Duke, please let go of my ankle!

* * * *

Chapter:2.7

Audrey had been hovering around the maid for days.

‘What is wrong with her? What have I done wrong?

The maid was needlessly anxious, even though she hadn’t done anything wrong.

After three days of hounding her, her employer finally confided in her.

‘Hmm, Ma, Marie. You know that dress I wore last week.’

‘Which dress?’

‘The black dress I wore on Friday. It was a gift from Claude’s brother!’

‘Oh, yes. I washed it and put it in the dresser, do you want me to get it out?’

‘No, it’s…… Did you look in the pockets?’

‘Yes. I looked in everything before I washed it, but why?’

‘Was there anything in there, like, paper or something?’

‘Well, I didn’t see anything like that. You don’t usually put things in your pockets.’

‘……Heh?’

My heart began to race anxiously.

If it wasn’t in her pocket, then where the hell did it go? Had she drunkenly passed it on to Claude’s brother?

Fifty thousand possible scenarios swirled in my head.

‘No. I didn’t write his name on it anyway. He won’t know I wrote it. He won’t.’

Thank goodness I’d used a generic title. It seemed to save Audrey from being directly humiliated. It doesn’t matter if the letter appears in an unexpected place. Just catch her unawares.

Audrey went to bed, trying to rationalize with herself.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

The next morning.

Audrey bounced and bounced her way to the Treasury.

‘Hmm, hmm. What can I ask Claude today?

Her mood was unnecessarily cheerful this morning.

The scent of roses was everywhere, thanks to the fact that the entire city walls were covered in them.

‘Good morning!’

‘Audrey, come on over here!’

‘What?’

‘Come on!’

But as soon as she stepped into the Treasury, she was immediately dragged to the conference table, where Hans and Claude were already seated.

‘Did you read the paper this morning?’

‘No, I overslept, so I didn’t…….’

Jamie handed me a stack of papers to look at.

‘Duke of Fritz receives death threats from a mysterious figure… Imperials are concerned.

‘(Exclusive) Duke of Frit, “The author of the letter must be found”

‘Security of the Empire – Are we okay as it is?

‘(Breaking News) Duchy official: ’The culprit is very sophisticated and cunning… He will pay with blood.

‘Security expert’s analysis: “Duchy’s postal system will be completely replaced”

‘What is this?’

‘A death threat letter has arrived at the Duke’s doorstep. That’s why the atmosphere is so tense today.’

‘A death threat?’

‘Shhh. It’s a secret, but rumor has it it’s from the Kingdom of Rita.’

‘The Kingdom of Rita in the Old Continent?’

‘It’s no secret that we’re having trouble with them over their steeple.’

‘…….’

Everyone was chatting as usual, but their complexions were grim. The castle’s owner had received death threats and with good reason. But somehow they seemed to be mourning the blackmailer’s future rather than Duke Frit’s well-being.

‘How will he kill him this time, by the way?’

‘He may bury him alive in the backyard. From the looks of it, His Excellency is pretty firmly pissed off.’

‘But that was last time, don’t you think it’s time to put it on the top of the duke’s castle?’

Audrey suddenly became very serious.

‘Are you crazy? There’s someone else to blackmail.

Whoever it is, it doesn’t seem like a nice way to die. I’m sure Duke Frit would chase him to the ends of the earth and tear him to pieces.

But whether he was blackmailed or murdered was none of Audrey’s business.

‘You seem in a good mood today?’

‘What’s not to like, hehe.’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Hmm, hmm, hmm.’

But little did I know that this peace would last only a day.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

The next day. The Duke’s castle was noisier than yesterday.

But the Treasury, busy as it was, had no time for gossip. As if to show them some consideration, the Ministry of Social Affairs picked up the story.

‘ I knew it, I knew it, I knew it, you people, this is not the time for this!’

‘Viscount Ross?’

‘It’s in today’s paper. There’s a picture of the actual threatening letter!’

‘Really?’

In an instant, the center table was full.

‘It’s vile, and it’s all mosaicked. Higher-ups say it’s too horrible to even mention.’

‘What? I think the stationery is too pretty for a threatening letter.’

‘Well, look at this guy. Who’s going to open a letter that says, “I’m getting a threatening letter” on the outside? Fake, fake, fake.’

‘Aha.’

‘And this one’s a real secret…… might spread a deadly germ by being a duke.’

‘What, germs?’

Viscount Ross glanced around needlessly, then gathered his people around him as if to share a secret.

‘I want you all to start gathering antibiotics as soon as you get off work today. Antibiotics will be hard to come by in the capital after tomorrow, and you’ll only be hurting yourself if you get caught.’

‘Oh my God, that’s horrible, germs!’

‘Doesn’t this mean you’re going to exterminate the people of the Duchy?’

‘Shh. Don’t worry too much, I’m sure His Excellency will catch them and dry Mr. Chinhi before then.’

‘Now that I think about it.’

‘I just meant to be prepared, just in case.’

The men at the Treasury were horrified for a long time. Even if Duke Frit could tear the blackmailer’s limb from limb, he couldn’t bring back the dead, so it was up to each of them to fight for their lives. There was a quiet tension in the already frosty castle.

But there was one person who was far removed from the commotion.

‘Wow, Audrey, you are a master of documentation and organization!’

‘Heh. No big deal, I guess.’

‘Here, have some of this and relax, you’ve had a lot of work.’

‘Oh, thank you!’

Thanks to her reputation as a master filer and organizer, Audrey was routinely transferred to different departments, so she never saw Claude’s face except during lunch.

But Audrey didn’t seem as impatient or sullen as before.

‘Where are you going?

‘To ……, the Ministry of Justice.

‘Oh, it’s very strange you.

‘What?

‘I remember it being this small, but I’m wondering when you got this big.

‘……!

‘You know how sometimes it seems so weird to see you in the castle? I guess I’ve always seen you as so young.

‘Well, I’m a grown-up!

‘I mean, Audrey is a grown woman, too.

She wanted to put on a brave face for Claude.

‘I was so stupid.

Audrey realized in hindsight that it wasn’t the heavy make-up, the high heels, or the mature clothes that made her a real adult. There was a reason she hadn’t won Claude’s heart.

‘I wasn’t even romantically available to my brother.

But now it was different. Claude had begun to recognize Audrey as an equal adult, which meant that she was now one of the people he could consider for a relationship. The possibilities were endless.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊