CH 33

First thing was to ensure victory. It’s not something that just came out of nowhere.

Rather than saying ‘Can you listen to this?’ Later, it was a more certain way to go ahead and say ‘I will definitely do it, so please listen to this first’. The reward when Leone said ‘damned knight’ exceeded a thousand gold. Adler also promised a pretty big sum when Leone sat down in his chair.

‘Because they said he was incredibly rich.’

From the property of the imperial family to the property of Count Adler… To be honest, 20 million gold seemed like chewing gum to them. So, how could she persuade him to get a divorce too?

She would have Leone sit at the table and eat, and she would show him in a suit and drinking tea.

She hid the money bag under the mattress of the bed, thinking of the conditions that would most suit Adler’s taste. Since each employee’s room was cleaned individually, there was no need to worry about anyone coming in, and no one bothered to lift under the mattress.

“Adler?”

She was going to go to the main building, but I saw Adler still standing in the annex lobby. I was discussing something with the butler.

“Haven’t you been to the main building yet?”

“I was trying to get the size right because Benjamin asked me to prepare the table.”

“Table… What?”

“He said he wanted to teach Sir Leone how to eat.”

“Ugh.”

This was a line cut, Benjamin. Adler was smiling brightly, as if in a good mood.

“It will take a while to make and actually use it, but it’s nice to get to this stage.”

How was it? Benjamin’s education progressed too fast. So much so that she couldn’t get in the way. Of course, Adler wasn’t one to throw her out right away when she was no longer needed, but he’s very uptight.

What could she do? What could…

“Are you going to the main building?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go together.”

“Yes, Yes.”

She desperately nodded her head. She went to the main building and tried Adler.

“You don’t have to worry about Sir Leone anymore.”

“Is that so?”

Adler laughed heartily as if he was in a good mood at her compliment.

“… of course. Although we still have a long way to go.”

Adler looked a little strange, laughing and then suddenly calming down and looking worried. Well, only a little bit.

“Right. After all, if we go to the capital…”

“Yes. You should meet other people too, but Sir Leone isn’t used to being among people.”

“And eating raw meat…”

“He shouldn’t do that when we arrive in the capital. I can feed him bones now, but if rumors spread that there is a noble who eats bones in the capital…”

‘Good, good. Keep talking like that.’

Adler let out a deep sigh and responded appropriately to every word he spat out, and she collected his concerns about Leone.

* * *

“Leone. Close your shirt properly.”

If a sculptor had made it, it would have been criticized as unrealistic. Seeing Leone with his upper body exposed and his shirt draped over his shoulder, Benjamin gave a nagging note. Leone frowned at him.

“Kreur.”

“You keep growling once or twice a day. If you really want to talk to Trixie, I told you to refrain from that.”

Benjamin’s expression did not change, and he spoke with a sharp tone.

Leone bit his lip. When he saw Benjamin, he got angry. He was overcome with the urge to knock him down right away and go grab Trixie’s hand. But Benjamin was right. In order to understand Trixie’s words, Leone had to work hard.

‘… Do you hate me?’

He couldn’t talk, so misunderstandings piled up. He still hated human language. It was a more painful process. But in Leone’s heart, the desire to touch Trixie properly at least once was strong.

Right now, it was hard to say as if going in front of her would put a rat on his head. Leone didn’t know what Trixie’s talking about, but he couldn’t help but wonder. He ended up avoiding her ’till he’s good at it’ because of his nature.

Leone didn’t know why he liked it like this. Just like how he cared for his family, she blindly thought of Trixie. The structure of Leone’s emotions and thoughts was still fragmentary for specific and deep thinking.

And…

Benjamin knew exactly that part. How blind the heart of a young man who was not aware of love and the heart of a fragmented beast could be.

“Leone. shirt-”

“…”

Leone, lost in his thoughts, had no answer. In the first place, Benjamin had no intention of separating Leone and Trixie for this long. He was thinking of just separating them for a day or so. But suddenly, Leone started avoiding Trixie.

He appeared in front of Trixie in a more perfect form, showing his eagerness to show his best side. It was a very satisfying aspiration for Benjamin.

‘Teacher. No. Trixie.’

But, wasn’t Benjamin saying that he shouldn’t go around Trixie? That was the reason why he dared to take him through the window while avoiding Adler and Trixie who suddenly appeared. There was nothing he couldn’t hear…

He was aware of Adler but did not care about Benjamin. Jealousy of the new man or hatred of Adler? Was it because Adler didn’t show up much anyway, and Benjamin often hangs out with Trixie in front of him?

He was a young boy who still had infinite things to figure out.

“Thinking is a good thing.”

Leone stared blankly into space more often. Contemplation was proof that ‘people’ were becoming adults. It was like teaching children. The kids who spit out everything with their thoughts and were honest in expressing their emotions, and Leone who spit out anger and sees it. The mechanism of Benjamin’s education was simple. It was to buy time to look into their rising emotions and to give them the ability to think. Of course, Benjamin’s ability depended on how the student did it.

‘If Trixie hadn’t made the foundation…’

Benjamin felt it from the moment he saw Leone. Trixie succeeded in stabilizing Leone, and Leone followed Trixie. Had it not been for this situation, Benjamin would have failed in his education. No, he must have experienced a devastating defeat that could not even be called a failure.

‘She was a strange person.’

They knew that empathy was important for children. Children grew up quickly when carrots and sticks were properly mixed. But what about the beast? What about beings like Leone who didn’t seem to be able to understand carrots or sticks? For Benjamin, Leone was an unknown field.

“I think we should start class now.”

He gave enough time to Leone, who was deep in thought. Benjamin moved to Leone’s side and reached for his shirt button. At that moment, Leone glared at him and grabbed his arm.

To be honest, even Benjamin was surprised every time by the speed of his reaction and the menacing look in his ready-to-eat eyes. He was also scary. Children were physically weaker than Benjamin, so it didn’t matter how many times he was beaten by their hands while educating. But he could have lost his life if he provoked Leone the wrong way. Benjamin was well aware that the man in front of him was a beast. He didn’t give up though.

“You should wear your shirt properly.”

“Take it away.”

A voice full of annoyance, even without an intonation. His vocabulary has grown significantly in the past few days. He didn’t even pretend to listen to the words he repeated, and it seemed that he already understood the system of speech, seeing as he only acquired the words he wanted to say like a ghost.

Leone clumsily adjusted his buttons with his own hands.

“Of course, you are still doing well.”

“…”

“But, that’s just my opinion. It seems Leone’s greed is bigger. We still have a long way to go.”

“Teacher.”

“Yes. Sir Leone.”

“I do not want to.”

“I know you hate me. Sir Leone.”

“…Trixie. I hate it.”

“That’s right. I know you fear that more than you hate me.”

He was sorry for using that. Benjamin swallowed what was to come.

“Say, hopefully.”

“Yes. You will be able to speak with Trixie. You can also pass it on.”

“Yes.”

Although the education was carried out in a heavy-hearted way, the speed of development was definitely fast. He still walked on all fours for a longer time, but very occasionally, when he felt like it, he stood on two legs.

The time spent sitting in the chair gradually increased. He used to get angry even if he sat for 1 minute, but now he started sitting for closer to 5 minutes.

“I was too late.”

Benjamin continued in a calm voice.

“Yes.”

Leone’s face, who knew how to get angry, had no voice or facial expressions. It sounded like a sigh that hadn’t even been exhaled.

“Usually, when you introduce yourself, you say your first name first, followed by your second name. In my case, I am Benjamin of the Baron Luton family, and I say hello. Leone’s last name is a secret, so let’s use a pseudonym. Well… What about Trixie? That’s the name Leone pronounces best.”

The words went on for a long time.

“Follow me. Leone from the Trixie family.”

It was not something that Leone had heard of, but Benjamin steadfastly taught him noble etiquette. In any field, the more exposure you get, the more your ears open up.

Benjamin was startled even when Count Adler first came to him. When he promised him that he would give him the earldom after all was done, he could not refuse. It was an ideally attractive condition for a man from a baron family who would be abandoned without a title, like a wooden doll who was abandoned by her girl.

Moreover, the one who promised him was Count Adler. Even in the countryside, the name was known enough to resonate loudly. He was the only noble loyal to the emperor and the strongest knight in the empire. Since he was such a person, it should be true that he could be given a title.

So, Benjamin had to teach Leone wholeheartedly.