JustPeachyNovels

The Role of the Lady (5)

“Now we’re at eye level,” Duha said, smiling at Vail, who was kneeling and glaring at her with all his might.

“You seem surprised. Why? Did you think all I could do was shoot arrows?”

“Ugh, ugh!”

Vail groaned in indescribable pain, finally managing to speak in a strained voice.

“Duchess, you’ll regret treating me like this. Do you know who’s behind me…”

“It doesn’t matter who’s behind you.”

Duha smiled sweetly at him.

“What matters is that you didn’t do your job and even insulted me, the Duchess.”

“What…”

“You seem to think I’m just a figurehead without the Duke’s recognition.”

Vail’s shoulders trembled as if she had struck a nerve.

“The one who gave me the authority to oversee the duchy is none other than Duke Esbaden.”

“What? That can’t be!”

Vail jerked his head up.

According to the rumors among the servants, the Duchess was an unloved wife, rejected by the Duke on their wedding night. She was a barbarian woman with no power whatsoever.

“Hard to accept, but it’s true. That’s why I summoned you here personally.”

Duha raised her voice so that the head maid behind her could hear.

“Sylvia, dismiss him from his position as stable manager and expel him from the castle. We don’t need lazy and rude workers here.”

Sylvia hesitated for a moment at her firm command but then bowed her head.

“Understood.”

“What are you saying? Who gave you the authority to expel me? You must be crazy! Lord Nate cherishes me!”

“Then call Lord Nate here.”

“…What?”

“I doubt someone of his stature will come just because you call him.”

Duha stared coldly at him.

“If he comes here to defend your innocence, I’ll reconsider your dismissal.”

Despair settled in Vail’s eyes at her words.

Although Lord Nate favored him, he was still a noble. A grand noble whom even the Duke couldn’t easily defy. There was no way he would come here for a mere stable hand.

Moreover, Vail wasn’t entirely innocent, and the Duchess had documents proving his corruption.

Recalling Lord Nate’s stern nature, Vail slumped in defeat.

Seeing this, Duha sighed quietly and turned away.

Punishing the guilty was necessary for order, but it always weighed heavily on the punisher’s heart. It was inevitable since they were both human.

“Let’s go.”

As she smiled at Leila and the head maid behind her, a sudden shout interrupted.

“You barbarian bitch!”

“Duchess!”

With the head maid’s shrill scream, Vail lunged at Duha like a mad dog, grabbing her collar and trying to strangle her.

“Die, you—”

But his fierce attempt didn’t last three seconds.

Duha brushed off his hand and delivered a precise kick to his solar plexus.

Her swift and accurate movement left everyone present with their jaws dropped.

“What just happened…”

“The Duchess kicked Vail?”

“Did we see that right? How could a noblewoman take down that guy with her bare hands?”

Leila, on the other hand, laughed as if used to such displays from the Duchess.

“That’s what happens when you mess with the princess, I mean the Duchess.”

“Leila, what…”

The head maid, pale with shock, asked again, and Leila replied with a bright smile.

“You saw it, right? That’s our Duchess’s real skill!”

“But how did the Duchess…?”

“In Bashar, everyone, regardless of age or gender, learns martial arts. And the Duchess is an exceptionally skilled warrior among them.”

“A warrior?”

“Yes! I trained hard too, but I’m nothing compared to her. She’s the first woman in Bashar to be honored with the title of warrior!”

“Is that so…”

Astonishing. The first female warrior of the Bashar kingdom was now the Duchess of the Empire’s greatest duke.

Even hearing it with her own ears, the head maid found it hard to believe.

Meanwhile, Vail, despite repeatedly attacking and getting beaten, glared at Duha with enraged eyes.

He laughed hysterically, staring at her proud gaze.

“Hah, hah, you barbarian bitch, acting so high and mighty because the Duke reluctantly took you in after being rejected from above.”

Rejected from above? Taken in by the Duke?

What was he talking about?

Duha’s puzzled gaze made Vail smirk as if he had realized something.

“Didn’t you know? You were originally—”

“Have you said enough?”

A cold, rough voice cut through the air, silencing everyone.

Vail turned slowly, forgetting to breathe.

Standing before him was Duke Leonhardt of Esbaden, radiating a menacing aura.

*** *** *** *** ***

“Have you said enough?”

Leonhardt, clad in bloodstained silver armor, stared at Vail with a blank expression.

Duha raised an eyebrow, looking at her husband’s back as he stood before her.

Seeing the dirty armor of the knights in the distance, it seemed they had just returned from reconnaissance.

‘Did he come to stable his horse?’

But did the Duke really need to come personally to stable his horse?

While Duha pondered her husband’s sudden appearance, Vail, who had risen from the ground, clutched his injured side and put on a pitiful expression.

“Duke! Please listen to me! The Duchess attacked me without reason…”

“Disgraceful.”

“…What?”

Leonhardt’s cold gaze bore into Vail.

“I recall you taking a significant budget for stable repairs last year. The stable is in terrible shape.”

Vail gritted his teeth in fear.

This man, who usually had his subordinates stable his horse, had come all the way here. Why?

“Is this the result of trusting you?”

“N-no! You misunderstand! The facilities deteriorated over another year…”

“And you laid hands on the Duchess.”

Leonhardt’s eyes turned deadly.

Realizing the Duke’s gaze was not as the rumors suggested, Vail resorted to his last desperate tactic.

“Duke, I am guilty! But I couldn’t help it! The Duchess attacked me without reason, and I reacted instinctively…”

Everyone except the Duke frowned at his outrageous claim.

Make sense. Who started it?

“If you’re so guilty, why seek forgiveness?”

Leonhardt’s cold words stunned him.

“What?”

Leonhardt drew his sword quietly.

The gleaming blade, crafted by the finest artisans, reflected the cold, ruthless air of its master.

“You know the consequences of laying hands on a married noblewoman.”

“U-uh!”

Seeing the approaching blade, Vail lost his nerve and played his final card.

“If you harm me, Lord Nate won’t let it go! Even you wouldn’t want trouble with him!”

“Because you think short, your tongue is short too.”

A poor move, akin to pouring fuel on the fire.

“That cunning old fox wouldn’t cause trouble with me over someone like you.”

“Ahhh!”

With a scream, Vail’s arm was severed, blood pooling rapidly on the ground.

Leonhardt sheathed his sword as if nothing had happened.

His gaze turned to Duha, standing behind him, focusing on her disheveled collar.

Duha, puzzled by his look, watched silently.

Leonhardt, after a moment’s pause, walked towards her, displeasure evident on his face.

“You should know better than to fight battles you can’t win.”

Did he think she couldn’t handle a thug like that without his intervention?

“…I could’ve won. No need to cut his arm off.”

“I know your kick is impressive.”

He smirked, glancing at her baggy sleeve, resting his arm on his sword hilt.

“If I hadn’t, you might’ve cut it off yourself.”

Duha hid her right sleeve behind her back.

She didn’t expect him to notice the knife hidden there.

“It’s one thing for the Duchess to walk around in her nightgown, another to engage in a knife fight with servants.”

“……”

“Please, maintain your dignity as the Duchess. I’ll take my leave.”

Leonhardt walked towards his knights, his business seemingly done.

As he turned, his eyes briefly returned to her rumpled collar, like a beast guarding its territory.

It’s really strange.

Episode 9 – Episode 11