I Stole The Duke - Chapter 67

“Where is the Duchess?”

“She returned to her chambers around six-thirty and hasn’t come out since.”

“Understood.”

Time passed slowly.

Though she couldn’t make out the exact words, Eliana could hear faint voices beyond the bedroom door—Michalis and Cedric, speaking in hushed tones.

Michalis is back.

Eliana lay under the blanket, restless and unable to sleep.

Thanks to his unplanned outing, Michalis was already behind on his work. He opened the door to his office, prepared to work late, but paused.

Tap. Tap.

A masked owl, used as a night messenger, was perched on the stand, pecking at the pendant hanging from its neck.

Rustle.

Michalis reached for the scroll tied to the owl’s leg and unrolled it.

Message:

After Freya Espensen’s departure, an intruder infiltrated the Count’s estate.
Surveillance device was destroyed.
Please review the attached recording for audio prior to destruction.

Attachment: Voice recorder (pendant)

The pendant hanging from the owl’s neck was the audio device. Michalis pressed the button without hesitation.

• • CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

• • Imperi…

• • “Didn’t you hear a woman’s voice just now?”

• • CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The alarm was deafening, but not enough to drown out the voice he recognized instantly—Eliana’s.

Bang!

The office door flung open and slammed shut again.

“Your Grace!”

“Out of the way, Sir Cedric.”

Without another word, Michalis stormed out of the office and headed straight for Eliana’s bedroom.

“Eliana.”

The bedroom door burst open—without even a knock.

What’s going on?

Eliana’s eyes flew open. She had been pretending to sleep under the blanket.

“I know you’re awake.”

Her breathing alone gave her away.

“…Michalis.”

Resigned, Eliana pulled the blanket back and slowly sat up.

He looks even angrier than before…

The cold fury in his eyes was so intense, she found it difficult to meet his gaze.

“What is it about House Espensen that’s worth being this reckless?”

The moment he spoke, her body tensed.

“Why couldn’t you wait? Why rush in like that? What’s so important over there?!”

She had expected her secret trip to be discovered eventually, but not this soon.

Wait… no way.

That’s when it clicked.

Freya had been under surveillance—and the one monitoring her was standing right in front of her.

“……”

“Eliana, what am I to you?”

Michalis’s voice was filled with anguish. The thought that things could’ve gone wrong tonight—that she could’ve died—was unbearable.

“Am I really that untrustworthy as your husband?”

He was genuinely asking. What had he done—or not done—that made her feel the need to face everything alone?

“Michalis, no… it’s not like that.”

“Then tell me. What is it you’re after at the Count’s estate?”

“……”

Eliana couldn’t answer.

To explain the regression magic, she would have to reveal how she knew about it in the first place.

No. I can’t lie my way out of this. Not with him.

“I understand. In that case, I’ll proceed in my own way. As of now, your magic cards are confiscated.”

Michalis said firmly, his gaze never leaving her. He couldn’t let his wife throw herself into danger again. Even if he had to restrain her, he would do it.

“There are a lot missing. Where are the rest?”

The moment he opened the box of magic cards, he noticed the count was off.

“They’re here…”

His eyes were terrifyingly sharp. Eliana had no choice but to pull out the crossbody bag she had hidden under the bed.

“Get some rest.”

After checking the contents of the bag, Michalis finally seemed satisfied.

This is the worst.

He placed the bag inside the box and turned away.

It was, without a doubt, the worst possible outcome.

What do I do now? The assassin is coming…

Eliana felt like crying. It wasn’t just about getting caught anymore—this was a matter of life and death.

“What the…”

Freya stepped down from the rental carriage and froze.

“That carriage looks suspicious!”

Knights from House Espensen had already surrounded it, their expressions grim.

“What business do you have here at this hour? State your identity.”

It was almost ten at night. A rental carriage pulling up near the Count’s estate at this hour was nothing short of suspicious.

What is this nonsense?

Freya stood frozen, completely baffled as her own family’s knights surrounded her. Only then did she notice that the Espensen estate was brightly lit, as if it were the middle of the day.

“If you cannot provide a valid reason, we will escort you to Count Espensen for questioning.”

The knights looked tense, on edge, and ready to draw their swords at any moment.

“Sigh… Stop it. It’s me.”

Left with no choice, Freya removed her transformation ring. The appearance of an ordinary man faded instantly, revealing her true form.

“My Lady!”

“Freya!”

Just then, Viktor came rushing through the knights and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Do you know how worried I was? I thought something terrible had happened!”

What… Why is he acting like this?

Caught in her second brother’s arms, Freya looked around in confusion.

“What happened? Where’s the kidnapper?”

After a brief three-second hug, Viktor stepped back, his eyes scanning her quickly for any signs of injury.

“Kidnapper? There was no kidnapper. I just went out for a bit.”

“Went out…?”

“What do you mean, Freya?”

Trying to calm her second brother, Freya shut her eyes tightly. There was one voice she especially didn’t want to hear right now.

“Father…”

Sure enough, the Count of Espensen stood behind her, face cold and furious.

“I told you not to go out alone. And now you sneak out at night?”

The Count was livid. That one reckless outing could’ve escalated into a political disaster.

“Freya, are you even aware of your position?”

The only person bold enough to kidnap his daughter would be the Marquess of Rancelloti. If the search had come up empty, the Count had been ready to storm the marquess’s estate himself.

“Do you want to be dragged into a scandal like the young lady from House Rancelloti?”

If that sly fox caught wind of her secret outing, there was no doubt he’d find a way to twist it to his advantage. Freya had, by pure luck, become the Crown Princess candidate. There was no room for scandal now.

Well… I’m the one who started that scandal in the first place.

Freya thought, but of course, couldn’t say it out loud.

“You’re grounded. No outings until further notice. Stay in your room until I give permission.”

The Count’s voice left no room for argument.

Imperial Year 321, June 15

Eliana welcomed the morning without a wink of sleep. Lying in bed any longer wouldn’t help.

“Sigh…”

She sat up with effort, letting out a long breath.

What should I do now?

An assassin could show up at any moment. Sitting around doing nothing wasn’t an option. She needed a plan.

“My Lady.”

When she stepped out in simple clothes, the knight guarding her door bowed. Her guard had changed—it was now Sir Speaker.

“So you’re my escort today, Sir Speaker?”

The Lady remembered my name!

“Yes, My Lady. May I ask where you’re headed?”

Trying to keep his excitement in check, Speaker lowered his voice, sounding overly formal.

“I’m going for a walk.”

“I’ll escort you.”

With Speaker acting both as escort and watchman, Eliana silently pondered her next move.

First, I need to calm Michalis down.

An assassin could come for her at any moment. This wasn’t the time to sulk just because her husband was angry. She needed to win him over and retrieve her confiscated magic cards.

For now, she was effectively under house arrest. Losing her cards meant she had no way to defend herself.

[Mission: Soothe the Duke’s Anger]

Eliana set her new objective with determination.

[Step 1: Gather Information]

“Sir Speaker, how long have you known him?”

Wasting no time, Eliana got straight to the point.

The Lady is asking me a personal question…!

“Ah, His Grace? We’ve served together for over ten years.”

Speaker, who’d been anxiously watching her every step in case she stumbled, started to relax.

“Then you must’ve experienced quite a lot together.”

“Ahem. Yes, indeed. I’d say we’d need an entire night just to scratch the surface.”

Speaker’s mouth was just about to start running.

“Then you must know how to calm him down when he’s upset, right?”

Eliana gently led the conversation to her real question.

“Ah… You mean how to ease His Grace’s anger?”

“That’s right.”

Speaker looked like he definitely had something to say. Eliana’s hopes rose. She had no dating experience before Michalis, so surely a fellow man would know better.

“Well then, let’s go back nine years. At the time, His Grace and I were both serving in the Second Knight Order…”

And with that, Speaker began his tale.

“We were patrolling the southwestern sea of Flencia on a warship, when we suddenly encountered pirates. Or so we thought—they turned out to be Camture Kingdom forces disguised as pirates! The waves were high, the cannon range limited, the warship at max speed, hull damage on the port side… Then the sails ripped straight through! His Grace, furious, fired his gun like this and like that! And when it turned into close combat, he drew his sword, cut this guy, that guy—meanwhile, I jumped in and helped with this and that…”

Forty minutes later, Speaker was still going.

“……”

They had circled the entire garden. Eliana simply stared at him, dazed.

It was clear now.

She had asked the wrong person.

Sir Speaker was an epic-level chatterbox.

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