virtuously.’

He thought, almost reproaching himself.

While he was in this self-pitying state, Leonel received the news about Nelly from the butler. 

Leonel turned to look at Frer. Even though he had just woken up, his red eyes hadn’t lost their sharpness.

Taking the medicine bottle from the butler, Leonel extended it to Frer. 

There was no room for tricks with the medicine, but Frer’s throat constricted. Without a word, he approached and took the bottle, drinking about a third of it.

“Sit down.” 

Leonel pointed to a chair. It was because he needed time to confirm that there was no poison in the antidote. 

He stared intently at Frer and then gave an order to Arette.

“Arette, go find Nelly. If Nelly is in a dangerous situation, I’ll allow immediate action.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

As Arette left, Frer’s insides began to burn. 

Nelly’s actions were as easy to track as pouring cold water in the middle of summer, just follow the donkey’s footsteps.

The only person he could trust was Adelhardt. He could only hope that Adelhardt would erase any traces of Nelly coming to the cabin while carrying her unconscious body.

‘No matter how much I think about it, my prince wouldn’t have erased the footprints himself.’

Frer recalled the command to reveal his whereabouts if captured. 

He had said it genuinely, hoping he wouldn’t end up being a pawn or lose his life. He had no falsehood in his heart about it.

But Frer knew the truth. 

If Adelhardt had truly wished for Frer not to be discovered, he wouldn’t have issued such an order.

‘What do I do? The Duke is terrifying.’

It wasn’t a direct command, so whether he complied or not was his choice. Being exposed as a spy was a dangerous matter, one that might require him to give up his life. His well-being took precedence over any vague order.

‘I should escape after confirming that there’s no issue with the antidote.’

Frer made up his mind to prove that there was nothing wrong with the antidote before Arette returned and then left the castle. Even if he escaped, Leonel would still stubbornly pursue Adelhardt to find Nelly.

There was no need to take such risks. He decided to make his exit before Arette came back.

“You seem to be deep in thought.”

“Oh, I left a lamp on. You know it would be a disaster if it catches fire.”

Although Frer subtly indicated his desire to turn around and leave, Leonel’s expression remained unchanged. 

He stared at Frer until cold sweat trickled down his back, then finally turned his head and sniffed the antidote Frer had brought.

The only substance that didn’t mix well with Agathium Van was alcohol. There was no scent of alcohol, and Frer, who had taken it first, seemed fine.

Leonel finally felt at ease and drank the antidote.

As he watched Leonel wait for the antidote to take effect, Frer took a few steps back.

“Well, now that you’ve taken the antidote, I’ll be on my way.”

Frer bowed his head slightly and left. Fortunately, Leonel didn’t detain him.

There was no time to go home. He bought a hood from the town and quickly blended into the crowd.

As he wove through the people, he steadily advanced towards the castle gate. The closer he got, the more rigorous the identity checks became. 

Soldiers standing right next to him were regulating the line.

Frer had managed to position himself quite close, despite joining the line late. The identity checks were swiftly conducted, and the line rapidly diminished.

“Take off the hood, please.”

A soldier seated at a makeshift desk asked Frer to remove his hood, and Frer complied without hesitation.

“Huh? You’re the ranch keeper.”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going?”

“My father is sick, so I’m going to go there for a while.”

“Oh, you’re a filial son. Take care and come back safely.”

The soldier quickly noted Frer’s name and purpose and gestured for him to leave. 

Frer was about to awkwardly bid farewell and exit through the outer gate when a dark shadow suddenly loomed over his head. He instinctively covered his head and drew his dagger.

Then, he heard the sharp sound of hooves striking the ground right in front of him. Leonel had just leaped over Frer’s head while riding a horse.

“Surrender.”

Leonel unsheathed his sword. His face still bore a deep weariness, and he showed signs of suffering from a headache. However, his crimson eyes were as sharp as ever.

Frer raised both hands, extending them toward his head. The dagger he had been holding naturally fell to the ground.

Leonel dismounted his horse and kicked the dagger aside before using the tip of his sword to lift Frer’s chin.

“Where is Nelly? Who are you? Who planted you here?”

“That…”

Frer rolled his eyes, hoping to find an escape route, but he soon gave up when he saw the soldiers surrounding him in a circular formation.

“I can’t tell you.”

“I expected as much. Torture…”

“Instead, I can guide you.”

Frer’s vague tone cut through Leonel’s words sharply. He knelt with his hands folded behind his back, fully surrendering.

“I dislike pain and death. So, I’ll be your guide and a hostage.”

“…”

“On your way, you can ask me anything. I’ll answer sincerely.”

“…”

“Or, you can use me as a bargaining chip during a hostage exchange. I can be useful. The prince seems to value me quite a bit.”

“Is this a trap?”

“It’s a surrender.”

It was a disarmingly easy submission.