I Reincarnated As An Evil Duchess - Chapter 132
Translator: Nabi
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Chapter 132
Side Story 5 — Happily Ever After
“…What on earth is this?”
“Is this not a potpourri made with lavender? Why is this…”
“Tsk, tsk. It’s not just any potpourri, Percy. It’s something the Duchess made especially for us.”
“The Duchess?”
“She made this herself?”
Percival and Kay, who wore skeptical expressions as they accepted the potpourri at first, suddenly changed.
Seth, upon hearing Gawin’s words, also rose from his study chair and gazed at the potpourri in their hands. It was evident that it had been meticulously crafted, with various colored silk ribbons tied to its end and made from carefully selected, high-quality fabric.
‘…I told her to take it easy, but when did she manage to make something like this?’
He purposely didn’t tell her detailed information about the Lavender Festival, fearing this very situation. He wondered when they had heard about the festival and how much effort Min-ha had put into preparing these items.
With these thoughts in mind, Seth quietly furrowed his brow.
At the same time, as he imagined her joyful face while creating these items, the corners of his lips naturally curved upwards. Furthermore, since she had put so much care into making them for everyone, he couldn’t help but anticipate how beautiful his and Noah’s would be.
However, he didn’t want to reveal his feelings, so Seth deliberately spoke as if he were being nonchalant.
“…It’s beautiful.”
“The Duchess has put a lot of effort into making these.”
“I must express my gratitude to the Duchess… Thank you, Gawin.”
“Well, I’m just here at the request of the Duchess.”
Gawin observed as Kay and Percival, who had been scowling in exhaustion just a moment ago, softened. Then, he glanced sideways and looked at Seth, whose eyes were fixed on the lavender potpourri. Judging by his relaxed demeanor and the anticipation evident in his deep blue eyes, it seemed like he was wondering what this could be.
Amused by this, he decided to play a little game. Gawin pretended not to notice his master’s fixation on the basket he held and spoke.
“Now, if I deliver it to Sir Gallahed, one of the Duchess’s requests to me is fulfilled. Phew, it might be better to send a letter to Sir Gallahed rather than visit him in person?”
“….”
Seth’s expression darkened as Gawin scratched at the bottom of the basket and spoke in a cheerful tone. The moment they saw his reaction, Kay and Percival, who had been relaxed until then, also froze.
‘…No way?’
‘Oh, no… He surely wouldn’t do that.’
The two of them exchanged quick glances before turning to Gawain, who was blathering on as if he knew nothing.
“Um, Gawin.”
“Hmm? Why, Kay?”
“That, Your Excellency’s…”
“Oh, that… there’s none.”
“What?!”
“Is that really true?”
In response to his answer, Percy and Percival shook his shoulders with urgency while keeping an eye on the stern-faced Seth.
Gawin resisted the urge to burst into laughter at the startled faces and bewildered faces of his colleagues, who were shaking him vigorously in all directions, and at Seth, who stood stiffly. The looks he received from his two comrades seemed to be shouting at him, ‘This can’t be, it’s a lie, it can’t be real, stop joking and hand it over right now.’
Eventually, he couldn’t contain his restrained laughter and revealed the truth.
“Ku, heum, haha. That means I don’t have it.”
“What? This kid, seriously…”
“…You, really!”
“Haha! I’m just kidding, just kidding! How could the Duchess possibly leave out something belonging to her beloved husband?”
Seeing even the usually composed and calm Percival in a state of shock and shouting, Gawin couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight.
Seth spoke in a low voice to Gawain, who was laughing merrily.
“…You played quite an amusing joke, Sir Gawin. Seeing how much you’re enjoying this, it seems like you’ll be training without any vacation for the next year.”
“Ah, hahaha.”
Hiik.
Glancing back, Gawin spotted his master, who was glaring at him with a cold expression on his face.
If one could pierce a person with a glance, he probably would have been pierced by dozens or hundreds of swords by now, turning into a beehive-like mess. Realizing he needed to remedy the situation, he awkwardly smiled, raised one hand in a gesture of surrender, and spoke to the still-stern Seth.
“Ha, haha. Please spare me, Captain. I’m already so busy that I can’t have a proper relationship, and if there’s no vacation, I’ll remain single for the rest of my life. Surely, that’s not what you wish for, is it?”
“Well, if a child resembling you becomes my knight and turns the lives of me, Noah, or my successor upside down, maybe you being single isn’t such a bad thing.”
“Don’t be like that, Captain. It’s just a joke, just a joke. Surely, the Duchess wouldn’t leave out something for you, considering how fond you both are of each other? Maybe the Captain is being foolish…”
“Shall I take away ten years’ worth of vacation instead of just one, Sir Gawin?”
“…I apologize, Your Excellency the Duke of Persen. I’ll stop with the jokes now and get straight to the point.”
When Seth brought up a threat that seemed quite plausible, Gawin quickly made amends for the jest and tidied up Seth’s messy desk with scattered documents. Then, he set down the basket he had been holding and opened the door.
“…Actually, according to the Duchess’s wishes, these should have been taken outside the castle first. However, it seemed appropriate to inform the Captain before doing so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Take a look at what’s inside the basket.”
Seth narrowed his eyes slightly and peered into the open basket after hearing his words.
Inside the large basket, several dolls and potions were neatly stacked. He immediately recognized that they were made by Min-ha. Each lavender potpourri and the closely packed, beautifully crafted fabric dolls had been made with great care, like the ones Percival and Kay had taken earlier.
Observing his master’s reaction, Gawin spoke with a deliberately troubled expression.
“The Duchess requested that these be sold to merchants outside the castle, but…”
“No need for that. I’ll buy all of it.”
“I expected the Captain to say that.”
In response to Seth’s immediate reply, Gawin smiled confidently. Meanwhile, Percival and Kay, who had been standing with them all along, wore expressions that seemed to convey their annoyance. They understood the meaning of his subtle smile very well.
It was the smile of someone who had acted with the certainty that something like this would happen.
Percival and Kay silently gazed at Gawin, shaking their heads.
However, Seth was too busy examining the well-crafted items in the basket to notice Gawin’s reaction. As he gently stroked the stitching on the doll touched by Min-ha’s hands, he asked Gawin.
“How much does she say she needs for these?”
“You didn’t say anything about that, but I suppose it would be alright if you give her a reasonable amount, right? For example, enough to buy a ring?”
“…A fair amount? I see.”
Seth nodded slightly before he opened a small safe next to his office desk, took out a pouch of gold coins, and handed it to Gawin.
“Is this enough?”
“Yes, of course.”
Gawin grinned joyfully as he held the heavy bag of gold coins in his hand, almost making his wrist ache. It was truly a successful operation. Then, he swiftly tucked the pouch into his pocket and spoke in a sly voice.
“It seems that the Duchess has set tomorrow evening as the day of reckoning.”
“…I see.”
“Captain, have you prepared a gift for the Duchess? Whatever it is, you should have something ready by tomorrow evening, right?”
“You don’t need to worry. I don’t really need to prepare anything.”
“I see.”
Seth lightly tapped the drawer of his office desk in response to Gawin’s answer.
Perhaps there was a gift for her inside. It was ironic that he had advised the Duchess not to prepare anything, yet he himself had a gift ready.
Gawin pretended not to notice his master lightly tapping the drawer and continued.
“And, Captain. The fact that I’ve sold all these items to you today…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret.”
“As expected, Captain. You are quick-witted.”
“As much as you know me, I know you as well.”
As Seth responded with a casual shrug of his shoulders, in turn, Gawin also replied with a light chuckle. It was a moment when an unspoken secret had formed between them before Seth carefully took out the dolls and potpourri from the basket and opened his mouth.
“Thanks for letting me know in advance, Sir Gawin. In a few hours from now, make sure to deliver the gold to her. Do you understand?”
“You’re asking me to pretend I sold this to someone else, right? I understand.”
“Then, if you’re done with your business, you can leave. If I want to finish all urgent matters by tomorrow evening, it seems I might have to work through the night starting from now. Kay, Percival, you may continue with your duties.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“We’ll take the orders.”
Following Seth’s command to resume their work, Kay and Percival returned to their desks in a corner of the office, where they had been working on their tasks a short while ago. Gawin, with a gesture of sympathy towards their slightly slumped shoulders, greeted his master, who had once again started to look at the documents.
“Haha. I’ll take my leave now.”
“All right.”
With Seth’s short response, the conversation in the office came to an end.
Gawin glanced back at the three people who had started to focus on their work again before he stepped out of the office, making sure to keep his footsteps muffled.
The operation was truly a great success.
He wore a satisfied smile as he patted his chest pocket filled with gold coins.
Perhaps when the Duchess told him to sell the doll, she meant that she didn’t want Seth’s help. However, he was certain that if he sold the dolls in the market as the Duchess had commanded, his master would soon learn of it and order him to buy the dolls and potpourri back in a few days.
And he would bet his sword and right arm that he would have to follow those orders and scour through the castle grounds to find buyers.
‘It’s all going to fall into the Captain’s hands anyway. Then, why not sell it straight to him instead of going through the trouble of selling it on the market?’
And that was also the path without any hardships either.
Although it bothered him that he ended up deceiving the Duchess, wasn’t a good thing a good thing? Gawin’s steps were light as he walked down the hallway, whistling lightly.
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Translator’s Note: Hello, it’s Nabi! I’m the translator of this novel ପ( ๑•ᴗ•๑ )ଓ♡ If you like the novel and would like to support me, please feel free to click the button below to go to my kofi~! Thank you so much for always supporting the novels I work on, even if you don’t buy me a coffee, I really do appreciate it a lot. ❤︎
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Sena
Gawin is smart 😂