The Devilish Duke Can't Sleep

Proofreader: somnium

Lena was helpless at her remorse as she got out of the Duke’s residence in a carriage, but as she began to see the city of Ardennes, she quickly lost her gaze to the scenery outside the window.

“Wow…….”

It was such a bustle that she couldn’t even imagine in rural Kerouac. The carriages and horses, which were difficult to see in Kerouac, had already passed by the Duke’s carriage several times, and the road was covered with dense stones, so there was hardly any dust.

Even the attire of those who were clearly not nobles looked sophisticated in Lena’s eyes, and it was surprising that the buildings were all tall and luxurious, and that they were close together. What surprised Lena the most was the fountain.

“Wow…… !”

Hearing a much louder exclamation than the previous ‘wow’, Kahel turned his head slightly and looked at the place where Lena’s gaze was embedded. It was a fountain in the middle of the square, with water gushing out from various places of the statues supporting the god of two legendary beasts that turned into women.

“Is this your first time seeing it?”

“Yes. However…… How does water come out of that stone?”

For Lena, who only knew the properties of water flowing from top to bottom, it was very strange to see the statue standing in the middle of the pond spewing water alone.

“It’s called a fountain. There is a tube installed inside the statue, so if water is supplied with strong pressure from the outside, it will spring up from the bottom like that. They are using the labor of prisoners to maintain that fountain.”

Lena couldn’t understand all of Kahel’s explanation, but the fountain was so beautiful that she thought it was a good thing.

“Oh? Excuse me…… What are people throwing?”

“Sometimes you toss a coin to make a wish.”

“Yes? Throwing money?”

“Yes. There is a saying that if the coin got on the pedestal that supports the statue, your wish will come true. It’s not that they’re throwing a lot of money, it’s usually just a fairy tale.”

“Wow…… that’s wonderful.”

As Lena stared at the receding fountain up to her neck, Kahel suddenly opened the coachman’s side window.

“I’m going to stop by the fountain square. Make a stop nearby.”

At his command, the carriage immediately turned and headed towards the fountain. And Gerard, who had been looking at him the whole time with a shocked expression, asked as if he was dumbfounded.

“Lord Kahel…… ? You don’t have much time”

“When you’re a Duke, you can be a little late.”

After giving such an answer, Kahel got off the stopped carriage first and escorted Lena, who was trembling with regret again.

The two of them pressed their hoods deeply to cover their faces as much as possible and approached the fountain. There were quite a few people passing by the square, but there were not many people near the fountain. As the weather was getting colder, their suspiciously covered faces did not attract people’s attention.

“Come on, I’ll give you a coin, so you can make a wish too.”

Kahel placed one of the silver coins in Lena’s hand. Kahel gave her a silver coin because he didn’t believe in fairy tales, but the silver coin equivalent to 100 luans was a lot of money for Lena. But she also felt bad to say she wouldn’t do it when the master gave her money to make a wish. If so, what would be a wish worth throwing so much money into?

Lena pondered for a long time about what she could wish for, and she fiddled with the silver coin.

“Do you have so many wishes that it is difficult to choose one? Do not worry. There are more coins.”

Misunderstanding her hesitation, Kahel mercifully granted her more coins, but Lena couldn’t even think of a wish to toss a coin with.

“Actually…… I don’t know what to ask for.”

“You don’t know? Aren’t there any things you want to come true? I don’t know what people wish for, but I think they want to be rich or live long…… Well, things like that.”

“When I lived in the Barony, I would have had many wishes, but now I feel like all of them have come true. I’m out of Kerouac, I eat delicious meals every day, I sleep in a warm place, and I work in a way that I can’t compare to before. There is no pain anywhere, as I am not being beaten up and I am not being harmed by anyone. The clothes, shoes, and even hairpins were all bought by you, so there is nothing lacking. Life is determined by God, so I don’t think it’s something I should be greedy for. Besides, I can see Uncle Theo every day…… Really, I can’t ask for anything more than this.”

Lena was counting her fingers one by one and listed the happiness she enjoyed, and Kahel looked curiously at her. Was she content to just get out of her miserable life?

This was quite different from the typical human traits Kahel had known. Kahel knew that there was no end to the greed of human beings. They always want something better when they have something. They never see those who have less than them, and they’re never seen satisfied with what they have.

Is she the only one? Those who have more than him are envious and slanderous, and those who have less than him are despised and persecuted. They are humble before the strong, and infinitely arrogant before the weak. So there are always many wishes. They are desires painted over in the name of wish.

But she was worried that she doesn’t even have ‘one wish’. This was not something that would happen in the world in which Kahel lived.

“Oh right! I just remembered one thing!”

Looking at Lena, who had been deeply contemplating and then suddenly raised her head, Kahel smiled as if relieved.

“I’m glad you figured it out. What wish are you going to make?”

“Someday I, too…… I want to have my own family.”

With a somewhat shy face, Lena muttered a little. It would be a natural thing for some, and others would laugh at her if it was a wish, but Lena had longed for it from her childhood.

Even when she lived with her mother, she felt a father’s deprivation, and when she was cared for by Uncle Theo and his family, although she might have appreciated them, it didn’t feel like a complete blood of hers. She sometimes dreamed that her real father, not Baron Fidelia, was actually a wealthy noble in the capital city. Then he might one day come pick her up with her mother, but the dream that she knew was a vain dream.

So Lena always wished for her own warm home that she raised herself. She married a sweet man and gave birth to a child, so she wanted to build a harmonious family. In that comfort, she wanted to be confirmed every day that she was not alone.

However, Lena’s simple and earnest wish was a shock to Kahel.

‘Family? Do you want to get married? Then, you will quit your job as a maid and leave my side…… ?’

Kahel had thought about finding a good match for Lena a while ago, but when he heard that Lena wants to marry, he realized the realistic meaning of marriage. She would marry a commoner from a wealthy family if she had been the Duke’s maid, and she could have married a wealthy knight of the Duke or a nobleman higher than a baron because she was this pretty.

If Lena was to get married, it was very likely that she would quit her job. And if Lena quits her job, he’ll have to do it all on his own again. Alone, shabby, engulfed in suffocating loneliness…….

He didn’t like that. He didn’t want to be left alone in that cold darkness again. He feels like he can barely breathe now, but he didn’t want to lose this peace already.

“To think of marriage…… I think it’s a little too early.”

Kahel asked cautiously, trying not to reveal his own embarrassment.

“I was going to marry Viscount Delroins originally. In Kerouac, they get married as early as fifteen, but in Ardennes, is it a little later?”

Lena, who had no idea what Kahel was thinking, tilted her head and asked, and Kahel was startled once again. Come to think of it, if he had been a little late in catching Viscount Delroins, this maid would have already been listed as his wife in his family register. The wife of that perverted old man that only likes young girls under the age of 20!

Just imagining it gave him goosebumps. This woman, often startled like a timid bunny, is going to be by that perverted old man?

But soon he changed his mind. He was not only offended by Viscount Delroins, but even imagining Lena standing next to anyone else is displeasing. Especially, when he didn’t even want to imagine Lena’s appearance next to Sid. At any rate, it was too early for this innocent, cowardly and rare girl to marry.

While Kahel was wandering alone somewhere in his confusion, anger and displeasure, Lena, who had given up listening for an answer to that question, held the silver coin in her hands and closed her eyes to make her wish once more. Mumbling, she tossed the coin with all her might towards the base of the statue.

Pong-!

However, the strength of Lena’s arm, which had been strengthened by labor, was not enough, so the coin did not reach near the pedestal, and vanished into the pond in vain.

“Ah! Uh, what should I do? It’s the coin you gave me…… Sorry…….”

It was a disappointment for Lena, but it was fortunate for Kahel. Even if the coin reached the pedestal, her wish would not come true immediately, but Kahel was genuinely nervous. Seeing Lena who couldn’t even make eye contact with him, Kahel took another one of the silver coins out of his pocket.

“The pedestal is farther than it looks, so not many people actually succeed in tossing a coin. So I’ll throw it for you.”

“Yes? Really?”

Kahel smiled at Lena and threw the silver coin at the pedestal, which settled nicely into the pedestal.

“Wow! It’s in! Did you see that?”

“Yes. I hope your wish will come true.”

Lena was excited and clapped, but in fact, Kahel tossed the coin and his wish was very different from Lena’s.

‘How long will you stay by my side…….’

Even if that would end Lena’s wish, Kahel had no intention of letting her go. He knew it was selfish. So instead of letting Lena leave his side, he’ll give her a lot of good things. Even if there’s another, she can’t help but choose him instead.

“Ah! Sir Kahel!”

Luahalla welcomed Kahel and the others who arrived a little later than the promised time.

“Sorry for being late, Sir Luahalla. Today, I was accompanied by Count Langtail, who is my assistant. Gerard. This is the Marquis Luahalla Rognac.”

At Kahel’s introduction, the two greeted each other with a warm smile.

“Nice to meet you. I am Gerard Langtail. It is an honor to meet you.”

“It is an honor for me. My name is Luahalla Rognac. I have heard the story of the Count, who is famous in the social circles as a close confidant of Duke Luave. I hope to see you more often in the future.”

The corners of the mouth that uttered the greeting were full of goodwill, and the hands shaking were tightly clasped, but their gazes searching at each other were as sharp as ever.