Can You Save Me Duke? - 17

“Cough-. Cough-.”

Lina kept coughing as she walked down the hallway.

“Lina. Do you have a cold?”

“Yeah. It’s because it rained a bit yesterday.”

Lina’s physical condition worsened even more after being exposed to rain when she was already feeling unwell.

“Then wouldn’t it be better to go into your room and rest?”

“It’s not that bad yet. I have something to tell the butler.”

After thinking about it for a few days, Lina decided to quit the mansion.

She hadn’t felt at ease since the Duke came into the mansion. The ridiculous rumors. The gossip of people. Everything was boring.

There was a part of her that day when she said she would leave the mansion instead of Henry, but there was also a certain sincerity in it.

She had no choice but to stay in the mansion because she had nowhere to go right away, but now her patience was at its limit.

‘May is on my mind… … .’

Before leaving the mansion, the thing that bothered her the most was May. Lina couldn’t ignore it, and she felt uneasy about leaving May, who followed her like an older sister.

Furthermore, she was even more worried because Henry was now out of the mansion.

Lina looked at May with worried eyes.

“May. How about asking him to move to the townhouse in the capital?”

“Townhouse?”

“Yes. Henry is in the capital. And.”

Just as Lina was about to say that she was going to leave the mansion, May said.

“It’s okay. The butler and the maid said they would talk to the duke again when he felt better. So just wait a little longer.”

Lina, who was about to tell her that she was leaving, quietly smiled.

“Thank goodness. Then did Henry confess?”

“Yeah! Huh? What, what did you say?”

May started to look visibly flustered, as if she had been caught in a big secret. Lina felt relieved upon seeing her.

Judging from her expression, it seemed that Henry had confessed before leaving.

‘But now that we know each other’s feelings, isn’t that fortunate?’

She had no regrets about this place. She just wanted to leave as soon as possible. She had already finished preparing to leave.

She would probably get married through the arrangement of a distant relative in her hometown.

Since there were many women who got married this way, there wouldn’t be much suspicion.

‘I even made a letter that seemed to come from a relative.’

She wouldn’t necessarily check it, but she made a letter just in case. But who would investigate the private life of a mere maid to that extent?

After making the decision, she felt as if something that had been weighing heavily on her mind had been lifted.

‘Let’s talk to the butler first. And the duke… … .’

However, when she thought of the duke, Lina’s steps slowed down. She hadn’t properly dealt with the duke since that day.

He silently received her service as if nothing had happened, and she also received his service as if nothing had happened.

‘The butler will explain it well.’

She didn’t think it was necessary to tell the duke that she was quitting first. She thought that it wouldn’t be too late to talk to Cullen first and then ask for the duke’s understanding.

Lina hurried her steps to the butler’s office to leave the mansion as soon as possible.

“You’re quitting the mansion?”

Cullen asked with a surprised expression at Lina’s words.

“Yes. A distant relative sent me a letter a while ago. He asked if I wanted to get married because he had a good groom. I missed my hometown, and I’m also at the age where I’ll be getting married soon.”

“That’s true, but… … .”

Lina handed over the letter she had prepared in advance. Cullen readjusted his glasses as he looked at the letter she had given him.

“Lina. I can’t believe you’re getting married. I thought you were still a child… … .”

Cullen could understand why he was thinking that way. She was just a young girl who seemed far from marriage.

“I feel a little impatient, but there are some friends who are already married and have children.”

“Have you told the Duke?”

“No. Not yet… … .”

Lina hesitated and said.

“When do you plan on leaving the mansion?”

“As soon as possible. If possible, I want to leave within this week.”

“That soon?”

Cullen’s face darkened as if he was troubled.

‘I wonder if the Duke will allow it… … .’

Based on his experience of serving the Duke for a long time, it didn’t seem like the Duke would let Lina go easily. Lina lowered her eyes and said, reading Cullen’s expression.

“You know, too, butler. There are rumors going around the mansion these days… … .”

Cullen was also aware of the rumors going around between Lina and the Duke. Even if the Duke didn’t know, it must have been hard for the young maid to endure.

Since I had been watching Lina closely, I could understand why she wanted to leave.

‘It would be better for the Duke and the child to leave this place as soon as possible.’

“Yes. I understand. I will tell the Duke as soon as he returns to the mansion.”

“Thank you, butler.”

* * *

“I told the butler, and now I can tell May.”

May would definitely cry and hold on to me, but she would be fine soon.

It’s not like we’re going to break up forever. She could come here to see them someday when she had the chance.

“If the butler tells the Duke today, we can leave the mansion by next week at the latest, right?”

She wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. There were reasons for her mental anguish over various issues, but the biggest reason was the Duke.

“There’s no point in staying here any longer, it won’t be good for either of us.”

Leaving this place would definitely be a choice she wouldn’t regret.

Thinking that, Lina went into her room and started to organize her things little by little.

“Whew-. I’m going far away, so I don’t need to take everything.”

Lina organized the useful items that she couldn’t take with her.

“I’ll collect these and give them to May.”

Lina looked at the clock after finishing organizing her luggage to some extent.

“Huh? It’s already this much time?”

By now, the Duke would have returned to his room after finishing his work.

“I said I’d tell you as soon as the Duke got back, so I think the Duke would know by now.”

Lina placed her roughly organized luggage on the bedside table and left the room.

“There aren’t many days left of this tiresome nanny job.”

Her steps toward the Duke seemed exciting. Lina, who had already come up to the third floor, tidied up her clothes.

Knock-knock.

“Duke. It’s Lina.”

However, there was no response. After that, she knocked on the Duke’s door several times, but it was the same.

“Is that strange? “There’s no way he hasn’t come back yet?”

He always had a set lifestyle. That’s why he was always at a set time and a set place unless something special happened.

“The Duke… … gulp. Where on earth is he?”

Lina went around the office, the bedroom, and all the places where he might be to find the Duke. But in the end, she couldn’t find him.

“gulp-. gulp-.”

Lina coughed the whole time she wandered around the mansion looking for the Duke. Her head was also a little dizzy, so her physical condition seemed to be unstable.

“The Duke probably won’t come looking for me right now anyway… … . Should I just rest in my room for a bit?”

Lina hurriedly went back to her room, thinking that someone would come looking for her if they needed to.

“Just lie down in bed for a bit… … .”

However, as soon as she entered the room, her body stiffened when she saw someone sitting on the bed.

“Duke… … lord?”

She looked around for a moment, wondering if she had mistakenly entered the room. However, the objects crammed into the small room reminded Lina of her neglect.

‘Why on earth did the Duke come here… … .’

The Duke, who was sitting on the old bed, approached.

With each step he took, the old floorboards creaked.

Along with the cold man’s voice.

“You’re leaving the mansion?”

“… … yes?”

Lina, who had been standing blankly due to her frozen thoughts, answered belatedly.

“… … yes. I’m getting married… … .”

The Duke’s eyes, which had been furrowing their brows at her words about marriage, seemed to sparkle.

After standing still for a while, Bellige, who had been silent, opened her mouth.

“Marriage.”

Lina looked at the Duke, who was muttering the word marriage, with trembling eyes.

There was a dangerous tension between them, like a glass barely hanging on the edge of a table.

“Who wants it?”

“… … Yes?”

And just as the glass fell to the floor and shattered into pieces. Lina’s heart sank at the words the man uttered.

Belige strode toward Lina.

“Who wants it?”

Before she knew it, the distance between them had become less than a hand’s length.

Lina swallowed dryly at the man’s words, who was reproaching her as if she had made a great mistake.

She didn’t understand the man’s behavior. She wasn’t a slave. She was just a maid employed by this mansion.

Even though their statuses were different, she could have left the mansion whenever she wanted.

“Do I… … have to get permission from the Duke to get married?”

Lina, tired of the Duke’s overbearing attitude, looked at the man with clear eyes.

“… … What?”

“I don’t belong to you, Duke. I can leave this mansion whenever I want. And I honestly don’t understand why you’re so angry.”

Even though he’s a commoner, he came into a room without an owner. Lina felt uncomfortable with every action he made.

“You may have come here on your own. But you’re not leaving.”

A small smirk appeared in Belige’s eyes at her rebellious words.

“And marriage.”

The Duke twisted his lips.

“Why, you weren’t satisfied with that stable keeper’s son?”

[I think the Duke didn’t like me being with you… … .]

Why do those words keep lingering in his head?

He opened his mouth to say something, but Lina stumbled as her vision suddenly became dizzy.

‘I’m dizzy… … .’

“You

Without my permission, you can’t leave the mansion even one step.”

Lina pressed her pounding head and looked into the duke’s eyes. The duke’s eyes were shining fiercely as if they were going to eat her.

“Do you know what rumors are going around in the mansion right now?”

Lina, who felt repulsed by the man’s appearance, spoke sharply.

“You’re my mistress?”

Ha. Lina let out a short breath and was shocked by the duke’s attitude of casually bringing up scandals.

You know this man. What rumors are going around.

“Then you know why I’m leaving here. I can’t work here while hearing such false rumors. Those rumors can’t be good for you or me.”

The duke, who had been quietly watching Lina speak with eyes full of rebellion, opened his mouth.

“If the reason you’re leaving is because of those rumors.”

A small difference flashed in the man’s eyes.

“I’ll make it true.”

“… … Yes?”

Before she could fully grasp his words, the Duke approached Lina.

‘Why on earth are you doing this?’

She slowly backed away from the man who was slowly approaching her.

Lina couldn’t breathe properly. The Duke’s persistent gaze made her feel as if it was suffocating her.

Knock-.

However, there wasn’t much space for Lina to escape in the narrow room. In the end, the door behind her reached her before she could even take a few steps.

Belige whispered, holding Lina in his arms.

“Right now. Here.”

Knock-.

With those words, Belige locked the door.

So that she couldn’t escape anymore.