'How frustrating...'
Rebecca lay in bed with a bandage wrapped around her head. Her face showed signs of exhaustion from being unable to sleep properly. It had already been a week since the attempted kidnapping. Beside her, Leon was sleeping soundly in a chair. He never stopped coming to check on her to see how she was doing, and over the past few days, he had been sleeping in her room to keep her company. In a way, Rebecca felt a little sad, because she imagined all that concern might simply be a consequence of her ability.
'I really can't just ignore all of this...'
The memories of Jirena saving her still replayed over and over in her mind. Throughout the entire fall, Rebecca desperately tried to get back as quickly as possible, but she ended up hitting her head after passing through five holes. Because of that, she lost consciousness.
'I was so pathetic...'
When she woke up, four days had already passed, and Jirena's funeral had already taken place. The maids who had died had also been buried two days earlier. Apparently, Surfien had decided to hold a ceremony reserved only for the people closest to his mother, separating it from the ceremony for the others, just as he had done at Filgiri's funeral.
As soon as she woke up, Rebecca visited the graves of the maids and Jirena. Naturally, Leon accompanied her the entire time.
'I'd like to repay them somehow, but it seems her son and daughter don't want that...'
Surfien was resting under Leon's orders. After receiving the news of his mother's death, he had spent days walking endlessly around the training grounds. His sister, on the other hand, remained locked in her room and could barely eat. She only ate when Surfien or Leon brought food to her.
When Rebecca tried to speak with the two of them to apologize with Leon's help, Surfien simply said there was no need. He also stated that she didn't need to repay them in any way because his mother had simply fulfilled her duty, just like his father. It was the path they had both chosen to follow. Surfien's younger sister barely spoke, limiting herself to responding with small nods.
'Even Knigrave and Trevon have barely been showing up at the mansion...'
In reality, Knigrave had practically disappeared after speaking with Leon and saying he was leaving to train. Trevon, on the other hand, said he would try to ease those feelings by spending some time at a bar. Apparently, he admired Filgiri's and Jirena's loyalty to some extent, and learning that both of them had died made him rethink many things.
'I hope he's not thinking about running away...'
Other events had also taken place during those days. One of them was the king's authorization allowing Leon to investigate the Valtor family. That meant that if he encountered any kind of resistance, he had permission to attack them.
However, when he arrived at the family's estate, Leon discovered that they had all already fled and allied themselves with the enemy kingdom. The news left the king extremely irritated, since the Valtor family possessed a great deal of important information about the kingdom.
'At least now it's officially permitted to eliminate the entire family. That must have made Leon happy, since there won't be any more political problems to stop him.'
Her gaze shifted toward Leon and remained on him for a few moments. Over the past few days, his presence made her feel completely safe. It was as if she could ignore any danger that appeared. Slowly, Rebecca raised her hand and gently touched his cheek.
'Even if it was because of my ability... he allowed me to use it on him... If he falls even more in love with me, will that concern also become even stronger...?'
During the days she had remained unconscious, Leon had not been under the effect of her ability. The feelings still existed within him, but she was no longer constantly reinforcing them. Rebecca could activate her magic at that moment, but she wanted to try something different.
It was that man who had come to her and asked her to use that ability. Perhaps, even without strengthening his feelings with magic, he could naturally fall in love with her.
'I want all of this concern to be genuine...'
Closing her eyes, Rebecca made her decision. From that moment on, she would say she was still using her ability, but in reality, she would no longer use it. Through her own actions, she would make Leon fall in love with her and, at the same time, she would do everything she could to truly love him.
'All those people sacrificed themselves for me because of him. I'll make Jirena's words about me become reality...'
Just as Rebecca was about to pull her hand away, Leon gently held it and placed it back against his cheek. A small, tired smile appeared on his face. At the same time that he was hunting down the Valtor family, Leon continued training and did everything he could to spend as much time as possible beside Rebecca. That was because, ever since Rebecca and Elara had been captured, the emotions of Leon's body had become increasingly difficult to control. Staying close to Rebecca was one of the few things that managed to calm him.
"You don't have to wait until I'm asleep to touch me."
Rebecca's hands, which had been caressing his cheek, trembled, and she turned her face away. Her embarrassed reaction made Leon's smile widen. Then, teasingly, he brought her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on it.
"I was thinking about training for a while in the field outside your room, but if you want, I can stay a little longer."
Rebecca turned her face toward the pillow, trying to hide her reaction. Her ears had turned completely red, something Leon immediately noticed. Rising from the chair, he gently released her hand, letting it rest beside her on the bed.
"It seems you don't want me to stay, so I'll go train."
Leon slightly opened one eye and saw Rebecca turn her face back toward him, wearing a mildly bewildered expression. When she noticed his teasing gaze, her cheeks flushed, and she quickly covered her face with both hands.
"...You can stay."
"Hehe. Since you insist."
Leon's amused expression was beginning to irritate her. In response, Rebecca grabbed the pillow and threw it at his face before completely covering herself with the blanket. Leon simply smiled, sat back down in the chair, and kept the same serene expression. After a few seconds, Rebecca lowered the blanket slightly, revealing a slightly pouting face.
"I'm starting to hate that expression."
"Are you sure?"
"...Shut up, idiot."