The Devilish Duke Can't Sleep

Proofreader: somnium

Of course, it would be a very good marriage mate for Lena if it were the Luave’s knights, but in Kahel’s eyes, Lena was still too young to marry. He got goosebumps just imagining how an ignorant girl like her would look like to those beasts.

Chivalry? Chivalry is of no use in the face of lust. If all knights follow chivalry, there would be no such a thing as a full-fledged commoner girl crying in front of the gate of a nobleman’s mansion asking for a knight.

However, Lena, who could not even guess Kahel’s intentions, simply raised her big eyes and nodded her head. When she was embarrassed earlier, she had tears coming out, her eyes had hazed. Kahel said as if he sighed a little,

“It seems that you still do not understand the status of the Duke. Well, I guess I’d look blatant when I say things like this without even buying you a decent piece of gold.”

“Yes?”

“I will tell Arder to call the jeweler, so think about what you need. You should have at least two sets, plus more brooches and hairpins.”

Kahel realizes that he’s never bought Lena a necklace, and as he pondered, he gets a little excited as he thinks of the things Lena should have owned. But Lena only thought that Kahel was being sarcastic and scolding her, so she hurriedly got down from the chair and knelt before him.

“Your, Your Excellency! I was wrong! In the future, I will never take my position lightly! I will take your order.”

Her body trembled. Because it was the hardest when Elliot bullied her like this.

‘Aahh, do you think you are better than me? Then, I’ll have to take care of you. You don’t need to dress me up, Lena. Stop it all. I was making such a very wonderful person do a chore. Sorry.’

Then, with her pajamas on, she went down to the dining hall and said, ‘Lena is a great person, but I have made her do the lowly things.’ Then, that day she heard all kinds of bad words from the Baroness and was beaten several times by Mrs. Marvin. It would have been nice if she was lucky that she didn’t get hit with a tool.

Even so, it wasn’t the end. As a sign of remorse, she had to sit on her knees in front of Elliot for hours, humiliating herself and getting harassed by other maids for at least a week.

Lena trembled as she recalled the incident, but Kahel was the one who was surprised. He could not understand why the offer to buy her jewelry had such an effect.

“Lena?”

Kahel was shocked to see Lena trembling and dripping her tears. He wondered if Lena had been afraid of him so much that his own favor was terrifying, and he thought it was his own mistake that he thought he had gotten closer to Lena over the past half year, so his heart seemed to freeze.

“I am really, sincerely reflecting! I will never do that again!”

“Lena!”

Kahel couldn’t stand it any longer. Without any time to think about what to do, he knelt down on his knees and hugged Lena tightly. Just as he had envisioned, Lena’s body slipped into his arms.

“Lena! I’m not scolding you or blaming you. Don’t be afraid.”

“Ah…… ! Yo, Your…… Excellency.”

It took a little while for Lena, who was trembling in fear, to realize what had happened to her now. Her vision suddenly darkened, Kahel’s scent became thick, and the warmth that enveloped her whole body…….

As soon as she realized that she was hugged by Kahel, the memories from the Barony that had been filling her mind until just now were completely gone. Rather, she would have been less surprised if Kahel had slapped her on the cheek like Mrs. Marvin did. She rested her forehead on Kahel’s shoulder, and placed her hand on his chest. And in the meantime, Kahel started to pat her clumsily on the back. He had never imagined a situation like this, so he didn’t know what to do.

“Are you still so scared of me?”

“Your, Your Excellency, that, that is, that…….”

“I swear by this place. By the honor of the Luave family, I will never harm you. I will never hurt you.”

Kahel’s arms embracing Lena gained a little more strength. Thanks to that, she felt close to him and felt the vibration of his voice, and she realized that what he was saying was sincere. At last, she felt that she was safe, and the stiffness of her tense body gradually decreased.

“Thank you…….”

In the place where fear and panic gradually disappeared, embarrassment remained. It seems that she alone misunderstood Kahel’s meaning and caused a fuss, but she was worried about how she would see Kahel’s face. And regardless of that worry, Kahel’s arms around her were so warm and pleasant.

It seemed as if Kahel would reliably protect her and would listen to anything she had to say. So, when she thought that she didn’t want to lose her spirit, for some reason, her head started to get dizzy. A buzzing rang in her ear, and her body lost more strength.

“Lena? Lena! Lena!”

She thought she could hear Kahel calling her from afar, but her eyes just went white and her whole body felt like it was floating.

‘What’s wrong? It’s strange…….’

And Lena just lost her consciousness.

* * *

“Hmm…… There is nothing special. You can just think of it as a deep sleep.”

“Is there nothing wrong? Can you suddenly pass out when there is nothing wrong?”

“Perhaps, the extreme tension was released in an instant and she lost consciousness. It happens often.”

“Really, is there nothing wrong with her body?”

“No. On the contrary, she is considerably healthier than the average noble woman.”

“Really? I see.”

The family doctor, who was suddenly called in, bowed lightly and left the room. Arder, who escorted him to the entrance of the mansion and returned, gently slapped Kahel, who was staring down at Lena as hard as a stone statue.

“Lena will be fine, Your Excellency. Rather, I am concerned that Your Excellency is more surprised.”

“I’m okay…….”

Kahel mumbled something completely unreliable with a pale face. He still can’t forget the feeling of that little body that had been helplessly collapsing in his arms. He wondered if Lena was dead for a moment, so he was surprised to the point that the hairs all over his body stood up.

Fearing that the warmth that had filled his void would disappear, he hugged Lena’s body tightly and called out to Arder like crazy. It goes without saying that Arder, who ran for fear of an accident, was shocked to see Kahel hugging Lena and yelling at him to call the doctor.

But Lena, lying in the bed, did not look like a sick person to anyone. Rather, she had a better complexion than usual, and it seemed that her skin had a glow. She must have lost consciousness because she relaxed her tension as the doctor said.

“Lord Damien is concerned.”

“Father…… ?”

“His Excellency seems to be surprised that you called me so urgently earlier.”

Kahel thought his father would have been surprised. It’s the first time Kahel had been so terribly surprised since he was a kid when a servant or maid attacked him.

“I’m going to reassure my father.”

Kahel looked at Lena’s sleepy face one more time, and followed Arder’s back. After a small sound of the door closing, the room became silent. Only the firewood that had just been put in was burning with a small noise. As the air heated by the blazing fire was engulfed in silence, Lena quietly opened her eyes. But there was no expression on her face. It was just that Lena, who had clear purple eyes that was strangely clearer than usual, stared at the ceiling silently.

“Forgive Mom, Lena. But this is the only way to protect you.”

The sad voice in the faint memories flashed through her mind at a glance. When this memory came to mind, it meant that the time had come to awaken from a long hibernation. But Lena muttered quietly.

“Not yet…… No…….”

She was still in danger. She had to stock up on some more power. Lena, who had come to such a conclusion, closed the gap in her memories. Soon after, her eyes closed again, and the particles of light that had drifted beside her gradually faded.

And after a while, the maid, who came to check on Lena by Arder’s order, slightly opened the window to ventilate and put some more of the firewood on the fireplace. Lena trembled as she felt the cold wind mixed with the warm air, and her eyes fluttered open.

“Oh? Miss Lena! Are you awake?”

Noticing that Lena was awakened by the rustling, the young maid made a worried face and walked over to Lena’s side.

“Umm…… who…… ?”

“It’s Chloe.”

“Oh, Chloe…… here…… where…… ?”

“This is Miss Lena’s room. I heard that you had suddenly collapsed. Are you okay?”

At those words, Lena went through her memories and she remembered that she had passed out in Kahel’s arms. Embarrassed, a fever suddenly rose on her face.

“Oh my! You must have a fever.”

“Oh, no. It’s okay.”

Lena smiled desperately, reassuring Chloe. Chloe poured the water she had been carrying and handed it to Lena, and Lena shook her head while quenching her burning throat.

‘I think I was dreaming of my mother…….’

She seems to have heard a voice that she longed for. After she passed away, she never even dreamed of her mother visiting her, but her mother may have come to see her because she was worried about her daughter who had suddenly collapsed earlier.

‘Why can’t I remember my dream after waking up? It’s so sad.’

Lena sighed as she retraced her fading memories of her mother.

* * *

The schedule for the New Year’s Celebration was also coming to an end. From the day after the banquet on the second day, tea parties, small banquets, and performances began to be held in the residences of high aristocrats. It was a meeting place for nobles who had become acquainted. And Gerard, who was attending one of the banquets, left in the middle of the banquet and went straight to Kahel.

“Sir Kahel! I just heard some very interesting news.”

“Hopefully, the news is worth interrupting my rest. Otherwise, I’ll kick you.”

“You will probably hear it and laugh. Duke Kahel Luave killed the wrong person.”

“What?”

“When beheading Baron Fidelia’s family, they said you killed the wrong person who was not his daughter.”

Kahel, who was sitting crookedly in the chair, rolled his eyes to the other side and analyzed the information contained in Gerard’s words. Who knows that Lena was captured instead of Baron Fidelia’s legitimate daughter. Someone working in the Barony? As commoners, they cannot be the epicenter of rumors circulating among the nobles.

The knights of the Luave family who accompanied to the beheading tower could not have made fun with their mouths. Besides, they know that Lena isn’t dead. And no one would have any interest whether Lena was dead or not, unless it was Theo and Sid. After shaking his head for a while, Kahel smiled.

“It seems that the legitimate daughter has appeared somewhere.”