Just as Lancer was sitting on the floor thinking about how to deal with Leone, a sound of footsteps came again. Then, to his disbelief, the door of the room was pushed open again.
Leone, wearing a jacket over her lace lingerie, appeared at the door with a completely flushed face. Then, before Lancer could speak, she walked in and closed the door.
"What..."
"No, I just want to stay with you for one night, master. Didn't you say you were leaving tomorrow?"
Seeing that Lancer seemed to want to refuse, Leone spoke first.
"Master, I won't do anything! I just want to be with you."
When Leone said these words, she didn't seem to have too many thoughts, but Lancer expression became very strange. Didn't men usually say these things?
For example, 'I'll just look, I won't touch', 'I'll just rub it, I won't go in', 'I'll just move a little, I'll definitely not finish inside', 'I'll just...'
In short, they were words specifically used to deceive people, but looking at Leone expectant expression, he also sighed.
He sat on the bed and pulled back the covers.
"Get some rest. I still have to go to the army camp tomorrow."
In a way, Lancer was also a tsundere? He had clearly accepted the other person and had even started to think about 'the future', but because of what he had said before, he could only maintain a cold demeanor.
And on the other side, Leone, although a bit helpless, was also happy to see Lancer. With his face a little red under the moonlight, she walked to the bed. But looking at Lancer expression, for some reason, she was reminded of 'Jack' when they first met. Compared to the casual Aru and the proactively cuddly Tiger, Jack was at first unwilling to be held by her. Did he have a similar expression when she first massaged his paw pads?
Leone, lying in bed, didn't know if she was truly tired or if Lancer had made her feel safe. Just as Lancer was about to say something, he found that the other person had already fallen asleep. With a helpless smile, Lancer also simply fell asleep...
Leone, in a maid uniform, looked at the crying girl in front of her and felt a bit helpless. Although she had become a lot 'gentler' after being bought back by Lancer, that was only in comparison to before. She was never good at dealing with crying children. Her usual 'rough' methods seemed to only make the children cry more. As for how to comfort them? It was clearly not something she was good at.
But what she found strange was that the child was crying loudly, but no one came to comfort her.
In the end, she decided to give it a try and crouched down next to the other person. But she suddenly widened her eyes, because following the little girl's gaze, she saw a very familiar place.
A street surrounded by people, a group of security team members were shouting something in the noisy crowd, and she saw pools of blood.
Why did all this look so familiar? It felt as if she had seen it before.
And at this moment, the child next to her suddenly stood up and ran toward the crowd, crying. Leone also followed the other person's gaze and saw two 'people' who shouldn't have been there.
"Father?! Mother?!"
These two words were so strange yet so familiar. She was completely stunned for a moment. Then she finally realized why she felt this scene was so familiar. It was because she had seen it once before. So, wasn't that little girl...
And at this moment, a few members of the security team walked over and pulled up the little girl, or rather, her.
She instinctively rushed up to stop them, but found that she couldn't do anything at all. The hand that was supposed to grab the other person's wrist went straight through...
Watching the little girl being dragged away, crying her heart out, she just stood there with a complex expression, looking at the two faces that were already a bit blurry.
It was only then that she realized she might be in a dream, because she had indeed forgotten what her parents looked like. This was more than ten years ago, and she was still young at that time...
She then watched her 'self' grow up from a bystander's perspective.
From the initial state of confusion and helplessness, to later desperately stealing! and robbing!
During this time, she was in danger several times. She was almost beaten to death for stealing, and on one occasion, she was attacked by a man. It was only because she kicked the other person in his crotch that she managed to escape.
It was from that day on that she cut her long hair, which got in the way, and got a short haircut. This way, it was harder to be caught and she could also protect herself to a certain extent.
The death of her parents caused her to lose everything except herself, but later, through stealing! and robbing! she gained everything she had now. Later on, she even lived better than most people in the slums, but this was not without a price.
She knew better than anyone what she had done. If she were ever caught, the outcome would be self-evident, but she had no choice. This was the only path for her. If she hit a wall, she would die, and if she stopped, she would also die. As for why this was the case? It was simple, because she was just a child from the slums.
She hated those nobles who seemed to be high and mighty, but she also envied them, because they could get things she couldn't even dream of without doing anything.
But this was only something she thought about when she had nothing to do. After all, she knew that this was just 'thinking.'
But she never expected that the 'turning point' of her life would come when she was completely unprepared.
She failed at stealing, was caught, and then became a slave.
When she was first taken back by that man, her heart was filled with despair. She didn't even dare to resist because of the other person's strength. She had tried countless times when she was taken to the security team by the other person, but in the end, it all ended in failure.
Later, she also tried to destroy the 'collar' on her neck that represented her slave status, because only after removing it would she dare to leave this house. Unfortunately, all her attempts also failed.
Just as she was about to accept her 'fate,' she was let go.
At first, she felt incredibly lucky, but even so, she still thought the other person was an 'idiot.' That's right, an idiot. What kind of idiot doesn't eat the meat that's right there? But even so, she was incredibly glad that the other person was an idiot. At least this way, she was safe for the time being.
But as she got to know the other person, she finally realized that the other person was not just a simple 'idiot.'
The other person was an officer of the Imperial Guards, the emperor's personal guard, and the empire's executioner...
As more and more things about the other person were revealed to her, she began to feel curious while also being afraid of the other person.
She had also heard about the 'empire's executioner,' but she never expected the so-called 'executioner' to be such a person.
Although he was tall, he didn't look overly muscular. When he practiced with his spear, he looked more like a martial artist who was engrossed in his art rather than the bloodthirsty butcher from the rumors. As she watched him, she even discovered a very 'absurd' thing.
This man, who she considered to be unattainable, would occasionally show a lonely expression. He ate such delicious food, lived in a villa she couldn't even imagine, and was waited on by a cute girl like her (in her opinion), so why would he be lonely? Wasn't this a heavenly life?
Especially one time, she happened to be at the door and instinctively said 'welcome back' when Lancer opened the door. She even wondered if her eyes were deceiving her. She actually saw that man smile?
Although it was only for a split second and it was very faint, she was sure that the man had definitely smiled!
Unlike his usual polite smile, it was a genuine, faint smile from the bottom of his heart.
Her feelings for this man went from fear at the beginning, to getting used to him, and now to gratitude.
It was the other person who pulled her out of the terrible cycle of the slums. Now, she only needed to do a little bit of work to live a stable life.
Don't look at it as just 'living a stable life.' To her past self, this was something unattainable.
She had actually been thinking about how to repay the other person, and after realizing this, she finally made a decision.
It was from that day on that she started to get used to resting in the living room after work, because that way, she could be at the door to greet the other person as soon as he came back...
Time passed, and she saw more and more things.
The other person's great strength, his serious attitude, and his respect for her.
Besides that, she also saw the other person's 'flaws.' For example, even though he didn't oversleep, he would sometimes have an expression like 'I want to sleep for a little longer' when he woke up. Or how he would try to learn how to cook from the cat named 'Tiger' and make a complete mess, or how he would sometimes clumsily practice with his sword...
Sometimes, she would even wonder: 'Maybe I am the person in the entire empire who understands this man the most, because I know many of his unknown sides.'
But just as she was about to enjoy this kind of life, an 'accident' happened.
That white-haired 'devil' suddenly attacked her. When she was grabbed by the wrist by the other person, she finally realized one thing: no matter what that man thought of her, it couldn't change the fact that she was a 'slave.'
It was from that moment that she started to want to become stronger. She no longer wanted to be protected by that man from behind. Instead, she hoped to be able to help the other person, even if it was just a little bit, and even if it was just to not hold him back.
Although she didn't want to admit it, that man had indeed cast a shadow in her heart. She herself couldn't say what the true form of this shadow was, but she knew that she craved more communication with that man...
But she originally thought that it would take a long time for her to see her own heart clearly, but an 'accident' happened at this time.
'Come to my room in a little while.'
When she heard these words, she first felt disbelief, but then she found that she didn't seem as repulsed as she had been before.
She even had a strange thought like 'maybe it's not so bad to give myself to the other person.'
But then, things happened that were completely beyond her expectations.
First, she thought she would be abandoned by the other person, then she was told that she wouldn't be, but when she made up her mind to give herself to him, she was rejected. Although he gave her a promise, she still felt very strange.
Especially with her feelings going up and down, when she ran out of the room and saw her tear-streaked face in the mirror of the washroom, she even wondered if the person in the mirror was really her?
He just rejected me, so why am I reacting so strongly?
As she thought about it, she unconsciously smiled again, because of the promise the other person made at the end...
Although he said 'afterward,' considering his attitude, it was undoubtedly that he had already accepted her.
'I've already grabbed hold of my future... I won't give up...'
Leone, as a bystander, felt a bit of a blush looking at her own actions, but more than that, she felt happy. Yes, why did she like that man?
She didn't know before, but now she seemed to know.
It was because she had received a level of respect from the other person that she had never received before.
It was because she saw the other person's lonely expression from time to time and wanted to hug him and melt away his loneliness.
It was because of the serious expression the other person had when he saved her...
It was because...
There were too many reasons, and she couldn't explain them all at once.
But she knew that she had fallen in love with a man who respected her, and she would never regret it...
This can't be a dream, right?
Leone, who opened her eyes, was stunned for a moment when she saw the 'shadow' next to her, but then her tense body relaxed, because she knew who was lying next to her.
'You tsundere man, why did you tell me to wait? Don't you know that the more you say that, the more I won't let go? Or is this your move? Because you understand me, you're using rejection to make me hug you? Forget it, it doesn't matter anymore, because I will never let go... I want to grab my own happiness!'
Leone, who was in Lancer arms, smelled the somewhat unfamiliar but unforgettable scent and unconsciously rubbed her face against his chest.
"It's a bit hard, but it feels really safe..."
After a soft laugh, she rested her head on Lancer arm and curled up next to him again.
Leone, with a warm smile on her face, fell into a deep sleep. And Lancer, who had his eyes closed, opened them. Looking at the sleeping blonde girl in his arms, his face was filled with helplessness, but more than that, it was happiness.
Because of his high vigilance, he would be startled awake by the slightest sound. Leone actions after waking up had already woken him up, not to mention her rubbing her face against his chest. But because he was afraid of being awkward, he continued to pretend to be asleep. But now that the other person was asleep, there was no need for him to pretend anymore.
Looking at Leone sweet smile, he once again knew how heavy the burden he carried was.
'Maybe one day, even like this, I won't be startled awake?'
He made a strange sigh, but in the end, he also fell asleep...