Chapter 17

Leonid decided to stop asking any more questions.

Whether it’s a misunderstanding or something, every time they talk, he felt like he’s the only one who’s become an idiot.

That woman can’t be reasoned with.

No, to be more precise, common sense doesn’t work.

Even now, Ekaterina threw the corpse, wrapped in a blanket, in someone else’s garden, and was cleaning her knife as if nothing had happened. It’s not a very incomprehensible act, but it feels like the bricks are stacked one by one in the wrong way.

Leonid’s sharp intuition was raging fiercely.

If he doesn’t make it clear now, he was sure he’ll get into a lot of trouble.

It’s the first time he had felt this way since he was a first-class monster when he was young. 

He pressed his eyelids to the recesses of his palms and then released them.

It took a little bit of determination before he could open his mouth again.

“Ekaterina. Make sure.”

“What?”

“You can handle the assassin tasks as you please, but you are not allowed to enter my room.”

“What if something dangerous happens?”

“Leave a sentinel. Protecting me is something other people can do too.”

If I could just wake up Leonid in a timely manner, that would be enough.

“It doesn’t have to be you. Do you understand?”

“But you are hurt, and others are weak.”

The truth was about to come out of his mouth for a moment, but Leonid chewed it well and swallowed it.

“… … Even if I get hurt, it will be enough to protect my body.”

“It is a waste of manpower. With me, no one will be hurt.”

“Then when do you sleep?”

“I just need a little sleep during the day.”

“Because you don’t know that your body will deteriorate if you live like that?”

“I would die before the seasons change anyway. Is there any use in taking care of my health?”

Leonid then remembered the fact he had forgotten. The fact that Ekaterina is here is to die.

‘My head hurts.’

I feel like I’m in a maze with no exit. Actually, it wasn’t the first time he felt this way.

Because he used to feel this way every time he talked to Ekaterina.

When Leonid was speechless, Ekaterina continued.

“I don’t know why you’re turning down my offer. This is in return for your favor. You deserve it.”

“Where did you hear that I didn’t want it?”

“Where did I hear that? Don’t you know why?”

“You don’t know why? Then can I sleep comfortably while you are lying in my bed?”

“Of course it would be inconvenient. But it’s better than getting hurt. Lying in the same bed is the best camouflage. No one can crawl into the bedroom where the sentry is standing.”

“I will be back very much. Do you think the bed is the only problem now?”

“sure?”

At that point, Leonid paused for a moment. It’s because it’s gotten more complicated to see Ekaterina looking at him with innocent eyes.

“… … The fact that you are in my bedroom is a problem.”

“Why?”

“Damn it, the mansion is going to be rumored! You and I have a relationship like that! Do I have to tell you something like this?”

“No, I don’t know… … .”

Ekaterina rolled her eyes in an oblique angle, as if judging something, then looked back and asked again.

“Why is that a problem?”

“… … What?”

“Is there anyone who would be in trouble if there were such rumors?”

For example, a fiancee, or a lover.

“I know that you don’t have a relationship with anyone right now.”

“But that doesn’t mean I’d like to be in a rumor with you.”

“Then you can keep their mouth shut. So that they don’t talk about their master’s work.”

“you are… … Do you think that such misunderstandings will go away if only the servants keep their mouths shut?”

“What does that matter? They would have kept their mouths shut anyway.”

Ekaterina was genuinely puzzled.

Servants cannot talk about what the owner has silenced. It was very simple and natural.

“Isn’t that going to solve the problem?”

At this simple logic, Leonid was at a loss for words.

No matter how much he shut the mouths of the servants, he cannot stop the misunderstanding that has already spread like a fire.

And that he doesn’t want to let his subordinates misunderstand him that way.

Ekaterina did not understand at all.

So, she can say this with great confidence.

“No one will care. Don’t worry.”

Leonid buried his face in his hands. He took a deep breath and listened again.

“Yes, you are right. Probably no one cares. If I order them, no one will care whether you hang out with me all day or carry you around. uh?”

“Finally, you get it.”

“But I do care.”

At those words, Ekaterina’s lips curled up slightly.

“Do you understand now?”

“… … You said you don’t like me.”

“Yes I did.”

“Were you lying?”

“If you’re not too eager to treat me like a liar, please excuse the misunderstanding.”

“liar.”

“Yes. i’m a liar So we can’t sleep together. Are you okay?”

Leonid finally raised both hands and feet. Ekaterina nodded seriously, as if she knew it.

“You should have been honest from the beginning. If that’s the case, I would understand. A lot of people can’t stand being in the same room with someone they like.”

At this point, Leonid began to wonder what was going on in Ekaterina’s mind.

When you say you don’t like her, no matter what you say, she always tells you that they should sleep in the same room, and as soon as she says he likes her, she looks so docile.

What kind of thinking system does she have to be able to do that?

“Still, you have to be patient.”

damn it again, going back to the start.

“You said you could understand a while ago?”

“I told you not to like me. Give your brain a boost.”

“Do you think that is possible?”

“Well, the brain doesn’t have muscles. So, would you like to give your heart some strength?”

Because the heart itself is a highly elastic muscle. At the added words of Ekaterina, Leonid’s mind shattered and scattered.

Meanwhile, Ekaterina, unaware of this fact, was now encouraging Leonid’s courage.

“Life is important, heart is important? There is nothing that can’t be done if you try.”

“No matter how hard I try, I don’t think you will understand… … .”

“Why me?”

“No, there is such a thing.”

Leonid sighed and made a clear conclusion in his head.

It was impossible to persuade Ekaterina with words, so they decided to just use coercion.

It’s coercion on guests. It was the solution that Leonid hated the most, but there was no other way.

He lightly flicked his hand to arouse the conversation.

“Anyway. Stop talking about this topic. You don’t want to change your mind, so you go to the guest room and sleep.”

“No. you’ll die.”

“I think I’m going to die more because of you now, so stop.”

Instead of answering, Ekaterina just glanced at Leonid. Again, that black gaze.

It would have been more comfortable to stare at him rather sharply, but those eyes had a color that he had no idea what she was thinking or feeling.

But it’s only a short time to make eye contact.

Ekaterina suddenly turned and left the room.

Exiting without a single good-bye greeting.

Would it be overly sentimental if the silver hair swaying around Ekaterina’s waist looked somewhat depressed?

Leonid could not even loosen his narrowed brow, and stood there, staring for a long time in the direction where Catherine had left.

For some reason, it felt awkward.

 *

Eventually, Leonid stayed up all night.

“You look tired, Leonid.”

Hearing the words, Leonid opened his closed eyes. A young man with sad black hair was seen in his sight that gradually became clearer. He must have closed his eyes for a moment without realizing it during the conversation.

Leonid rubbed his forehead and apologized.

“Excuse me. I stayed up all night How far have you been talking?”

“Take Ekaterina Offenbach to a hunting party, have them attack you in front of everyone, and even put the blame on Offenbach for everything.”

The young man seemed to be very pleased with the plan, so he drew a few more highlighting lines on the scribbled paper with a pencil.

“It’s fantastic to see you again. Rostislav could be the perfect victim. You are also a defender of justice.”

“It was a joke. What is justice… … .”

Defender of Justice. It was a nickname that Rostislav had along with Offenbach, nicknamed “Guardian of Evil”.

This was largely because Rostislav had a strong tendency to pursue the right path and produced several outstanding knights worthy of such a reputation. Of course, the fact that the family that had been opposed to Rostislav for many years was full of all kinds of crimes must have had an influence too.

The important thing was that Leonid, the leader of Rotislav, didn’t like the nickname very much.

like that or not. The young man sitting opposite him, Yuri Oleg, had a very pleasant attitude.

Maybe it was normal.

Even so, he was having a lot of trouble with the struggle for succession to the throne, but a close friend suddenly gave him this kind of luck.