The Devilish Duke Can't Sleep

Proofreader: somnium

Kahel couldn’t say anything hastily. In Terra Luave, his mother had gained energy, and now the Queen is losing her energy. Moreover, they could have a national crisis if the Queen lost her powers without a successor. No, he didn’t even know it had been happening for a long time. Because the Duchy of Santella was ruthlessly working hard to make Liddell the next queen.

“The temple recommended that Lady Santella and the first prince Erdin be married. Lady Santella can think of herself as the provisional Queen, and if a daughter is born between the two, the child will continue to be a queen of Ardenian blood. But to be honest, I can’t trust Lady Santella. She is truly beautiful and popular with the people, but Duke knows how ambitious she is, right?”

“Of course.”

Liddell’s ambition, as told by her Queen, is something that even the high-ranking nobles of Logos who collect various information would never be able to imagine.

The Queen noticed the Santella family’s change of heart earlier. With her powers, she naturally had no choice but to know. But even if she knew about it, she couldn’t do anything about it.

“It’s not that I don’t understand Lady Santella’s dissatisfaction. It is only because of the power that Ardenia can be the Queen of Logos, and it must be funny to submit to such a weak power…….”

“The Luave family will protect Your Majesty the Queen.”

The Queen smiled bitterly. The Royal Family survived because the Luave family supported the rest of the country. The fact that the country’s Royal Family had no choice but to depend on the power of the noble family was already a disgrace for her. That was a separate matter from being grateful to the Luaves.

The Ardenian dynasty had been flawed for three generations over which its power rapidly weakened. Their power was weak, so their authority was not well established, and the Royal Family was intimidated by that fact. It wasn’t that they were bad, but it is true that the recent three generations were helpless compared to their predecessors who were praised for being great.

Fabian, who thought it was wrong from the time she was a princess, tried to somehow rule properly after her accession, but the Royal Family and nobles, already immersed in the momentum, were uncomfortable with Fabian’s progress. Fortunately, the Luave family decided to stand on the side of the Queen, and Fabian alone would not have been able to do so.

“I can’t stand face to face with my apologies to the great ancestral queens. If only I had been a little wiser, if only my power had been a little stronger…….”

“It’s not Your Majesty’s fault. Power is given. What’s wrong with Your Majesty, who has no choice but to accept that?”

“No. I have made a mistake that nothing can wash away. I think I’m going to get that punishment.”

“What do you mean?”

Kahel asked, having no idea what Fabian was talking about, but Fabian just sighed and shook her head. Kahel had a gut feeling that Fabian’s ‘mistake’ would be a major turning point in the situation, but he didn’t ask the Queen for an answer. Instead, he told the story of the young ladies of Marquisate Ravel.

“The most in danger people in the current situation are the two young ladies of Marquisate Ravel. Marquisate Ravel increased their escort personnel, but I think it would be safer to keep the two of them in the Palace.”

“I see. Anyway, Marquis Ravel is to visit tomorrow, so I’ll tell him.”

“The Luaves will take responsibility and escort the two young ladies on the way to the Royal Palace. They will also have to ride a separate carriage.”

Fabian, who knew what Kahel meant, had no way of suppressing her complicated feelings.

“Thank you, Duke. Had it not been for the Luave, I wouldn’t be able to sit here and say I’m the Queen. Actually…… I know that the Duke does not feel the obedience to my power. That’s why the Luave’s loyalty is more valuable. It’s voluntary loyalty. Thank you again.”

Fabian’s eyes were wet with tears. It seemed that it was her fault that the Ardenian dynasty, which had been ruling for 2,000 years, was in crisis.

Kahel handed her his handkerchief and comforted her without a word. Fabian Ardenia has weak powers, but compared to her predecessors, she has been quite active. If she had been an evil queen buried only in a sense of inferiority, the Luave family would not have thought of helping her. However, despite her struggles, it was difficult to regain the queen’s power, which was diminishing.

Anyway, today’s meeting was not just to listen to the Queen’s concerns. Kahel waited for Fabian to calm down, and then he hinted,

“Are you going to hold the Spring Banquet soon?”

“Yes. Time goes by so fast. It is already time to prepare for the Spring Banquet.”

“At that time, I would like to introduce a Duchy’s vassal to you, to whom I gave the title of Baronet.”

“Oh, I heard about it. It’s been a long time since a person has been given the Baronet title from the Duke Luave. I heard it’s a young lady?”

“Yes. She is the one who will write my mother’s biography. In fact, I have a favor to request from Your Majesty about her.”

Fabian nodded her head with a surprised expression because it was Kahel, who rarely puts the word ‘request’ on his lips.

“For whatever reason, please don’t take her away from me.”

“Duke Luave…… ? Excuse me, now that word…… Is it okay for me to rejoice a little?”

Fabian asked with a smile of joy like a mother when she heard that her son had a lover. But not with Kahel. He doesn’t answer clearly, he just says his reason,

“My devilish powers don’t work on her. Her real job is to be my close maid.”

Fabian’s eyes widened.

“How, how is that possible?”

“I do not know. She is the illegitimate child of a country Baron who had been involved in the incident of Viscount Horace and Viscount Delroins, and was a maid there. She was born in Kerouac and she never left Kerouac until she was brought here. She was born with a very rare constitution.”

Kahel left out what he had researched about Lena and her mother. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to attract the Queen’s attention.

“That’s why she can work as Duke’s close maid.”

“Yes. You don’t know how useful she was to me, who couldn’t have one or two close employees. So please, I want you to leave the child’s life to me.”

Fabian smiled warmly at Kahel’s desperate request. It was impossible for her to turn down his request as she was in a position where she had to rely on the Luaves anyway. Kahel wouldn’t have known that, but at least she was grateful that he used a method of request rather than a notification.

“I see. After all, I can’t afford to worry about anything else because of the succession issue. If you bring her to the Spring Banquet, make sure to greet me. If I spoke a few words, the Lady’s position would feel at least a little more comfortable.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Kahel intended to reveal Lena’s unique constitution at the Spring Banquet. He would never be able to keep her existence a secret, and he’d rather reveal Lena as Liddell is interested in Lena.

‘It’s better to nail her down as mine than to keep her hanging when the wild dogs are around.’

In the meantime, Kahel focused on her, who was ‘my person’.

* * *

“I am innocent! I really am innocent!”

At the front door of Baron Jenkins’ castle, Mrs. Marvin fell to the floor and wept. But there was not a piece of sympathy floating on Baron Jenkins’ face who looked down at her.

“Innocent, what do you mean innocent? You know how much trouble I got because of you! Did I say that clearly then? Don’t be that way with Theo. Besides, you stole the money of that girl named Lena, didn’t you?”

“No, what would a girl who is going to die need money for! I didn’t steal it, I just picked up ownerless money. It’s money without an owner, so doesn’t it belong to the one who picks it up first? Who knew she would have lived!”

“So now it is right to return it to the owner. Anyway, get out of here! The more I take you, the more I will be in trouble! Hey! Get this woman out of here right now!”

Upon receiving the handwritten letter from Duke Luave, Baron Jenkins was horrified and had Mrs. Marvin immediately taken away. As he rummaged through her room, all the money and belongings she had accumulated over the years popped out and everyone was surprised.

However, the vassal of the Luave family, who brought the letter, did not move even after receiving 300,000 luans principal and 50,000 luans for an apology to the investigation team, in addition to the 300,000 luans to be delivered to Lena. The vassal was only ready to go back after it was confirmed that Mrs. Marvin had been banished completely from the castle.

Baron Jenkins called the knights and ordered Mrs. Marvin, who clung to the ground, crying, to be dragged out, and Mrs. Marvin was driven out of the castle with only her bag of luggage. The maids weren’t the only ones who complained about her.

“Excuse me, please give a message to Duke Luave. I didn’t keep her because I liked her, but I left her to collect all of Baron Fidelia’s workers.”

To Baron Jenkins, who was hanging on impatiently, the vassal nodded his head saying that the Luaves would be relieved, and then went back to the capital. In this way, Baron Jenkins’ castle seemed to have its serenity back, but it wasn’t for Mrs. Marvin who was thrown out.

“Oh my gosh, this is unfair! It’s all because of that damn bitch!”

Mrs. Marvin sat down not far from the gate and wept bitterly.

Her husband had died long ago, and she had been the maid chief. But she had done many mischief so there was no one to greet her warmly when she went down to the village. Besides, she had lost all her belongings, and all that was left in her hand was the money she had collected from her salary. It’s because she had spent a lot of money after stealing the money Lena had saved.

With no money and no recommendations, her future was bleak.

But it seems she didn’t run out of luck.

“Look at me for a second.”

She lifted her head, startled by the sound of the man’s voice coming close to her. The other person was an ordinary-looking young man. but Mrs. Marvin noticed that the fabric of the clothes he was wearing was of high quality from the eye of a long-time maid, and raised her words,

“Who are you?”

“I am a vassal of the Duchy of Santella. I stopped by the Barony for business in the morning, and now I’m on my way back to the capital. But from what I heard, you seem to have worked for a long time at the Baron’s castle, don’t you?”

“Of course! I have been the maid chief since Baron Fidelia’s time. I was unfairly kicked out because of some damn bitch!”

“Do you know the stable keeper family in the Barony?”