Duke, Please Fail! - Side Story 2 (Part 4)

Side Story 2: Part 4

So this is how much I love Leonel. 

Enough to miss him every day, even if I see him. 

Or could it be that Leonel loves me to that extent? Either way, I felt proud and happy.

‘But suddenly, to be imprisoned!’

Moreover, he asked me, ‘Who are you?’ as if he didn’t know me. As if he just opened his eyes, he would pat me as usual. 

Sniffling with sorrow, he turned away.

I see the bars. No matter how much I think about it, I couldn’t understand the situation.

“Is this a dream?”

I tapped my cheek. It stung. When I touched the iron bars, the cold stuck to my palm.

“No, it’s not a dream.”

Everything was vividly real.

But unless it was a dream, Leonel couldn’t call me a spy.

“Are you preparing a surprise party? Or maybe a proposal?”

Is this also a well-made fake prison?!

This time, I tapped the iron bars firmly. A dull metallic sound echoed. Moreover, the joints of the hand that touched the iron bars hurt too much.

“It’s real.”

After letting out a few cold breaths, I leaned against one wall and sat down.

Hugging my knees and resting my forehead.

Indeed, it seemed like a dream. It hurt when I slapped my cheek, but there’s no way it hurts because it’s a dream, right?

‘If I wait, I’ll wake up.’

…But that was my mistake.

Instead of waking up, I was just hungry and cold. Although a smelly blanket and watery porridge-like substance came out, the environment was too poor to stay for a long time.

Trembling, I stuck close to the iron bars, waiting for the soldier to bring food.

“Excuse me! Please call Lord Leonel, no, Your Grace! I have something to tell him.”

“That’s not for you to decide. When the time comes, His Grace will interrogate you personally.”

Interrogation? What did I do wrong?

Pounding my chest, a soldier threw a hard bread into the iron bars without looking back and disappeared.

Although the heat spread through my body, I picked up the bread for now.

I brushed off the dirt on the bread. But I didn’t want to put it in my mouth for a while; I held it in my hands.

How long had it been? A loud voice was heard.

“It…said! I…know…!”

I couldn’t hear what he was saying clearly, but it was evident that he was getting closer to my cell.

I pressed against the iron bars again and looked towards the corridor. Soon, a familiar face came into view.

“Faust?”

Faust seemed to be staggering as if heavily intoxicated, continuously shouting. Because of that, it seemed like he couldn’t hear my voice. However, Arette, who brought Faust, heard my voice. Wait, Arette?

‘Arette brought Faust?’

Even with a surprised look, the situation didn’t change. He even personally opened the iron bars and shoved Faust inside.

Looking at Faust, who was crumpled in one corner, he said to the soldier who came with him/

“If he looks sober, let him out.”

“Yes.”

The soldier nodded and turned to leave. Arette also turned completely.

Although our eyes met for a moment, it was probably just a misconception.

I stuck to the iron bars, gazing at Faust on the opposite side.

Faust, who had been snoring with his nose in protest to the departure of sleep, twisted and turned shortly after waking up.

“What’s this? Where am I?”

Either he hadn’t fully awakened or the alcohol hadn’t worn off; his pronunciation was inaccurate.

Still, it was comforting to meet a familiar face.

“Faust!”

Even in a daze, he seemed to recognize his name. Faust staggered toward the iron bars. His massive body hit the bars with a thud.

He stared at me with unfocused eyes after grabbing the iron bars with both hands, unaffected by the impact.

“Who are you to stop me? Who are you?”

“It’s me. Nelly!”

Faust squinted and looked at me. I flipped my hair behind my shoulders so that he could see my face better.

Then, suddenly, he seemed to feel something strange and tilted his head.

“But Faust, why do you look so haggard? Leonel looks the same way.”

“Leonel?”

Faust furrowed his brows.

“How dare you call His Grace so casually? Who are you, crazy enough to be imprisoned?”

“Since a while ago, you’ve been talking nonsense. More importantly, why are you in prison, Faust?”

“I probably ended up here because I lived like a dog.”

“What are you talking about? Everyone in the whole town knows how hard Faust works.”

“…What? Haha! Who cares how anyone lives?”

A self-deprecating laughter echoed loudly throughout the prison. Even as complaints from other inmates erupted, Faust didn’t stop laughing for a long time.

“It’s clear you’re imprisoned for being crazy. Hey, young lady, if you have time to talk nonsense, go to sleep.”

Seemingly disinterested, he turned to lie on the floor, facing away from me. But Faust was my only remaining hope.

“Faust, what happened to Leonel?”

“What do I know?”

“Don’t say that. If you know anything, please tell me! Faust! Faust Lebrave!”

“Ah, so noisy, it’s killing me!”

He abruptly got up and banged on the iron bars.

I flinched for a moment, but there was no need to be afraid. There were iron bars between him and me!

“I’m worried about Leonel.”

“Worried? Does anyone ever come back to life just because you’re worried?”

“Who died?”

“The estate manager died. You worried about it but didn’t know?”

“The estate manager? Do you mean Nausus? Nausus Dexter, right? Something happened to him?”

“No. The estate manager before him.”

If it was the estate manager before Nausus… that would be me.

It was absurd that someone who was perfectly alive had supposedly died. I couldn’t believe it and chuckled nervously until a foreboding memory crossed my mind.

‘No way…’

Swallowing dry saliva, I asked Faust, who leaned against the iron bars, my forehead against them.

“What was the name of the estate manager who died?”

“She had a pepper-like name. Oh, not like pepper, it was Pepper. Melly Pepper or Jelly Pepper, something like that.”

“Nelly Pepper.”

“Well, yeah. Why are you asking about that?”

“How did she die?”

“Do you know?”

An irritated voice responded, and Faust slumped back into his place. The answer came from another direction.

“We drank Agathium Van wine together. Last year’s harvest festival banquet.”

“Eek!”

Startled, I leaned against the wall and looked toward the source of the sound. Arette, who had been standing in the darkness, approached my cell.

“She, she didn’t die, did she?”

“No.”

“…”

Arette, with an expression that revealed nothing of his thoughts, stared at me for a while, then abruptly turned and left.

The sound of Faust’s snoring was heard again. I gathered my thoughts, trying to make sense of the situation. This place was where I supposedly died after drinking Agathium Van wine. Moreover, it seemed like more than a year had passed since my death.

‘Then, what I met was…’

It must have been Leonel, who couldn’t protect me. 

‘Did he miss me enough?’

No, it couldn’t be. It must have been a mistake since it was the same Leonel. We weren’t anything more than acquaintances.

Of course, there was a brief moment when I harbored different feelings for the Leonel of that time, but I quickly put an end to it.

Leonel’s feelings… well, who knows? 

We occasionally talked in the garden and fell asleep together, but considering his usual attitude, it was hard to believe he harbored romantic feelings for me. If anything, maybe just as friends? That would probably be the extent of it.

‘So that’s why…’

Leonel was vulnerable to loss. My death, which he considered as that of a friend, seemed to have inflicted a significant wound on him.

‘During my time in this book, it was said that time stopped here. Does that mean that time hasn’t passed over there while I’m here?’

Although it seemed absurd, considering the magical events that had occurred, I had no choice but to believe it. If so, at least my fiancé wouldn’t be suffering over my absence.

Feeling considerably relieved, I turned my head.

‘Now, all I need to do is find a way out of this prison…’

If I go back, what will happen to Leonel?

Suddenly, the image of Leonel I had seen earlier flashed in my mind. He seemed to have not eaten properly or slept for several days. As someone with a delicate stomach, he must have felt guilty about my death.

I wanted to assure him that my death wasn’t his fault, to comfort him for enduring this hardship alone. However, I needed to meet him first.

‘But I need to get out of this prison first.’

Should I attempt an escape? …No, it wouldn’t work!

Maybe I should wait for the interrogation he mentioned earlier.

As I pondered, I recalled the necklace that had been hanging around my neck, almost forgotten.

‘Could this possibly open the prison door?’

While contemplating the importance of the necklace, footsteps echoed in the corridor again. Arette had returned.

He opened the cell door and bound my hands with a rope.

“The Duke is looking for you.”

It seemed opportune, so I nodded vigorously. However, as I was being led away, I worried whether he would believe my words.

Standing in front of Leonel, whose expression I hadn’t seen for quite some time, I hoped I wouldn’t end up back in prison for impersonating the deceased Nelly Pepper unless he believed me.

“What’s your name?”

It was natural that I couldn’t answer this question.

While hesitating, another question was thrown at me.

“How did you get into my bedroom?”

“Well… To explain, it’s a bit complicated.”

Leonel, with his legs crossed, raised an eyebrow. My answer didn’t seem to please him.

But what could I do? If I said I fainted and woke up next to Leonel according to the book, they would probably treat me as insane!

I bit my lips and stared at him. He was leaning on the armrest, massaging his temple with his elbow.

When I scrutinized his composed face, I felt a dark atmosphere. Leonel would make such an expression when pretending to be fine after a nightmare. Of course, he looked much healthier than he did in those nightmares.

“Are you okay?”

I blurted out my concern without permission. His sharp red eyes were suddenly focused on me.

I needed to stay calm and not pretend to be too close. I twisted my body and lightly tapped my lips. Suddenly, a stern voice sounded right next to me.

“Thoroughly trained to act like Nelly.”

His face was strangely distorted, resembling someone trying to contain anger or someone trying to mask sorrow. A deep breath escaped involuntarily. I had suspected it, but it seemed that he indeed felt guilt about my death.

He was the kind of person who would suffer even if a servant was hurt. It was enough for him to feel that way about Nelly Pepper’s death, his estate manager

‘I should probably tell him who I am.’