I Stole The Duke - Chapter 70
17th Day of the 6th Month, Year 321 of the Imperial Calendar
Since it was a short-term day labor job, Jack was able to start work the very next morning.
His assignment was simple: remove cracked and chipped marble paving stones and replace them with new ones. At a glance, he looked like a quiet, hardworking man. But beneath that façade, his sharp senses were actively tracking every person moving through the garden.
“Currently, around 25 to 30 internal staff members reside within the ducal estate. There are ten knights in total.”
Jack ran the plan he’d prepared over and over in his mind.
“Target the Duchess during her walk.”
After finishing one stone, Jack checked the feel of a small vial tucked in his pocket. It contained a deadly poison—an amalgamation of various snake venoms.
“If the Duchess is alone, proceed immediately. If she’s accompanied by a maid, eliminate her as well.”
Even while simulating the plan mentally, his hands moved with swift precision, lifting another new paving stone.
“My lady, we’re in the middle of replacing the paving stones, so you’ll need to take the rear garden path today.”
“Very well, Sir Lucas. As you suggest.”
The Duchess, widely known for being deeply cherished by the Duke of Ascher, even had a graceful voice to match her reputation.
“The Duchess just appeared… and she’s heading to the rear garden?”
Jack stepped onto the newly set paving stone, subtly checking for gaps as he held his breath.
“The knight beside her… in a blue uniform.”
Unfortunately, a complication had arisen. The knight in the blue uniform belonged to the Azure Order—House Ascher’s pride. Each member was said to possess skills on par with a knight commander.
“Can I take him down?”
A direct confrontation was impossible. Jack would have to launch a surprise attack from behind and inject the poison in one swift motion.
He lightly coated the tip of a small needle with the venom. He had prepared two. As a seasoned assassin, he erased his presence in an instant.
“I’ll strike when they reach the center of the rear garden.”
Jack slipped quietly across the garden and hid among the trees in the back. The rear garden, dense with grass and trees, was the perfect location to stage the Duchess’s death as a snakebite.
“My lady, wait.”
Sir Lucas, who had been escorting Eliana, suddenly came to a halt.
“Hmm?”
“Someone’s suppressing their presence and hiding nearby.”
“Tch.”
Jack, concealed behind a tree, drew in a sharp breath.
“An assassin, perhaps?”
The Duchess’s clear, composed voice struck home.
“Damn it.”
“Come out.”
“Ah… I’ve been caught, haven’t I? I was just taking a short break from work…”
Muttering curses internally, Jack hesitated as he revealed himself.
“……”
Thanks to his day laborer’s outfit, the knight’s tension seemed to ease slightly.
“Y-you see, I was pulling up stones along the path, and I got so exhausted that I snuck into the rear garden for a quick rest. P-please forgive me. I won’t slack off again.”
Feigning fear, Jack trembled, holding up his dirt-covered hands.
“You say you’re removing paving stones… but you don’t even have a shovel or a pickaxe?”
The stern-looking knight reached for the hilt of his sword.
“S-sir Knight! I specialize in pulling stones out with my bare hands! I-it’s true!”
“Ah, shit. This is bad.”
Jack made a pathetic excuse as he slowly edged backward. The knight’s skill level was far beyond what he had anticipated.
“Then show us.”
“…Pardon?”
“Pull out a stone with your bare hands. I’d like to see it.”
“I’d like to see it too,” the Duchess added lightly.
“Y-yes! I’ll show you my specialty!”
Under the watchful eyes of the two, Jack threw himself to the ground and began digging like a mole. And indeed, his digging skills were exceptional—honed through countless missions that required him to hide in freshly dug graves.
“Here we go!”
What had looked like a potato-sized stone turned out to be the size of a watermelon.
“Wow, I guess that really is his specialty.”
“Yes, my lady. He does seem to be a genuine laborer.”
“I appreciate your efforts. Keep up the good work.”
Jack received encouragement from the very woman he was meant to assassinate.
“My lady, will you be summoning everyone again after your walk today?”
“Would you mind? I was thinking of enjoying a light card game.”
“Understood. I’ll see to the preparations.”
After her walk, the Duchess sat down at a table with five knights from the Azure Order. Jack abandoned the plan on the spot.
“It’s impossible during the day.”
He spent the rest of the day doing hard labor with unexpected enthusiasm.
“You’ve got a real talent for this, lad. Make sure you show up again tomorrow!”
With 80,000 riums tightly gripped in his hand, Jack trudged home, the foreman’s praise ringing in his ears.
18th Day of the 6th Month, Year 321 of the Imperial Calendar
“Damn it. I should’ve attempted a second infiltration last night.”
Originally, the plan was to scout the estate layout, cover, and escape routes during the day and return for a proper infiltration at night. But as soon as he got off work, he passed out cold.
“Damn stone-pulling. Never again.”
Left with no other choice, Jack reported for work again that day. Even after a full night’s sleep, his whole body ached, and his back felt like it was splitting in two.
Bang. Bang!
Once the stone removal began, there was no time to observe his surroundings. Avoiding the foreman’s gaze, Jack joined the paving team and kept his hands moving busily.
“The Duchess should be out for her walk around now.”
If she followed a routine, this would be about the time she emerged.
“That path is still uneven due to loose stones, so she’ll need to go around the fountain today.”
“Let’s do that.”
Sure enough, the Duchess appeared right on schedule.
“……”
Today’s escort was different from the one yesterday. While yesterday’s knight had been a cold-looking man in his mid-thirties, today’s was a gentle-looking man in his early thirties. He looked slightly more approachable.
“Looks like I’ve got a bit of luck today.”
Jack discreetly slipped his hand into his pocket after observing the Duchess and her escort’s route.
Within seconds, the needle laced with deadly poison was ready.
It looked like today, he might finally finish the job.
“Sir Ista, do you know who manages the garden at the Wespa estate?”
“From what I’ve heard, they don’t employ a dedicated gardener. Instead, they hire a management company under contract.”
“Ah, I see.”
The Duchess and her escort were walking along a flowerbed—the very spot Jack had just finished working on.
In fact, they were unknowingly heading right toward him.
Bzzz—bzzz—!
Naturally, flowers attracted plenty of bees and butterflies. For a daytime assassination, it was an ideal setting.
If her exposed arm were pricked, it would simply feel like a bee sting—no one would suspect a needle coated in poison lethal enough to kill within three minutes.
Distance to target: ten meters.
Jack stepped carefully onto the paving stone he had set, lying in wait for the perfect moment.
“My lady, one moment.”
“Hmm?”
While escorting Eliana, Sir Ista suddenly came to a halt.
Swish—!
With a swift motion, Ista extended his hand and caught something mid-air.
“There’s a hornet.”
The wasp, now crushed into powder, dropped to the ground from his hand.
That reaction speed…
Jack saw it clearly—blue aura shimmered in Sir Ista’s palm.
It had been concentrated to a pinpoint, used precisely at the right moment.
“There are more insects than usual today. I suspect there may be more hornets around. It would be safer to turn back.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
She hadn’t even entered his range yet—
And now, the target was moving away again.
Should I follow?
But Jack hesitated. The knight’s level was far too advanced.
No… I’ll have to strike at night.
As Jack resumed examining the paving stones, recalibrating his plan—
“Hey.”
He froze. Midway through fitting a new stone, a shadow suddenly fell over him.
“…Yes?”
What the—A bull and a gorilla?
Two knights in blue uniforms towered above him.
“What seems to be the matter, sirs?” Jack asked, trying to act clueless.
“Why were you spying on the lady?”
“You’re the same guy who was sneaking glances at her yesterday, aren’t you?”
Jack broke into a cold sweat at the gorilla-like knight’s words.
He had never even seen this man before yesterday.
“You’ve been eyeing her this whole time.”
“T-that’s because she’s just so beautiful…”
“Are you really a laborer?”
“Yes, absolutely! Fitting paving stones is my specialty!”
“Yesterday, wasn’t your specialty pulling stones out with your bare hands?”
Sweat dripped down Jack’s back.
He couldn’t even begin to guess where this huge man had been watching or listening from.
“I-I’m also very good at fitting stones…”
“Sir Cedric, doesn’t this guy’s gaze seem… off?”
“Hmm. Definitely looks like he’s killed a few men before.”
“Sirs! That’s a misunderstanding! These snake-like eyes are a family trait, I swear!”
“Are you the site foreman? Come here a moment.”
Sir Cedric motioned to the foreman, who had been walking nearby.
“Yes, Sir Knight. You called?”
“Is it standard procedure to verify the identities of the workers you hire?”
“Yes! We carefully review their résumés before hiring.”
“Then bring me this man’s résumé.”
Jack stood frozen, sandwiched between the two towering knights, for an entire hour while the foreman retrieved the documents.
“There’s nothing unusual on his résumé.”
Of course not. It had been perfectly forged. Only with a deep and thorough investigation could any inconsistencies be uncovered.
“Says here he has experience working in quarries. Looks like he’s more of a specialist in stone extraction than paving.”
“See? I knew I was right!” the gorilla-like knight exclaimed. “At first I thought he was an assassin and followed him—but when I saw him digging up stones barehanded, I was blown away. Just look at him! Doesn’t he look like a mole? Those clawed hands dig better than a shovel, and the way his muscles ripple when he lifts a stone—he doesn’t rely on anyone else. Such a strong sense of independence…”
“Take him to the stone-removal site.”
As the knight-turned-loudspeaker rambled on, Sir Cedric quickly handed Jack back over to the foreman—before things got even more ridiculous.
…Damn it.
Jack was promptly dragged off to the stone-removal site.
Seriously… they didn’t give me a shovel the whole damn time? Who does that?
After spending the entire day pulling out stones with his bare hands, Jack trudged home.
Ptui! Disgusting. Pathetic. I swear I’m never setting foot in that cursed ducal estate again.
He even vowed not to stretch his legs in the direction of House Ascher when he slept.
The real showdown will be at the hunting grounds.
In his dirt-streaked hand, the crumpled 80,000 riums were clenched tightly.
Support I Stole The Duke
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