The Unlucky Villainess Small Fief

Chapter 34

"What do you mean the duke and the lady had gone missing?" King Rudevich asked the maid who was trembling because of his intimidating aura. He arrived without saying beforehand, and now that he was there, he did not even greet that two young masters of the house.

He can at least accept that the Duke is missing for he might had been busy with work but to think that the lady of the house too was missing for a day—-

"Your majesty. Perhaps they are in the nearby village?" A knight gave out a hopeful option for the king. Rudevich stared at him for a moment before mounting his horse and galloping away from the ducal house.

If it is the fief, he is sure that his fiance is in there. After 15 minutes, he had reached the said fief. It has been a while since he visited the fief. Last time, when he and duke Jeremy collaborated with each other to save the fief from king friedrich's wipe out process, they were back to ground zero, but the good thing is, stocks of food and the animals were a plenty. Even the seeds were intact well too. The villagers helped each other in rebuilding the fief, along with him and Jeremy.

Rudevich chuckled upon remembering a memory from saving his fiancee's fief—when Glen saw Jeremy, he punched the duke as hard as he could. Jeremy was left dumbfounded as Glen nagged and mouthed him with curses. Sir Dialton sent me an apologetic look, and Melody was holding back her tears. Some of the villagers were doubtful of them at first, but once Lucius remembered Rudevich scent, he ran towards him and slobbered on him all over. Glen then remarked "is this supposed to be the new king? So laidback." But rudevich did not mind. He was certainly happy that everyone in the fief are safe and healthy. Good thing the methods in reforming agriculture in forests were pioneered by by ortezca for it were so revolutionized that no one would believe that it would work on such barren lands of the kingdom. 

When he arrived at the fief, he unmounted his horse and as usual, Lucius greeted him, and some children.

"Waiiiii~~~~ it's the king! It is the king!" The children happily shouted as they grab his hands and guide him further inside the village. Upon taking a closer look, he saw a carriage with a familiar crest on it. 

'I see. So this is where he went...but why?' Rudevich pondered and soon, Glen hovered in his vision as he and the children approached the house. Glen was waiting beside the door of the house, sitting with his legs open and puffing smoke from his pipe. He stood up once Rudevich and the kids were close enough for him to stop smoking.

"...what a bizarre thing for his majesty to come here in this petty fief. May I help you?" Glen asked, glancing at the some children who were clinging on both of Rudevich's arms and a child wrapping his arms around Rudevich's neck. He looked like a father that was out of place.

"... I came here to discuss things with Duke Holminne...and pay visit to the lady..as well?" Rudevich squeezed out his voice as he tried to look at Glen in the eyes. Rudevich just could not look Glen in the eyes, he doesn't know why, but he always feel intimidated by Glen for some reason. 

'I could look Duke Holminne in the eye, but why can't I do that with lord Glen?' Rudevich thought everytime he was alone in his study room.

'Was it because he feels more like a father to Ortezca than the duke himself?' Rudevich made a wry smile upon thinking about it. If that is the case, then, he will have a long way to go before his marriage with the lady of the house.

"The Lady is not well and is resting in the room along with the duke. I thought that you had already cured her? How come she pukes the food and is in pain?" Glen glints his eye in accusation against Rudevich. 

Indeed, Rudevich had been careless during Ortezca's stay in his mansion, and he has no excuse towards it.

"Please forgive me...I-" the king bowed at Glen but Glen stopped him. 

"If a king bowed towards a commoner, what would the nobles think? And no. Apology not accepted. You can go inside to have a cup of coffee, talk with the duke, but I will not let you visit the lady." Glen said and told the children to run along before letting the king enter the house. Jeremy was in the kitchen when Rudevich entered the door. Both stared at each other for a moment before the older man gasped.

"What....what are you doing here????"

"I should ask the same to you." Rudevich asked, eyeing the duke.

"I am having a vacation." The duke proudly said, without any stuttering. The people inside the house had various comical expressions: melody giving a wry smile, the captain commander looked at him with 'since when????', Glen looked at him with 'dafuq you saying shit?' And Rudevich, with an 'oh really?' Expression.

"What? It is natural to visit one's own daughter and care for her well being."

"...and that said daughter had been asking you to go home because you are unneeded." Ortezca said, glaring at Jeremy, making the father shocked at her retort.

"Oho! Well said, lass! Well said." Glen smiled. Rudevich chuckled. "And same goes with you too, your majesty, why the hell are you chuckling there anyway? Do you think i would ask you to stay here?" Ortezca raised her brows at Rudevich. 

"....I..I'm..." the two gentlemen stammered, thinking of what to reply. Looking at these two, they looked so pitiful in the hands of Ortezca. Glen laughed so hard.

"WAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Look at you two! The great nerdy Duke Holminne and the new king, at mercy from the lady! This is gold! No, this is priceless!!Haaaaa.... i am so happy to see this situation!" Glen wiped the tears from laughing too much. 

"Anyhow. Please go back. I will return after 3 days."

"3 days?!?! No, no! Father would not permit it!" Jeremy exclaimed. It is not that he has no trust in the fief, he is worried that his daughter might not get any better by staying here.

"Good idea! I shall stay here as well—" Rudevich brightens up, which made Ortezca clicked her tongue. 'These two really dont listen as they are told, huh? Let's see...' Ortezca pretends that she feels dizzy, and she looses her balance. The two men tried to catch her, but Melody caught her instead.

"My lady???"

 "Ugh...my head...thank you Melody, for catching me...it must have been because my mind is going overdrive, these days...maybe because I am stressed from the mansion...." Ortezca said as she clutched her pretending to ache head and glance at duke Jeremy. Duke Jeremy averted his eyes, looking guilty. Rudevich and Glen noticed it.

"...and I am worried if the plans that I had made are not beeing done well...the citiziens might go ang blame me....so I think I have to actually go back...I thought that I can already rest up since the new king is already doing his job well...but the people in the mansion really dont welcome me...so i decided to stay here...only to see the king himself here too...." ortezca weakly smiled, making melody teared up. The other gentlemen inside looked at her with pity. Glen snapped.

"YOU HEARD THE LADY!!! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!" Glen shoved the two out of the house.