Before starting today’s walk, Leone and she sat for a while and enjoyed the sunbathing.
“Leone. Please help me.”
“Huh.”
She was sorry for keeping asking for favors, but Leone nodded his head as if he didn’t care.
“You will meet someone else today.”
“… else.”
Leone muttered in a low voice that she couldn’t hear.
“You don’t have to get close, today I’m just asking you to help me because I’m in trouble!”
She spoke urgently, trying to convince him somehow. Leone looked straight at her and then turned his head.
“… huh.”
“Thank you so much! Leone, you are such a good guy. The miss you are going to meet is one who gives me a little trouble.”
“…”
Leone furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure.
“So I made a bet today.”
“Bet.”
“Did you learn that word last time?”
“Huh.”
“This is my wish, Leone. Be as nonchalant as possible to the person you meet today.”
“…wish. That person- to.”
“Huh? You don’t like granting wishes to that person?”
“No. Bet, lose.”
“Ah. That’s right. If I lose the bet, I have to grant her a wish.”
“Trick Cigar- Make a wish.”
“Huh. If I lose, I have to do everything she tells me.”
Leone’s face visibly hardened. Of course, it was a serious bet in its own way, but it was somehow embarrassing to see Leone take it so seriously.
“Ah, but if I win, that person won’t bother me anymore.”
“… okay.”
“Will you help?!”
Leone nodded his head.
“Huh.”
“If you are scared and tired, cling to me. Nothing will happen because I am by your side.”
“Stick, go. how-.”
How, was one of Leone’s questions. Benjamin decided on a few words because it still seemed difficult to raise the final note.
“Ah. Hmm… like this.”
She grabbed Leon’s arm and hugged him tightly.
“How is it.”
It was still hot. She let go of his arm.
“This is what you call sticking.”
“Then-.”
Leone lightly wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged her.
“This is what it is.”
“Of course, this also sticks. But hugging here could make others a little surprised, so hold my arm like this. That’s right.”
She took his hand off and put it around her arm and taught him again.
Leone stared blankly at her. Something… It looks like his eyes were longing for an answer.
“Are you having trouble understanding?”
He understood this much before, but why was it suddenly like this? She asked anxiously, looking at the complicated and deep eyes that thansmited he couldn’t tell what kind of emotion he was feeling.
“…no.”
Leone shook his head very slowly, lightly as if carried by a breeze.
“Thank god.”
“Trixie too, to me. Like that. Stick.”
His voice was very sweet. She told him to cling to her if he was scared, and on the contrary, he even suggested it to her. It seemed to be saying that he would protect her when it was scary and difficult, and that he would become her will.
‘Big. Our baby is all grown up.’
She was so proud. He said he would protect her first.
‘Trixie,. you are a genius trainer.’
“Thank you, Leone.”
She stroked the child’s head.
“You are all grown up. You can be independent now!”
She was in the mood for no reason and talked to her heart’s content.
“Independence- Lee. What.”
“Oh, independence? Should I say to be alone… hmm. Leone’s getting out of my arms and getting to know other people is called independence! You can’t just be friends with me forever. Leone will be lonely if this miss is distracted,”
He didn’t answer.
“Also. Friend-.”
“Uh…”
“Trixie will disappear.”
“Ah no! Why did that suddenly come out? Haha. I just want Leone to make friends.”
As she shook her head vigorously, her heart ached with guilt.
‘It hurts, it hurts. Sorry, Leone.’
Leone closed his mouth again at my words and looked up at the sky. Meanwhile she was busy checking his eyes.
After a while, it was time. They put on leashes and muzzles as usual and headed to the annex.
“Leone. Stay here for a while.”
After arriving at the annex, Leone was entrusted with Benjamin for a while. Inside, Jen and Adler were waiting.
Knock, knock.
When she knocked on the door, the thick front door of the mansion opened. It was Adler, not the butler or other servant, who stood on the other side and greeted her.
“You are here.”
The servants in the back glanced at her with interest, even though they shrank in fear and anxiety. Jen wass… She was making a very dissatisfied face. It was written on her face that Trixie dared to have Sir Adler open the door himself.
“Jen, let’s go out and see.”
Sir Adler called her, not noticing Zen had such a heart. There were applicants for face-to-face training, and perhaps because of the hope that it might be successful, Adler’s eyes shone even brighter today.
“Yes.”
Jen staggered along. In the opinion that Leone should get used to other people, Adler made them wear their casual clothes, Adler even gave Jen a leather patch over his oversized shirt to protect her from any injury.
“Today, we will make it possible to explore from a distance. If it’s okay, I’ll repeat the training by going back and forth a few times while facing each other from a distance, passing by as if I’m passing by once in the middle. It’s like walking across a river and crossing it on a bridge.”
“… I see.”
Jen nodded her head. She seemed to be nervous.
Trixie came out again and approached Leone who was making a dissatisfied face. It seemed that he didn’t like being held by the leash by Benjamin.
“Leone, you can’t be like that. You should appreciate it if someone else takes you for a walk.”
“…”
“You don’t even answer, now…”
These days, he kept saying this and that… Maybe it’s puberty. Was he going through the ordeal of being human?
“Leone. This miss has said it many times. You can’t hurt people. Understand?”
“… huh.”
“As long as Mr. Benjamin, me, Gourden and Mr. Adler are here, no one will harm you. So don’t worry.”
“Well.”
She wondered if it was an illusion that he felt at first glance that she couldn’t be trusted even though he was expressionless.
“Leone. Everyone is fine, well, not everyone. But obviously, there are a lot of nice people in the world that Leone hasn’t met yet. So let’s give people a little chance.”
“Why.”
“Because I want you to find greater happiness. I wish you could give and receive more kindness, and a little less hardship. There are bad people, but I think knowing that there are good people will make you feel more comfortable.”
Leone, who was turning his head as if disapproving of her words, looked at her. And slowly nodded.
“Kind. Thank you.”
“Yes, Trixie.”
Jen came out and the door to the annex was locked. Everyone wanted to watch, but Leone would feel uncomfortable if they looked at him. Once around the mansion, Jen decided to follow from a distance.
Leone had to get used to Jen’s presence, as she’s still dangerous to come close to. Jen was still a long way off. Adler was standing on the porch of the mansion, watching us, tense.
“Leone. If you are my friend, stand up for me. Got it?”
When she taunted Jen about the chance to get her trainer face-to-face, she said, to be honest, she got a little upset and screamed.
Not that she was great, but did she even look at something? She kept telling Trixie that she was a cheater, that she had aroused their sympathy…
‘Look how nice my dog is.’
“Everything will be fine, Leo.”
“Huh.”
“Nothing happened.”
The atmosphere was chilly, as if they were fighting a real battle. Trixie held Leone’s leash and looked at Zen.
* * *
Adler Wickingham.
It was a very precious and proud name to Jen. Her work as an apprentice butler for the Wickingham family, which she started following her father in her mid-teens, began with serving the young master. It was given to be his friend, but Jen was faithful to it.
Even though she was clumsy, the young owner, who couldn’t speak a word of her properly, did not cry and waited patiently. From then on, Jen thought she would protect Adler for the rest of her life. She was very happy at the moment when the family head of the Wickingham family became Adler and Adler made a name for himself and was nicknamed “The Adler” instead of “The Wickingham”.
The people of the Adler family resembled their masters, so they were all kind and reserved. So Jen always thought she had to keep herself awake.
‘I’m going to take Trixie to the capital, Zen. Find a house for Trixie in the capital.’
When she heard that from Adler, she felt as if she had been hit in the head. She didn’t hate Trixie. If the master was using people, how could a mere servant have a different opinion?
Special treatment too. She thought it was because he had done so much. Her young master was really soft, but he didn’t have a bad eye for people.
But what about the capital? Trixie was the daughter of an exiled aristocrat, a woman who married a commoner and lost her status. Trixie’s very existence itself was a problem.
By the way, he said the capital. Now, the future seemed self-evident, in which false rumors such as Count Adler taking a commoner married woman to a mansion in the capital.
Adler couldn’t have known that either. And yet she’s taken. Zen’s thoughts naturally turned to the negative side.
It was natural. She had never seen Trixie discipline Leone, so she never thought that Trixie would be as capable as she was. She went from being an immature aristocratic lady who made mistakes in the social world to becoming a commoner, and she rolled in the mud for a year and a half. A person like that has great skills to correct Leone?
It was more believable that she appealed to the master’s sympathy by bringing up the past of a year and a half.
That’s why she was doing that. For the young master.
She was the only one in this house sufficiently low-learted and full of doubts to follow the way of thinking of wicked people. These parts that could be said to be disadvantages in the world were advantages here. So, Zen had to unleash her own evil side and cut off those who approached Adler’s family.
And just then, Trixie made an outrageous bet. In Jen’s eyes, it was the only way to expose Trixie. So she complied. Because there’s no way Leone would be fine.
“… Whoa.”
It was a bet made with such a sense of justice. So, she had been trying hard to ignore it, but fear came over her when she stood in front of Leone. The last time she saw him was 3 years ago. The boy who had cut off the servant’s arm and glared at her with blood on his mouth had become a grown man before she knew it.
Overwhelming body and menacing eyes. When she remembered that moment, her body stiffened.
“Leone. It’s okay, it’s okay.”
But what was that woman talking about? Who could he be, the prince she had never seen before, with a benevolent face? Jen stared blankly at Trixie and Leone, then involuntarily stepped out.
“Ah. Mr. Butler. Don’t move.”
She only took one step, but Trixie turned around right away. Leone next to her was also looking at Jen with a slight frown on his face. It was a ferocious face that Jen was familiar with, quite different from the kind face that seemed to have aroused emotions when he saw Trixie.
‘No way.’
She had never felt that Leone had feelings. He always felt only anger, hatred, and the hunting instinct. But he had a ‘human’ face like that. What was going on? Jen couldn’t understand for a moment.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
This week I will release more chapters of this story, I hope you enjoy them!!
Hello there! This is RJR, thank you very much for reading!
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Next post will be released in a bit 😉
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