Duke, Please Fail! - Side Story 2 (Part 5)

Side Story 2: Part 5

Sure. Don’t hesitate! It’s not a lie.

Leonel believed me when I told him that I came from the future after dying.

Although there’s a sense of distance between the Leonel then and the Leonel now, they’re not entirely different people.

I steeled myself and stared into Leonel’s eyes.

“I haven’t been educated; I am Nelly.”

The reaction was cold.

Leonel didn’t even crack a common smirk. At first glance, he seemed calm and peaceful, but there was life in his red eyes. It felt suffocating, and my hair stood on end.

Feeling a chill, I unconsciously rubbed my neck.

“My throat feels tight…”

I was about to say I felt like I was about to fly away when Leonel’s face contorted again.

He reached his hand out to me. Reflexively, I tightly shut my eyes. However, I felt nothing.

Gently opening my eyes again, his hand was awkwardly suspended in the air.

Feeling the moment was right, I placed my hand on top of his. He withdrew his hand, looking surprised. I grabbed his hand again and asked earnestly,

“How can I make you believe?”

“No matter what you do. I can’t believe such absurd statements.”

But Leonel was already shaken. At least that’s how I felt.

I wracked my brain to recall things only he and I would know.

“Do you remember when I became the estate manager, on the day of the first festival? During the New Year’s celebration, I gave you ear warmers!”

Leonel, who was about to withdraw his hand, stopped.

“I was cold that day too, and your ears were freezing red, and you were shivering. So, I gave them to you.”

“…”

“Moreover, you, Leonel, or should I say, Your Grace, instead of apologizing for any mistakes, you prefer to offer salads. So, I exchanged mine for your dessert.”

The more I spoke, the more distorted his expression became. However, the vitality in his eyes gradually faded and eventually disappeared.

I drove a wedge into his weakened spirit.

“I am Nelly. Your Grace.”

Leonel reached out to me. His fingertips gently grazed my cheek.

“Nelly is dead.”

It was a denial of my words.

However, his eyes held a thick mist of longing. Beyond that, a faint spark of something, whether hope or something else, flickered lightly.

“That’s right. I thought so too. At first, I thought it was due to overwork.”

“Due to overwork?”

“Yes. But it was because of Agathium Van.”

Of course, Agathium Van was more fatal due to overwork, but in any case, if I hadn’t taken the poison, I wouldn’t have died like that.

“So, my death is not Leonel’s fault. It’s Devondus’s fault!”

I wanted to say this.

I smiled with relief, but Leonel looked different from what I expected. He tightly closed his eyes, then opened them again with the same cold expression as before.

“I appreciate your words. But if you were Nelly, you should have been unaware of what happened after you died.”

Slowly rising from his seat, he leaned over the table and grabbed my chin with his large hand.

“That would have made more sense, wouldn’t it?”

Although the action could be perceived as threatening, it didn’t feel intimidating, perhaps because he didn’t put any force into it.

Ironically, while he considered me a spy, he seemed hesitant to treat me disrespectfully, probably because I resembled his deceased subordinate.

Feeling sorry for him, I almost tried to embrace his hand but felt something strange.

‘Why is he so passionate?’

It seemed a bit excessive for mere sorrow over a lost subordinate.

‘No, it can’t be.’

Dismissing the illusion, I briefly explained the events I had experienced.

Leonel sat back in his chair. Crossing his legs and placing his clasped hands on his knees, he seemed willing to listen to the story.

I recounted waking up dead, the day I first became the territory manager, and the fact that Leonel, not me, had taken Agathium Van, and mentioned that we were engaged.

“I fainted after being hit by a book that fell from a high shelf in the library. When I opened my eyes, I was next to Leonel.”

Leonel rested his head on his hand with his elbow on the armrest.

Listening quietly to my story, he sighed deeply.

“Are you asking me to believe that now?”

“Then check it once. The library is a restricted area. Surely, there must be a bookshelf with books related to the Altwood family, and there should be a book that I fainted from hitting. It’s certain.”

Leonel called for the butler. I described the appearance of the book in detail without anyone asking.

The butler left briefly and returned. Looking at Leonel’s widening eyes, it seemed that the book was indeed there.

I raised my head triumphantly.

“See! How else could I have entered Leonel’s room? The security is strict. Even if I tried to climb the walls, I don’t have the muscles for it!”

Softly murmuring, Leonel approached me, circling the table. His hand swept over my right forearm. Though a shiver ran down my spine, it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. He lingered, touching my wrist and hand before lifting his head.

“Really, you’re Nelly Pepper.”

Vigorously nodding, Leonel bent deeply, resting his forehead on my shoulder.

“It’s you, Nelly. You… didn’t die.”

His voice sounded faint as if it might break at any moment. The warmth beyond his clothes felt unnaturally hot.

“Leonel, aren’t you running a fever?”

I tried to pull away to see his face, but instead, he pulled me closer, encircling me with his arms.

“Nelly.”

“Yes, it’s me, Nelly. Just wait a moment. About the fever—”

“Nelly Pepper. Nelly. Nelly….”

The force of his embrace intensified.

“I thought no one would answer this call forever.”

“Leonel.”

“I wanted to apologize to you. Not granting you leave wasn’t because I didn’t trust you, but to protect you…”

“Yes, I understand.”

I patted his back. He held onto me so tightly that it almost hurt.

“Leonel, it hurts.”

Twisting my body, he finally released me. A red glint flickered in the distance.

I felt like I had seen that gaze somewhere…

I should gently tap his cheek to bring him back to reality. As I discreetly raised my hand, Leonel lowered his gaze, wrapping my hand in his.

His thumb gently traced the border between my palm and fingers.

Suddenly, he extended his hand, using his thumb to press firmly against my lower lip.

“Is your mouth completely healed?”

“Of course! When did that become a concern?”

“It still feels like yesterday to me.”

His agony was unmistakably present.

“Leonel…”

As his finger slid down from my lips, it delved into the gap between my fingers, firmly entwining them.

“Come to think of it, you’re calling me comfortably.”

With those words, I snapped back to reality.

Right, the person I was engaged to wasn’t this Leonel. We weren’t even lovers. 

I tilted my head, pondering if I had called him something different after drinking a bit too much. Was Leonel the type to care about such things?

If he seemed upset, I was ready to apologize, but he posed a question instead. 

“Did you say we were engaged?” 

I closed my open mouth. It would be quite awkward to learn that we had been dating and even engaged without his knowledge. I awkwardly smiled and nodded. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

He contentedly toyed with my hand, then rose from his seat. 

“Let’s go back to the room.” 

It was a welcoming suggestion. Being confined, I hadn’t been able to shower, and I felt quite uncomfortable.

As I saw Leonel about to envelop my shoulders, my train of thought abruptly halted. 

‘He’s too close, and I haven’t even washed up!’ 

Quickly stepping aside, Leonel turned his head towards me. He slowly lowered the raised arm and looked at me.

‘Why does he have that wounded look, as if he’s been hurt?’ 

Oh! Could it be because I moved away from him as if avoiding physical contact?

“This, I couldn’t shower for a few days!”

As if my explanation confirmed his suspicion, Leonel’s face calmed again. 

“It’s fine, come here.”

“But I’m not okay!”

Crossing my arms in front of my body and lowering my head, I backed away. 

“I want to wash up.”

Leonel immediately called for a servant to prepare the bath. 

Since I would have to wait a bit anyway, I discreetly sat back down. Then Leonel turned to face me again. He rested his chin on his hand and gazed at me. 

His eyes held the usual affection.

* * *

Roger watched his master, who was pacing in front of the bathroom, with an anxious and restless expression. 

He hadn’t been drinking lately and seemed a little more relaxed, but for a moment it was like he was back in the days not long after Nelly’s death.

The sudden culprit of Leonel’s abrupt change was a woman who resembled the deceased manager Nelly Pepper, and she had entered the bathroom.

“With all due respect, Your Grace.”

Leonel halted his restless movements and looked at Roger when he asked.

“Who is she?”

“Haven’t you seen her face?”

“I have. But, Your Grace, Nelly…”

“I know.”

Leonel cut off Roger’s words abruptly. He had experienced Nelly’s death keenly, to the point where it was undeniable. He sat down in exhaustion, and Roger approached him, lowering his voice.

“Your Grace, someone who looks like her has been brought in.”

“Since when has the castle’s security become so lax?”

Though he said that, he was aware of the situation. If she gathered evidence claiming to be Nelly Pepper, it was possible to uncover certain things. While the security in the mansion was strict, it was not as impeccable as before.

After Nelly’s death, Leonel had abandoned surveillance. He was resigned, not trusting the people around him, but rather accepting that it didn’t matter anymore. Nevertheless, the vigilance of the past was missing. If she carefully prepared, slipping someone inside was possible.

“Yeah, maybe all of this was orchestrated by someone.”

“But even so, it doesn’t matter.”

Now she was by his side. That fact was the only thing that mattered to Leonel.

“Take care of it for now. And tell Arette to strengthen the security.”

“…Understood, Your Grace.”

Leonel stared at the bathroom door in silence. Faint humming could be heard through the crack in the door.

He sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and placed his clasped hands on his knee. She had mentioned being engaged to him in the place where she had died and returned.

Even though they were engaged, suddenly transported to a different timeline, she seemed so calm. Surely, she intended to return, and she knew how to do it.

‘How can I hold onto you?’