CH 46

How can there be such perfect beauty in the world? Despite wearing a clunky muzzle, even that felt like decoration. Facing Leone up close, his face stood out even more than the statue, and her embarrassment subsided.

It was nothing to be upset about. It’s just a matter of cooling down and disciplining.

“Leone. Let go of this for now- Huh?”

One thing that was true was only for a moment. With one arm wrapped around her waist, Leone slipped his other hand into her pocket. 

‘No kid, why are you so good at using your hands?’

“Leone! What are you doing? Do you want to be scolded by this miss?”

She tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge. Rather, he hugged her tighter around her waist and took out the map from her pocket.

“What is this?”

Leone opened the map over her before she knew it and frowned. As if he didn’t know which direction was right, he turned his paper around and looked at the map.

“Because it really is nothing.”

She reached out and tried to bring the paper back from Leone’s hand. But Leone stretched out his arm and lifted the map higher. The considerable height difference, and even the length of those long arms… Even if she jumped up with her body, it was too much to take away.

‘Okay. It’s just a map anyway. Leone doesn’t know the map.’

The only problem was that she had put some marks on it. He didn’t know what those signs meant.

“Leone.”

“Yes, Trixie.”

“Let’s stop watching.”

“Yes, Trixie.”

But he kept his eyes fixed on the map and just answered. He was not even moving.

“Sister, what is Leone looking at?”

She was surprised because she forgot that Lou was there for a moment. She stumbled upon an excuse.

“Uh?That’s my… Prepared for Sir Leone… It’s meat material.”

“Oh. Is it educational materials? Amazing!”

“Well, it’s not that great. I’m just copying things like letters and pictures little by little…”

“Sir Leone, look at it very carefully. He must be having fun.”

It seemed that she was becoming a master of improvisation. It was a pretty good excuse. Although she was uneasy about Lou’s shining eyes.

“I want to see it too!”

Just as expected. The girl who had a crush on Leone even paid attention to that shabby piece of paper. It was strange that Leone looked deeply into it.

“It’s embarrassing, so it’s still a bit too much to show it to others.”

It wasn’t so easy to ask Lou for her understanding while dealing with Leone, who was grossly disobedient. She realized once again how important it was to have someone she could communicate with.

“Is that so? Then there is nothing I can do.”

It’s been a while since she had a conversation like that where she didn’t make an effort, and even with simple words, the other person was polite and withdrew. Adler, who she had to struggle for days and days to convince him, Benjamin, who didn’t even answer properly, and Gourden, who praised her by calling her teacher. Lou’s reaction was even touching, perhaps because there were only people around her who turned their ears to her.

“But sister… Sir Leone, you are more beautiful when you stand on your own two feet. When you hugged the older sister earlier, you were like a prince on a white horse.”

‘To be exact, he was the prince.’

Lou’s eyesight was really good.

“Leone. I won’t take it away, so let’s go for a while. We should go for a walk.”

She went up to Leone and stabbed him in the side. It was Leone’s weakness.

“Ah.”

Leone looked back at her in amazement, perhaps because it tickled him.

“Tree-.”

“Uh. That’s right. I’m Trixie. Can you hear me now?”

How long had it been since she had been chained up by a dog that won’t listen to her? Lou looked at Leone with rapturous eyes and didn’t leave the seat, and Leone didn’t even know how to read a map, so he ignored all of her words. At this point, naturally, a crooked tone came out.

“Let’s go, huh? This puppy… Let’s go.”

Leone took a step back as he moved his hand to stab her side once more.

“Huh.”

Lou, who was watching this confrontation, made a gasping sound. It was a good enough response. The figure of Leone crouching down and fearing her fingers was so cute that it didn’t match his big size.

“Give me the paper, hurry.”

“Huh. Trixie.”

When she held out her hand, Leone placed a piece of paper on top of her. Tickling the flanks. It’s been a while since she discovered this weakness, but Leone really hated it, so she didn’t use it until now.

‘If you don’t listen to me like this, I have no choice but to use it.’

“Here-.”

She was intoxicated with the victory she had confidently won and was smiling happily when Leone took her hand. The handle of his leash was gripped in the palm of her hand.

“Oh, we have to go.”

Every time they went for a walk, they walked with a leash, so she wondered if it had become a habit. She was proud to give him a handle.

“Trixie.”

Leone called her. It seemed odd that he didn’t start with the leash on so she hesitated for a moment. Leone tried to walk on his own two feet. Yes, on both feet.

“On all fours… not… walking…?”

The words just lingered in her mouth. It was good for Leone to walk on two legs. Because it was one of the things Benjamin was teaching him. However, Leone rarely walked on two legs. To catch him by the leash and follow him from behind, she thought that this was not really the case.

“Sir Leone even walks on two legs!”

Lou’s excited voice pierced her ears. But it was a good thing. For him to be… walking on two feet and going for a walk… It’s good.

“Haha…”

It felt really weird to have an adult man on two legs wear a leash and a muzzle for a walk, and she felt guilty. But that was all education. She made up hher mind with strong willpower and moved on.

“Omg…!”

“What, over there…!”

“Trixie? Is that Leone?”

“Oh my, oh my.”

Previously, he walked on all fours, so his eye level was low. Of course, the people in the annex did not see Leone, and neither did Leone see them. But since he was standing on his own two feet and walking, they couldn’t help but see Leone through the iron bars. He was very tall, and it was a combination that you couldn’t help but notice with his shiny blonde hair.

There were endless sounds of surprise at seeing Leone in the annex. Surprisingly, it was fortunate that Leone was calm, but she was not.

“That’s the leash and muzzle.”

“It looks strange.”

As the number of spectators increased, a stronger sense of self-doubt rushed in.

“Let’s just do this for today’s walk…”

After only two laps, she was exhausted. Leone nodded and walked towards the main building. Now, Leone memorized all the directions and moved on his own. He was a really smart kid. He arrived at the main building and untied his leash. Leone headed towards the forest as if he had been waiting.

“Where are you going, Leone?”

“Hot.”

“But are you going to the forest?”

“Water.”

Water? It’s hot, so he was looking for water… Water to drink was always prepared, so she wondered what Leone was up to.

“Can I go too?”

“-hmm.”

He seemed to think for a moment, then nodded his head.

“Huh.”

“Thank you.”

They headed into the woods. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she had walked in the woods with Leone.

“Did you always go looking for water when it was hot?”

It was a fact that most of them were not aware of even though they were close by.

“At night. Often.”

If he went at night, she couldn’t know. Leone walked slightly ahead of her, matching her stride. He lifted an unusually protruding twig upwards, and when he found a stone to trip over, he stopped and waited for her to pass. Thanks to that, she was able to walk comfortably.

The place they arrived was by Leone’s favorite riverside. It was there that she made a full statement with Leone for the first time. She was taken aback by the sudden downpour the other day.

For a moment, the memory of Leone hugging her from behind came to mind. It was a day she didn’t deliberately remember. She shook her head trying to erase the scenes that were filling up in there. It just seemed to get hotter. It was because she remembered that Leone’s body temperature was too hot at that time.

“Hmm, hmm. Leone. Now what- Whoops!”

After clearing her mind and looking at Leone, she was so startled that she had to scream and turn her head away.

Leone was taking off his shirt.

“What, what are you doing!”

There was a past where he always went naked, but now he wore a shirt more often, so it was very unfamiliar.

“In the water.”

“D-Do you want to go in?”

“Huh. This is annoying.”

If he went into the water, his shirt would stick to him and it would be uncomfortable. Still couldn’t he tell her before taking off his clothes?

‘I mean, it’s not good for the heart.’

She couldn’t turn her head when she heard a clicking sound.

“Tricksy too, in the water.”

She gathered courage at Leone’s recommendation and turned her head.

“I can’t do it. Haha.”

He nodded and dived into the river. The water swelled quite loudly. She thought he didn’t wash, but when he thought it was hot, he dipped himself in the stream like that. So it didn’t smell and it was dry. The question was solved.

“I’m glad you don’t hate water.”

He thought it would be okay to take a bath.

After a while, Leone came back to the surface. He ran his big hand through his wet hair, as if it bothered him that it pricked his eyes. A body dripping with water, wet hair that clung to it. Leone’s forehead was exposed, like an advertisement for a high-end perfume brand. An adult man who was somewhat languid, sexy, and full of wild beauty… no, what was she talking about?

“… Shi, I don’t want it, Leone!”

She asked in a stiff voice. Leone nodded his head.

“Huh.”

It’s good that the question was solved, but did it have to be this way? Today, her dog had been overly masculine. To the extent that she wondered if there was a God, he might be testing her mental strength. He swam a few more times and then he got out of the water and put his shirt right over it.

“Oh, Leone. You’ll get wet if you put your shirt on right away.”

“It is okay.”

He answered indifferently and finished putting on his shirt. The wet shirt made the scene even more strange. She had given up on being surprised, or embarrassed. After giving up completely, Leone looked like a stone.

‘Okay. Do whatever you want. I’ll have to brush up on it.’

On the way back to the mansion, the strong sunlight and wind had dried his shirt. Was it always like this?

“Leone. Change your wet clothes. Do you always dry them like this? You’re fine now but you will catch a cold if you wash-“

To her dog, who now looked like a stone, she proceeded with admonishment like a guardian. She swore to herself that she would never lose her sanity no matter what.

Cheer up, Trixie.