I Stole The Duke - Chapter 106
“Ugh. I can’t take this anymore.”
The smell was overwhelming, yet no sardine carcasses had been found near the window.
“Sir Iadis.”
Unable to endure it any longer, Michalis flung open the door to the adjutant’s office.
“Ugh…”
He groaned automatically. The smell in here was even worse.
“Your Grace, is something wrong?”
“How are you working in this stench, Iadis?”
Michalis had always known Iadis was rather oblivious to anything outside of duty—but to think he had a stomach strong enough to endure this…
“Pardon?”
Iadis was completely baffled by his lord’s sudden remarks about a smell.
“The stench. Can’t you smell it? It’s awful. Wait—does it happen to be coming from you?”
Startled, Iadis pulled up his sleeve and sniffed at it.
“No, no… It’s not coming from you. This is…”
Yes. It seemed to be leaking in from the crack beneath the door.
“What’s going on with the cleaning in this place?! Sir Iadis, summon Edward.”
Michalis didn’t dare open the door fully, afraid the smell might be worse in the hallway. His voice was laced with irritation.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
What’s going on…? I don’t smell anything…
But orders were orders. Iadis followed them without complaint.
“Did you call for me, Your Grace?”
Not long after, Edward came rushing in and bowed deeply.
“Chief Steward, how on earth is this mansion being cleaned?”
If rotten sardines had been spilled in the corridor, they should’ve been thoroughly scrubbed. Why was the stench still so strong?
“I apologize, Your Grace. It seems I’ve neglected my duty. I’ll begin a full cleaning at once.”
Edward had no idea what was happening and felt as if he’d been struck by lightning out of nowhere.
“Keep washing until the smell is completely gone.”
“…The smell, Your Grace?”
Edward instinctively repeated the words. On his way here, he hadn’t noticed anything.
“Yes. I can’t concentrate on my work with this odor lingering. I need you to take care of it immediately.”
“Yes, Your Grace. I’ll see to it right away.”
If His Grace smelled something, then there was something to smell. That was how loyal Edward was.
“You’re dismissed.”
After sending the steward away, Michalis picked up a document—but immediately stood up again.
My nose hurts too much to work.
It might be better to step outside until the cleaning was done.
This is unbearable.
Holding his breath, Michalis escaped the mansion filled with that unbearable smell.
What in the world…
But the moment he stepped into the garden, he froze. Even here—where the air should’ve been fresh—the same rotten sardine stench lingered.
“Then that means…”
If the smell was this strong, there must be something wrong at sea. Possibly a mass sardine die-off.
I need to confirm this myself.
Michalis dashed to the stables and mounted his black steed.
“Let’s go, Obsidian.”
If a large number of sardine carcasses had been left unchecked, it could lead to an outbreak of disease in Flencia. As the lord of the territory, he had to investigate this himself.
Dagatak. Dagatak.
His black horse galloped across the outer castle plaza at breakneck speed.
“Whoa.”
As soon as he passed the outer walls, Michalis pulled the reins to a stop.
“What the…?”
It was insane. The moment they left the castle walls, the smell vanished entirely. The burning sensation in his nose was suddenly replaced with crisp, clean air.
“Obsidian, back into the castle.”
Daga-dak. Daga-dak.
The horse turned and passed through the gate again.
“Urgh!”
As soon as they reentered, the rotting sardine stench hit his nose once more.
“Obsidian… back out.”
Daga-dak. Daga-dak.
And again, as soon as they left, the air turned refreshingly clear.
“……”
This couldn’t be real. Michalis couldn’t believe it. He repeated it several times just to be sure.
Has His Grace finally gone mad…?
One of the gate guards glanced at him briefly, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.
But one thing was clear—the source of the stench was inside the castle walls. Michalis could only conclude that much.
I need to find the source and eliminate it.
Relying on his sense of smell, Michalis urged the horse forward. It brought him, once again, to the inner castle’s main residence.
Ugh… It feels like my nose is going to fall off.
Even holding his breath didn’t help. The stench was so thick it felt like it stabbed his nostrils with needles.
The smell seems to be coming from here…
He stood before the door where the stench was most concentrated—but hesitated to open it. Of all places, it was the office reserved for the Duchess.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Still, he had to check. Michalis knocked, his hand heavy with reluctance.
“Eliana, are you in there?”
The moment he opened his mouth, the stench pierced his lungs and nearly knocked him out. It sounded absurd, but he genuinely thought this smell could kill someone. Even breathing—let alone speaking—was a struggle.
“Michal? Come in.”
Eliana, who had been reviewing internal affairs documents, looked up from her desk.
“Eliana…”
The moment Michalis opened the door, he froze, stunned. He’d found it—the source of the stench. The smell of rotting sardines was pouring out from Eliana with terrifying intensity.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Eliana tilted her head at the sight of Michalis’s wide-eyed stare.
“Did you… touch sardines today by any chance?”
Michalis tried to put it gently. But honestly, it smelled like he was standing in the middle of a pit full of decaying sardines.
“What? No, of course not. Michal, are you alright? You look pale.”
Eliana was worried. Michalis had pulled all-nighters before, but even then, he’d never looked this pale.
“Are you feeling clammy? Wait—let me check you.”
Concerned, Eliana stood up quickly. She had to make sure he wasn’t having a sudden episode or indigestion.
“No, please don’t get up! I beg you—just stay right there.”
Michalis was about to lose his mind. Every time Eliana moved, the smell grew even stronger.
“…Please?”
Eliana froze at his desperate plea.
“I’m fine. I’ll see you at dinner.”
Michalis turned stiffly like a broken puppet and exited the room.
Is he really okay?
Eliana stood there, dazed, watching the door close firmly behind him.
No way… this can’t be real.
Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it. There was no way Eliana—his Eliana—could smell that awful.
I must be the problem.
Even now, the Duchess’s office was full of the stench. But Eliana couldn’t be the cause. That meant… yes. Something must be wrong with his own nose.
“Sir Iadis. Call for Doctor Taineno.”
Dragging his feet past the adjutant’s office, Michalis placed his hand weakly on the doorknob and issued the order.
“Your Grace… are you unwell?”
Today, his lord was clearly not himself. For someone usually so composed to request the palace doctor—it had to be serious.
“Don’t you smell that? The stench of rotten sardines?”
“I only smell the cleaning agent used in the hallway. It’s lemon-scented, I believe.”
“That’s the problem.”
The stench was so overpowering that Michalis hadn’t even noticed any lemon scent.
“I’ll bring the doctor at once.”
Iadis stood up immediately. A problem with his lord’s sense of smell—odd, but not something to take lightly.
“Your nose is perfectly fine, Your Grace.”
That was Doctor Taineno’s diagnosis after a thorough examination.
“There’s nothing wrong?!”
He almost wished something had been wrong. At least then he’d know what to fix.
“Yes, Your Grace. You’re in excellent health.”
“Doctor… is there any medicine that can numb the sense of smell?”
Michalis would gladly forfeit his sense of smell just to escape this agony.
“I’m sorry. There’s no such drug.”
“Then what’s causing this?!”
“I can’t say for sure… but it might be psychological. I recommend rest and trying to ease your mind.”
Doctor Taineno was one of the best in the empire. If even he didn’t know the cause, there was little hope from a medical standpoint.
“…Alright. You may go.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Michalis slumped with exhaustion. Only one option remained.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
He returned to Eliana’s office and knocked once more.
“It’s me. May I come in for a moment?”
“Yes, come in, Michal.”
He hadn’t wanted to ask Eliana to use magic… but when it felt like the smell might literally kill him, he had no choice.
“What’s wrong?”
It hadn’t even been twenty minutes since he left her office in a rush, saying he’d see her at dinner.
“Please… use magic to numb my sense of smell.”
Michalis barely got the words out, struggling to breathe through the stench.
“…What?”
“There’s something wrong with my nose. I don’t care if I lose my sense of smell forever. Just… please make sure I can’t smell anything anymore.”
That’s how unbearable it had become. He would willingly give up his sense of smell for the rest of his life.
What is he even saying?
Eliana was stunned beyond words.
“Hold on, Michal. Let me check your status first.”
“…Okay.”
‘Activate Dream Image Search.’
[Starting image search. Search complete.]
A pop-up window appeared:
Image Search Result
Name: Michalis Ascher
Age: 27
Nationality: Wespera Empire
Affiliation: Duchy of Ascher, Southern Navy
Height/Weight: 187cm / 82kg
Special Note: Currently affected by a combined curse spell – Love Smell
“What?!”
Eliana gasped as she read the window.
“What is it?”
“…Oh no. Who would do something like this…? Michal, you’ve been cursed.”
“Cursed?”
Only then did Michalis begin to understand the absurdity of the situation.
“Just wait a moment. I’ll lift it right away.”
“…Yes.”
As he watched Eliana rise to retrieve a key from her desk drawer, Michalis felt a sinking sense of shame. He had been so naïve—so foolish. He thought the Mage Tower wouldn’t act until the magic contract expired a year from now… and yet, their attack had already begun.
Is this how powerless I am against magic?
There was still no defense in place against magical attacks. He had to accelerate preparations. Immediately.
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