Duke, please let go of my ankle!

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

‘Take me with you…….’

Derek covered his face with a large hand and breathed hotly. He was about to punch himself in the face, very hard, at his unexpected provocation.

‘Ha……. I guess it’ll have to be one or the other.’

The subject is just a chip on his shoulder, and Dodo’s charms know no bounds. She’s cute to the point of being lethal, with a hidden sassiness. Is she trying to break his heart?

He had piercing chartreuse eyes, soft pink hair that flowed like cherry blossom petals, a voice as soft as a baby goat’s, and a raggedy appearance. Nothing about her was normal.

‘Is this how she’s going to die?

It’s strange. My heart kept beating like crazy when I thought of Dodo. The noise was so loud that it kept him awake for the second night in a row.

To him, the dodo was the stimulant equivalent of thirty cups of coffee. Derek didn’t realize he was tired until the bags under his eyes turned grey. Such was the power of love.

He stayed up all night until Monday dawned, the day his dodo would finally return. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, and I was already excited.

‘It’s still only three o’clock.

After checking his watch every minute or so, Derek finally got out of bed, feeling like he’d already slept through the night.

He pulled on his jacket and started his early morning routine.

The forsythia-colored outfit he’d tailored for the occasion was far more colorful and elaborate than his usual. Now that he would have to seduce the dodo in earnest, he had prepared an outfit unlike anything he had ever seen before.

But the layers of ruffles made it difficult to tuck her arms and neck in.

‘Go on, Your Excellency, you’ll tear the fabric……!’

‘I see.’

Duke Fritz, who had been struggling, quickly calmed down.

‘It’s a good thing I prepared in advance.

He hadn’t wanted to wake up at five o’clock and face Dodo in a rush and look like a shabby molder. I wanted to look my best and be perfect for her.

By the time I got everything ready, it was 3:30.

Derek paced the bedroom, impeccably dressed, before heading to his office. His plants were lined up on one side of the room.

He watered them and cleaned their leaves as usual, but it didn’t seem to matter.

‘It’s still four o’clock. Why is the sun rising so late today?

Derek glared out the window, but there was no way to grab the sun by the scruff of the neck and drag it out. Derek clicked his tongue and wiped, wiped, wiped. Somehow, he could hear the green leaves screaming.

‘Gahhhhh, kill me!

The leaves must have cried out in the searing pain of their epidermis being swept away. In any case, thanks to his care, the plants were glowing today.

After another hour of pacing the office, Derek finally emerged into the corridor.

‘Tsk.’

The next room was still under construction.

‘Tsk.’

I frowned as I looked at the next room, which was still under construction.

‘It’s been three days and it’s still like this.

It would probably take a few more days to get it completely refurbished.

Of course, it could be used right now, but Derek wanted to make it the most perfect, bright, and pretty space possible – a place for ‘his’ dodo, after all.

It was going to be completely open to his office with minimal partitions. It’s like a honeymoon room.

‘We’ll be breathing the same air. We’re going to share the same breath…… and we’re going to be like that.

My ears were already burning. I didn’t like being stuck in the refurbished Treasury until the work was finished, but I was happy to be with Dodo.

‘Five o’clock. Dodo will be here soon.

I had three and a half hours left, and my heart was beating fast.

Half an hour passed when an anxious-looking aide burst into the room.

‘Mr President, have you read this morning’s paper?’

‘I haven’t had time.’

‘But the article!’

‘Get out. I’m shaking without it.’

‘…….’

‘Psychotic.’

Lucas fidgeted with the wad of newspaper.

‘Your Excellency, this is no time for romance!

But Derek paid no attention to the paper, tapping his fingers nervously.

‘This time, I will win back Dodo’s heart.

I will not let Dodo’s last chance pass me by.

Lucas, who had already lodged a formal complaint with the newspaper, stamped his feet in frustration.

‘Ducal Tailor’s Shocking Confession: “I was exiled by the Duke of Fritz… a time of pain”

‘Mystery: The Tailor’s Hot Tears

‘Missing Tailor Gives Tearful Press Conference “Thank you for coming”

‘Words, words, words… A dead body in the forest near the Peacock Castle?

‘I’m sure he’ll be upset when he finds out…….’

There’s been a lot of malicious articles about Duke Frit recently. Derek is used to it, so it shouldn’t bother him, but his aide can’t help it.

‘Perhaps this should be handled within my lines.

The Duke’s high and mighty pretensions are ridiculous. My lord should stick to the axe of love. It’s up to him to restore his honor. As it turned out, Lucas was a self-proclaimed master of press play. No one knew it.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

‘Jenna, if, very if, I don’t make it back today…….’

‘What? Are you going to stay out?’

‘Don’t say anything, just open this box. Okay?’

‘Hmm? Okay.’

Audrey stared sadly at the secret box, which contained the will she had written last night and a list of her possessions

She picked out a black dress with a determined face.

‘Make sure you cover up the blood…….

I didn’t want my last appearance to be bloody. It was too gruesome. Besides, it would surely hurt the rest of them.

‘Tell my father I went first.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘In the meantime, thank you…….’

‘What?’

‘…….’

Audrey hugged her maid one last time and turned away.

It wasn’t quite daylight yet, but she wanted an early start today. It would be a waste of time to run into her father and brother, and she wanted to die in the quiet of dawn, while they were still asleep.

‘Father, brother…… I’m sorry.

Audrey started as if to flee. Jenna was the sole witness to that first glimpse.

Dag-dag-dag-dag. Hiss.

‘Hic!’

Audrey was almost thrown from the carriage. The Duke of Frit was there to greet her at the gates.

‘Finally, you’re here.’

‘……!’

One corner of his mouth twitched, as if in spasm, and he was having a hard time suppressing the urge to kill.

Duke Frit stared at Audrey for a long moment without speaking, then turned and began to walk away.

‘…… Are you asking me to follow you?

Audrey, still frightened, followed him like a duckling.

She had to run almost half a mile to keep up with his wide strides. So preoccupied was Audrey with keeping pace with him that she didn’t realize what was happening at the top of his neck.

Duke Frit’s ears were burning like lava.

‘Huh? This is…….’

Their steps stopped in a familiar place.

She thought they were going to the fourth floor, but instead, he led her to the sixth floor, the Treasury.

‘Why are we here?

But Duke Frit didn’t offer any explanation, just sat in place and stared at Audrey with a deadly glare. It was like he was trying to burn her to death with his eyes.

‘Hmph.

A chill ran down my spine at being the center of attention in a room with just the two. Audrey shuddered, trying to keep her eyes fixed on the floor.

‘……What’s a little death?

With death so close at hand, she felt the urge to hold on for dear life.

But contrary to my expectations, Duke Frit did nothing until the sun rose and the day dawned.

After an eternity, a familiar face broke through the stifling silence.

‘Eh? Audrey, Your Excellency?’

‘Claude!’

‘What are you doing here…….’

A chill ran down my spine. Audrey looked up at him, her face drained of color.

‘……!’

Derek’s whole body tensed as he witnessed the scene. He couldn’t believe that the dodo, who hadn’t even looked at him, was giving the other man such a blind stare.

His gaze shifted to Claude as if he could kill him at a moment’s notice.

‘How dare you steal Dodo’s attention!

I felt as if it had been stolen from me. The dodo had never been his, even though it had never belonged to him. His dodo was a master of the game, after all.

‘Hah, you never let them get away with it.’

It drove him mad with its ability to keep him on his toes. And what about her cuteness and cheerfulness, which drew men to her like a black hole?

‘Dangerous. Very dangerous.

Derek suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

There were quite a few young men in the Treasury, but would any of them be attracted to Dodo?

‘I’ll have to hurry up with the construction …… downstairs.

This was no time for slacking off.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

The people at the Treasury had been in a frenzy since Monday morning, as the Duke of Frit had started a new affair they thought was over. It was hard enough not to say hello to Audrey, who was so happy to see her castle master.

Hans, meanwhile, was secretly appalled by Duke Frit’s attire.

‘Wow…… that’s a real courting male peacock.

For the past few days, he’s been dressed in all black, as if in self-restraint. Today, she was back to her glamorous best.

The light forsythia-colored fabric was paired with twice as many frills as usual, especially the neck ruffles, which were made up of several layers and looked like neck collars worn by neutered animals. The jewelry was also unusually excessive. If the Duke of Prussia were suspended from the ceiling like that, there would be no need for a mirror ball.

But the biggest surprise of all was Audrey.

‘I don’t even know what …… is.

I couldn’t understand why the cowardly coward had returned to the peacock castle. Her contract was coming to an end, and if she was going to be fired, she might as well stick around. I was worried that his complexion, which had improved for a while, had been several times worse.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

Audrey, on the other hand, was dying of anxiety.

I guess it’s not a good way to die.

Wine is like that: enjoy it with your eyes, enjoy it with your nose, and finally enjoy its flavor. Audrey is like that to Duke Fritz. He savours her with his eyes as she flutters like a lamb, and then slowly bleeds her to death.

‘What a wicked man you are!

The Duke of Frit was staring at her. I don’t think he gave it away, but he’d stopped what he was doing and was mesmerized, so I couldn’t help but notice. Derek was looking at her hand quite openly.

‘…… Is that a maple leaf?

It couldn’t be a human hand that small. How could she survive in this harsh world if she was that cute? He doubted she could even hold a pen, let alone a sword.

‘I can’t believe she’s been working with such cute hands…….’

I felt like my face was going to melt. How adorable. How I wanted to bite them.

This time his gaze dropped down to the desk, and I saw his feet sticking out.

‘Why are his feet so tiny?

It’s like a tiny wholemeal bread. Wholemeal bread on a human foot! I thought it would make a cute little crunching sound whenever he walked.

How could his dolly be so adorable in its own right? Unable to control his facial muscles, Derek scrunched up his face.

But Audrey, who witnessed the whole thing, was horrified.

‘Why, why is he looking at me like that?

The eerie blood-colored eyes were carefully inspecting her wrists and ankles. It’s as if he’s estimating every bone in her body.

‘He’s going to cut them, he’s going to cut them!

Audrey panicked, convinced that he was going to cut her wrists and ankles. At the slightest frown, she tried to calm her shaking hands and feet. Her blood was already running cold.

‘You shouldn’t cry……. Crying won’t solve