The Devilish Duke Can’t Sleep - Chapter 139

Proofreader: somnium

Living as a Queen is not that easy. If it was a person with a strong desire for power, they may not know it, but otherwise, it could be said that the position has more bad points than good points.

She had to get into the habit of being polite to everyone and had a handmaid who corrects her attitude and posture all day long. But that was nothing compared to the work of the Queen. The things that were supposed to be granted lined up one after another, and she had to check reports from nobles and appeals or requests from commoners through the ‘civil court’.

Not only that, there were so many events, seven events that had to be held in a year. However, just because there are seven events does not mean that it takes seven days only. Make a plan, track progress, tailor a dress, prepare a speech, make a list of things that needs special attention to, ask the right person to do the right thing…… Then, half a year seemed to pass quickly.

Lena had little regrets a year after her accession as Queen. Although she regrets it, it was not a matter of will that Lena became the Queen.

“The only thing I like about my position as a Queen is that I am able to marry the Grand Duke. But do you know how long the time I was able to spend with my husband last week? Less than seven hours! All we did was look at each other’s face and greet each other before going to bed!”

Lena was voicing her resentment to the chief attendant with an almost crying face. The chief attendant, who was unluckily caught, sweated profusely, and struggled to comfort the Queen.

“You were just crowned. There would be a lot of matters to deal with, of course. Things are slowly getting sorted out, so maybe you can spend more time together in the future.”

“Really?”

Her droopy eyebrows and tearful eyes made the chief attendant even more troubled. Their new Queen was more likely to attack people with these sad eyes than with mighty power. And that would make them want to do anything apart from their obedience to her powers.

“That’s right! Surely, it will be. Shall we shorten the audience time by 5 minutes today?”

Since there are only 10 people waiting for the audience, reducing it by 5 minutes would amount to 50 minutes. It was obviously a tempting offer, but Lena, who thought about it for a moment, shook her head slightly.

“I don’t want to hear them say I’m already lazy. The Grand Duke will be in trouble, too…….”

Kahel was just as busy as Lena. Frankly, with Kahel taking on a lot of work, Lena could get to sleep. Especially since she has so many places to go as the newly crowned Queen, with the reconstruction of the Capital and the civil office installation getting delayed. If it hadn’t been for Kahel, Lena might have quit being the Queen and fled.

In any case, notifying Kahel of a sudden change of schedule, who would be as hectic as Lena, would be like a child’s prank. Lena, holding back her desire to see Kahel, again pretended to be a grown-up and started her audience schedule.

But it was when the seventh guest’s audience had just ended.

“Bring in the next audience member.”

As Lena gave orders in a tired voice, a friendly face popped out of the entrance of the audience room.

“Huh? Kahel!”

“Your Majesty.”

Contrary to the startled Lena, Kahel smiled softly and walked over to Lena and lightly kissed her on the cheek.

“What are you doing at this hour?”

“Actually, I missed my wife so much, so I have adjusted the audience time as I please. Please forgive me.”

“It’s okay! In fact, I miss you so much!”

Then, forgetting the Queen’s dignity, she hugged Kahel. Kahel recalled that day when he thought, ‘I’ll forgive myself at least once if I hug her because she was a maid with a very rare constitution.’

At that time he didn’t know anything. He never knew that after hugging Lena once, he can’t be satisfied with that one time…….

“Today, we have more time to be together. Shall we go for a walk?”

“Really…… Can I go?”

“Of course.”

He smiled as he saw Lena, who is in a higher position than anyone else in this Royal Palace, no, country, asking if she could really rest. That look of hers reminded him of the close maid who floundered around Duke Luave’s residence. Her eyes widened with joy at the mention that she was able to rest, and her cheeks raised nicely with her smiling lips were the same as they were back then when she was pure and innocent.

‘Lena…… Is just Lena.’

He always dwells on those thoughts. There was a saying that a place makes a person, but Lena existed as herself regardless of the place. Those who valued honor or pretense of a noble frowned at the story that she lived as a maid of Duchy Luave. But those people fell in love with Lena as they met Lena more than once. There was no one who did not feel a strange touch in her pure eyes, as if piercing the soul.

But Kahel knew that it was the original power of the person named Lena. Even when he thought that she was the illegitimate child of a rural baron, he had goosebumps several times as she gazed at him beyond the devilish curse.

A girl who was so innocent and pure, after the seal was released, gained powers, and she realized that she was the Queen, and was now someone no one dared to treat badly. But on the other hand, she still maintained the essence of Lena herself. Thus, when she smiled shyly as if she had been waiting for him, Kahel could hardly contain his pounding heart. If there were no people around, he wanted to hug and kiss her as much as he could.

“Let’s go see the roses one more time before they wilt down.”

Lena took Kahel’s hand in her free time, which she got as a surprise, to the garden full of roses. The blooming roses exuded a deep fragrance even at sunset, making her feel fluttering.

Kahel gave a moderate glance around and ordered them to keep their distance. In fact, with just Lena and Kahel, any national disaster could have been prevented, but the chief attendant and chief handmaid kept escorts attached for protocol. And Kahel, who wanted to share his affection with Lena when they were alone, found it very bothersome.

Even though he beckoned them to back off today, it seems that the chief handmaid has been nagging more severely, seeing that everyone didn’t move more than five steps away. Kahel was a little annoyed, but he didn’t want his overworked wife to worry, so he just had a gentle smile on his face. At that moment, Lena turned around with a mischievous smile.

“Your Excellency.”

“Your Majesty? Why all of a sudden…….”

The Queen is the supreme ruler of Logos. Therefore, her husband, the Grand Duke, was given the title of ‘Your Highness,’ not ‘Your Excellency’. Kahel sharpened his nerves to see if there were any strange sensations around her. But Lena leaned on Kahel with a bashful smile.

“Sometimes, no, actually, often, I want to pamper myself like the old days. If I act like a fool while calling you, Your Excellency, pretend you don’t know and accept everything.”

“Well. I don’t know what you’re talking about because you’ve never been a fool.”

“Can’t you just follow my rhythm now? I hate being the Queen. I think I was happier just being the close maid of Your Excellency Duke Luave.”

Lena wasn’t one who would neglect her own duties, so in Kahel’s eyes, she seemed to have a particularly droopy shoulder today.

“…… Lena.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

As she said, just calling him this way made him feel like he was back in the past. Kahel’s heart was pounding terribly. He gently stroked Lena’s cheek with his thumb.

“Lena, you look down, is something wrong?”

“Your Excellency…….”

“If you’re having a hard time, don’t worry at all and hand it over to me. Because I’m better than you when it comes to moving people around.”

“Um, seeing Count Langtail grumble, it seems like that. But you are already in charge of too much work.”

“I’m okay. I find it harder to see you struggling, so don’t worry and lean on me. That is…… As your master, it is my duty and my right.”

“Your Excellency…….”

Lena hugged Kachel’s neck and savored the lips as they landed on her lips. In fact, even now, sometimes it is hard to believe that this man is really her husband. It’s hard to believe that this beautiful, strong and kind person was hers even though Kahel said it.

The hot lips, the tangled tongue, the sweet breath…… After hiding behind a rose bush and kissing for a long time, sweet heat began to bloom between the two.

“Haa…… Lena…….”

“Yes, Your Excellency…….”

“Rebellion is quite thrilling, isn’t it? Shall we go to the bedroom like this … ?”

Lena bit her puffy lip slightly and nodded her head with a blushing face.

“Tonight, I’m going to make my delusion of about a year ago come true.”

“A delusion from about a year ago?”

“At the time, I used to fall into lustful delusions several times a day about trying to drag my cute little maid into bed.”

“…… I will follow your will. Because I am Your Excellency’s close maid who obeys only you.”

“You’re really a rabbit that steals people’s souls…….”

Kachel grabbed Lena and went straight to the bedroom. However, their escort knights, servants, and maids were bewildered by their sudden movement, and the chief attendant ran from afar and followed Kahel.

“Your, Your Excellency. It’s dinner time soon. It’s, it’s a little too early to dine in bed…….”

It was Lena who responded with pointed eyes.

“Count Astollen.”

“Ah, yes, yes, Your Majesty.”

“Remember the rumors circulating when I married the Grand Duke?”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t they say that the Queen fell so deeply in love with the Duke’s beauty that she pushed for a marriage unprecedented in history?”

“Your, Your Majesty! Don’t mind such disloyal nonsense.”

“No, that was correct, so it’s okay. And you can add one more line to it. At some hour, in some day, in some month, the Queen, enamored with the Grand Duke, forgot dinner and stayed in the bedroom.”

“Yes … ?”

“So, don’t disturb the atmosphere and go get to work.”

Leaving those words behind, Kahel and Lena chuckled and locked the bedroom door.

The chief attendant who was left behind pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat on his forehead and said to the attendant and handmaid who were only looking at each other.

“You will absolutely keep quiet about what you have seen and heard today…… As Her Majesty said, go and do your work.”

There was one more wrinkle on the chief attendant’s face, but the attendants and handmaids, who were able to rest early, cheered on the Royal Couple’s passion.