Duke, Please Fail! - Side Story 2 (Part 7)

Side Story 2: Part 7

I held the bottle containing Agathium Van with trembling hands. 

After some hesitation, I emptied its contents and put the bottle back on the bedside table. Then, cautiously wiping away the spilled blood and Agathium Van from the floor, I sat on the bed and stretched my body. 

My mind felt numb, perhaps from the shock.

‘What on earth did I say…?’

I muttered, my nose sniffling when I heard the sound of the door opening.

“Nelly.” 

A voice, chillingly low, made me lift my head. Leonel stood there with a cold expression, swiftly approaching and grabbing my hand.

“Who did this?” 

“Uh! It was me.”

“You?”

“I was doodling, and the bottle cap rolled off. As I picked it up, I got cut by a glass shard under the bed.”

He attempted to stand up quickly to call a servant, pulling the bell rope, but I hurriedly approached and held Leonel back.

“Why a servant?”

“Because they didn’t clean properly, and you got hurt. They should be held accountable.”

“I’m not hurt that badly. Just need to apply some ointment.”

I awkwardly smiled, looking down at my palm. The bleeding had already stopped; there was no need for further care.

Leonel sighed softly and instructed the butler to fetch some medicine. Then, he led me to the sofa and made me sit beside him.

Watching him examine the wound, I hesitated. 

Should I ask? Why was there a broken glass shard under the bed? Why was the Agathium Van, a bottle that hadn’t even opened, placed so close? What had troubled him so much?

While I pondered, the butler set down the ointment and left. Leonel’s careful touch reached my wound.

My palm stung, and my mouth opened involuntarily. Unable to hold back any longer, a question popped out from beyond my lips.

“…Did you like me?”

Leonel’s movements came to a halt. 

Without lifting his head, he wrapped a thin bandage around my hand and answered in a calm tone.

“I didn’t use to. Still don’t. Not everything can be conveyed in such a short phrase.”

Even if I hadn’t dismissed my feelings as shameless emotions, our relationship might have changed. But such assumptions were meaningless. Leonel was already…

“Nelly.”

Leonel’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“Look at me.”

His trembling hand gently cupped my cheek, pulling me towards him, and forcing our eyes to meet.

“I’m Leonel too, don’t complicate things. The person you’re thinking of is me.”

“I… “

“So, the one you love is me. The person I love is also you.”

His voice was gentle, yet his words were sharp and resolute, as if not allowing any room for other thoughts.

A pale and faint light bathed his face. It seemed as if the madness of moonlight had tainted him.

His firmness stemmed from anxiety and fear. But I couldn’t lie and promise to stay with him for a lifetime. It wasn’t for his sake.

“I have to go back.”

Leonel wordlessly clenched my hand, raising it to rest on the back of his hand without showing any sign of pain.

“Nelly. This is where you originally belonged. You haven’t returned; you’ve come back.”

He pulled me into an embrace. I couldn’t push him away as his gesture felt like clinging to a lifeline.

I hadn’t given up on going back. When I stayed in the queen’s residence and went to Mary’s house, I realized that the place I had to return to was by Leonel’s side.

Yet, leaving him with another Leonel right before my eyes, who had thought of death because of me, was something I couldn’t do.

‘Just a little longer. Let’s go back when he’s okay, just a little longer…’

* * *

The first thing I did to calm him down was to dispose of all the strong alcohol. 

Then, I pondered why Leonel had deteriorated so much.

At the moment, the Leonel who was my fiancé didn’t seem much different from this Leonel. Aside from the fact that there were fewer people around him. More precisely, there was no one to give him a piece of their mind.

Faust, who used to speak freely without considering Leonel, was still in a debauched state, and there seemed to be no reconciliation with the prince. The butler treated Leonel like he was handling a wounded finger.

Even Levance had said something to Leonel, but his words usually didn’t have much effect, so let’s exclude him.

Strangely, others seemed to fear Leonel.

‘If I bring things back to normal around him, will Leonel also get better?’

Come to think of it, where’s Lizzy? She had plenty to say while trembling!

Anyway, I need to get Faust back to his senses since he’s the closest one. As I stealthily got up from my seat, Leonel’s gaze followed me. He looked at me as if questioning where I was going.

“I’m just going to take a look around the territory.”

“Let’s go together.”

“No! Leonel, you should work.”

I rushed over and made Leonel sit back down before he could get up again.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“… “

There was no response, but he didn’t seem to be particularly trying to stop me. I put on a hood and went outside before he could grab me again.

The square was much larger than I remembered. Even if someone I knew passed by, they might not recognize me.

‘Is Faust living to where he used to?’

While recalling his home and walking slowly, a familiar silhouette caught my eye in a corner of my vision. …

Is that Lizzy? Why is Lizzy sitting there? 

Oh, no. I must have seen it wrong. There’s no way Lizzy would sit expressionlessly in front of withered flowers. Besides, that person looks much older than Lizzy and has a different demeanor.

‘What did Lizzy do before I died?’

Come to think of it, I had never seen Lizzy before I died or heard any stories about her. But I remembered her words when she came crying, saying she wanted to work.

‘She said she was getting married.’

She cried, saying she had to marry a wealthy old man from the neighboring town. As soon as that fact crossed my mind, I rushed towards Lizzy as if pulled by it.

Although a stranger ran towards her, Lizzy showed no sign of surprise. She raised her eyes without enthusiasm to look at me.

I wanted to ask why she was sitting here like this, but I held back, thinking I must be a stranger to Lizzy. Instead, I forced a smile and pointed at the flowers with my finger.

“I want to buy some flowers.”

“What would you like?”

Her weak voice made my nose tingle.

“Give me everything.”

“Everything… All of them?”

“Yes.”

Lizzy blinked and then started to pack the flowers with a careful touch. 

I worried that she might crush the flowers because she couldn’t control her strength, but fortunately, that didn’t happen. However, the hand handing over the flowers looked too dry and weak, making me concerned.

“Are you eating well?”

“What?”

“No, how much is it for everything?”

As I asked, ready to take out money, I realized nothing was hanging from my waist.

“Uh? Uh-uh?”

In confusion, I fumbled around my body. There was no way an absent money pouch would magically appear. Since I came here, I had been only following Leonel and didn’t have any need to spend money.

I didn’t even bring money when I went to study, so naturally, I didn’t have anything.

I must look like a fool! While seriously considering if I should take off a button from my dress, a large and rough hand suddenly interjected.

When I turned my head, I saw Arette holding money.

“Why is Arette here?”

He handed the money to Lizzy without saying a word and extended the flowers she received back to me. Seeing the way he walked, I wondered if Leonel had sent him to escort me.

He probably won’t say anything even if I ask. Ignoring that, I looked back at Lizzy. She seemed to be tidying up, perhaps planning to return home.

“Thank you every time.” 

Lizzy said with a voice that sounded like a mix of being heard and not.

I, for some reason, called out to Lizzy.

“Hey, wait a moment.”

Whether she didn’t think I was calling her or not, Lizzy was already leaving. I almost couldn’t catch up with her, grabbing her and breathing heavily. Lizzy made it clear with her expression that she wanted to escape.

I tightened my grip on the hem of her clothes.

“Why are you selling flowers?”

“What? Why?”

Lizzy looked puzzled and somewhat uncomfortable. Seeing that expression for the first time, I unconsciously reached out my hand.

“I’m not picking a fight! It just seems like administrative work would suit you better.”

Lizzy, who had been silent for a while, stammered and took a step back. Then, after looking at Arette for a while, she turned around and cautiously opened her mouth.

“I, I… don’t know how to read.”

“I’ll teach you!”

Before Lizzy could refuse, I grabbed both of her hands.

“Meet me here at this time tomorrow.”

After hesitating for a moment, Lizzy subtly withdrew her hands, nodded quickly, and fled like a startled rabbit. Smiling broadly without realizing it, I headed to Faust’s house with Arette.

After confirming Faust’s house location with Arette once again, I knocked on the front door. The door opened, and a tiny face peeked out. Faust’s son, Jerome, looked at Arette and me alternately and asked in a wary voice.

“Who are you?”

“Hello. We’re friends of your father. Is he around by any chance?”

“He’s around, but please leave.”

“Oh? Can we come in for a moment?”

While Jerome hesitated, a massive shadow suddenly intervened behind the child.

“What’s the matter, barging into someone else’s house? Huh, Arette?”

Faust’s initially fierce expression softened when he spotted Arette.

“What’s going on?”

Arette remained silent and just looked at me. Faust’s gaze also turned towards me.

Our eyes met, and as Faust scanned me from top to bottom, he raised an eyebrow.

I tried to smile, but my mouth twitched awkwardly upwards.

“Do you remember me?”

“Who are you?”

“We used the opposite cell! In the prison…”

“Prison mates bringing even a knight commander, what’s going on?”

“Prison mate…”

As I hesitated with my choice of words, Faust’s face turned fierce.

“What, are you planning to accuse me? That I hit you?”

“No, it’s not like that!”

As his fist came dangerously close to my face, I politely pushed it away with both hands and made a suggestion.

“Do you happen to have any thoughts about trying farming?”

“What?”

Faust glared at me. He then attempted to close the door, so I pushed Arette a bit to wedge him into the gap. 

Arette looked down at me, and both Faust and Jerome had expressions of disbelief.

Without backing down, I used Arette as a shield and pushed my way inside.

“Just listen to what I have to say instead of closing the door.”