I Stole The Duke - Chapter 50

While Michalis was in the middle of turning the mansion upside down, Eliana and Freya had left the lakeside and were now exchanging farewells.

“Then, I suppose I’ll see you next at Lady Rancelloti’s tea party. Please return safely, Duchess.”

“Yes. See you in three days, Freya.”

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

The Espensen family’s carriage, which had departed first, was already growing distant.

“Knights, could you come a little closer, please?”

Eliana turned around to face the knights standing about thirty meters away. She waited until Freya’s carriage disappeared around the corner before calling out.

“Yes, my lady!”

The nine knights, still riding high on emotion, quickly stepped closer—leaving just two meters between them and Eliana.

Oh dear… what am I supposed to do with those deeply moved faces? Did I go too far with that earlier?

Eliana sighed as she caught sight of the knights’ faint, blissful smiles.

“Um… about what happened earlier.”

The sooner she snapped them out of it, the better.

“Yes, my lady.”

As soon as she began to speak, all eyes gleamed with anticipation. The lady clearly had something important to say.

Could it be… an official pregnancy announcement?

“I am not pregnant. So if anyone’s holding onto any false hope, I suggest you leave it behind—right here.”

“……”

She had dropped a bomb that was the complete opposite of what they were expecting.

“……”

Her words stunned all ten knights into silence.

“Not at all…?”

Cedric, who had been assigned to inspect the boats earlier, finally broke the silence, his voice weighed down with disappointment.

“That’s right. Absolutely. Positively. Not. So let’s just treat what happened earlier as a small, silly misunderstanding between us. And leave it at that.”

“……”

With each sharp syllable of absolutely, her voice rang with finality. The Azure Order knights, now standing in a stiff line before her, turned visibly pale.

“Above all else, make sure he doesn’t find out. This is not a request—it’s a direct order.”

Out of everyone, Michalis was the one person who must never hear about this.

“Um…”

Thanks to Eliana’s truth bomb, one of the knights looked like he was on the verge of collapse.

“Yes? Do you have something to say?”

“I’ve already sent a message to His Grace… via carrier pigeon.”

Better to get the punishment over with quickly—one of the knights dropped to one knee and confessed at once.

“You… what?”

Eliana’s mind went blank for a second.

“I, Roswell Speaker of the First Order, reported Her Ladyship’s… pregnancy to His Grace.”

Oh gods.

Eliana suddenly felt like crying. Of all the people—the one man who must not hear it—had already gotten the news.

“Your name… What is it again?”

“Roswell Speaker, my lady.”

A man from the Speaker family… had done precisely what the name suggested.

“Sir Speaker.”

What was she supposed to do with this oversized Smurf of a man? Eliana stared at him, lost for words.

“Sigh… Fine. I’ll handle the fallout. You may rise.”

She looked down at the hulking knight—his face as pale as paper—and let out a weary sigh.

Who can I blame? This is all my own doing.

“Yes, my lady…”

Roswell of House Speaker looked devastated.

She must hate me now…

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

“……”

As the Ascher estate in Wespera came into view, the ten knights fell into deep silence, their expressions stiffening with dread.

We’re doomed.

There, in the blazing sun at the estate’s entrance, stood their lord—waiting.

They could no longer avoid him.

The carriage, carrying the Duchess and her knights, came to a slow halt with a faint jolt.

“You’ve all done well.”

“Y-Yes, Your Grace…”

Even at the Duke’s warm greeting, the knights couldn’t relax.

“Eliana.”

Michalis himself opened the carriage door and welcomed her with arms outstretched.

Oh no!

The overly affectionate pose hit Eliana like a tidal wave. Internally, she screamed.

“How long have you been standing out here?”

It was clear he’d been standing under the scorching sun for quite a while. Michalis’s face was flushed red.

“About an hour?”

He had considered riding out to meet her, but worried they’d miss each other. So instead, he had waited at the entrance the entire time.

“Michalis…”

Her voice trembled with guilt—she knew what was coming.

“Come here. Let me carry you. There are far too many stairs up to the house. I don’t think it’s safe for you to walk.”

I want to log out of this world.

Eliana wanted to run away more than anything.

“No, that’s really not necessary.”

“What do you mean, ‘not necessary’? Come now.”

“I’m not… pregnant.”

Before she escaped, she had to take responsibility for the mess she’d made.

“You’re not…?”

“No. Truly, sincerely, absolutely not.”

“……”

Michalis’s arms, which had been wide open, slowly lowered.

“Eliana… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you misunderstand.”

“……”

Speechless, Michalis stared blankly into the air for a moment.

“Please… step down from the carriage.”

His hands, which had fallen limply to his sides, rose again—this time to offer her an escort. With his help, Eliana alighted from the carriage and came to stand beside him.

“……”

A heavy silence followed. Including Joel, who had dismounted, the ten knights remained utterly motionless.

“……”

“Sir Roswell Speaker.”

Michalis finally opened his mouth, glaring at the knights standing behind the carriage. His voice was cold as ice.

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Roswell, pale as a sheet, immediately dropped to one knee.

“The training yard… No. Two hundred laps around the estate grounds.”

Though physical punishment was rarely handed down to knights of the Azure Order out of respect for their elite status, this case had gone too far.

“Begin.”

“For honor!”

Roswell shouted the salute and took off running before the order had even fully left Michalis’s lips.

“Michalis… it was because of me.”

Eliana felt a pang of guilt seeing Sir Speaker running under the blazing sun, punished on her behalf.

“Did you tell him to send the message?”

“No, I didn’t… but still.”

“Then it wasn’t because of you.”

“Then… why?”

“He knows better than anyone. Let’s go inside.”

If he couldn’t even realize that much, he doesn’t deserve to wear Azure.

Michalis, escorting Eliana at his side, turned without hesitation toward the mansion.

“……”

As the Duke and Duchess walked away, the remaining Azure knights began removing their jackets and hanging them on the stone wall one by one.

It wasn’t only Roswell’s fault. We were all the same.

“Let’s go!”

The four knights exchanged a wordless look, pulled off their shirts, and ran in the direction Roswell had disappeared.

I was the first to act.

Joel, who had quickly shed his white jacket and slung it over the wall, took off after his comrades.

I guess… this is just the mood now!

The remaining four knights from the regular order, unsure of what was going on, stripped down and ran too—shirtless and confused.

“Haa… haa…”

The merciless June sun quickly drenched their bodies in sweat.

“……”

Tap tap tap!

At the front, Roswell ran at full speed, lips sealed tight.

I’m sorry, my lady. I’ve committed a grave offense.

He deeply regretted what he’d done. There were now two people he was sworn to serve. The Duchess wasn’t some dainty doll to be quietly protected—she had her own will, her own voice.

He had been too caught up in his loyalty to the Duke. Not once did he think to ask the Duchess for her wishes.

I will never make that mistake again.

Without realizing it, he had treated her not as a superior to be served but as someone to be shielded from everything—ignoring protocol and failing to report properly. A clear offense. The punishment from the Duke had been deserved.

“Michalis, were you… disappointed that I wasn’t pregnant?”

As they stepped onto the stone stairs leading to the mansion, Eliana glanced up at him cautiously.

“No. On the contrary, I’m relieved.”

Michalis truly meant it. The heavy anxiety that had been weighing down his heart lifted completely. What greater relief could there be than knowing her life wasn’t at risk?

Oh, for heaven’s sake…

Upon entering the mansion lobby, Eliana barely held in another internal scream.

The place had become a construction site.

“Michalis, what is all this…?”

Her mouth dropped open at the chaotic scene. The massive chandelier had been lowered to the floor, carpenters were sawing the stair railings, and four maids on the second floor were working in teams to layer carpets along the hallway.

“My lady! Congratulations on the pregnancy!”

The steward came running up in a fluster, bowing low—leaving Eliana frozen in place at the entrance.

“Steward… That’s not it.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“I’m not pregnant.”

“……”

A heavy silence fell.

“Then…”

The steward, now stiff as a board, turned his head in creaking increments toward the Duke standing beside her—like a poorly-oiled gear.

Does this mean… revert everything?

His moist, pleading eyes asked the question silently.

“Proceed as planned. There’s no need to rush.”

The Duke could have been disappointed by the news, but instead, he looked even more at ease.

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Not a reversal?!

Color returned to the steward’s face.

“Who knows? By next year or the year after, we might have one more family member joining us.”

The Wespera estate was only used for a month or two each year. There was no harm in preparing in advance.

“Yes, Your Grace! We’ll make it a perfect space for a little one to run around in!”

“……”

Eliana was completely overwhelmed by the sheer aftermath of her fake morning sickness.

This was a mistake.

She had learned her lesson—never, ever, pretend to be pregnant again.

“Thank you, Michalis.”

Because of the ongoing renovation—railing sawed off, materials stacked along the stairs—Michalis escorted her all the way to their bedroom.

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