Duke, Please Let Go of My Ankle! - Chapter 17

Audrey had been hovering around the maid for several days.

‘Why on earth is she acting like this? Did I do something wrong?’

The maid trembled with anxiety despite having done nothing wrong.

It was only after following her employer around for three whole days that she finally, subtly, revealed her purpose.

“Ahem, Ma, Mary. You know the dress I wore last week.”

“Which dress, miss?”

“The black dress I wore on Friday. The one Claude Oppa gave me as a gift!”

“Ah, yes. I washed it and put it in the dressing room. Shall I bring it out?”

“No, that’s… Did you happen to check the pockets?”

“Of course. I always check before washing. But why?”

“Was there nothing in there? Like, say, a piece of paper?”

“Hmm, there was nothing like that. You don’t usually put things in your pockets, miss.”

“…Is that so?”

Her heart began to pound anxiously.

Not in the pockets either? Then where on earth could it have gone?

Could it be that she had handed it over to Claude Oppa while drunk?

A thousand possibilities flitted through her mind.

‘No. I didn’t write my name anyway. They won’t know I wrote it. They won’t.’

How fortunate it was that she had used such a vague form of address.

Thanks to that, it seemed Audrey wouldn’t be directly embarrassed.

It didn’t matter if the letter appeared in an unexpected place. She could just feign ignorance.

Audrey tried to rationalize as she went to bed.

***

The next morning.

Audrey headed towards the finance department with a bouncy step.

‘Hum, hum. What should I ask Oppa today?’

She was in high spirits for no reason since morning.

Thanks to the roses that encircled the entire castle wall, their fragrance wafted from everywhere.

“Good morning!”

“Lady Audrey, come here quickly!”

“Pardon?”

“Hurry!”

However, as soon as she set foot in the finance department, she was immediately dragged to the conference table.

Hans and Claude were already seated there.

“Did you see this morning’s newspaper?”

“No, I overslept…”

Jamie quickly handed over a bundle of newspapers, urging her to look.

《Duke Frith Receives Death Threat from Mysterious Figure… Citizens Voice Concern》

《(Exclusive) Duke Frith: “Will Definitely Find the Author of the Letter”》

《The Empire’s Security – Are We Really Alright Like This?》

《(Breaking) Ducal Estate Official: “The Culprit is Very Meticulous and Cunning… Will Pay a Bloody Price.”》

《Security Expert’s Analysis: “Ducal Estate’s Mail System Likely to be Completely Overhauled”》

“W-What is this?”

“They say a death threat letter arrived for His Grace the Duke. That’s why the atmosphere is completely on edge today.”

“A threat letter?”

“Shh. This is a secret, but there’s a widespread rumor that it was sent from the Kingdom of Rita.”

“The Kingdom of Rita in the Old Continent?”

“It’s common knowledge that there’s friction because of the Magic Tower, right?”

“……”

Everyone was whispering as usual, but their complexions were uniformly dark.

It was understandable, given that the owner of the castle had received a death threat.

However, it somehow seemed that everyone was mourning the future of the threatener rather than worrying about Duke Frith’s well-being.

“By the way, how do you think he’ll kill them this time?”

“He might bury them alive in the backyard. The article suggests His Grace is quite furious.”

“But since that was done last time, isn’t it about time to display the body at the top of the ducal castle?”

Audrey’s face also turned serious.

‘Are they crazy? There are better people to threaten.’

Whoever it was, it seemed unlikely they would die peacefully.

Surely, if it’s Duke Frith, he would chase them to the ends of the earth and tear them to pieces.

However, whether he was threatened or assassinated, it was all someone else’s business to Audrey.

“You look in a good mood today?”

“What’s there to be upset about? Hum hum.”

“…I really don’t understand you sometimes.”

“Hum, hum, hum.”

But little did she know then that this peace wouldn’t even last a day.

***

The next day. The ducal estate was even noisier than yesterday.

However, the finance department, which had become busier than ever, had no time to indulge in gossip.

As if to accommodate them, the social affairs department brought the topic instead.

“I knew this would happen. Working at a time like this! People, this is not the time for that!”

“Viscount Ross?”

“It’s today’s newspaper. They’ve published a photo of the actual threat letter!”

“Really?”

In an instant, the central table was fully occupied.

“The content is so vicious that it’s all been pixelated. The high-ranking officials say it’s too horrific to even mention.”

“Huh? The stationery seems too pretty for a threat letter, doesn’t it?”

“Tsk, look here. If it looked like a threat letter from the outside, who would open it? It’s a fake, a fake.”

“Ah, I see.”

“And this is a real secret… They say it might spread a deadly bacteria throughout the ducal estate.”

“B-Bacteria?”

Viscount Ross looked around unnecessarily, then called people over as if he was about to share a secret.

“Everyone, as soon as you get off work today, start hoarding antibiotics immediately. Probably from tomorrow, it’ll be difficult to get antibiotics even in the capital. If you’re caught off guard, you’ll be the only one to lose out.”

“Oh my! That’s terrible. Bacteria!”

“At this rate, isn’t it like they’re trying to annihilate everyone in the ducal estate?”

“Shh. Don’t worry too much. Before that happens, His Grace will catch them and personally wipe out their entire lineage.”

“Come to think of it, you’re right.”

“I just meant to be prepared for any situation, just in case.”

The finance department people trembled in fear for a long time.

No matter how much Duke Frith might tear the threateners limb from limb, he can’t bring back those who have already died.

So, staying alive is each individual’s responsibility.

An even quieter tension flowed through the ducal estate, which was already like thin ice.

However, there was one person completely detached from all this commotion.

“Wow, Lady Audrey, you really have a knack for organizing the archives!”

“Heh. It’s nothing special, really.”

“Please have some of this while you rest. You’ve worked so hard.”

“Ah, thank you!”

Thanks to her reputation as a master of archive organization, it was routine for Audrey to be transferred to various departments.

As a result, she didn’t have time to see Claude’s face except during lunch breaks.

But Audrey didn’t show signs of impatience or gloominess like before.

“Where are you going?”

“…To the archives of the legal department.”

“Ah, it’s strange to hear you say that.”

“Pardon?”

“I feel like you were this small, but when did you grow up so much?”

“…!”

“You know, sometimes it feels weird to see you in the ducal estate? I guess I’ve been seeing you as too young without realizing it.”

“I-I’m a proper adult too!”

“That’s what I mean. Audrey is clearly an adult.”

It was because she wanted to show only a composed image to Claude.

‘I’ve been so foolish.’

Audrey belatedly realized.

What made her a true adult wasn’t heavy makeup, high heels, or mature clothing.

There was a reason why she hadn’t won Claude’s heart until now.

‘I wasn’t even a romantic prospect for Oppa.’

But now it was different.

The fact that Claude had begun to recognize Audrey as an equal adult meant that she had become one of the potential candidates he could consider for romance.

The possibilities were wide open.

***

─Poke.

─Flinch.

─Poke poke.

─Flinch.

─Poke poke poke.

“What? Stop it!”

“Get up quickly. It’s time to go home, you lazy bum.”

“…Already?”

Audrey sat up groggily. Her eyes were still half-closed.

Hans looked at her disheveled state with a hint of envy.

“Even a sloth has its talents, I guess.”

“Yaaawn.”

“How does it feel to earn money in the easiest way in the world?”

“Learn the skill yourself.”

“Are you still not fully awake? You’re talking nonsense.”

He grumbled but willingly extended his hand.

As Audrey habitually took his hand, he immediately pulled her up with force. He looked like a zookeeper raising a sloth.

“Huh? What’s this?”

“Medicine.”

The medicine packet he abruptly handed over was somewhat out of place. Green eyes looked up at Hans, not understanding.

“I’m not sick anywhere though?”

“Your mind is sick.”

“You!”

I should have known!

Audrey immediately lit up with anger and lunged at him.

Even stretching her arms with all her might, she could only reach around his shoulders, so there was no impact at all.

But the way he dodged here and there, as if teasing his tiny friend, was quite irritating.

“You…!”

Audrey approached quickly, aiming for a powerful strike.

However, as the distance between them narrowed, Hans became more flustered.

“Hey, hey, stop it…”

“Apologize!”

“Y-You crazy girl! G-G-Get away!”

“Apologize! I said apologize!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! So please…!”

“Hmph. You should have done that from the start.”

“……”

Hans collapsed on the floor, looking shell-shocked. His legs had given out, unable to stand straight.

His pale face was flushed red as if he had a fever.

The way he glared at Audrey with somewhat resentful eyes, anyone watching might think she had done something terrible.

His trembling eyelashes exuded a pitiful atmosphere like a delicate flower.

“Do you know how hard it is to get antibiotics right now? This is really… I went through the trouble of getting them for you!”

“Antibiotics? Why suddenly?”

“As expected. You didn’t even read today’s newspaper?”

“……”

Having been cooped up in the archives all day, how could she know what was going on in the world?

Hans finally got up and handed her the newspaper.

“They say it’s a photo of the actual threat letter to the ducal estate. The content is so brutal it’s pixelated.”

“How cruel could it be… Huh?”

Audrey doubted her own eyes. She blinked several times to make sure she was seeing correctly.

‘How can this be?’

But no matter how many times she looked, it was a familiar stationery.

Even squinting her eyes, it was a familiar stationery.