The Devilish Duke Can’t Sleep - Chapter 134
Proofreader: somnium
134. At that party that day (3)
Lena seemed shocked. Vincent thought it was time, so he drove her further.
“As Your Majesty must know, are there just one or two young girls who have a crush on Duke Luave? To hear that the terrifying devilish curse has been lifted, everyone must have been looking forward to today, right?”
“That, yes…… I guess so.”
“As they say, men do not feed the fishes they already caught*. So Your Majesty has to show him that you haven’t completely fallen for him yet.”
Lena’s expression darkened. She glanced back at Kahel, and could barely see his head among the splendid dresses. And strangely, the Ladies who gathered around him caught her eye even more.
A Lady with abundant blonde hair, a Lady with a voluptuous body, a Lady who smiles brightly, a Lady with an elegant body…….
Unlike her, who was born with power but was still nothing but a rustic country girl, everyone looked beautiful. The confidence she felt for a moment after finishing her makeup today seemed to disappear into dust.
“The Duke is also a man, and there is no law that his heart should not be shaken. To awaken the Duke’s awareness, please hold my hand now. I will definitely set fire to the Duke’s jealousy.”
Vincent smiled seductively and reached out to Lena again. Once he started dancing, he thought of embracing Lena with an excuse to provoke Kahel’s jealousy. She had never met a man other than the Duke; he was certain that at some point the naive Queen would be drawn to his pace.
However, what Vincent had hoped for did not happen.
“I, I…… I’m not feeling well, so I need to rest for a while.”
Without looking at Vincent, Lena turned and ran to the Violet Room. Her chest was stuffy and she kept crying for some reason, so she wanted to hide herself in a place where no one was.
“Your, Your Majesty!”
“You! What the hell did you say to Her Majesty to make her like that!”
“Oh no, I just…….”
Suddenly, the Queen ran across the hall, startling the chief handmaid and Vincent, as well as everyone in the hall. It was only natural that the party atmosphere became rigid.
People began to gather and started talking, and Vincent, who had talked with Lena the last, was confused and embarrassed. And because of Damien, Kahel, who had been greeted by the ladies whom he didn’t care about, secretly left as an excuse to find out about the situation.
In front of the Violet Room where Lena was locking herself in, the chief handmaid and chief attendant, as well as the officials of the Royal Palace and key members of the nobility council, were restlessly knocking on the door.
“Your Majesty. Please open the door, Your Majesty.”
“Was that Sir Vincent who was rude earlier? Shall he go to jail?”
Those who were supposed to lead today’s banquet successfully were very upset. What’s more, the Queen was crying, there would be nothing to say even if the necks of several people fell. Count Hyatt must have rolled up his eyes and passed out by now.
But Lena didn’t answer and she didn’t even open the door. Only the sad aura she shed was weighing down the people around her.
“Her Majesty has not yet captured her powers well…….”
“Do something! With this, today’s banquet will end in a sea of tears!”
“No, what the hell did that Vincenton bastard say to Her Majesty that it became like this?”
The music was already cut off from the banquet hall, and the people who had been enjoying themselves until now suddenly felt depressed and speechless. Damien, who came in front of the Violet Room, knocked on the door several times, but Lena did not answer.
When everyone was sighing, Kahel stepped forward.
He knocked on the door cautiously, ignoring the startled glances of the others.
“Your Majesty. This is Kahel.”
Then, the melancholic aura that had weighed on people stopped suddenly.
“If you’re okay…… Can I see you just for a moment?”
Even then, the door to the Violet Room did not open for a long time. When everyone thought that even Kahel had failed, there was a small squeaking sound, and the Queen with her eyes turned red appeared through the crack in the door.
“For today’s banquet, they said they installed bloodstone lights in the garden. The view of the garden from over the balcony is so beautiful, would you like to go see it together?”
Lena looked around her at the sound of Kahel’s voice, which seemed like nothing, and then nodded her head slightly. Then, she noticed that Kahel reached out his hand to Lena, and Lena hesitantly walked out of the Violet Room as she placed her hand on his. The water around her eyes still hadn’t dried up, but no one could say anything.
And Kahel clenched the small, white, warm hand that had rested on his, and he slipped out of the crowd, staring at each other. The quick-witted chief attendant ordered the attendant next to him to bring champagne, and Kahel and Lena went out to the balcony where the garden could be seen and was met with cold glasses of champagne.
It wasn’t a lie that the bloodstone lighting decoration of the garden was beautiful. The night air was not cold, the finest champagne was delicious, and the sound of music began to play again in the banquet hall.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Kahel asked, as he looked at Lena without saying a word for a while.
“Sorry. Did I act like a child too much?”
“It’s a King’s wisdom. The one who brought tears to Your Majesty’s eyes is a sinner, and Your Majesty has done nothing wrong.”
“Then, you would be a sinner.”
“Then, I will be punished sweetly.”
Lena grinned, but the corners of her eyes were watery once again. Even then, Lena, who had been choosing her words for a long time, barely opened her mouth.
“I…… I’m not a great person like others say. I am an uneducated girl who worked as a maid. Actually, I am selfish and immature. I’m not nice either. When Baron Fidelia and Baroness Fidelia died, it was terrifying, but at the same time…… I thought it was good.”
“I see.”
“Before, I didn’t like the ladies surrounding you. I wonder if this is what monopoly is all about, and I’m anxious about what will happen if I don’t mean anything to you anymore…….”
Clear tears were dripping down. Kahel forgot that he was not to touch the Queen’s body, and he carefully wiped her cheek with his hand.
“I’m glad if you feel that sense of monopoly. Because you are the only one who owns me. You are the one who kills and saves me, and you are the one who becomes the purpose of my life. No matter what anyone else says, just don’t forget that.”
His words were sweet, but she kept doubting them.
Lena considered it better when she had been Kahel’s close maid. At that time, she was the only one who didn’t respond to his devilish power, and she could believe that he loved her. Because he had only one option.
But now Kahel can fall in love with anyone. She was so heartbroken that she was jealous of the ladies who smiled like flowers in front of him. She didn’t want to expose her ugly self, so she just pretended to trust him and pretend that nothing happened.
Even so, no matter how many times she thought about it, she only wanted to love him. Enough that she can let go if he’s in love with someone else.
“Because I love you…… I don’t want to force my feelings on you. I want you to be really happy. It’s more important than me being happy. So, if you get someone better…… Then put your own happiness first, not mine.”
It was the conclusion she reached while catching her breath in the Violet Room. Lena was terrified and Kahel came rushing with his words.
“Then, will Your Majesty protect my happiness?”
“…… yes.”
“Can you swear?”
“…… yes.”
Lena trembled in fear, but she forced a smile. Then, Kahel smiled brightly and kissed Lena there and then. He gently sucked on Lena’s soft and supple lips, and his hot tongue invaded through the gap.
Lena had just forgotten what she was thinking, and she clinged to his kiss. No matter how many times she had experienced it, it was always a trembling kiss like the first time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and as he hugged her waist, she pressed herself close to him feeling Kahel’s breath, pulse, and body temperature.
Even if this person becomes someone else’s lover, she considers this moment to be entirely hers…….
“Obviously, you promised. When I find someone I like, I’ll put my happiness first.”
“Yes. I promised.”
“Then, I dare to ask. Please unite me with my most beloved person. She likes Ivanna’s clam soup, raspberry mille-feuille, and sledding. She has eyes that remind me of violets and lilacs and is cute enough to remind me of a brown-eyed bunny. She is a person who was timid but threw herself for me, and even though she has many wounds, she was more concerned about my wounds.”
Lena’s eyes widened at Kahel’s confession and was soon filled with tears.
“I have received so much from that person and I have not done anything for her, so I want to live for her until the day I die. To love her enough to die. Please allow me, my little sweet lover.”
Lena asked, sniffling her nose,
“What is the name of the Duke’s most beloved person?”
“Lena. Lena Ardenia.”
Only then did Lena smile brightly. The ecstasy spread straight out in all directions, so that even those in the banquet hall noticed that the Queen was feeling better.
“Ha…… I can’t ask her again to find another Grand Duke.”
“You’ll probably have to put your neck on the line to say something like that.”
Those who waited impatiently outside the balcony shook their heads and sighed. It was a banquet to find another Grand Duke other than Kahel Luave, but on the contrary, it has become a place to confirm that the relationship between him and the Queen was strong.
Count Melix, the chairman of the nobility council, sighed, and said to Damien as if comforting him.
“Count Allendorf may not be happy with this situation, but there’s no other choice. With something like this, who would dare to mention anyone else to Her Majesty? Count, just accept it.”
Damien then sighed heavily and frowned.
“Haa, I’m really in trouble. Or should I send Kahel down to the estate? They say if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind, too.”
“For God’s sake, this guy is still talking about it! Then who is to bear Her Majesty’s wrath? Even now, she is strong enough to influence the emotions of those gathered in the Palace, so if Duke Luave disappears, it will probably cause something terrible.”
“Ha…… Then, there is nothing we can do.”
People came to appease Damien, thinking that he might not have liked the marriage at all.
However, leaving them behind, there was a proud smile on Damien’s lips that he had saved his son’s love. Probably, no one will ever argue about the marriage between Lena and Kahel again.
*“Men do not feed the fishes they have already caught,” meaning that the men will get bored of what they already have and thus will entice, ‘feed’ and look for another