CH 85

For The Sake of Someone Precious

The marquis grimaced and squeezed out a very low voice.

“Why are you, at a place like this?”

“……….”

Just a little, but Graziano’s eyes wavered as he looked at his father.

“……..I am………”

(Graziano.)

Noticing that slight flicker, Francesca quickly stepped up front between those two.

She waved her skirt with a flutter, and standing with her back to Graziano, boldly spoke towards the marquis.

“A pleasure meeting you, Lord Savini .”

“!”

Graziano gulped, and even his father looked surprised.

With doubtful eyes, his brows furrowed, and he stopped looking at Graziano.

“……….young lady, why do you know my name?”

“Why of course, who wouldn’t recognize the lapis lazuli and the insignia of the Savini family on your cuff links? I had heard plenty a times that the head of the Savini family wears a magnificent Lapis lazuli after all.”

She was trying to imply that he didn’t learn of him from Graziano and knew him due to different reasons. The Savini family would often wear ornate uniforms, and wearing a lapis lazuli was a characteristic unique to them.

This wasn’t just her game knowledge, it was something that was well known in the high society.

“My name is Francesca Amelia Calvino.”

“……..”

Francesca pinched the corners of her skirt, and properly greeted as a high ranking noble would. Soon after, obviously recognizing and reacting to the [Calvino] name, she looked straight at the marquis again.

“………”

Seeing her direct gaze, even the marquis faltered for a moment, she could tell.

(Even he should realize that I was doing this to restraint the situation from developing in a worse direction.)

Knowing this all, Francesca smiled as she spoke to the Marquis again.

“This young man is my attendant and servant! I really wanted to enjoy my summer vacation by the riverside with my friends so I had him come with me as well.”

“your servant……..you say?”

The marquis was still grimacing. Seeing as he didn’t seem to believe her very much, Francesca continued to speak.

“It has been like this since my childhood in fact. Whenever I selfishly made a request to go somewhere, my father would often say [As long as you take Graziano with you, that’s fine.]. He’s a very attentive and considerate servant of mine, and will always do whatever I ask of him so I always take him wherever I go with me.”

Even as she gave all this explanation, inside her heart, she was boiling with anger.

(I’m sure the marquis must have thought that Graziano was probably still living in the corners of the slums or had already died or something.)

But Francesca’s little bro had lived. He had survived and become very strong as well.

“We brought him to our house at a very young age but, these days, even the senior members of our family have come to respect his ability. He’s very kind and has a good head on his shoulders. Almost like a little brother to me at this point.”

Francesca looked back and smiled at Graziano.

“Right? Graziano!”

“………young miss.”

Normally it was him who would protect Francesca.

But for Francesca as well, he was someone she wanted to always protect.

Francesca turned back towards the marquis and then spoke.

“As for your question as to why Graziano was here, I believe that should answer it. To give an even further answer, Graziano had saved the lady over here on my orders.”

“………”

“The marquis’s eyebrows flinched.

“As for the man currently sleeping on the ground.——-Lord Savini, would he perhaps be someone you know of?”

“………That’s………”

Forget acquaintance, that man was a direct subordinate of the marquis.

The man had tried to forcibly drag the lady with him because he had been ordered to do so by the marquis in front of him. The marquis wanted to use this beautiful lady during his big speech at the upcoming party in a few days.

But going through the Ranieri family required a lot of paperwork, time and huge fees. That’s why the marquis wanted to use his subordinate to circumvent the Ranieri family.

The marquis hesitated for a moment, but then took a deep breath and then spoke.

“It is not something that concerns you, young lady.”

(mumu……….)

And then, while looking down on the collapsed man, he made an exaggerated sigh.

“This man is indeed a subordinate of mine but, it would seem he’s tried to do something extremely selfish. When he wakes up, I’ll be sure to severely punish him for his actions.”

(If the subordinate really was acting on his own accord, there’d be no reason for the marquis to be here so close as well though.)

Probably, he must have realized that his subordinate had failed at bringing the lady and had come to check on the situation.

(The marquis made a different move to what happened in the game. Was it because we were having a BBQ here? He must have noticed our members making the rock stoves even from deep within the forest maybe……..)

“——Francesca.”

“Hm? What is it, Leona……?!?”

Turning around at hearing her name being called, before she could finish saying his name, she was left speechless mid sentence from shock.

“……..EH!?”

Leonardo was showing a wide happy smile.

His smile was perfect, so much so that if the girls in her class saw it, they wouldn’t be able to stop screaming at the mere beauty of it. But she knew, that this smile was his [Villainous] smile. One he showed when he was about to hunt his prey.

“I was originally considering letting things fly as a sign of respect to your actions Francesca but………if this man refuses to show you proper courtesy and respect, I have no reason to be lenient, do I?”

“WHA!? NO, Leonardo, what’s happened so suddenly!?”

While taking a side-glance at the marquis who was attempting to awaken his subordinate, Francesca quickly grabbed Leonardo’s both shoulders. She asked her in a small voice to which Leonardo replied in a very matter of fact manner like this.

“What do you mean, what’s happened? He insulted you Francesca, there’s no problem even if I erased him from this world, right?”

“What kind of crazy nonsense are you saying with a smile!?!”