CH 24

Fortunately, Leone quickly recovered. He had a monstrous resilience.

The doctor was also surprised and told him to be careful not to open the wound. It was a very different diagnosis from when he bandaged her arm. These days, it had been her daily routine to resolutely punish and control Leone whenever he made excessive movements.

The atmosphere in the main building had been chilly since the day fifteen assassins invaded. It was cool, quiet, and peaceful. Neither Gourden nor she mentioned the time they spent cleaning the bloody mansion that day.

Without doing the same thing every day, only fatigue piled up. The soldiers, emaciated with fear as they examined the corpses until Adler’s return, were drawn even more from Adler’s punishment. Adler found an uninhabited mountain road in the next mountain and ordered the knights to go up and down ten times in a round trip from the top to the beginning. The knights wore heavy armor and silently carried out the punishment.

Again, the Meto Mountains were so rugged that even that large mansion could easily be hidden.

“Hello…”

After being punished, the knights, who had become almost motionless, continued to walk around and run small errands for Adler everyday. As if there was so much to do, they had to run around the main building and the annex building all day wearing light clothes and soft shoes that didn’t make footsteps sound.

Anyway, Adler made all the hardships that could be done there. She even admired Adler a little because picking out such a difficult task was a skill no everyone had.

“You really like bones.”

Gourden chattered in a leisurely voice. Leone was basking in the sunlight while chewing on a bone.

“I know, right…”

It’s so much more peaceful. It would be nice if days like that could continue.

“I… Teacher. Aren’t you having a hard time because of the last job?”

“I guess… Yes.”

She replied hesitantly. Gourden and she were a little taken aback by his words, as they had been tacitly silent about the day’s events.

“As expected.”

“Yes. At that time, Leone-”

“Yes.”

“… Oh no.”

She almost unknowingly confided this and that to Gourden. She was pretending that nothing was wrong, but in the end, she seemed to want to tell someone. She was really weak.

“Teacher… You may speak.”

Gourden looked at her with a worried face. She shook her head. It wasn’t safe there. Leone was hurt too. She could have died if he didn’t…

Aside from her incompetence and weakness, her presence in that world was like that. It was obvious what would happen to the prince, who could sacrifice himself to protect an extra who was about to be decapitated because of one wrong breath. On Leone’s scars, bigger wounds were engraved.

She may be of little help now, but in the end she had come to the conclusion that she was useless and a hindrance. But she couldn’t tell Gourden.

As she remained silent, Gourden cautiously opened his mouth.

“How about consulting Mr. Adler?”

“Pardon? Adler?”

“Because he is a knight. I wondered if it would help with the trauma caused by witnessing such an appearance…”

He’s a good person. A harmless tone with a good-natured face, although much of his hair was bald. That heart that thought of her there. It seemed like they really became friends.

“Gourden…”

She was moved and called his name. Gourden continued with a worried face.

“If you don’t calm it down properly, it will be difficult for you to continue to have afterimages. When I was in the circus, I also witnessed a lot of falls and strange accidents, and it still appears in my dreams.”

“I see. Must have been hard.”

“Yes! So, miss. You have to make up your mind right now.”

“Yes. I know. But it is difficult.”

“Why? But miss. You have to do well now, so you can keep working!”

“… Yes?”

“You have to keep working!”

What’s going on, freeze to death. That wasn’t about her, it’s about Leon’s discipline. People who were crazy about Leone were real.

“Trixie, Gourden.”

Adler’s voice came from behind.

A week had passed since Adler returned. Gourden and she continued to live in the main building and were busy taking care of the injured Leone. Even meals were served in the main building thanks to the hard work of the four knights.

Benjamin was living only in the annex when Adler said that it was not time to start classes yet. He had nothing to face naturally.

And Adler… Even though that person would be in the same main building, it was hard to see his face. Ever since telling him that Leone had killed all the assassins, he had a serious expression on his face, and he seemed to be completely out of his mind.

“Yes. Adler.”

“I think we should start preparing to return to the capital.”

‘Capital… !’

That meant going to the imperial castle. If they go there, the threat that would come was probably not as different as the 15 intruders. Because of that, it was the place she most hated going to right now.

“Adler, sir!”

She screamed, but the sound did not come out. It was because she was in too much of a hurry. She opened her mouth with the mind of a warrior with a weapon called the tongue to persuade him.

“Should we go to the capital?”

“What do you mean?”

Adler asked with an absurd face. It was an absurd thing to say, even when she thought about it.

Did she really need to go to the capital? It was even more absurd when she thought of the assassin’s arrival not long ago.

“The-there are a lot of people in the capital. I thought it might be irritating to Leone.”

Starting with the assassin of the Grand Duke, a villain who would constantly attack, the entire empire would be stained with bloody winds of political strife. And they had to go into the center of that vortex?

“Sir-sir Leone-nim is just starting to feel better.”

Seeing Adler frown, she hurriedly added:

“So we have to go further. It’s dangerous here. Then I have a lot of work to do.”

When Adler had said that, he hurried away. she hadn’t finished talking yet… 

“When… are we leaving?”

“Well. We are in a hurry, so we’ll probably be ready in a week?”

Gourden answered in a calm voice. She would die of nervousness, but everyone seemed to be at ease except for her.

* * *

“Mr. Adler.”

“Come later.”

She had to look for Adler all day long. She wanted to extend their stay there by at least a month by persuading him as much as possible. If she did a little more, Adler would definitely give her a marriage record expungement as a reward. Because he was such a wonderful employer.

She seemed to be able to do it by asking Leone to do something and repeating the lessons so that he could sit down and eat. But it’s been a week… Wasn’t she completely lacking?

“Sir Adler, for a moment-”

“Ah, Trixie. This ointment was given by a doctor. Use it three times a day on Sir Leone’s wounds. Ok?”

“Yes, but-”

“Nims. What is the manpower request you posted yesterday?”

Without time to speak, Adler scolded his knight and busily walked away. Even when she followed him to the study, he spat out his business and then suddenly got up and left. Even though he didn’t call and she went to visit him, it’s as if he’s mistaken the reason she called him. He didn’t even give her a chance to open his mouth.

As the days went by, she became more and more anxious.

“Ahhh. Oh my god.”

She ended up tearing her hair out while playing ball with Leone.

Leone didn’t look the same after that day, even when she was able to behave normally. It was scary at times, but still, every day was going well without a big deal.

“… Tree.”

Leone was looking at her with a slightly surprised face.

“Leone. What do I do? Let’s not go to the capital. No, you haven’t finished healing your wounds, so does it make sense to move so fast.”

She poured out my words. Leone looked at her with clear eyes and came closer to her. He put his chin on her lap. She felt the body temperature trying to comfort her.

“Thanks… Is there any way?”

She let out a deep sigh, but Leone took her hand. He seemed very slightly uncomfortable moving his arms.

“Leone, can you pretend to be sick?”

The thought that ran through her mind was a very childish way. But in a way that would convince Adler completely.

“You just need to lie down without energy. I’ll take care of it.”

“Yes.”

Her eyes lit up. Leone looked at her and nodded slowly. Leone was able to give a few answers and was able to distinguish dozens of words. So she was sure he didn’t even know what she just asked for… Did he know what she was asking?

He was a very affectionate child. To the extent that she felt sorry for the fear of him that she had deep in her heart.

* * *

“Sir Adler!”

“Trixie, hold on.”

Today, the answer came back asking me to wait, but I rushed like a rhinoceros.

“It’s Sir Leone!”

“Yes?”

As soon as Adler heard the name ‘Leone’, he immediately looked at her and opened his eyes.

I think Sir Leone isn’t feeling well.”

“Yes!?”

As soon as he stamped his feet, he felt unimportant and handed the papers he was holding to the subordinate next to him.

“How is him?!”

Adler soon ran out as she led him.

Leone, as usual, lay down on the lawn and closed his eyes. It was exactly the way she managed to make him understand by beckoning for hours. After successfully explaining what pretending to be sick was… He hadn’t mastered other basic things yet, and she felt a little sense of shame for teaching these things first.

“Sir Leone!”

At first glance, Leone looked as normal as usual.

“Where… Are you sick?”

So Adler’s question was natural.

“Beep… ”

But when he heard the dog’s moaning, which she had taught Leone as an attribute, Adler was startled and knelt beside Leone.

“Sir Leone! Are you okay?”

“Beep.”

‘Well done, Leone!’