The Devilish Duke Can't Sleep

Proofreader: somnium

The ‘morning meeting’ was a place to openly share recent events and thoughts over a light breakfast once a week. At first glance, it might seem like a happy family breakfast dinner, but the fact that no spouses can attend, only the head of family and candidate for succession can, and the fact that many business ideas and elimination plans of the Santella family were born here. It was a place that could never be ignored.

As Liddell comforted Lian and his expression softened to some extent, Leonard Santella, the head of the Santella family, smiled and brought up the topic.

“Viscount Horace eventually went bankrupt. Tsk tsk. It was really reckless. From the moment he took Viscount Delroins’ hand, he’s out of his mind.”

“Well, is it what you expected? I couldn’t even laugh at how ridiculous it was when I heard that he was just trying to fight the Luaves like that.”

Lian raised his eyebrows and responded with a sullen attitude.

“But confiscating Viscount Horace a huge compensation was a bit too much. He had good, sympathetic reasons for doing that. It is said that human affairs are impossible to predict, and I am not worried that this will cause trouble for Kahel.”

Liddell said, dropping her eyebrows worriedly. But Lian raised his curious eyes and looked at her.

“Do you think Kahel was at fault? Or is he plotting something?”

“Brother, you too! What are you talking about? It’s just…… It’s true that Viscount Horace is a little pitiful. Of course, it cannot be denied that he was stupid, but I think it was a bit too much to dock 70 million luans in compensation from the Viscount who lost his young daughter through a…….”

“Did you say that at a party or gathering?”

“Oh God! Can’t I just talk about this with my friends?”

“Pfft. No, no. That’s not possible.”

Lian smirked and giggled, and when Liddell’s expression turned sulky, he quickly calmed himself down. However, even with a simple sympathy, the weight that came out of Liddell Santella’s mouth was different from that of an ordinary noble lady.

Liddell may have just sided with Viscount Horace, a white faction nobleman, but it will secretly create an atmosphere among people that Kahel was too much. Perhaps reading that thought in Lian’s eyes, Liddell protested by inflating her cheeks once again.

“But it’s not really like that. I also told the ladies of the meeting firmly. This is just a personal feeling, and I respect Kahel’s decision in the end. And the young ladies and wives who attend my scripture readings aren’t the people who talk about these things outside.”

“What? Scripture reading? Why the hell are you making such a gathering? Ahaha!”

Lian shook his head for a while. It was cute to make an angry face with an angelic face but his sister seems to have mistaken it for a terrifying look. She was even cuter for that.

After the morning meeting, Lian returned to his bedroom to make up for his lack of sleep, still smiling uncontrollably. But that smile was a little bittersweet than before.

‘We’re going to become enemies, right, Kahel?’

The Duchy of Santella and the Duchy of Luave were not only in a competitive relationship, but also in a relationship where they had to help each other. With each family carrying half of the country, a sudden crisis on one side was also a crisis on the other. Therefore, the children of the two families felt a sense of sympathy with each other and often met.

So did Lian, Liddell, and Kahel. Although it is said that their seniors were often at odds with each other, the three of them were relatively good friends. However, the relationship began to crack when it became clear that Kahel’s early succession to the Duke’s seat was certain. It is no longer a friendship between children.

Kahel began to evoke a strangely cold atmosphere, and Liddell said that whenever she went to see Kahel, it was like she was looking at her father. However, Lian, who is free by nature and disliked being tied to status or factions, was sad to lose a good friend because of the family name.

Liddell also seemed to like Kahel. Kahel was the only person outside of her family whom she wrote and sent her own happy birthday cards to. Many people were sent gifts and cards from Liddell, but all the cards sent to them were written and sent by Liddell’s maid.

Once or twice a month she drank tea with Kahel, and at every banquet she dragged him into the hall and danced with him. Kahel, who is reluctant to other women – not just women – was comfortable with Liddell. Because Liddell wasn’t affected at all by his devilish power or appearance.

If people listen closely to their conversation, it seems that both of them are smart, so there seems to be something in common, and it seems that they maintain a close relationship.

But Liddell also seemed to be increasingly trying to act in accordance with her position. In the same situation as this time in the past, Liddell would not have said such a thing at the meeting. Of course, she knew it wasn’t good for Kahel.

But now, Liddell had to become a fence to protect the white faction nobles. So, even if she is mentally worried about Kahel, she has no choice but to speak in support of the white faction nobles at the gathering.

Liddell whined cutely as if she didn’t really mean anything else, but Lian was bitter, knowing that Liddell wasn’t that naive. Far from being innocent, Liddell was already a more calculating and cold-hearted politician than he was.

“It’s difficult, it’s difficult.”

Lian shook his head and shut the bedroom door.

* * *

…… As of today, Baron Cedric Jenkins is crowned as Lord of Kerouac. In addition, Hans Fidelia, his wife Janine Fidelia and his daughter Elliot Fidelia are to be stripped and beheaded for their involvement in the attempted assassination of the Duke of Luave and the attempted bombing of the bloodstone mine…….

People no longer flocked to the announcement posted throughout the village. As the sky grew darker and people went to dinner and the surroundings became quiet, Elliot, who was holding her breath in the dark forest, tightened her robes and looked around, and approached the announcement.

However, it bore an unbelievable content even after she rubbed her eyes and looked again.

“Ridiculous…… This is absolutely ridiculous!”

Elliott still couldn’t believe this reality. It was the small and rustic Kerouac where she always wanted to escape, but she was able to live like a princess in Kerouac. It’s been like that since birth, so she never imagined she’d lose it.

‘So cruel. My father was forced to attend meetings a few times because of Viscount Delroins’ prestige, but the death penalty! As my father said, the Duke of Luave is a devil!’

Looking at the ‘old’ Barony Fidelia, now called ‘Barony Jenkins’ from afar, Elliott wept endlessly.

When the knights said to come from Ardennes attacked, her mother had some intuition, giving Elliot some belongings in a bag, some money, and a long hooded robe, and quickly pushed her into the secret passage, so she could escape from the castle.

They said that their parents, who wanted to return soon, were executed for being involved in a colossal case of an attempt to assassinate the Duke of Luave, and that their daughter, Elliot, was also killed. Perhaps Lena was captured instead. It was Lena who died, but publicly, Elliot Fidelia was dead, so on paper, she was not of this world.

Moreover, she was stripped of her baron title, and all that was left of Elliot was her mother’s last possession. But she didn’t even have enough, so she had to decide her future course of action, no matter what.

‘No one will help me here.’

At first glance, it seemed that everyone in Kerouac was happy with Baron Fidelia’s fall. Until now, everyone had no complaints with Baron Fidelia, but Baron Jenkins, who became the new master of Kerouac, looked up to the Duke of Luave and began to apply only the legal tax rate.

When the residents of Kerouac learned that the tax they had been paying was much higher than the legal rate, they cursed Baron Fidelia and were relieved that he died well. In Elliot’s eyes, they all looked like cowardly traitors. She wanted to kill them all.

But the one on the dangerous side was Elliot. She had been hiding money from the rancher, who knew nothing about it, but she didn’t know what would happen if someone in the village saw Elliot’s face.

Elliot considered herself to be truly pitiful and unjust. She has lived her life without doing anything bad so far, and she felt resentful and sad about why such an ordeal was being given to her. Only an angel could help her.

‘Let’s go to the Duchy of Santella and ask for help. They’re the personification of angels, and they will never turn a blind eye.’

Elliot wiped her tears with the back of her hand and went down the road to rent a carriage. It was a pity that she had to go through such a thing, but it seemed to lift her heart a little as she remembered the splendor of Ardennes she had seen during her debutante.

* * *

Having dealt with the issues of Viscount Horace and Viscount Delroins, Kahel’s next focus was on trade with the Kingdom of Hildebrunn. A few months ago, there was a study that found that Lylok ore, which is only found in the Hildebrunn Kingdom, raises the efficiency of bloodstone by 50%.

Marquis Luahalla Rognac was the first person that came to mind when he heard the results of the study.

The 26-year-old Prince of the Hildebrunn Kingdom was also a Hildebrunn diplomat in Logos, who had a wide network of social circles with his friendly eyes, excellent speaking skills, and sophisticated fashion sense. In addition, he had a strong relationship with the King and Crown Prince of Hildebrunn, so there was no other suitable person than him.

Bloodstone was a mineral used for high-quality lighting around the world, and the world’s largest bloodstone mine belonged to the Duchy of Luave. The red crystal-shaped bloodstone was processed and sold in various shapes to suit its purpose.

Thanks to the bloodstone that holds the light of the sun during the day and then spits it back out in the dark, it was possible for nobles and the royal family to hold a party late into the night without the risk of fire, and as the number of carriages with bloodstone increased, the number of carriage accidents on the road at night decreased significantly. Of course, it was expensive, but it was worth the price.