It didn’t do much good to ask someone who was about to leave to stay by his side. He held onto her and made her promise many times but she did not keep it.
This time, Leone was able to learn about lies.
He didn’t think it was bad. All living things in the world have used various methods to protect themselves and survive. Trixie must have a different survival strategy than Leone. So, Trixie’s lies weren’t bad. Leone thought he would stick close to Trixie. He thought that he should make it so that she would not have to lie, and that he should learn human circumstances well. That’s why he decided to find a way to hold on to her without relying on her promises.
The night he fell asleep with her and away from her. Leone deliberately waited until it was late, then she turned to Trixie. Knowing Trixie would say no, as firmly as ever, if he offered to stay by her side, he picked a time when she was asleep. He had slept with Trixie many times before, so he didn’t think it would be a problem. But something got weird about it.
“This doesn’t work, Bella. Leave from Lord Leone’s side.”
The damned knight suddenly burst in and told Trixie to leave. But Trixie didn’t say anything and just panicked. If it’s the damn knight’s words, was Trixie obliged to listen? What was the relationship between the two? No, was Leone’s behavior so wrong in the first place? Originally, there was no problem. Why couldn’t he come and sleep with her now? Were the laws of the human world endlessly changing?
A moment of confusion. Leone shook his head. It’s a love he somehow found again, so he couldn’t let go again.
“At night. I was afraid- I went.”
He didn’t like it because the word scary sounded the same as the word ‘weak’, but Leone tried to speak humanly for now. The effect was significant.
“But obviously not earlier-”
“No. Adler.”
He used to feel like an enemy, but at some point it dawned on him that the damn knight might like Leone. It wasn’t his perfect confidence. Because he did something that would interfere with Leone every time. Still, he tried calling his name just in case. The damned knight, who had vented his anger, suddenly calmed down.
He guessed he misunderstood. The moment Leone was about to get impatient, the damn knight offered to sleep with Trixie and Leone in the same room.
He got mad at her for sleeping together earlier.
In this way, Leone was able to understand the convenience of human-like words that predict the other person’s feelings. In the meantime, a great confusion about the concept of money and possessions had arisen, but whether or not Leone’s small world was cataclysmic, another incident had occurred.
She said they were going out, and suddenly several women flocked to Trixie. Trixie didn’t look frightened, so he didn’t bother intervening, observing from a distance. He was thinking of running if something happened.
Trixie came out after changing her clothes. The sound of admiration from the women around her startled Leone.
“So pretty!”
“Why don’t you usually dress up?! You look so good together!”
In his eyes, which had no concept of adornment, Trixie was as beautiful as usual but…
“Embellishment…”
Leone looked at the strange-looking piece of cloth that the women were carrying earlier. Was it human behavior to wear this? So, did Trixie like it?
“Sir, I can help… should I?”
Perhaps noticing Leone’s troubles, a short woman standing behind him approached.
Leone nodded slowly.
“If you let me know, it will be fine.”
He saw the woman approach him and reached out to wrap her hand around his neck with cravat. Leone said coldly and stepped back.
“Ah yes…! Sorry.”
As if recognizing Leone’s expressionless expression as anger, the woman lowered her head in embarrassment.
“This, this…”
“Show me.”
“Yes?”
“How to.”
“Ah… yes!”
The woman demonstrates by tying a cravat around her neck. She moved slowly, sluggishly, for him. Leone watched the way her hands moved. Putting on a vest and fastening it was similar to putting on a shirt.
“Now, let’s try… what?”
“Okay. Put it down.”
The woman neatly placed the cravat and vest on the table. Leone held them in his hand. Cravat… Wrap it around his neck twice and pull the cloth through it. Even though it was a simple movement, it was difficult because it was his first time doing it. Leone succeeded in ‘dressing up’ after going through dozens of trials and errors during the hour that Trixie was dressing up. And after a while, Trixie came up to him.
“Leone’s clothes…”
Indeed, Trixie called him in a surprised voice.
“Anyway, one-go?”
“No!?”
It seemed that her face was slightly red. It was a first look. It was satisfying that he pulled out that face. Leone was determined to put adornments on his to-do list.
“I was really surprised. Leone, did you wear it alone? I never taught you…”
“No. That- person.”
He studied hard, so he hoped you would praise me. Leone waited for Trixie’s ‘good job’.
“That one… You said she helped you?”
But Trixie’s voice was a little strange. Leone was taken aback.
“Stylish! Uh! Good job, yes!”
She even got angry. Was it because he was not good at dressing up? Not knowing about human beauty, Leone couldn’t find out his mistake.
“Eyes, look-.”
He took a step closer to her, wanting to know if she was really angry. However. she took a step back.
With her face concealing something of hers, she gave him the ‘nice job’ compliment, and she walked away quickly. Was she really mad? Did that not suit Leone? Leone tended to show his honest feelings in everything, so it was hard to guess what Trixie was “hiding”.
“Let’s go.”
Still, Trixie called Leone. He was fine with just that.
Leone followed her, keeping the distance. Behind her, he stared at her intently, promising to do better for her in the future.
* * *
“Hmm, Leone. Snood… I have to.”
They ran into difficulties. Even when he was wearing a shirt, she was plagued with a strange feeling, and she was about to go crazy when they put a leash on a handsome young man dressed in cravat and vest.
“Yes, Trixie.”
Leone, who sat across from her in the carriage, held out his neck without difficulty. It was a little unfair that she was the only one suffering. Still, she put a leash around his neck. She grabbed the handle at the end of his rope and looked at Leone.
‘It’s really strange.’
It was several times more crowded and noisy than the mansion in the Meto Mountains. Still, Leone looked fine.
“Leone. I mean this house. Aren’t there too many people? Isn’t it noisy?”
“No.”
No?! What was Leone talking about? Those were not the words that came out of her child’s mouth, who was trembling and unable to move when she first went to the annex. Was he really okay, or did he pick up something wrong while wandering around looking for her?
“Because Trixie is there.”
His answer gave her goosebumps. After all, these were the words of a separation anxiety puppy… or the sense of security that came from excessive obsession… She didn’t know whether to like it or despair.
“Okay…”
She would be by his side for a while anyway, so yeah, this was rather good. Leone found that if there was a reassuring element nearby, he could calm down even in unfamiliar surroundings. Someday, if they gave him another element of reassurance, his obsession would naturally be resolved.
“Trixie, can we leave now?”
Adler asked from outside the carriage. She opened the car window and answered.
“Yes, let’s go!”
Adler looked excited and worried. She was also curiously looking forward to it, but her heart skipped a beat because she was worried. As soon as she closed the car window and sat down, the carriage started moving.
“…Trixie.”
Leone called her with a subdued voice.
“Yes, Leone.”
“Damn knight… of property. Trixie, is.”
“Property?”
She explained that Adler had her, but she was very embarrassed to express it that way.
“He has me because…”
It’s her fault for explaining it roughly. She felt the need to correct it.
“Leone, you misunderstood.”
“Huh?”
“That… I said it last time. I take the money, and do everything Adler tells me to do. Rather than owning me… Load? Doing everything he ask… That’s it.”
“Do everything he asks you to do? Anything?”
“Huh. Oh. But don’t get me wrong! All Adler asks is to take care of you.”
“Me?”
“Huh. That’s what I promised him. To take good care of Leone.”
Leone slowly chewed through her words one by one and began to understand them.
“…hmm. Load-. Me too. Trixie, listen- I listen Trixie.”
“Ugh. It’s different from that… Leone. You are not my subordinate.”
He was close to the employer. It became difficult to explain this.
“Load… Load.”
Leone muttered with a serious face.
“Damn knight, go. My subordinate- said.”
Then, as if he realized something, he said.
“Did Adler say he was your subordinate?”
“Huh.”
Well, with Adler’s personality seemed possible. He should have told Leone a hundred times, ‘Give me an order since I’m Lord Leone’s subordinate’.
“That’s right. Adler is your subordinate. So he does whatever Leone tells him to do.”
“Why? I- Don, I don’t know.”
Adler, of course, would have to receive money from the state, but that would be a salary that would not add much to the property. How could she explain the relationship between the master and the ruler, that was more than just money? It seemed like her brain was getting more and more twisted.
“Hmm-. There are things in the world that cannot be explained with money. Adler is not someone who is so swayed by money.”
“Grunt…”
“Adler likes you, so he voluntarily became your subordinate.”
This was her best explanation. Leone was deep in thought and she looked out the window at the scenery of Stud passing by. It’s so peaceful.
“Then… What about Trixie?”
“Huh?”
“Being a subordinate.”
“Yes.”
“Money, hey. I like it, huh?”
Leone’s face hardened slightly as he asked the question. As if he was nervous.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
It’s been a long time since we could read Leone’s point of view. To be sincere, I missed it T_T Trixie is so… obsessed to see him as a puppy that sometimes is a little tiring for me to translate, but Leone’s perspective is so fresh. Sometimes I’m not sure if he was raised by wolves of if he was a wolf himself in the past. What do you think?
