Duke, Let Go of My Ankle, Please! Book 1

Jazzy Citrus

Prologue

“Lift.”

“…….”

The feast was a sumptuous affair. But Audrey couldn’t enjoy herself.

“Could this be…… the Last Supper?

It is said that condemned prisoners are given the richest meal just before they die.

Her terrified hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and the water in the glass vibrated slightly with the movement.

Derek stared at the figure with a chilling glare. He didn’t like that she was still holding the glass.

“What’s wrong with you?

He was worried about her white face, which seemed to have no appetite, and her body, which was getting weaker by the day.

He looked at her skinny wrists with pity and urged her to eat.

“Do you ……want to starve to death?”

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, no!”

But somehow Audrey grew even paler. For the umpteenth time, the death threats sent chills down her spine. Now her knees, hidden beneath the table, began to tremble sweetly.

It was clear that this fearsome and vicious duke had no respect for life. Was this one of many deaths, a warning that he would not be kind?

Derek shook his head in disbelief as he watched her fade to white.

“Hic!

Audrey was terrified again. That silent movement must be asking, ‘Would you like to die any other way, then?

She scrambled away from the piercing gaze and grabbed whatever she could find. It happened to be a knife.

‘Don’t you think we should at least try to resist …… when we go?’

But her hopeful face quickly turned to despair. The odds of defeating him and getting back on her own two feet were zero, no matter how you counted the odds.

She might be a wizard, but her meager skills in life magic were no match for the youngest Swordmaster, …… unless he chained himself to her and stabbed her meekly.

Meanwhile, Derek glanced over at Audrey, who was reluctantly nibbling at her meal and smiled with satisfaction. It was a very different kind of satisfaction than the one he’d come to expect from society, but it was heartwarming to see her so eagerly picking at the dinner he’d prepared.

“You cut the lettuce so nicely.

My heart melts in my chest. What did Dodol grow up eating to be so adorable as long as he breathed? My hands tightened around the fork and knife.

The iron, made of the finest steel from a distant continent, instantly crumpled like a piece of paper.

Still, I wasn’t fazed. I felt like I needed to punch a wall to get rid of this strange tickle.

“…… I’m going to step out for a minute.

Derek imagined uprooting all the scarecrows on the stage and chopping them to pieces. Every time he looked at the dodo, an unexplained violence would rise inside him. The other day, I even split my desk in two with my bare hands while thinking about Dodol.

It seemed the day would not be long before the duchy would crumble to the ground.

But Audrey was oblivious to the man in front of her fidgeting with me, his head bowed low as he counted down the last minutes of his life.

“Thirty minutes? An hour?

Perhaps by the end of this meal, she will not be of this world. The crime: blackmail. She had unintentionally blackmailed the Duke by mailing him a desperate love letter.

What a miserable life I’ve had, not being able to confess, and now being accused of blackmail.

‘Father, brother…….’

Tears filled her eyes as she thought of the family she would leave behind. Audrey picked at the plate in front of me, trying desperately not to cry. My vision was blurry and I couldn’t see much of anything, but I clenched my jaw and sliced as hard as I could. I had to slice something to buy time.

“Suck, himph.”

But a cry kept escaping from my throat without my realizing it. At this rate, I’d be decapitated before I was done eating. Glancing over at him, Audrey
quickly shoved food down his throat to stop him from choking.

All the while, Derek watched with a look of pride on his face.

“That’s so good it’ll make you cry.

If I had known he liked it so much, I should have fed him more. The way she was happily munching away was as cute as a little piglet, and I felt unnecessarily proud of myself, even though I didn’t make the food. Somehow, he felt like he couldn’t make her learn without giving her something more.

He picked out the tasty ones and slid them toward her. With an affectionate invitation.

“You’d better eat them all.”

Because they were all precious and delicious.

Derek chuckled, imagining her delight. But instead of looking sweet, the smile had a bizarre, psychopathic quality to it.

Sure enough, Audrey stiffened like a rabbit before a lion. Her eyes were bloodshot and filled with the fear of death.

“Nose, kolok!”

What would happen if I didn’t eat it all? If I left any food behind, would it mean I wouldn’t die a good death?

Finally, his full lips began to quiver.

“Oh, no.”

Derek, who had been staring at her, quickly handed her the glass.

It was odd though how such a benevolent gesture could have such a suspicious intent once it passed through him. It feels like a mocking threat like he’s saying, “You think I’m going to kill you that easily?

Needless to say, Audrey was terrified. The simulacrum was so vicious that it didn’t kill her with a single blow but only rolled her around to scare her. Audrey, who had valiantly held back her tears, eventually broke down and sobbed like someone who had given up on everything.

“Please, just, hmmm, kill him!”

My tear-stained face fell onto the table with a thud, and my neck elongated. As if to say, punch me in the throat right now. It snorted unceremoniously, its skinny shoulders jerking up and down.

“Is your hair, hmmmm, black if I leave it here?”

“……what are you talking about.”

“Ho, ho, are you planning to poison him?”

Duke Frit didn’t bat an eyelid as the man was being torn apart in front of him. This was the man who lived up to his name: The Devil.

Audrey grunted nervously as she imagined my severed head rolling across the long table.

“Or are you going to tear me limb from limb?”

“…….”

“Himph, kill me already!”

But to Derek, the whole situation was baffling.

Why is his domme sobbing so loudly? Why is she asking him to kill her instead of eating? Why is she saying such horrible things so casually when the thought of a tomorrow without her is enough to make his heart skip a beat?

This situation is not out of a romance book.

Derek, despite his heartless exterior, fidgeted in a panic. His hands, hidden under the table, were shaking nervously as he picked and chose the words that came to mind, trying to soothe her somehow.

“You must be out of breath…….”

“……!”

For some reason, the tears didn’t seem to stop, and she started wailing like she was going to die.
“They want to watch me die!

The bloodshot eyes staring down at her were chilling, sending chills down her spine. Audrey squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the stare.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Fritz was fidgeting to himself behind closed eyelids.

“Should I go and fetch a book now?

The only thing he had to fall back on was his love book.

But this was a historic first date. The book was lying open beside him, like a vein, and he couldn’t even fumble through it. ‘I’ve barely separated us, and what a disaster awaits me!

‘I should have kept one book close at hand.’

He blamed himself for his complacency. Meanwhile, Dodol was crying like a baby.

Should he leave the crying dodo alone?

No. Even with his brief knowledge of the world, he knew it was a bad idea.

Suddenly, a passage from a love book flashed through his mind.

“Lesson 23: How to appease your lover.

There’s no better way to appease a lover than with a sweet touch.

If you want to appease your lover, blow a sweet, deep kiss. All troubles are forgotten in the face of love!

-The Secret of Captivating the Foxes

But there was one problem.

They hadn’t even touched yet. Blowing her a sweet, deep kiss? Wouldn’t she freak out?

His face flushed bright red at the mere thought of it, and he fiddled with his heated ears, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed.

‘It can’t be. She said our first kiss must be on a hill under the stars.’

Cancer. This is not the way to end a lifetime of memories, and their first kiss is a story they will tell their children and grandchildren for years to come. It should be a beautiful story to whisper to them in their sleep.

While Derek was daydreaming about the future, Audrey was still sobbing. His face grew serious. I was afraid something was going to happen to her.

“I must appease my dodo. But by what means?’

Maybe…… she was doubting his heart? Maybe she was being cute with him, being blunt and clumsy.

“She has a point.

Derek stepped closer to Audrey, smiled as sweetly as he could, and whispered his love for her so only she could hear.

“I will be with you, till death do us part.”

“Hic!”

But when she opened her eyes for a moment, she was horrified. At the same time, she squeezed her eyes shut as if she had seen something she couldn’t see. The grotesque laughter and whispered curses were eerily insistent.

“I’m not going to let him get away with it, even in death……!

It was entirely possible with that man. Audrey would not rest in peace, even in death.

Derek, meanwhile, grew serious, wondering if I had gotten it wrong.

“Isn’t this it?

Somehow her trembling was getting worse by the minute. He stood there for a long time, unable to do anything. He felt like an idiot for not being able to comfort a crying woman.

For him, relationships were difficult.