Duke, Please Let Go of My Ankle! - Chapter 6

The Count secretly hoped that Audrey would throw a tantrum and refuse to go. But to his surprise.

“I want to go!”

“……”

His daughter took the bait in one gulp.

 He tried his best to change her mind, but the straightforward Audrey wouldn’t budge easily.

The more she insisted, the more anxious the Count became.

He remembered the image of a young man crying bitterly, broken from who knows where.

‘He was said to be a talented individual who graduated top of his class from the academy.’

But even such an outstanding young man was nothing more than a freeloader who couldn’t pull his weight at the Duke’s castle.

How he was scolded and beaten. The Count had secretly patted that young man’s back.

And now they want him to send his preciously raised daughter to such a hellish place?

His precious daughter who had never had a drop of water on her hands?

Audrey’s social experience was limited to running a small shop as a child’s play.

It was obvious she wouldn’t adapt to the atmosphere of the Duke’s castle and would only hear harsh words.

As the image of Audrey overlapped with that of the crying young man, the Count turned pale.

‘My daughter in tears…!’

Oh, God.

He must have been temporarily insane.

They say everyone grows through such experiences, but there are some pains in the world that one doesn’t need to know.

Count Kevelson anxiously looked towards the coachman’s seat.

Just as he decided to turn the carriage around even now, Claude, who was looking out the window, exclaimed obliviously.

“Wow, somehow we seem to have arrived earlier than usual today.”

“…No, already?”

A bewildered gaze turned towards the window. Seeing the familiar landscape, it seemed too late to turn back now.

‘What on earth did those horses eat last night?’

He couldn’t help but resent the horses that were swifter than usual despite carrying four people.

Meanwhile, Claude was smiling contentedly as he watched the scenery pass by more smoothly than usual.

It was worth personally giving the horses a special meal last night.

***

Count Kevelson had to leave immediately after getting off the carriage, following a subordinate who had come to greet him.

Now only three people remained.

Hans, who was suddenly left behind, glared disapprovingly at the backs of the two who looked as affectionate as lovers.

Seeing them laugh over seemingly trivial matters made him feel inexplicably irritated.

“Are you going to work or on a picnic?”

“What?”

“Looking at your clothes, one would think you’re going on a picnic.”

“……”

Audrey, unfazed by the sudden attack, responded with a look that said ‘What’s it to you?’

‘Why does he always pick on my clothes?’

Well. How could that dullard understand the charm of lovingly puffed sleeves and a vibrantly spread skirt?

Ignoring him was the answer, as always.

But the wicked Hans kept provoking Audrey, speaking just loud enough for her to hear.

“It’ll look really strange to my brother too.”

“…!”

“Are you really okay with that?”

Her confident steps came to an abrupt halt.

Audrey unconsciously looked down at her attire.

‘Is it that strange?’

The cream color stood out alone amidst the dark, colorless crowd, the sleeves puffed up as if filled with balloons, the flowing dress adorned with ribbons and laces, looking almost like a 5-tier wedding cake…

Looking again, it was clearly different from others’ neat attire.

‘This idiot!’

A belated, indescribable embarrassment washed over her.

She had only wanted to look good for the person she liked today…

She began to feel conscious of the gazes of people around her. More precisely, Claude’s gaze.

Would he think of her as a childish girl who couldn’t distinguish time and place, all dressed up?

Yes, he must surely think Audrey is pathetic.

“Once we pass here, we’ll quickly-, Audrey?”

“……”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Audrey shook her head with a face that looked like she might cry.

Her small hands tightly gripped her dress, and Hans mischievously whispered behind her.

Claude immediately grasped the situation.

“Hans.”

“What? I didn’t say anything.”

“……”

“Really.”

Claude’s stern gaze severely reprimanded his brother.

By then, the three had arrived at the castle gates. It was time for Claude, who belonged to the Finance Department, to part ways with the two who were temporarily dispatched.

“It might feel unfamiliar today, but you’ll get used to it quickly. I’ll see you later then.”

However, Claude, who had given his final greetings and started climbing the stairs, stopped abruptly before even reaching halfway.

“……”

He couldn’t shake off the concern for Audrey’s gloomy face.

Claude turned back without hesitation. Then he started descending the stairs, against the flow of people climbing up.

It wasn’t too difficult to find the fluffy pink hair among the crowd.

Having caught up in an instant, he secretly tugged at the sleeve of Audrey’s dress.

“Claude Oppa?”

“Shh.”

The first thing that caught Audrey’s attention was his playfully curved eyes.

Next were his lips, moving slightly just for her, so Hans couldn’t hear.

“You look pretty today.”

“…!”

“So don’t feel discouraged. Understood?”

It was as if he was whispering a secret code just for the two of them. The words seeping into her ears on the breeze were warm and ticklish.

Audrey stood there, lost for words, not knowing what to say.

“Ah…”

“See you later.”

During this time, Claude left a brief greeting and walked away.

Audrey stood still amidst the busy crowd, staring blankly at his retreating figure for a long time.

If she didn’t, she felt like her heart might burst right then and there…

***

“Please wait here.”

“Yes!”

“……”

The temporarily dispatched staff were guided to a separate location.

Among them, two people who came together showed a clear temperature difference, unlike typical companions.

Hans sat crookedly with his chin resting on his hand, seemingly annoyed about something, while Audrey was tapping her toes excitedly, her mood apparently lifted. She no longer seemed bothered by the glances at her attire.

“I hope we move to our departments soon.”

“…Good my foot.”

“Ah, to think I’ll be working with Claude Oppa!”

“I must be crazy. What did I come all the way here to see?”

“We’ll probably leave work together too, hehe.”

“You crazy girl. Anyone watching would think it’s the love of the century.”

“Claude Oppa will surely look cool while working too. Ah…”

“You’ll be lucky if you don’t end up in tears from being scolded. Don’t expect me to comfort you.”

Despite sitting right next to each other, they each said their own things, resembling a collective monologue. There was no way their conversation could connect.

At that moment, the previously quiet drawing room became noisy as an elderly gentleman appeared.

“Since everyone seems to be here, shall we start the explanation?”

He was in charge of assigning departments to the temporary staff.

The man scratched his head, looking troubled even as he looked down at the documents. His wrinkled face was full of perplexity.

It was by no means an easy task to properly place noble children without even a single resume. One wrong move could lead to a flood of complaint letters.

“Ahem. I don’t know you all well. So how about choosing departments that suit your abilities yourselves?”

“…!”

Only Audrey’s eyes began to shine combatively. For her, this was a very fortunate turn of events. She was determined to get into the same department as Claude Oppa by any means necessary.

“Uh… First, the Duke’s castle is largely composed of seven departments. Finance, Service, Culture, Social Affairs, Legal Affairs, Magic, and the Knights. The Service department is handled by the butler, so that’s not applicable, and excluding the Knights, you’ll be assigned to the remaining five departments.”

Then, the number of people to be assigned to each department was announced.

“Let’s see. First, one for Finance, three for Culture, three for Social Affairs, two for Legal Affairs, and one for Magic.”

Sweat began to form on Audrey’s tightly clenched fist.

‘Finance is mine.’

Of all things, why was there only one spot in the Finance department where Claude Oppa was?

Audrey, unaware that Hans was glaring at the back of her head with meaningful eyes, waited tensely for the Finance department’s turn, all by herself.

“Next is Finan-“

“Me!”

A determined hand quickly cut through the air.

Audrey smiled, her cheeks puffed out to the fullest. Her eyes, blinking so fast that not even dust could enter, were fixed steadily on the person in charge.

However, strangely, the person in charge was looking right next to her.

‘Huh?’ Audrey turned her head in confusion. And there… Hans was standing with his arm stretched out straight as if introducing himself as a player.

“Oh my, the young man next to you was a bit faster. Your name?”

“Hans Emilton.”

“Ah, you’re the younger brother of Viscount Emilton. No need to look further. You’ll do a great job.”

“…!”

The lips that had been stretched into a smile instantly shriveled. Her plump cheeks deflated like a balloon losing air. Audrey stared endlessly at her friend’s profile with a shocked expression.

‘You, why did you come out there?’

To be stabbed in the eye by a trusted axe! Her eyes, wavering with anger, spilled out words as sharp as weapons. But Hans didn’t turn his head until the scratching sound of the pen stopped.

“Now, next is-“

“You should have raised your hand faster.”

“…!”

When their eyes finally met, his smirking expression was infuriating. He was clearly determined to upset her. It’s not like she could erase the name that had already been written down. Knowing this made her even more furious.

“I wanted to work with my brother too. You can go to Legal Affairs, right?”

“You…!”

Sociopath? Audrey was genuinely angry. If it weren’t for the Duke’s castle, she would have grabbed him by the collar and shaken him until all his organs flew out of his mouth. What? He wants to work with his brother? When he was always busy badmouthing Claude Oppa at every opportunity! Since when were they so close…

For a moment, blood rushed to her head, causing a slight dizziness. Good heavens! Is your personality unbelievably trashy? Stop my somersault! May your untimely death make time happy.

“If you wanted to go that badly, you should have used magic or something.” “……” “I’m sorry about this.”

Hans fanned the flames shamelessly. No, that was clearly intentional. Despite coming here on his own feet, his face had been grotesquely sour as if he’d been pushed to come… Now his refreshed expression, as if he’d been relieved of a burden, was disgusting to look at.

Audrey gritted her teeth, vowing to never forget and to repay today’s humiliation. To that wicked seat thief.