Bon Appétit

They returned to Marquis Livre’s residence because Legion hadn’t finished his work. Although he rushed here because of Luana’s whereabouts, he divided his knights to do the emperor’s order to look for Ingrid; that was why he had to return to Marquis’ residence again.

Legion thought it might be better to stay away from Luana because his appetite grew every time he saw her. He was afraid at some point that he couldn’t stand it any longer.

“I don’t want to.”

Of course, Luana thought differently.

‘How can we separate after we just met again?’

She hated that thought. Moreover, she did not want to stay at Marquis Livre’s mansion, no matter whether there was Legion who would be back to her.

“I want to go with you. I’ll stay calm. If you went alone, won’t you starve again?”

At that question, Legion smiled faintly.

‘How can every word you said sounded lovely?’

She folded her hands and said she would take responsibility for his dishes, and the feeling that he had been struggling to suppress raised again.

“It’s dangerous.”

Even when Legion said that, Luana seemed unwilling to back down and shouted,

“I’ll protect my body!”

“How?”

Legion took Luana’s arm and held it tightly. She tried to release her hand but couldn’t budge even a little. She put much force on her hand until she wrinkled her forehead. She raises her leg recklessly, aiming at Legion’s tibia. It was a sudden move, but she looked so cute that it stirred his suppressed feeling up again. 

For a moment, it seemed Luana’s reasoning had been lost. When Legion came to his senses, Luana was lying underneath him. She suddenly fell to the floor, and her eyes went wide. It was the situation he needed to be wary about, but it seemed he couldn’t grasp it yet. Her round eyes curved gently, followed by her smile. His heart pounded at the sight of Luana, who didn’t feel wary of the situation.

Legion held his breath as he looked at Luana like a danger one inch away. Seeing that Luana didn’t resist, he thought he could achieve what he wanted. A deep lust filled his mind as if there was a whisper telling him to get what he wanted.

‘But.’

Legion lifted his body with his patience and endurance. If his instincts moved as he wanted, he would not be able to have Luana or the rest of his life. Knowing that fact, he didn’t want to touch her hastily. Rather than following his desire and being satisfied, he wanted to have Luana forever. He took a deep breath and spoke,

“Now you know, right? You’re weak, so wait in the mansion.”

At that words, Luana pouted her lips.

“Aren’t most people weaker to Legion?”

“Then let’s say you’re especially much weaker.”

Who would compare knights to a civilian? Luana had a lot to say, but she put up with it since Legion wasn’t completely wrong. She wanted to follow Legion but didn’t want to be his burden. Still, she glanced at him just in case.

“Then can’t Legion protect me?”

“No, I can’t.”

‘So cold!’

Luana quickly became sullen. How long has it been since they met, and should they be apart again? She couldn’t even tell about her feelings yet. Not only does Luana have this thought, but Legion also thinks about the same thing.

‘Why do we have to separate again?’

They barely met, but they’re going to separate again. The mere thought of it made him upset. However, considering Luana’s safety, it was better to stay away from her for the time being. Legion sighed and turned around.

“I hope you understand.”

He was curious about Luana’s expression standing behind him, but she didn’t look back. There was nothing she could do other than looking at her. After standing for a moment outside the door, Legion made his way into the mansion’s basement. Marquis Livre was a shady man who hid unusual facilities in the mansion, and among them was a dungeon.

Maybe he built it to deal with people he didn’t like, but now he was the one there. The knight who stood at the entrance to the basement and was wary of the surroundings saw Legion and bowed his head. After a slight greeting, he went inside. After walking for a while, he saw Marquis Livre drooping.

“You still look fine.”

At Legion’s words, the marquis rose to his feet and cried out.

“Release me! Release me immediately! I did a good job cooperating with the empire. I did not deserve to be treated this way!”

At first, he wanted to accept reality, but that only lasted for a while. After being imprisoned in the dungeon, the marquis has been screaming and asking the knight to release him. The knights were annoyed by the sound, but they did not touch him because Legion had something to say beforehand.

‘Don’t touch who is mine.’

At that words, the knights did not even look whether the marquis went crazy or not; instead, he just sympathized with him because no one was fine after Legion had decided to deal with the person himself.

“Tools.”

As a low, rough voice as if it scratched his vocal cords came out, the knight who waited quickly brought the torture tools. The torture tools were lined on the tray, glowing eerily from the lamp light. The marquis’ face turned pale after he recognized it.

“Please, please! Please spare me!”

Suddenly, the pleading changed into a desperate voice that echoed through the dungeon, but Legion’s expression did not change at all.

“It’s too late.”

Legion twisted the corners of his mouth, picked one of the tools, and approached the marquis.

“You shouldn’t have touched her.”

The marquis trembled at Legion’s words.

‘How did this happen?’

The true identity of the abandoned princess was a witch. And the slayer duke who hated all the witches loved her. What nonsense is this? It was a cliche that would not even appear in old fairy tales.

‘The Witch and The Slayer.’

What a funny combination! The marquis groaned and crawled backward. However, the dungeon was not wide enough, and he quickly hit the wall. He tried to run away, but to no avail, and the slayer was right in front of him.

The tools used to harass others have dug into the marquis’ body. The terrible pain paralyzed his thoughts and made him howl like a beast. It was like a nightmare. No, it would have been better if it was a nightmare because that would be just a mere dream, not reality.

“Euaaagghhh!!”

A terrifying scream echoed through the tightly closed doors of the dungeon. The sound continued for a long time, and it didn’t get quiet until dawn.

***

Luana, who couldn’t sleep, had been moving since early dawn. She had planned to go to the kitchen and plan what she wanted to cook. Wearing a thick shawl and holding a candle, she walked through the mansion, which became like a haunted house. She was followed by a knight who Legion assigned to her.

The only thing that echoed through the quiet space was the Luana and the knight’s footsteps. After walking for a while, she heard another footstep. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a familiar figure. It was Legion.

Luana naturally turned in that direction, then Legion’s footsteps stopped. She naturally held the candle higher and looked at him. Through the dimly flickering candle, she saw his face and could smell the familiar smell of iron.

“Did you get hurt?”

Luana strode closer to Legion. But as she approached, he stepped back.

‘What? Are you avoiding me now?’

Luana looked at him strangely and approached Legion again. However, Legion kept stepping back, and she couldn’t get close to him no matter how many steps she took.

“Why do you keep avoiding me?”

Luana asked out of frustration, and Legion answered,

“If I don’t, someone will get hurt.”

“Who will get hurt?”

“Someone.”

While Legion paused for a moment, Luana took a big step and was finally able to get closer to him.

Luana lifted her candle and saw Legion. She smelled the familiar iron, which was blood. Then, beneath her flickering candle, she saw his damp sleeves.

Luana grabbed his hand like a cat. This time, Legion didn’t avoid her. His cold eyes were staring at her didn’t know what she was thinking.

“This is blood!”

With a fuss, she searched Legion’s body, but fortunately, he seemed to be not injured.

‘So, this is not your blood?’

A slight chill flashed through her back at that thought.

“Is it scary?”

Legion asked Luana.

“What is scary?”

“Whatever.”

Today, Legion was only spewing vague words. But she could say this one thing for sure.

“It’s not scary.”

If she was scared, could she have come to like him this much? Luana said those words firmly. Then a smile appeared on Legion’s face reflected through the dim light.

“Even if this is someone else’s blood?”

“Yes.”

Instead, she was relieved that Legion was not injured.

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TL/N: Thank you, Stix, for the support on ko-fi! <3