CH 58

“Leone, I have something to say to people, so I’m going out.”

“Huh.”

She handed out her shirt to Leone. Leone got out of bed, picked it up, and put it on casually.

“Leone, stay here. I don’t want people to know who you are.”

The people in this house seemed to see Leone as a normal person. There was no need to tell what kind of child he was. Just as she hid her existence in detail, it was better to hide Leone’s existence as well. She didn’t know what repercussions might come later.

“I’ll be right back. You have to be quiet in your room.”

Could she get some raw meat? For the first time, she thought she might have to feed Leone cooked food.

“Huh.”

Leone came over and hugged her by the shoulder. Sh was sorry to leave him with growing separation anxiety.

“Leone. But you… Are you still growing taller?”

She didn’t see it yesterday because it was hectic, but when she hugged him, he felt bigger than before. It wasn’t just once or twice that Leone hugged her, but it was especially so today. If she were to grow taller here, she wouldn’t feel like she would get a lump in her neck every time she looked at him. Personally, she wished he hadn’t grown up any more. He was already too big.

Leone shook his head.

“No.”

“Okay? But why do you look so big?”

It’s kind of like a solid adult man. It just seemed like an illusion. She said goodbye to Leone and shut the door tightly.

“Oh, Miss Bella. Are you ready?”

As soon as she left, she ran into Leah, a servant waiting in front of the door. She asked her to call her when she was ready, and she was waiting for Trixie like this.

“There was no need to prepare. Leah, just like that.”

“Miss Bella. Did your lover come this far? I know that Miss Bella came from the capital, so from the capital to here! He is so kind. Yesterday, because of the chaos, we all couldn’t see your lover properly, so I didn’t know you two were like that. Sorry.”

“He is not a lover!”

“Pardon? Then why in the same bed…”

‘Keep your head up, Trixie.’

An excuse that wouldn’t be strange for two grown-up people, a man and a woman, cuddling in the same bed!

“Chi, relative! He is a relative, like a brother. We grew up very close since we were young, so we have no hesitation in sleeping in the same bed. Haha. Uh, yesterday I called him to solve the problem and we fell asleep together. Ho Ho.”

“Ah… yes… With your relative… younger brother… hugging…”

Leah retorted slowly, with her visibly puzzled face.

‘Okay… No matter how close they are, it’s strange for an adult man and woman to sleep cuddling.’

After all, her story was not believed.

“No way, Miss Bella. No need to be embarrassed! We made a mistake in the morning, but now we will do our best to help you two enjoy your vacation together!”

“…yes.”

Yes, it’s a place to leave soon anyway. She should be grateful that most people didn’t get to see Leone properly because of yesterday’s chaos.

“How would you like lunch? A new guest has arrived, so the chef wants to show off his skills. Shall I prepare a dinner course for you?”

Leah smiled happily.

… If only they had seen Leone before, no one would have thought they were lovers… Even when she first saw Leone, she thought it was impossible to make him look like a human, but now it’s difficult to see Leone so human. It’s a story that would make Adler shed tears of joy for sure when he hears it.

“No. I will eat in my room.”

“Do you have any special requests for lunch?”

“Do you have raw meat… Can it be?”

“Raw meat? Oh, you mean steak tartar! All right.”

Right. She couldn’t give him whole raw meat, even to the bone.

“Please leave the sauce out of the tartare. And add a lot of meat.”

“Yes. Then I’ll prepare your meal, Miss Bella. About cleaning the room…”

“Please clean the room later.”

After they finished talking, she went back into the room. She felt like something was missing.

“Trixie.”

Seeing her return right away, Leone smiled brightly.

‘Okay. It’s fine if you’re good.’

She didn’t want to be seen by anyone until Adler arrived, so she sat with Leone on the terrace to enjoy the sun. Lunch passed like that, and she spent the afternoon idling around with nothing to do. Leone would have a lot of stress that would be difficult to handle if he went to the imperial castle anyway, so it seemed like it would be a good idea to take a break beforehand.

The day seemed to end peacefully.

“Miss Bella. Would you like to take a bath?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. The preparations are complete.”

Already? They usually prepared it after asking.

She nodded and got up from her seat. Leone was sitting leisurely observing the candlelight.

“Leone, I will go for a moment. Rest well. I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry too much.”

“Weren’t you both washing up?”

“No. Me alone.”

“There is also a public bath to use in a group, but…”

Leone… bath together?

She looked back at him and smiled.

“No. I just need to wash.”

“It would be really, really nice to go together. We prepared really hard.”

The servant complained with a visibly desperate face. But why…? To put things worse, even Leone followed closely by her side.

“Come along.”

“What? Leone, aren’t you going to play now? I am going to take a bath.”

Leone looked at the servant with clear eyes, as if he couldn’t hear Trixie.

“Together.”

The servant stared blankly at Leone, then nodded in surprise as if she had come to her senses.

“Yes! If you go with a group of friends, we’ll be very happy to welcome you! Very happy!”

“Oh no! It’s because he doesn’t like baths very much.”

She didn’t know why Leone was doing that, but it was a bathhouse. That was so difficult. They would wash separately, but then she couldn’t even dare to predict what kind of mess Leone would create in her absence. Wasn’t that why they couldn’t go in together?

“Good. I am.”

Since when did he take a bath! He didn’t even know the ‘ba’ of bath…! It’s different from soaking in a river.

“Leone. Can we talk for a minute?”

She pulled Leone and whispered in his ear. It was so low that the worker couldn’t hear it.

“Why, Trick-”

“Bella. It should be Bella here.”

“Hemp cloth-?”

“Let’s not just call names, Leone.”

“Huh.”

“You’ve never taken a bath before. A bath is getting into super hot water and rubbing your skin with a strange, slippery liquid. Can you do that?”

At her explanation, Leone’s expression slightly hardened.

‘Okay. That’s it. Don’t you like it, Leone!?’

“Then stay calm in your room. Huh?”

“Why do you do it?”

“Bath? Because I’m trying to be clean.”

“If it’s clean – is it good?”

“Uh? Hmm…”

If she said ‘yes’ here, she thought Leone would follow her. Would it be okay to teach about the concept of hygiene in a strange way? They say that it’s not good if the person who educates was not specific when teaching.

“It’s human nature to want to be clean, haha. I’m just following the rules.”

It felt like she had barely managed to drift in front of the wall. If she said that she was following human instinct, would Leone dare to follow? Because he was uncomfortable with all forms of human behavior.

Leone was silent for a moment, as if pondering her words.

“Huh. Me too.”

He… Didn’t he hate being human? He felt uncomfortable… didn’t he?

“Oh my goodness. You two seem to like the idea. Then let me guide you!”

The servant was excited and guided the two of them ahead. She was trying to get Leone inside somehow, but he lightly pulled her by the shoulder and left the room.

That guy… Did he think everything was done?

“Leone. The bath really doesn’t suit you, huh?”

“That thing. If you come with me, it’s good.”

“Are you coming along because she said he’d like you to come too?”

“Huh. Then. You can go, because it is.”

Could it be that he listened to the servant and seized the opportunity to follow her?

“…Are you going because you can go?”

“If you’re by my side, it’s fine.”

The low whispering voice sounded very dangerous. It’s like a beast…! Not that beast, but a beast that often appears in romance novels. She thought about all the obsessive male protagonists in many romance novels I had read. Scenes of chasing after a female protagonist who has gone far away were common.

This… It was obsession!

Separation anxiety seemed to be starting to lead to an obsession. It was also a very wicked obsession.

“Miss Bella, if you come this way, I will help you prepare.”

Her mind was complicated. She tried several times to send Leone back, but was blocked by none other than Leone. Luckily, the bathroom where she arrived made her delighted.

Thanks to Leone’s advice not to touch him, he was still wearing his clothes.

“Miss Bella. We prepared hard!”

“Ah yes… thank you. Like this every night. I forgot to say thanks…”

How many things did the servants prepare for her bath? She tried to bow down in sincere thanks for their hard work. And at that instant, the door to the bathroom opened.

“It’s not that great, but it’s a Stud specialty. I tried imitating a couple’s onsen!”

Behind the excited voice, she could see the bathroom inside. A few candles were lit in the dark, and the red see-through curtains were drawn down to create an intimate atmosphere… It was a bathroom that looked like one where she shouldn’t be entered.

“…What is this?”

She felt like something was disconnecting in her head.

‘Ahh, my mind wanders.’

“Stud’s specialty, couples’ hot springs. It contains all kinds of medicinal herbs that are said to be good for stamina! Of course, it is also good for women. And that’s not all. There is a superstition that if you take a bath together in the couple’s hot springs in Stud before marriage, you will live well into one hundred years!”

“Maybe it’s not superstition! I also got married after going to a couple’s hot spring, and we’re still doing well 20 years later.”

“My husband and I still go to this hot spring often, and it is very healthy. In many ways!”

“That’s right. The effect of the couple’s hot spring is considerable. That’s right! It’s not enough, but I prepared hard, so please enjoy it.”

What kind of home shopping introduction was that? Stamine? Medicine? In a hundred years?

“Then, have a good time!”

As if the servants were excited, they pushed the gown that belonged to Leone, who was not happy, and closed the door.

She was dumbfounded.

Were they making such a foolish misunderstanding?