The Devilish Duke Can’t Sleep

A Kind Salvation

It seems like it was just yesterday that the New Year’s party was full of excitement, but it was already the Spring Banquet. The Spring Banquet was a small party held by the Queen in early March. Sometimes it was a concert, sometimes it was a play, and sometimes it was a small ball.

“It was a concert this year.”

Kahel took off his coat and gave it to Lena, muttering. Gerard, who had met Kahel outside and came to the Duke’s office with him, flopped down on the sofa and nodded his head.

“Well, as expected. Will Her Majesty do something herself?”

“No. Instead, it seems that some wives close to Her Majesty are preparing to play the piano or to sing.”

Lena left Kahel’s coat hanging and went out to prepare the tea. Gerard glanced at the door as she closed it completely before turning his gaze to Kachel.

“So, are you going to introduce Miss Lena at this banquet?”

“Well. With an honest heart, I want to keep her a secret, but my best friend, Miss Liddell, seems to be interested in Lena.”

“Hmm. Well, it lasted longer than I thought.”

“I don’t feel so good.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

But Kahel could not answer Gerard’s question. He was a little shy to say that he seems to have noticed that Liddell thinks Lena is special. But it was true that it didn’t feel so good. For she sent someone to Kerouac and dug into Lena’s past, Liddell was strangely quiet.

“Ah, I heard that an interesting song is popular among commoner children these days.”

Kahel changed the subject. He was convinced that if it was Gerard, his attention would be directed there. Not surprisingly, Gerard shrugged his shoulders and let out a playful laugh.

“After thinking about it, I wonder if anyone is going to read through <Logos Biography> one by one. Isn’t that the scripture that only the two Duchies’ blood relatives memorize? I thought that a popular song among children would have a far more ripple effect at changing people’s thoughts.”

Recently, among children, the song ‘Luck is brought by black birds’ has been popular.

The white bird’s chirping is good to hear, but the black bird brings the seeds.

Although the flapping of a white bird’s wings is beautiful to look at, the black bird brings good luck.

The white bird lives on the clouds in the distance, the black bird lives on the roof of our house.

Anyone with the slightest sensibility could know that this song is a comparison of the noble and beautiful Duchy of Santella, separated from the lives of the people, and the Duchy of Luave, who lives practically and enriches the lives of the people. And the song, which is not long, quickly spread among the children.

It was said that the merchants already made and sold black bird-shaped ornaments. They seemed to be adding to the story as something that always brings good luck to the house.

“It was pretty fun, what you did.”

“Oh man, I’m hearing a compliment from Kahel.”

At Gerard’s witty reaction, Kahel smirked. Gerard thought that at some point Kahel had laughed quite often. He used to be the kind of person who would hardly ever laugh unless he was ‘joking’ or being ‘cynic’. But recently, he used to laugh naturally in front of him. He had no idea when Kahel had changed like that.

‘He definitely changed a bit since he had that close maid around.’

Kahel, who had been unable to keep an employee by his side for many years, did not reveal his gloomy feelings. But that didn’t mean it was nothing. Merely serving meals or serving tea is not the problem. The fact that he could not have even a single person to be with him at all times was the biggest sadness of Kahel’s situation. What kind of salvation was the presence of a maid who appeared like magic in his life.

‘Besides, that girl…… She’s pretty.’

At first, he looked at her objectively, wondering if Kahel was too much or not, but after several months of observing her, he found that Lena was rather an innocent and kind girl. In addition, she became prettier with each passing day, and Arder said that some of the Duchy’s knights wanted to see Lena’s face, so they glanced under the window of her room for nothing.

And his sense of being an assistant to Kahel for a long time was telling him that the knights in this house were not the only ones interested in Lena.

‘Of course. She is a woman who is not possessed by the devilish power, and even if she had been less pretty, he would have liked her.’

Gerard felt pity for Kahel. He said frankly that he would refuse even if anyone offered him money to sit in Kahel’s seat. From that young age, if he suffered from that much overwork, his hair would probably fall off quickly. Kahel would still be handsome with some baldness on the head, but for him it was fatal if his head was bald.

As Gerard ponders such useless thoughts, Lena has prepared the tea.

“It’s chilly today, so I prepared lemon ginger tea because it felt like the perfect weather to catch a cold.”

“Oh, it smells good.”

As Lena poured the yellowish tea into the teacup, the fresh scent of lemon quickly spread through the office. Even though Gerard was there, Kahel ordered Lena to sit with him. Lena looked at Gerard and barely put her butt on the chair, so Kahel gave Gerard an order,

“Lena will stay by your side at the banquet.”

“Me?”

At Gerard’s startled reply, Lena also opened her eyes and looked at Kahel and Gerard alternately.

“Because it’s impossible for me to be by Lena’s side. However, there aren’t any relatives whom I can attach to her separately, and if I leave her alone, my aunt may get involved.”

“Are you talking about Countess Delroot?”

“Well. Last time she said that she would act as Lena’s guardian, and then Lena got a lot of attention. That’s not very good for Lena or me. But if you stay by her side, my aunt will be relieved.”

It was then that Lena made a small voice.

“I’m, I’m sorry, but what are you talking about…….”

“When Gerard leaves, I’ll talk to you separately.”

In response to Kahel’s answer, Gerard put down the tea he was drinking and muttered.

“That sounds like telling me to go back quickly.”

“I like that you are quick-witted.”

“I’ve only been here 30 minutes, but…….”

By that time, Lena was about to become more uncomfortable.

“There are still a lot of Count Langtail’s tea left, Your Excellency.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

At that moment, Kahel became quiet, and Gerard picked up the tea and muttered ‘Ha, my God,’ and drank the rest of the tea and got up.

“Then, I’ll go first.”

“Oh no, Count Langtail! Have another cup of tea and go. That’s right, Your Excellency? I think he’s leaving too early…….”

Lena was bewildered, but Kahel didn’t answer her, and looked elsewhere. Gerard wasn’t surprised anymore because this happened so often.

“No, no, Miss Lena. Can I tell you one surprising fact? He used to be more than this. There was a time when I ran through the heavy rain and he didn’t even give me tea and told me to get out in 5 minutes.”

“Re, really?”

“You think that’s all? There was a time when we decided to come together to a banquet and went together in the Duke’s carriage, but there was a time when he left without saying a word to me. At that time, I really lost my tail. County Langtail wouldn’t even send a carriage…….”

“Oh…… You must have been quite flustered.”

“Ugh…… Talking all day is not enough if you put it all together.”

Lena gave sympathetic eyes and nodded her head eagerly to Gérard, who somehow was gossiping about Kahel. Kahel watched the scene, then spit out in a cold voice,

“Gerard. Do you want to work at a bloodstone mine?”

Then, Gerard’s back stood up tight, and the mischievous smile disappeared from his face.

“I’ll just go back.”

Gerard ran out of the office like the wind, no joke. The tasks he was assigned to now were enough.

“It’s finally quiet.”

In the office where Gerard left and calmness came, Kahel enjoyed a cup of hot tea with satisfaction. Lena looked at the impudent Kahel, nagging a little with her eyes, but she wasn’t sure if that had been passed on to Kahel.

By the time Lena had finished her cup of tea, Kahel brought up what he had been thinking about for a long time.

“I told you in Terra Luave right? If you go up to Ardennes, you will have to attend the Spring Banquet.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“That will be your social debut. And there it will be known that you are my close maid.”

“Ah…… I see.”

“Perhaps, people will be very surprised and curious about you. It seems you already know it, but because of the curse I have.”

The two remained silent for a while. Lena was so embarrassed that she didn’t know what to say, and Kahel was heartbroken to see Lena like that.

“I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you in person. But for me…… I couldn’t be sure that your attitude wouldn’t change.”

“I, I never thought you were strange!”

But Kahel didn’t believe it. It’s hard to believe what she said because Lena’s attitude became strange from the time since they came up from Terra Luave. However, he had no intention of disturbing Lena by digging into the facts right now. No, if she could rather just pretend she didn’t know, it would have been welcomed by Kahel.

“But others don’t. Even now, I can’t stay long at the Banquet. Calia, of course, suppresses the devilish power by controlling the flow of the magical powers, but since I’m a human too, I can’t prevent my concentration from getting distracted from moment to moment. And you never know who will be possessed by the devilish power that has leaked out in the meantime.”

Lena couldn’t understand exactly how to be so possessed by the devilish power, so it was difficult for her to fully understand Kahel’s words.

“What…… should I do at the Banquet?”

“If it’s revealed that you are my close maid, all kinds of greedy humans will be interested in you. You must never overlook it. I’ll keep Gerard by your side, but you too have to be careful.”

“Yes. I see.”

“Liddell may bring the woman named Elliot or not. She might try her best to embarrass you in front of other young ladies. But you are now a Baronet. So you don’t have to back down on her.”

“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”

“Yes. The Banquet is held a week later. I think it would be better to wear that pale purple dress from the other day.”

“Ah…… ! That’s right! I am supposed to wear…… a dress!”

Lena’s face brightened. She only now realizes that she can wear the dress that she had been looking at like an eye candy. Kahel looked a little more of her cute face, then got up and pulled out one of the boxes from the inside of his desk drawer.

“I thought it would go well with that dress.”

“Yes? What is…… this?”

“Open it.”

Lena glanced at the black velvet box he had put down in front of her and Kahel’s face, then carefully lifted the lid of the box. Then, soon, she had no choice but to gasp.