Duke, Please Fail! - Side Story 3 (Part 5)

Side Story 3: Part 5

Even without a strong presence, her heart, which had been living quietly, thumped loudly, hitting the inside of her ribs. 

The presence was so overwhelming that Lizzy forgot the words she was about to say.

As she stood still as someone mesmerized, Arette approached, putting down his pen. 

The closer he got, the more Lizzy’s face turned red. Her heart was pounding so much that she couldn’t think of anything.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mr. Arette, I…,” 

Lizzy began but fell silent as Arette waited for her to continue. However, his gaze had the opposite effect.

Lizzy felt like her heart was about to burst, and even Arette’s surroundings seemed to shimmer.

She couldn’t bring herself to say that she liked him, feeling he was too wonderful to express it. Eventually, she stammered the word ‘calf muscles’ about ten times before lowering her head.

“The calf muscles are tense…”

Arette immediately knelt on one knee.

“I’ll take a look.”

Before he could touch her, Lizzy, surprised, flattened herself against the wall.

“No, it’s nothing. Men and women are different; how can you touch the legs!”

“…My grandmother doesn’t say things like that these days.”

“I just… uh, it seems difficult to train today. That’s why I came to say that.”

She couldn’t even look directly at Arette, let alone training.

Arette noticed that Lizzy’s condition was strange compared to usual. 

Although it didn’t seem like her calf was hurting from her movements earlier, she looked like training would be difficult.

“Okay.”

“Then, I’ll go!”

Lizzy, who roared out her farewell, flung open the door.

Levance, who happened to come to see Arette, tried to greet Lizzy. However, she didn’t even notice him and just ran out.

Seeing Lizzy’s retreating figure, Levance asked with a puzzled expression.

“What happened?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What is it? What’s going on?”

He sat on the sofa, urging him with an intrigued look. 

Arette, still looking in the direction Lizzy had left, turned his head, then turned his body and gestured as if asking him why he came.

Levance, taking out tea on his own, spoke.

“Lizzy, she hasn’t made a mistake lately. I don’t know how many people’s work she’s doing alone. I hear she’s about to be promoted to administrator, and you’ve been helping her, so I thought I’d let you know.”

It was something to congratulate. 

Strangely, however, Arette wasn’t very happy.

Even as Levance began to bring up other topics in front of him, it didn’t register in his ears. He wasn’t the type to pay much attention to what others said, but today was even worse.

Lizzy’s face floated in his mind.

Did Lizzy know she would become an administrator? 

Not making mistakes and getting promoted meant that training would end soon.

Having become a member of the workforce was enough for her, and there was no need for Arette to help with administrative tasks. It was clear that the two would find it harder to meet than before.

‘But why doesn’t she confess?’

It would be unsatisfying for it to end like this, but her actions were no different from usual.

As he pondered this, he realized one more important fact.

‘Why am I even concerned about this?’

Someone skilled at peering into others’ minds finally turned inward.

* * *

After that, Lizzy attempted to confess several times. 

However, every time she saw Arette’s face, she felt embarrassed and couldn’t find the words. Her physical skills were improving, and she started hearing rumors that she would soon be promoted.

Despite eagerly anticipating this moment, her heart felt heavier.

‘Should I make a deliberate mistake?’

A momentary bad thought crossed her mind, but she quickly shook her head. 

She couldn’t cause trouble for others just because she didn’t want the training to end.

Above all, Nelly admired Lizzy for reducing her mistakes. Lizzy didn’t want to disappoint her.

However, thoughts of Arette still crept in whenever she had a moment. 

The fact that they couldn’t see each other often made her occasionally feel down. Especially after finishing work and lying in bed, Arette’s image burned in her mind.

His dark skin and black hair. Just thinking about his expressionless face made her thirsty, and she had to drink cold water multiple times.

As her feelings for Arette grew, he became even more magnificent and amazing in her heart. On the other hand, the confidence seeded by Mary, Sophie, and Nelly gradually dwindled.

‘Maybe they helped me just because they wanted to make me a knight.’

As evidence, the knights referred to her as a prospective recruit. Arette also subtly suggested that she could become a knight several times.

‘Maybe lying on the ground… Maybe he just likes lying on the ground?’

Reflecting, she remembered that even after she stood up and the knights arrived, he lay on the ground for a while. Perhaps he found comfort on the firm ground.

It sounded absurd, but liking lying on the ground seemed more plausible than Arette liking her.

‘Yeah, what’s the point of confessing?’

Lizzy sighed deeply.

‘Just keep it to myself.’

Even though she resolved to do so, whenever she was near Arette, her gaze involuntarily turned toward him.

Now it seemed like it was time to end the training.

“Um, Mr. Arette, I have something to say.”

“Yeah.”

Lizzy stood facing Arette, but as soon as she saw him, words wouldn’t come out. It was frustrating and unfair to just like him alone.

Tears welled up. Lizzy bit her lip to hold back her tears for a moment.

Arette, who had been silently watching her, spoke first.

“Why don’t you confess?”

“Well, I’m just not good at…”

Lizzy, about to answer absentmindedly, was startled and instinctively covered her mouth with both hands. 

She took a step back, stumbling, and quickly changed her words.

“W-what, me? What kind, what confession? No, it’s not. No!”

Lizzy, who was caught off guard, vehemently denied Arette’s words. But Arette, with a very teasing tone, once again surprised Lizzy.

“You like me.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I, I, I don’t know…”

Lizzy, trying to hide her face redder than strawberries, lowered her head. In a trembling voice, she continued.

“No, it’s just admiration.”

“Not admiration.”

With a tone of conviction, Arette made Lizzy, with a face full of tears, lift her head. Her attempt to conceal her feelings was exposed, making her feel embarrassed.

Arette, who forcibly brought out the emotions that could have been well-contained, seemed a bit smug.

“How do you know that, Mr. Arette?”

However, her tone remained non-confrontational.

Arette, feeling a tingling sensation around his cheeks, bit the inside of his mouth a few times.

“I feel the same way. So, I know.”

“…”

“And I like you. So, you must like me too.”

The conversation and confession happened without any warning.

Just like when a skirt got caught in the saddle and you had no choice but to follow the running horse, Lizzy’s mind was in chaos. She couldn’t feel any sense of reality.

She wondered if she was dreaming. Or maybe she misheard something…

But before Lizzy’s escape from reality could succeed, Arette drove a stake into it.

“Want to go on a date?”

“D-d-d-d…”

“Date. Let’s have dinner.”

Lizzy nodded absentmindedly, as if enchanted.

His face, which had turned a beat late, softened.

After hesitating for a moment, Arette raised his hand over her head. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he gently patted her small head.

Looking up, Lizzy saw that smile and burst into laughter.

<The End>