CH 71

“Tricksy. Happy?”

“Me?”

“Trixie, smile. Always.”

“Did I always laugh?”

Most of the memories were of being busy with training Leone and dealing with incidents and accidents, so she had to go through her memories.

“Come to think of it, it is.”

Come to think of it, she thought she laughed quite often when she was living in the mansion in the Meto Mountains.

“When Leone opened his heart to me, I was very happy. Also when Leone slept well, or when he obeyed my words. Also when Leone’s anxiety disappeared a lot. How proud I was when you were okay with other people.”

Laughter came out without her knowledge. Yes, she laughed a lot. At least she was relieved to see that she had shown Leone a lot of smiles.

“Ah. I also liked it when Leone smiled at me. I think I was very happy back then.”

She hoped there would be more people who showed him a smile and brought out his smile.

“Tricksy. Because of me-. Happy?”

Leone widened his eyes.

“Huh?”

“I, hopefully- Trixie. laughed.”

“…It was. I did.”

She didn’t realize it even though she listed it all the way. When Leone accomplished something, when Leone felt better, laughter and happiness came to her. She thought she was proud, but it was a happiness she hadn’t recognized before. In fact… Didn’t she show Leone a smile and Leone made her laugh?

‘This… It’s a bit of a shock.’

She only thought of Leone as someone who she had to take care of and wanted to help him. 

But maybe it was her who was comforted by Leone, felt the warmth of life again, and regained happiness. Ever since she fell into this world, she had never let go of her dreams and enthusiasm for life. She was always looking for a way to live a good life. But she had never felt so happy. Rather, she was pessimistic about whether this misfortune would ever end.

After signing the contract with Adler, she thought that she was living a more enjoyable life than before because she had improved a lot economically and environmentally… What would have happened without Leone in that life? Would she have been able to enjoy such a heartbreaking, lovely, and infinitely affectionate daily life?

“Tricksy?”

Leone put his hand on the back of hers and squeezed it tightly. Her hand fit snugly inside his large hand.

“Huh.”

She stared at the back of his hand. Her dog, her disciple. The existence she needed to hug. However, it was much bigger than her and was actually protecting her. Leone’s large hands felt terribly unfamiliar. The back of her hand tickled. Sweat broke out on her palms.

She felt like she was going to realize something she didn’t know. Her heart was pounding. She jumped up, pulling her hand out of Leone’s.

“Lee, Leone. Let’s go eat something else!”

Leone followed her, and she quickly walked ahead, trying to avoid him.

“Come on, Trixie.”

He laughed as if he was having fun. Since her stride was narrow, it must have been fun for him, who was always slower than her, to walk fast.

“Come with me, Trixie.”

Leone’s voice was sweet and soft. It wasn’t like a child being taken care of by her.

‘Has he acted?’

She ate a lot. Originally, she wouldn’t know if it was her body, but Beatrice’s body wasn’t weak. Enough to pretend to eat some.

“Trixie-.”

The moment she felt behind her back that Leone was approaching, she pointed to a random stall and shouted.

“That- that! Want some?”

“…Trixie. good?”

Was she good? Why was he asking such a question?! Did he notice something strange?! What if that happened?!

“What, what!”

Stuttering when she had to pretend. She used to think her acting was not bad, but today it was really bad.

“That.”

That? She came to her senses and opened her eyes properly.

“…no.”

The stall she pointed to was selling skewers made of lizards as they were when they were alive. Why were they selling stuff like that at the festival? It was creepy to see the glistening scales on the greased and toasted surface.

“I hate that.”

“Just now, let’s eat.”

“I pointed the wrong way. Not that one, that one.”

She pointed to the plain-looking grilled pork sold next to it. Leone nodded his head slowly.

‘Let’s not keep conscious of it.’

Leone had no idea, but it felt like something was going on with her. It’s just a momentary delusion, a moment of bewilderment. She couldn’t be by Leone’s side with this feeling.

They received the grilled pork and took a bite at a time. He was hungry and he didn’t know what it tasted like. Fortunately, Leone’s eyes lit up as if he had been hit by his mouth. The whole time she watched him, her mind was complicated. Suddenly, however, there was a thud, thump.

“Nice, that one.”

“Looks like he’s performing today!”

As she turned her head to follow the commotion, a heavy armor was walking fast this way. It was Adler. It was a striking and noisy disguise. Although it was completely covered.

“Bella.”

Adler, who had come close to her, spoke in a serious voice.

“I have to go.”

“Yes?”

“Follow me.”

Adler immediately turned around and walked ahead. She didn’t know what it was, but it seemed urgent. She winked at Leone and followed Adler.

She didn’t want to think about how strange the procession of a tall man wearing a hood and a short aristocratic lady would look behind a huge heavy armor that gave the illusion of moving alone.

* * *

“Drive the horse to the mansion as soon as possible.”

“Yes!”

Adler asked the coachman with a serious face and got into the carriage. The heavy armor was so huge that Leone was very displeased because the carriage was full, but Adler, uncharacteristically, got stuck between them.

Adler took off his helmet and was drenched in sweat. He wiped the sweat with his handkerchief and made a serious face. It looked very serious.

“What is it, Mr. Adler?”

“As we vacated the mansion in the Meto Mountains, we also set aside personnel to watch over it. I want to be able to get a report if there is a trace on that side.”

“Did someone come to the mansion in the Meto Mountains?”

“Yes. A man in the middle of the pyramid came with some authority. They seem pretty sure we were there.”

“…It’s a big deal.”

“There are a lot of people in the lower part of the pyramid that a person in the middle can handle. If that many people start searching the nearby cities, they’ll reach Stud in no time. Besides, they know that my villa is here. Of course, they may come late. It’s better to move quickly than to gamble. Trixie, as soon as we arrive, pack only what you need and come down.”

“Yes…”

“Leone. I’m sorry all of a sudden, but it looks like we’ll have to travel a long way.”

Leone stared into Adler’s worried eyes, then erased the displeasure from his face.

“Okay.”

“Thank you.”

“How long does it take?”

“Three days if we run fast, four days if we slow.”

“What about the march when entering the capital?”

“I’m going to stay in a village outside the capital for a day and get ready, and I’ve sent instructions to the Imperial Knights to prepare. It’s an extremely short period of time, but they’re the ones I’ve trained, so they’ll do it.”

“Yes…”

Was it really okay? She looked at Leone. It was a festival today, and no one paid attention to him. Could Leone really handle that splendid march just by being by her side? Anxiety grew rapidly. Meanwhile, the carriage stopped in front of Adler’s villa. She hurriedly went up to her room and took the gold coins and the sloppy map she had hidden.

There was no way to deliver the cancellation of the request, so there was no choice. She let out a deep sigh. If it was stamped with money by Verbena, there was no answer. Verbena, as good as they were, would pursue her until they got the money, and even then they would hold a grudge. That way, customers wouldn’t get scammed.

She didn’t want to be pursued by Verbena because the Grand Duke was also lacking, but…

“Trixie, are you ready?!”

A booming voice hit her ears. There was no way, so she had no choice. She would pay them back later.

She checked her luggage properly and lifted her bag. After that, Adler urged her to climb into the carriage. After they set off, Leone and she sat side by side, each looking out the window.

Everything was running so fast that she lost her thoughts. She checked Leone from time to time, but she couldn’t guess what he was thinking. Still, it was holding up well on this trip. Adler hurried on at a speed that would be almost non-stop. When horses showed signs of exhaustion, they took a break. This was possible because of the lack of personnel. One carriage, Adler and four knights were all.

The second evening after departure. She decided to take a short break to get a meal and to rest. It was an early evening when the first star to rise was twinkling in the sky.

“Sir Adler. Will we arrive much earlier than expected?”

Even at night, Adler did not rest. It was always said that his mobility was monstrously fast, but when he was traveling alone, he seemed to never rest for a second.

“Really. Departing from Stud and leaving the Meto Mountains on the evening of the second day. It is nonsense.”

The tired knights stuck out their tongues and sighed. She also deeply sympathized.

“It is to serve Lord Leone. There’s nothing wrong with hurrying.”

Everyone fell silent at Adler’s classic answer. After a while, the knights made a small fire and grilled the meat. Their hands were skillful.

“Knight.”

Leone, who was leaning against a large tree behind her, suddenly called for Adler. She was shocked. The modifier, ‘damn’, was missing.