Chapter 29
Leon knew Rinoa as a thoroughly meticulous woman with no weaknesses.
An emotionless, puppet-like woman who never showed what she was thinking.
She could imagine her trampling others, but never being trampled herself.
Yet the scene before his eyes was shattering that common sense to pieces.
-Smack!
“I told you!”
-Smack!
“Stay still!”
-Smack!
“How many times have I told you!”
The Rinoa he knew was being beaten, unable even to resist. By none other than the duchess.
The sight was so unreal it felt as if he were seeing a hallucination.
Like the far side of a shadow.
The feeling of witnessing something he should never have seen.
“What... is this situation?”
As Leon muttered dazedly, Nina let out a small sigh.
“It looks like word got back to the main house that Leon had been taken in as an apprentice knight. They flew into a rage, saying a slave becoming a knight was dragging the family's name through the mud. She's especially sensitive about that sort of thing.”
“Even so, isn't it going too far to beat your daughter like that?”
“You haven't been here long, so you wouldn't know.”
Nina spoke with calm familiarity.
“The young lady doesn't seem to get along with her family at all. There are even rumors that she's a bastard daughter.”
“Rumors? Just look at her living alone in this villa in the woods. The answer's obvious.”
“Apparently this place was built by the duke for the concubine who died. That's how much he cherished her.”
“I don't know about that. If he cherished her so much, would he neglect the young lady like this? He'd keep her close and dote on her.”
The chatty maids laid out story after story.
Each one was shocking. It was all behind-the-scenes gossip Leon hadn't known.
-Smack!
Another sharp crack rang out.
“Aren't we supposed to stop this?”
“What can servants like us possibly do to stop it? Even the knights can't move a muscle. If we get involved for nothing, we might not even keep our lives.”
“You might not know this since you're still young, Leon, but never, ever interfere in noble affairs. Never. Remember that.”
“It's fine. She'll be gone soon enough.”
The maids said it was none of their business.
‘Am I really supposed to just watch this?’
Leon couldn't make sense of it no matter what.
Future villainess?
Psychopath?
What did that have to do with anything? The girl in front of him was just a girl with a terrible personality who was being abused at home.
Even if the other party was a noble and this was someone else's family matter, this had gone far beyond the line.
‘I should stop this.’
That was Leon's common sense.
But his common sense and this world's common sense were wildly out of alignment.
As the maids had said, meddling in a noble's affairs was a grave crime. Much more so for Leon, who was nothing but a slave.
‘There has to be some way...’
As Leon quickly searched his surroundings, what caught his eye was the tray the maid was carrying.
There was a steaming teacup on it.
“Ma'am, could I borrow that for a moment?”
“Huh? Leon?”
Leaving the maid's horrified cry behind him, Leon strode into the eye of the storm without hesitation.
***
Abuse had been an everyday thing for Rinoa. Now too, and when she was little as well.
Instead of warm words, sharp criticism.
Instead of gentle hands, beatings.
Her memories were stained gray from end to end.
So she was used to it.
The heat of her burning cheek.
The screams that tore at her eardrums.
And even the complete sense of isolation.
Through her disheveled hair, the surrounding scene came into view.
Even the knights who usually swore loyalty before her, and the servants who worked so hard to flatter her.
Were all avoiding Rinoa's gaze as if by agreement.
It was only natural.
After all, they had sworn loyalty to ‘Edelhyde,’ not ‘Rinoa.’
To them, Edelhyde was the duchess standing before them, not a bastard with lowborn blood.
They wouldn't want to fall out of the duchess's favor for the sake of a bastard.
Rinoa knew that better than anyone. That was why she didn't resist.
If she stayed still like a corpse, it would end quickly. She only had to wait until Florencia tired herself out.
That was the survival method Rinoa had learned in this family.
“I told you not to take in a slave, and you brought him into the manor? And that's not enough—you made him a knight? You've decided to disgrace the family, haven't you?”
Florencia screamed, spittle flying, her voice shrill and undignified.
Someone among the manor's knights had clearly been dissatisfied with Rinoa's decision and tattled.
Who was it?
Silvan? Lance? Vargon?
Maybe all three.
‘Today feels a bit long.’
Emotionless thoughts drifted through Rinoa's mind. Then, suddenly, a boy's face came to her.
‘What is that boy up to, I wonder.’
Leon, who wanted freedom more than wealth or honor, had once again chosen to go out as his reward.
By now, he was probably strolling through the city with Vivi. Since he was told to return before sunset, he should be back soon.
By then, it will all be over.
After all, a master couldn't preserve any dignity by showing a slave such a pathetic sight. That was a disgrace worse than death.
A life where she had to read even a slave's expression.
Rinoa gave a dry laugh.
-step, step.
That was when it happened.
Through the torrent of insults and the sounds of blows, unfamiliar footsteps came into earshot.
Rinoa's gaze, which had been fixed on the floor the whole time, was drawn toward the source of the sound.
‘...Leon?’
There he was, Leon, who should have been outside, approaching with a determined expression.
‘Why is he here...? What is he trying to do...?’
Before Rinoa could even figure out his intent, Leon had reached the two of them.
“Um...”
“Who the hell are you!”
As Leon approached, the escort knights guarding Florencia all drew their swords at once.
When the blue blades were leveled at his throat, Leon hurriedly bowed his head.
“S-sorry for the intrusion! I'm Leon, the slave who just arrived!”
“...A slave? You're the one who became an apprentice knight as a slave?”
“Y-yes. That's right.”
Florencia's razor-sharp gaze stabbed into the back of Leon's head.
Narrowing her eyes, she looked him up and down. It was a contemptuous stare, as if she were looking at an insect.
“How dare a slave like you intrude on a noble conversation. Seems you don't know how precious your life is.”
“S-sorry! I deserve to die!”
Leon hunched his shoulders as if in exaggerated fright. Even while acting scared, he carefully continued.
“I only... worried that, if my lady kept raising her voice, you might strain your lovely throat... and I simply wanted to offer you a warm cup of tea...”
“...What?”
Florencia's brow twitched. She looked flustered by the unexpected answer.
“You think a mere nobody like you is worried about me, the duchess?”
“After all, the fact that I can breathe and live like this is entirely thanks to the grace of House Edelhyde, is it not?”
“Of course it is.”
“Then that is no different from the mercy granted by you, the mistress of the house, my lady.”
“Go on.”
“If your lovely voice were to be damaged because of someone as lowly as me, I would feel as though I were committing an unforgivable sin, so I took the liberty of...”
“Hmm.”
Florencia's eyes softened. Leon's little speech had dampened her fiery mood considerably.
She lifted the teacup, took a sip, and set it back down.
“For a slave, you've got quite the mouth. Still, your heart is admirable, so I'll let it slide just this once.”
“I'm overwhelmed, my lady.”
“Raise your head.”
Leon slowly lifted his head. The instant Florencia saw his face, her pupils widened for a brief moment.
Black hair with a hint of deep blue.
Golden eyes like stars embedded in the night sky.
‘I expected a slave to be shabby, but this is rather...’
A handsome face that made even a slave's collar look like a mere accessory.
Far too noble for a slave, and with a dangerous, alluring air for a boy.
“So you're the rumored slave knight...”
Curiosity piqued, Florencia reached out a hand.
She toyed with Leon's bangs, then traced down his cheek to his jawline.
“What was your name again?”
“Leon.”
“Yes, Leon. Is it true you beat Rubelius's third son?”
“I-I just got lucky.”
“No need to be modest. Young Lord Rubelius may have a vile personality, but he inherited his father's blood, so his skill is certainly real. Which means it wasn't luck—you were truly excellent.”
Florencia's thumb stroked Leon's cheek, which still had a little baby fat, then pressed lightly against his lips before letting go.
“Where are you from?”
“If you can even call it a background... I was born a lowly slave.”
“Your looks and manners are plainly those of a child from a good family. Even God doesn't give everything, I suppose. How mischievous of Him.”
Florencia gave a bitter smile.
“I've taken quite a liking to you. I'll give you special permission to live in this manor. Strive to improve and become a help to the family.”
“Th-thank you! I'll definitely live up to your expectations, my lady!”
Florencia patted Leon's cheek twice and then withdrew her hand.
Then she turned her head and shot Rinoa a contemptuous glance.
“Worse than a slave.”
“……”
“Let's go.”
Florencia led her attendants out of the manor. The sound of a carriage rattling away was heard, then vanished.
After the bloodshed passed, the manor sank into silence. No one could move, all of them only busy watching one another.
Rinoa's wandering pupils finally focused.
Her green eyes were as emotionless as ever, and sharper than usual.
She swept her gaze across the servants filling the area.
“What are you all crowding around for? Came to gawk? Aren't you going to work?”
“S-sorry!”
As if they had been waiting for nothing but those words, the servants scattered like lightning. Only Leon remained where he stood, unmoving.
Leon and Rinoa's gazes crossed. Leon only moved his eyes, taking in her condition.
Her silk-like hair was disheveled, and a handprint was left on her bright red, swollen cheek. Her lip had split, and blood dripped from it.
The mask of the proud queen had fallen away, revealing a wretched bare face. She looked more like a tragic heroine than a villainess.
“Um...”
Leon cautiously opened his mouth while gauging the mood, but Rinoa gave no answer and simply turned on her heel toward the study.
“I'll go after her. Thank you.”
Vivi encouraged Leon, then hurried after Rinoa.
Leon could only stand there, staring blankly at Rinoa's retreating back with a complicated expression.
Rinoa's receding back looked smaller and more precarious than Leon had ever seen it.