Duke, Please Fail! - Side Story 3 (Part 4)

Side Story 3: Part 4

Otherwise, her heart wouldn’t have pounded so loudly and rapidly like this. 

Sophie’s voice, which had been echoing in her ears, now had vanished, leaving only one word behind.

‘Okay?’

Without realizing it, Lizzy was about to say yes, but she bit her lip and held back. 

Awareness flashed sharp and bright, focusing on Arette’s scent, breath, and the body beneath her. On the other hand, she was too shocked to move a finger.

For a while, Lizzy remained in Arette’s arms like a potato wrapped in a blanket. Arette thought there might be a problem when she didn’t move.

“Are you hurt?”

“Ah, no, I…”

Lizzy, who was about to answer, closed her mouth and looked up. Despite saying she wasn’t hurt, she seemed unwilling to leave Arette’s embrace.

Arette, in turn, hesitated about whether to push Lizzy away. 

The snug feeling of her fitting perfectly in his arms was quite satisfying. The weight that rose on him, like wearing well-fitted clothes, was just right and stable.

He decided to stay that way until Lizzy got up. 

Meanwhile, Lizzy was confused, feeling like her head was about to explode.

‘Why don’t he just get up?’

Various thoughts should have crossed her mind, but her head was already filled with the word ‘good.’

‘I must be crazy. I can’t lie in the open with a man in broad daylight unless I’m crazy!’

Seemingly, she thought she was insane. She didn’t want to leave his embrace because it felt too good.

She kept her head buried in her hands until she heard a distant shout, and then she jumped to her feet, startled into action.

A short, painful groan was heard under her hand. However, she was already far away from Arette.

Not long after, the knights discovered them and approached.

“Aren’t you our prospective recruit? Coming for training again, huh? Diligent, huh? Commander, why are you lying on the ground?”

“…”

“Why did the recruit’s face change like a strawberry?”

“…”

No one gave any response. An awkward silence lingered for a moment. 

Arette, lying down, looked at the knights and asked.

“Why did you come back?”

“Just wanted to stretch my body a bit more.”

“Is that so?”

Like a three-headed dog emerging from hell, Arette slowly rose to his feet.

“I’ll help you.”

Although it was the same words he had said to Lizzy, the tone was completely different. Sensing unease, the knights began to step back one by one.

“Haha. I suddenly have back pain…”

“My ankle hurts…”

“My left molar…”

They made strange excuses and ran away. Arette brushed off his body and stood facing Lizzy.

When their eyes met, Lizzy’s face gradually turned red. Unable to look directly at Arette, she turned her head and twisted her body.

Arette gazed quietly at the side of Lizzy’s face. 

As someone who observed people to gather information, he easily noticed the changes in Lizzy’s emotions. 

When he realized the emotion on her face, to his surprise, the irritation that flared up whenever he thought of Nelly Pepper melted away like snow.

“Let’s resume training.”

Still, with a faint blush on her face, Lizzy nodded her head, unable to hide her emotions.

* * *

“What happened while I was away?” 

Nelly asked Mary, looking at Lizzy, who seemed absent-minded.

She shook her head. 

After Nelly went on vacation, Mary returned to her hometown shortly afterward, so she knew nothing. The only person who might know something was Sophie.

As the attention of the two turned towards Sophie, she smiled once and turned her head towards Lizzy.

“Lizzy, did something happen with the commander?”

“Ah!”

Lizzy rushed to Sophie in a panic, covering her mouth with both hands and yelling, drowning Sophie’s voice in a crow-like scream.

However, Sophie, undeterred, skillfully avoided Lizzy’s hands and completed her question.

“What’s going on with the Knight Commander?”

Only then did Lizzy’s scream abruptly stop. She rose with a bright red face and tried to crawl under the table.

Sophie and Mary, on either side, each grabbed one of Lizzy’s arms, pulling her back up and seating her in the chair again. Nelly held Lizzy’s hand on the table.

Lizzy couldn’t bring herself to shake off Nelly’s hand and just squirmed in her seat. Mary pulled the chair closer to Lizzy and leaned in.

“Lizzy, do you like Mr. Arette?”

Initially attempting to deny it, Lizzy soon frowned and nodded with a dejected expression.

“But why do you look so upset about it?”

Mary asked with concern. 

Nelly wondered if Lizzy had confessed and been rejected. If that was the case, she decided she would give Arette a fierce glare every time they met.

Mary vowed to her colleagues that she wouldn’t tidy up the corridor in front of Arette’s room. Unlike the two who were already harboring subtle enmity towards Arette, the sofa seemed puzzled.

“Confess to him.”

It was a casual remark, but it wasn’t made without a mischievous intent. 

Among the four gathered here, she had known Arette the longest, and she had heard the story of how Lizzy ended up being trained by him.

With confidence, Arette wasn’t the type to offer help just because someone of his age was crying in front of him. 

However, Lizzy vehemently shook her head.

“What am I…?”

“What’s wrong with you, Lizzy!”

As Lizzy mumbled with a blurred end to her words, Nelly snapped.

“While I appreciate Miss Nelly caring for me, I just can’t seem to gain any confidence. I’m not as elegant as Mary, nor as sharp as Sophie.”

“Lizzy…”

“I’m not as cool, competent, confident, lively, affectionate, and reassuring as Miss Nelly!”

Praises poured out like well-grown potatoes. 

Hearing the unexpected, Nelly quickly got up, covering Lizzy’s mouth with both hands.

An expression that questioned why she was saying the right thing was directed at Nelly. 

She was so touched that her face tingled, and her body twisted uncomfortably.

“Lizzy, you have a lot of strengths too!”

Lizzy removed Nelly’s hand.

“But Mr. Arette is a genius enough to become the youngest Knight Commander. How can I…”

“Lizzy, you’re a genius too.”

Mary, who had been listening, calmly said. Sophie nodded.

“Your processing speed is fast.”

“But you also mess up just as quickly. You’ve spilled ink on completed documents more than once.”

Nelly pounded her chest as if frustrated.

“But you remember all of that and fix it. Even so, you’re faster than anyone else! Not everyone can do that.”

“And these days, don’t you make fewer mistakes?”

“Right. You’re doing well, Lizzy.”

Thanks to the three people who enthusiastically boosted her spirits, Lizzy, who had shrunk a bit, straightened up a bit.

However, whenever she thought of Arette, she felt too plain and insignificant. She worried if someone like her could even like Arette.

Seemingly sensing her feelings, Nelly grabbed Lizzy’s hands and held them tightly.

“Lizzy, you’re responsible and always strive. How big of an advantage is that? Just because you make a few mistakes doesn’t turn your strengths into weaknesses.”

“Miss Nelly…”

Lizzy, with teary eyes, firmly held Nelly’s hands.

Mary also wrapped her arms around Lizzy’s shoulders. Sophie gently stroked Lizzy’s head.

Then, Lizzy’s head gradually lifted, and confidence appeared in her expression.

“With all of you saying that, I’ll go confess!”

“Good. You thought well!”

“Be sure to speak clearly.”

“It will surely work out.”

Encouraged and bid farewell by the three, Lizzy left with determination. With each step, a grounded confidence surged within her.

Reflecting on Arette’s actions, the situation seemed quite hopeful.

‘You’re the one who offered to help me first, and the last time I fell, you held me for a long time, when you didn’t have to.’

By the time she reached the training grounds, Lizzy was convinced. 

This was undoubtedly a sign of affection. 

Whether it was romantic or not, she couldn’t be sure, but it was a positive emotion that gave her hope.

Confirming Arette’s absence on the training grounds, she briskly walked towards the Knight Commander’s office.

Standing in front of the door, she shouted vigorously to boost her morale.

“Hehehe!”

After a spirited and ominous laugh, her courage soared. She swung open the door to the commander’s office.

“Mr. Arette!”

Even with the sudden intrusion, Arette showed no signs of surprise. 

Lizzy, who had planned to catch him off guard in his moment of confusion for a surprise confession, found herself flustered instead.

As their eyes met, her mind went blank, and everything turned white in her head.