The Devilish Duke Can't Sleep

Proofreader: somnium

While Arder was making a few more requests, Kahel came down to the first floor with his coat folded and lightly criticized Arder.

“You seem to have gotten more anxious as you get older.”

“In my eyes, you still look like a child by the water.”

“If Gerard hears it, his expression will be very pleasing to the eye. Next time Gerard comes, please say that again in front of him. Have you loaded everything?”

“Yes. It seems that Lena’s luggage is more than yours, but…….”

“No way. I thought my luggage would be tripled.”

“That’s what I meant, that’s it. Ha…….”

After confirming that Lena had moved away to finish loading her luggage, Arder approached Kahel and asked in a quiet voice.

“Don’t fall for Lena too much. Of course, she seems like a good kid, but you haven’t been able to figure out all of Lena’s true identity. At this rate, if the kid has a bad heart……!”

“Arder.”

Kahel, who was examining his cuffs, quietly stopped Arder’s words.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“I don’t trust people easily.”

“I know.”

“Like you said, I still can’t trust Lena. However, I just wanted to give thanks for the ‘ordinary daily life’ that that kid returned to me, no matter what it was. If that’s what a few coats of fur can buy, I can always pay for it.”

“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. I made a mistake.”

“I know you care a lot about me. I am always grateful. If you’re telling me to be careful, I’m guessing that I’ve loosened my boundaries these days. Your comments will be taken into account.”

Kahel tidied up his cuffs again and took the gloves off his arms and put them on his hands.

“Be careful. Duke Santella will move slowly. And take care of the clothes makers sent by Luahalla so that there is no inconvenience in their work. If there is an urgent matter, ask Gerard for his opinion first.”

“Yes, I understand. Please take care of yourself.”

Kahel left Arder behind who bowed his head to him, and headed forward where Lena was waiting with the carriage. Lena was waiting for Kahel to board first. Lena was his only close maid, so she had to ride with him in a single carriage. It was a bit nerve-racking for both Kahel and Lena, but neither of them tried to express that.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Lena replied bravely and she waited for Kahel to board, but she eventually got into the carriage first because she was led by his hand again.

* * *

Sharden was a region located in the northeastern part of the Logos, about ten days away by carriage from Ardennes.

The wind, which was just cool at first, got colder as they headed north, and two days before arriving in Sharden, the face that rose above the coat became so cold that it tingled.

“Today we will stay in this village!”

At the loud voice of the knight running ahead of them, Lena, who was sleeping in her seat, woke up in shock.

“Seeing that you sleep well in the carriage, you seem to have gotten used to traveling.”

“Ah, sorry, I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? It was a compliment.”

Lena blamed herself for falling asleep in Kahel’s presence, who apparently was not sleeping. She didn’t know when she fell asleep. Before leaving Ardennes completely, it was fun to look out of the window, but after leaving the borders of Ardennes, even the fields were bleak and there was nothing to see. As a result, drowsiness poured over, and it seemed that all her efforts to not sleep today were all in vain.

“It must be a difficult journey for you, but you are holding on well. Last night you couldn’t sleep comfortably because we were camping, but today we’ll be better off staying at the inn in the village.”

“I am okay. When I was in the Baron’s Castle, I slept well on the stone floor. I’m worried about where Your Excellency will sleep.”

Whenever Kahel heard these concerns from Lena, he used to feel strange. It feels like a wolf listening to the rabbit’s nagging.

Twisting its chubby buttocks and said, ‘Don’t skip meals and eat well! It’s cold, so be sure to wear a fur scarf! I must have told you to put cream on your hands earlier, right?’ Imagining the nagging rabbit, Kahel couldn’t hide his smile.

Lena, unable to understand the meaning of that smile, tilted her head, but even that was like a tilting rabbit, and Kahel eventually laughed out loud.

* * *

The village wasn’t that big. There was only one inn, and even that had few rooms. However, there was not only one or two retinues escorting the duke, so of course there was not enough room. Giving up an entire room for Lena, the only woman in such a situation, was a waste in many ways. Still, Kahel asked to allocate a room to Lena, but Lena, who was watching from behind Kahel, waved her hand.

“One room could sleep three or four people, so it doesn’t make sense for me to use the entire room alone. I sleep well anywhere, even in a stable…….”

“Speak something that makes sense, Lena.”

Kahel quickly cut off Lena’s words as she was serious about sleeping in the stable. However, if he only gave Lena one of the rooms, the knights and other servants would be dissatisfied. So he made a very rational decision.

“You sleep well anywhere, then you sleep in my room. It has two beds.”

At that, Lena looked at him with round eyes in surprise, but the others seemed to be okay, saying, ‘Well, I think we can sleep in the room somehow?’ and started carrying their luggage. Thanks to this, Lena also thought, ‘I guess it was inevitable that we would have to sleep in mixed rooms as if we were married during the trip.’

Ever since Lena served Kahel, she has been treated as a savior at the Duke’s residence.

In fact, Kahel had not been an easy master to serve before. He could not have a servant by his side, so the knights had to take turns to stand by him, and orders were always passed through one more person to the servants, so there were often cases where it was not in the direction that Kahel wanted. Kahel didn’t like to speak twice, and those who took his tantrums would have their blood run dry.

However, after Lena’s arrival, that didn’t happen, and Kahel’s sensitive nerves had softened a lot. Thanks to that, it was only natural that the atmosphere within the Duke’s residence improved a lot. Employees and knights, unaware that Lena had been captured as a sinner’s family, assumed that Lena was a priestess with powers.

Anyway, the more Lena, who suppresses Kahel’s vicious energy, was by his side, the more comfortable everyone became, so everyone secretly wanted her to share the same room with Kahel.

Lena, who would never even dream of such a thing, followed Kahel and the baggage-carrying servant.

Although the room was in a clean condition, it was narrow and shabby. The narrow room meant that the two beds were not far apart.

“The room is quite small…… Are you really okay?”

“What?”

“I think your Excellency will be uncomfortable if I stay here. Even if I just sleep in the corner of the room used by the attendants…….”

Lena had said it for Kahel in her own way, but Kahel frowned.

“What? Are you saying you want to sleep among men? A matured lady without fear…….”

But Lena couldn’t understand the difference between sleeping in the servants’ room and sleeping in Kahel’s room. It’s because she was still sleeping in a man’s room in either case.

“However…….”

“Besides, who will serve me if you sleep in another room? I might feel hungry all of a sudden while sleeping, or I might want to drink.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. Then…….”

Lena nodded her head at Kahel’s absurd insistence, and gently set her own luggage bag she was carrying on the floor.

* * *

The knights and attendants, who had been chattering all evening, quickly fell asleep thanks to the delicious meals and drinks, and a comfortable bed. However, Lena, lying close to Kahel, could not sleep easily. She was nervous when she ate alone with Kahel in the room, but not as much as she was now. It was awkward to hear the breathing of her master from a distance while her surroundings were silent, and she felt like she was going to die.

But even Lena wouldn’t have it as difficult as Kahel.

‘I can smell Lena…….’

Kahel, who is more sensitive than others, has been very aware of that fact. The sweet and warm scent of Lena, which he had always sniffed, now fills the air in the room. It was very strange for Kahel to breathe in a space full of her body scent. He didn’t even know what the hell he was feeling.

In the past, it would have been quite unpleasant and unsettling, but now it is not. He also thought that he liked Lena’s subtle scent, and Lena always washes cleanly, so it’s definitely not something to be offended of. In addition, he believed that Lena was not influenced by his own devilish powers or appearance, unlike any others, so she would not suddenly attack him while he was sleeping.

‘But why am I so nervous ….?’

Even though he fully understands in his head that there was nothing to worry about, he somehow feels out of breath and his hands sweat. He felt goosebumps on his skin and the inside of his belly tickles. He held his breath so he wouldn’t be caught by Lena’s, but now he could hear Lena’s upper and lower eyelids clinging against each other every time Lena blinked her eyes.

“Excuse me…… Your Excellency…… Are you uncomfortable with anything?”

A carefree and friendly voice was heard from beyond the still darkness.

“No. You look really uncomfortable. You must be tired, but you can’t sleep yet.”

“Rather than uncomfortable, a little…… awkward.”

Her awkwardness was nothing more awkward than Kahel’s, but he pretended it was nothing, because he was afraid Lena would use that to go to another room and sleep.

“What is awkward about it? Isn’t it your job to stay by my side? Isn’t it time to get used to it?”

“It’s not like that…… Oh no. I woke you up by saying something useless for nothing.”

“If you stop talking in the middle of a conversation, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep better because I’m curious.”

The sound of Lena’s small laugh at those words in the middle of the night tickled his heart even more than when he heard it during the day.

“It’s the first time since my mother passed away that I have slept in a room with someone like this.”

At those words, Kahel’s heart raced again. He couldn’t understand why his heart was beating wildly, but he continued the conversation calmly so that his agitation would not be noticed.