Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 92

Episode 92

“Where am I…?”

My throat feels sore, and my head is pounding. I vaguely remembered waking up several times, only to faint shortly after.

I got up from the bed and looked around frantically. The room was needlessly spacious and luxurious. 

I wasn’t tied up, and there were no shackles on my ankles. However, both the door and the window were securely locked.

‘Have I been kidnapped?’

My head was spinning. What should I do in a situation like this?

My hands and feet were trembling as I just sat down on the bed. I should have escaped from the cabin no matter what, or better yet, I shouldn’t have gone inside in the first place…

Above all, I disappeared without a word, and Leonel must be very worried.

‘Is Leonel okay?’

He had taken Agathium Van; what if something went wrong…

No, Frer said there was nothing to worry about, so I shouldn’t have negative thoughts. But Frer is a kidnapper himself.

In my imagination, Leonel’s body contorted dozens of times. I bit my fingernails for the first time in my life. If I stayed still, I felt like I would truly go insane.

‘Snap out of it! I need to get myself together and go back to Leonel.’

I scolded myself, covering my face, and then slapped my cheeks.

I made an effort to open the door and tried banging on the window. The door didn’t budge, but the window had a device that could be used to unlock it, discreetly.

‘I can escape!’

With hope in my heart, I grumbled as I opened the window and quickly closed it.

‘I can’t escape…’

The distance between the window and the ground was pitch black. I briefly considered connecting curtains or blankets to make a rope or something.

I only thought about it for a moment.

My arms and muscles weren’t strong enough to descend even a third of the way; I would be on the verge of falling. 

Plus, I had just woken up, and my stomach was growling, so I had no strength left in my body.

‘The only way out is through the door.’

I stared at the door as if I were an iron-willed warrior ready to strike, and then I heard a sound. I glanced around, then brought a chair over beside me.

I have to be ready to throw it or swing it if needed. I can’t hold out for long, so I have to seize the moment when my captor lets their guard down.

Gathering my resolve, I clenched my lips, and then the door opened.

“Huh? You’re awake.”

The prince walked in holding a tray with a water bottle and a cup. As soon as he closed the door, there was a clicking sound from outside. It meant someone was standing guard.

As my chances of escape dwindled, the prince sat down next to the bed. More precisely, he sat on the chair I had brought over.

It doesn’t seem like he intended to use it as a weapon in a hurry.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“What are you planning to do with me?”

“I don’t have any particular plans… I brought you here on a whim. If I release you, you’ll probably tell everyone that you met the prince, right?”

Right. I might have shouted it for the whole town to hear when I ran into the castle.

I bit my lip and said nothing, and the prince handed me the cup with water.

“First, how about quenching your thirst? You’ve been unconscious for a while, so you must be thirsty.”

I was indeed very thirsty. Nevertheless, I won’t drink it. I had no idea what he might have put in there. Was I a fool?

I turned my head away, trying to ignore him, and he took a sip from the cup himself and then offered it to me. When I still didn’t drink, he shrugged lightly and put the cup down.

“I didn’t poison it. You probably won’t believe me, though.”

“I won’t.”

Unfortunately, the prince smiled with a rather awkward expression on his face.

“Please release me. I don’t even know where I am.”

“That’s true.”

“To get back to Leonel, it’ll take a while. During that time, Your Highness can gather evidence to prove that you’re not Hadiger.”

Even with evidence, having proof won’t help once Leonel comes looking for me.

“I want that.”

It seemed like he intended to use my life as leverage to get what he wanted from Leonel. I couldn’t be a hostage, holding Leonel back.

I needed to escape before he found me. Could I escape through the window?

“We’re about half a day away from Altwood Manor, so it won’t take too long.”

Alright, I had to escape as soon as Adelhardt left. I made my decision, but he continued to sit on my makeshift threatening chair.

I needed to find a way to get out.

My stomach growled loudly as if it could read my thoughts.

“I’m hungry.”

“Shall I prepare something light?”

I nodded, and he poured some water, which I drank. I was confident that he wouldn’t poison me immediately if he intended to use me as a hostage.

I wished the prince would go and get the food himself, but instead, he rang a bell to call for someone.

A man with a knife at his waist entered the room. Judging by his build and movements, he didn’t seem like a typical servant.

“Bring some thin soup and soft bread.”

Seems like the prince planned to sit here for a while.

Since there was no way to chase the prince away, I decided to eat well to at least regain my strength.

“Also, some plain and tender meat.”

As I quietly interjected, the prince burst into laughter. 

What a refreshing laugh for a criminal.

I had to resist the urge to glare at him. The giggle didn’t do much to break the ice.

Luckily for me, I wasn’t the type to get rattled easily. The prince stopped laughing and requested the person who had entered.

“Did you hear? She’d like some plain and tender meat as well.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Once the man left the room, Adelhardt turned towards me.

“Do you have any questions?”

“Where are we?”

“My estate. As you can see, there are quite a few armed men here.”

He was giving away information without me asking.

“It means I don’t want you to think about escaping.”

“Did I just say that out loud?”

“No, it’s easy to read your thoughts from your expressions. Nelly has a wide range of facial expressions.”

His demeanor remained consistently friendly, which made it all the more eerie. He had kidnapped me with such an unassuming face.

“Why did you go through all the trouble of kidnapping me to make demands from Leonel?”

“Initially, I didn’t plan on kidnapping you. As I said, I intended to reveal my identity and then leave.”

“So what are you thinking now?”

“I’m just taking this opportunity to have a conversation with him.”

“But you two don’t get along.”

“I’d say ‘not getting along’ is an understatement.”

The prince’s smile twisted slightly. He didn’t seem menacing, but a kidnapper was still a bit scary.

Seeing my unease, the prince chuckled as if he enjoyed it.

“But if there’s a common enemy, things can change, right?”

“A common enemy?”

“Devondus Altwood.”

An unexpected name came out of the prince’s mouth. It seemed that he had made enemies in various places, judging by the ominous and unpleasant tone.

Wouldn’t it be helpful to know what happened so we could negotiate with Leonel later?

“Let’s talk about the details when Leonel arrives.”

Before I could ask, I was rejected.

“What if Leonel doesn’t come?”

“Then, as Nelly said, I’ll keep you here until there’s evidence that I’m not Hadiger.”

“And then?”

“I’ll release you. We’re friends, after all.”

His consistent words were starting to restore some trust. However, I wasn’t about to give up on escaping.

I nodded and ate what the servant had brought. My stomach felt fuller, and I regained some strength.

Still, escaping through the window seemed like a difficult proposition, but I decided to keep it as a last resort and focus on getting out first.

“I’d like to go for a walk.”

If he refused, what could I say to persuade him? Would it be because I felt cooped up? Or…

“Sure.”

“Huh?”

“Yes. A walk.”

“Inside the room?”

“No. Didn’t you mean you wanted to go outside?”

“Right.”

“Let’s go.”

Wait, is it that easy?

Originally, I had only planned to memorize the way to the exit, but with this level of vigilance, I might be able to escape under the right circumstances.

I hid my excitement and nodded. As I got up from my seat, the prince approached me.

I took a hesitant step backward, but his strides were longer. In an instant, something like a black cloth covered my eyes.

Then, the prince lifted me.

My feet left the ground, and I felt like I was about to scream. I bit my lip and clutched whatever I could grab.

“Are you afraid of heights?”

To be precise, I’m afraid of heights. There’s no need to explain that, so I just kept quiet.

“Since I can’t show you the way, let’s go like this. If you’re scared, you can hold on.”

This is bad. I won’t be able to understand the building’s layout like this.

I kept my mouth shut, and suddenly, I heard the prince’s laughter from close by.

‘Shouldn’t I struggle a bit? My hands aren’t tied…’

As I thought about it, someone approached and tied my hands.

“I’ll give you a heads up, but you shouldn’t think about escaping through the door. There are many traps in this corridor.”

He was pretending to be kind. This information wasn’t needed in the first place if he hadn’t kidnapped me. 

After a brief sound of opening and closing doors, various mechanical noises echoed from different directions. Sometimes, I could hear the sound of metal scraping against metal.

It appeared that the prince’s words were truthful.

“Why did things go sour between you and Leonel? You said you were friends.”

Silence lingered for a while. I had brought up an uncomfortable topic, and I had no intention of asking twice.

Leaving the quiet prince to his thoughts, I tried to free my wrists during this opportunity.

Just as I was descending the stairs, my body suddenly jolted. Then, the prince’s voice was heard when everything had settled.

“Leonel killed Tatiasun.”

“That’s…!”

“I know. It was due to betrayal. But I can’t forgive it.”

The sound of a door opening could be heard. A chill breeze brushed my face. It seemed like we had exited the front door, but the prince didn’t let go of me for quite some time.

However, my wrists had just been untied, so I was able to remove the blindfold. All I could see were trees, a tall tower, and armed individuals.

Four of them were close to me and the prince, while five were walking at a distance. We were surrounded.

I realized that it would be difficult to escape, but since I had come out under the pretext of going for a walk, I had to walk. I moved slowly, and the prince matched my pace.

He had gone from a smiling face to an expression as rigid as stone.

Almost reflexively, I started defending Leonel.

“Leonel is still suffering.”

However, the prince was bitter.

“That’s right. It’s been several years already. If he had been fine after that long, I wouldn’t have treated him like a person.”

“If Leonel hadn’t done that, many of our citizens would have died.”

“It could have been resolved without killing Tatiasun.”

The prince stopped in his tracks. His face showed anger that hadn’t been there before.

“He hid his faults as if they were nothing.”

Caught off guard by the suddenly ominous atmosphere, I instinctively stepped back. It took a few steps for me to realize that his anger wasn’t directed at me.

The prince gritted his teeth and gave a twisted smile. Despite being a kidnapper, he looked pained to the point where it might evoke pity.

“Tatiasun was brainwashed, from a very young age. His whole family was exploited by Desatell for the sake of the war.”

It was hard to comprehend. I furrowed my brow, and the prince continued.

“Desatell was wary of our country as it continued to grow. Although we didn’t ally, we had maintained friendly relations. They couldn’t wage war without a legitimate reason.”

“…So they demanded the conscription of exiled royalty. And if you refused, they would start a war.”

“That’s right. You’re quite clever.”

He chuckled playfully.

“Was Her Majesty the Queen unaware of this?”

“No.”

“Even so, she accepted the exile…”

“She’s quite ambitious.”

“What did she receive in return?”

“The iron mines in the border zone and the fertile lands surrounding them, as well as a substantial amount of gold.”

“I can’t understand it. No matter how good things are, if you can’t protect them, they’re meaningless.”

But was it because of greed that they introduced the seeds of war into the country? 

Adelhardt met my gaze and gave a faint smile.

“She had confidence that she could protect it. Originally, she didn’t like Desatell, so she might have thought it was a good deal. Winning the war would bring even more gains.”

“But she can also lose.”

“She’s not the type to think that way. Still, she must have been worried because they didn’t grant her any official titles.”

He started walking again with a frustrated expression on his face.