Duke, Please Let Go of My Ankle! - Chapter 30

“A chair-shaped cart might be good too.”

“……Your Grace.”

“If we attach a table, we could eat simple desserts while moving. Dodori likes sweet things, so she’ll surely love it.”

“I don’t think that’s quite right.”

“……”

Again.

That contemptuous look, as if saying ‘What do you know?’

“What do you know about Dodori? She’ll definitely like it. Because her feet are whole wheat bread.”

The aide was about to go crazy with frustration.

‘That whole wheat bread nonsense again!’

It seems clear that God took away all of Duke Frith’s romance cells in exchange for his combat prowess.

Otherwise, how could all his efforts result in such utter disasters?

‘I think it would be better if you didn’t do anything at all……’

Crazy clothes.

An intimidating face begging for forgiveness all night in front of the house, though you might not believe it.

Hideous sugar flowers.

A burning gaze that looks like it could kill.

And now a transport cart exclusively for Lady Kevelson.

Would anyone actually consider this courtship?

‘It would be fortunate if she doesn’t faint.’

The hero of war’s courtship was just a hair’s breadth away from a sincere death threat.

***

However, the aide’s concerns became a reality.

─Rattle rattle rattle.

“Oh, my.”

“Gasp!”

“……”

The corridor of the Duke’s mansion was noisy with the clamorous sound of wheels from early morning.

Audrey’s face was full of terror.

‘Fa, Father!’

As soon as she set foot in the Duke’s mansion, a knight in full armor approached and unceremoniously placed her on something made of wood.

The sight of bars all around was familiar.

This was like……

‘A, a wooden prison without a ceiling!’

It looked like a wooden cart used to transport criminals.

However, this strange mode of transport was actually designed based on somewhat scientific principles.

Derek didn’t want his precious Dodori to get hurt.

Even the great Duke Frith couldn’t be free from the law of inertia.

So, to prevent the feather-like Dodori from being thrown out, he had set up safe railings on all sides.

“This should do. It must be pushed carefully.”

“Where should we transport her to?”

“To the fourth-floor office. Not a single hair on her head should be harmed.”

“Understood!”

The knight who received the order voluntarily armed himself before carrying it out.

Judging by the appearance of the cart, it was clear that he was transporting a heinous criminal.

When he actually saw the face of the criminal, he almost softened……

‘Heinous criminal. Capture alive. Death.’

He barely managed to steel his heart.

At the same time, he contorted his face into a fierce expression.

Even he, a veteran knight, had almost been fooled for a moment.

How many crimes must she have committed using that innocent face as a weapon!

‘What a dangerous criminal.’

The wickedness was enough to make his teeth chatter.

He marched down the corridor of the Duke’s mansion with his chest puffed out proudly.

─Rattle rattle rattle.

His eyes, scanning the surroundings, flickered with bravery and pride.

Meanwhile, Audrey sat motionless on the wooden chair.

The noisy wheel sounds and piercing gazes no longer affected her.

She was already as good as dead.

“Hey, do you know when a person dies?”

“When their heart stops, right?”

“Wrong.”

“Huh?”

“Once when they stop breathing, once when their soul departs, and…… once when they’re embarrassed. That’s when they truly die.”

Hans’s words from some time ago were not wrong at all.

Duke Frith, true to his reputation as the ‘Blood Sea of Kriant’, was truly a man who knew how to kill people. At the tender age of 20, Audrey’s cause of death was embarrassment.

***

“Eek!”

“She’s here.”

The fourth-floor office, where she arrived on the wooden cart.

As soon as the door opened, what came into view was a curtain-like light pink frill.

Surely, above that would be a ferocious face waiting.

Audrey bowed her head deeply, afraid that their eyes might meet.

“I, I have come to see Your Grace, Duke Frith-“

“That’s enough with the greetings.”

“……”

Duke Frith stared for a long time at the cute crown of her head, which had turned pale white.

Then, instead of stabbing her to death right away, he swiftly turned his body.

His steps back to his place were faster than usual.

‘Dodori is here! Dodori has come!’

However, Audrey, left alone, was still standing awkwardly at the doorway.

With no instruction to come in or to leave, she didn’t know what to do.

Meanwhile, to Derek, who was sitting alone in his seat, this sight was hurtful.

‘Does she… not want to be in the same space as me?’

The elated feeling he had just moments ago quickly subsided.

Dodori was standing stiffly without taking a single step forward. As if she didn’t want to cross this line.

‘Ugh.’

Again.

His heart tightened.

Even a fleeting expression on Dodori’s face hurt like a knife piercing through his chest.

Derek clutched at his chest.

A faint sadness, known only to himself, seeped out from his fiercely contorted face.

However, this sight led to an unintended misunderstanding.

‘Is he going to throw a dagger!’

It looked as if he was searching inside his inner pocket.

Audrey trembled, her face drained of all color.

Yes, it wouldn’t be strange for Duke Frith to carry a collection of weapons inside his clothes.

A sharp dagger would easily cut off Audrey’s breath.

“Are you going to stay there?”

“……!”

“……”

However, instead of throwing a dagger, Duke Frith gestured with his eyes towards the chair opposite him.

‘Is he telling me to sit there?’

Audrey, who had been watching his every move, crab-walked towards it. Afraid he might strike when she let her guard down, she didn’t dare turn her back to him.

From Derek’s perspective, this was a good thing.

It meant he could look at that adorable face a little longer.

‘It doesn’t look like a torture chair.’

Audrey cautiously examined the chair while keeping a wary eye on Duke Frith.

The chair, standing alone without a desk, looked quite suspicious.

However, the particularly plush cushion and the crystals studded around the armrests seemed too luxurious for an interrogation.

‘Is, is it a thinking chair?’

Was she supposed to sit here and confess all her sins in detail and reflect on them?

Even in this situation, those fierce blood-red eyes were staring intently at Audrey alone.

A little while later.

Finally, a desk was placed in front of the empty space where Audrey sat.

“Lady Kevelson, this desk is sent by the gentleman over there.”

“Wh-wh-why are you doing this?”

“Please just accept it…… Consider it as saving a life, I beg you.”

Lucas, dressed in a strange tuxedo, disappeared in a hurry after setting down the desk.

He seemed quite embarrassed himself.

Duke Frith, sitting far away, arrogantly raised his eyebrow when their eyes met.

Somehow, his face was overflowing with material abundance and generosity.

‘Wh-why is he looking at me like that?’

However, Audrey, more frightened, buried her head down.

Duke Frith’s eccentricity didn’t end there.

“Lady Kevelson? Where are you going?”

“I forgot to receive some supplies yesterday……”

“Ah, I see.”

At that moment, a cold voice interjected.

“She’s going to the southern wall.”

“……!”

It was Duke Frith.

He glared at his aide as if he wanted to kill him. His eyes seemed to be scolding, asking what he was doing just standing there.

However, Lucas was genuinely clueless.

‘What? Why does it matter that she’s going to the southern wall? What’s the big deal?’

Derek, frowning as if frustrated, finally resorted to giving direct instructions.

“Carriage.”

“Aha! ……What?”

Could it be that he’s ordering to prepare a carriage now?

A carriage just to go from the eastern castle to the southern wall?

Lucas rubbed his ears, wondering if he had misheard.

But looking at those blazing eyes, it was clear he was serious. Goosebumps rose on his arms.

‘Really, what an overreaction……!’

If he wasn’t his lord, he would have clicked his tongue at such fussiness.

He should have known from all that fuss about whole wheat bread and rye bread.

It was just right in front of them, wasn’t it?

It was a 5-minute walk. And that’s 5 minutes including the time to go down the stairs; in reality, it was only 1-2 minutes away.

“Lucas.”

But with that murderous glare, there was nothing he could do.

“Ahem! La-Lady Kevelson. Please wait a moment while I prepare the carriage.”

“What? But it’s right in front of us.”

How truly oblivious.

Derek, who had been fidgeting restlessly, finally chimed in.

“……Do you want your legs to be broken?”

“……!”

Dodori must surely have a strong heart.

To think she would walk a whole 5 minutes with those whole wheat bread-like feet?

What if her delicate ankles were to snap in the process!

Meanwhile, Audrey was trembling for a different reason.

‘Is he threatening to break my legs if I don’t listen!’

The sudden threat was terrifyingly chilling.

Lucas, alternating between the two with their temperature difference akin to daily temperature fluctuations, tactfully excused himself.

“I’ll have it ready right away!”

About 20 minutes later.

Lucas returned with an exhausted face.

“Huff, downstairs, the carriage, gasp, is ready.”

“Thank… you.”

It was welcome news amidst all this.

Audrey left the office as if escaping.

What awaited her was a carriage bearing the seal of the Duke’s family.

The reliable black horses were shaking their manes, looking ready to gallop at any moment.

“It’s an honor to serve Lady Kevelson. This way, please.”

“Th-thank you.”

The coachman was also excessively kind.

He must have heard the destination, but he showed no sign of surprise, truly professional.

“What in the world is going on……”

Even after boarding the carriage, Audrey was still bewildered.

Why did Duke Frith provide a carriage?

Was he trying to show off, saying ‘You don’t have this at your house, do you?’

Of course, it was an impressive carriage worth boasting about. But it surely wasn’t ordered just for this purpose.

A carriage for a distance so short you could touch with your nose if you fell……

The bulging muscles of the black horses seemed almost embarrassing.

Audrey carefully closed the curtains, afraid someone might see.

“We’re departing.”

With the coachman’s signal, the carriage started moving at a slow pace. However, the journey wasn’t long.

─Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop. Clop.

“We’ve arrived.”

“……”

The horses stopped moving after just five steps.

Audrey was too embarrassed to open the door.

Knock knock.

“My lady?”

Ah, to ride a carriage for the comfort of these five steps!

The carriage door remained closed for a long time.

Audrey’s face was burning as hot as a whole wheat bread fresh out of the oven.