CH 49

Sophie and Lou, who sat a little further away, were observing Leone with curious eyes.

‘Three days ahead.’

The day to leave was just around the corner. She was reducing her contact with Leone outside of walking. She even expressed her intention that he would not even attend classes with Benjamin. That way, Leone would get used to not having her there.

‘And this is the end of what I can do for you.’

Wasn’t it the time when Leone stopped thinking of her as a teacher after being taught by Benjamin? So he would feel that there was nothing to learn from her in the future. Then, it was only right that she, a useless teacher, left. She felt sorry, but every time she sensed how Leone was avoiding her, her heart felt lighter. Anyway, at this point with three days left, the male applicant who finally appeared was like a rope sent down from heaven. Even though he was a child, his gender is male anyway.

“Why do you need a man?”

“It’s a surprise. Where did you appear from?”

“It’s about time now, so I’m here for my shift.”

These days, Benjamin waited for the walk to end and took Leone with him when she returned. He still had classes teaching lifestyle. Other things progressed slowly, but she laughed at the words that she couldn’t dare to take a bath.

“So. Why do you need a man?”

“I think Leone hates men and seems to be comfortable only with women. Until now, face-to-face training was all female, so there was no way to confirm. I want to confirm it now.”

“… He seems to hate men?”

Benjamin’s eyes widened. With that emaciated, pointy face, those slanted eyes, that sloppy expression. It was so out of place that she felt uncomfortable.

“Yes. Think about it. Up until now, all the people he liked were women, and the ones he disliked or growled at were all men. The same goes for the teacher, Sir Adler, and Gourden…”

Benjamin gave a short laugh. And he took one step closer to her. It wasn’t that close, so if you came closer, you would stand next to it normally. And at the same time, Leone, who was leisurely bathing in the sunlight, jumped up and stood in between them.

“Teacher.”

Why was he suddenly like that? Sophie and Lou both froze in surprise at Leone’s threatening atmosphere. Leone, who came close to Benjamin, had a vicious gaze that almost devoured a person. He was standing next to her, so she could see his face vividly.

Every time he changed like that, she realized it again. Leone was no ordinary puppy, he was a beast.

“Why are you doing that, Sir Leone?”

Benjamin asked with a calm face.

“Warning- I did.”

Benjamin wasn’t short either, but standing in front of Leone looked as weak as a sheet of paper.

“My. Looks like I made a mistake again.”

“Eh.”

That look… That’s right there for men. She rubbed her forehead and shook her head. It’s been a while since she heard a growl.

“Look, look. Because it only happens to men. I guess he doesn’t like men. Maybe it’s because the people who gave him the trauma were all men.”

“It’s okay. That’s not why.”

Benjamin took a step. Leone’s gaze stuck to the back of Benjamin’s head. After walking a little further, Benjamin looked back at Leone with a smile.

“Leone. You’ll have to find another way. Not everyone will make a promise to Sir Leone like I did.”

“Never mind.”

Leone had a surprisingly cold voice. Benjamin shrugged his shoulders and turned his gaze to her.

“It’s not that Leone hates me because I’m a man. He just thinks of me as a competitor. It’s funny how I became a competitor.”

“Mr. Benjamin competes with Leone? What is the competition for?”

“Well.”

Benjamin shut his mouth again. He was the kind of person who, if he played the game of 20 questions, would be kicked out for foul play since he didn’t answer properly. Oh wow, that’s frustrating.

“Then let’s go in, Sir Leone.”

Benjamin and Leone quickly disappeared in front of their eyes. As Leone entered the main building, he turned around a few times. It seems that he was making a strange face but she was not sure because it’s far away.

“Eh, now go to the annex-”

She sighed and turned around to find Sophie and Lou. Oh, there were these kids. The girls were hardened.

‘What should I do?’

Up until now, they had only seen Leone, who had been indifferent, so they might have been surprised to see his standing on the first day. What if they say they won’t go for a walk again… Then what? It was okay because she saw a better side of Leone, and Benjamin was originally courageous, but these kids were not. In most cases, just one glance at Leone would instinctively recognize him as a beast. Because she was like that at first too. She was contemplating on whether to say something to comfort them or whether she should give up the walk, but Lou opened her mouth.

“…it’s crazy.”

Was it really that scary?

“Lou, this is for a moment.”

“That’s jealousy, right?!”

“…huh?”

“Sophie, you saw it, right?”

“Huh, huh! That’s right, that is absolute jealousy!”

“What are you talking about, guys…?”

“No wonder. After sister Trixie came, things got better with Leone. I felt it every time they went for a walk. I heard that Sir Leone really follows sister Trixie… he likes you. No, it is love!”

“Right, Lou. That’s right! He said no to men and blocked them to protect her! Did you see that determined face earlier?”

“Huh. It was so, so cool…”

With two girls with dreamy eyes in front of her, she was momentarily dazed. What a nonsense story! Leone was jealous of Benjamin because he liked her, and protected her from other men?

“Guys. You all have a big misunderstanding, but I am Sir Leone’s guardian. So I guess it’s like the owner.”

“Oh my, the owner? It’s so romantic.”

“Ro, romantic…?”

Which part of the word master was romantic? She was dumbfounded and looked at Lou. Her idiot temperament was considerable, but Lou, who looked like a young and cute child to her, suddenly became unfamiliar.

“Lou, it’s like the book 『Five Thousand Shades of Gold』right?”

“Oh my God. Did you read that too? Everyone just said ‘what are you reading!’”

“Of course you should read it! In that novel, the female protagonist tamed the male protagonist.”

“Sophie! That novel must have been read by only you and me in this mansion. I am so happy. I can die now.”

“You can’t die! You won’t be able to see Sir Leone’s appearance!”

“Oh, right. You’re right!”

Sophie, who had always been timid, raised her voice with excitement. Not to mention Lou’s excitement.

“Lou, the male protagonist of that novel. Isn’t he similar to Sir Leone?!”

“You have a really good eye, Sophie! The male protagonist is very much like Leone. Like the golden hair, and the handsome face—”

What kind of novel did they read? There were bookshelves in the annex that employees could use. Most of them were romance novels, which were far from cultural books, and they were bookshelves provided as entertainment for those who came to this valley. As a result, she couldn’t find the books she needed there. She knew that there were novels with all sorts of stimulating content on the bookshelf, but… The main character ‘tame’ the male lead? Was there such an embarrassing romance novel?

They came there as a family, so she didn’t think they needed to educate themselves even more. Adults, were you not managing properly? These children should not read anything…

“Guys. Shall we go to the annex?”

She thought about whether she should nag or not, but she just kept her mouth shut. She was going to leave anyway… She couldn’t tell them to forget what they’d already read.

“Yes, sister!”

Lou laughed and crossed arms with Sophie. Sophie’s face flushed red. She seemed in good spirits.

‘Did it go well?’

Okay. What did she care about? Come to think of it, didn’t she read a lot of books out of strange curiosity when she was young? As long as the kids were good, that’s fine. Sophie’s ruddy smile was very cute.

* * *

Thomas was a boy with short hair. His flowing hair was brownish, and his eyes were large and clear. He had fair skin, and since he was a child, his physique was small. She honestly felt like she would just walk by and mistake him for a girl if she looked back.

“Hello, Thomas?”

“Hello.”

How cute was the way he answered brightly. However, he was not the right talent for this training. Would Leone recognize this boy as a boy? She didn’t know how Leone distinguished between the sexes, but the men he saw were stout, short-haired adult men…

“Thank you for participating. Thanks to you, Sie Leone can enjoy walking around.”

She smiled softly and continued explaining to the child. Thomas nodded his head eagerly. The plump cheeks were really lovely.

“Leone-.”

Even though Sophie and Lou were by her side, Leone, who didn’t respond much, got up and approached her right away at her call. He took one look at the stranger, Thomas, and then turned his head. There was no change in the facial expression. His behavior and attitude were the same as when he treated Sophie or Lou.

‘Interest… There is none at all.’

After all, she didn’t think he looked like a man because his hair was long and pretty. Leone went through face-to-face training like he always did, and we went for a normal walk.

After returning the children to the annex, she took Leone to the main building. He hesitated for a moment as he tried to turn around from the mansion.

She was leaving the day after tomorrow, should she say goodbye? Would Leone be able to accept the breakup with her? What would happen to her if she said goodbye and got into Adler’s ear? Thoughts were tangled and tangled. The more complete the secret, the easier it was to keep. Knowing the truth, she just loosened Leone’s leash.

Yeah, there were kids like Lou and Sophie and Thomas. There was also Jen. If Leone’s world expands, he’ld soon forget about her. After removing the muzzle and leash, Leone nodded his head a few times as if his throat was sore.

“Leone. How was the walk today? There’s a new boy named Thomas.”

“Huh.”

Leone easily answered the question posed to get rid of his thoughts.

She was really puzzled.

“Hmm. Leone. Do you think you are a man if your hair is short? Then, if I cut my hair short, I will be seen as a man and will hate it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you think Thomas was a woman?”

Surprisingly, he shook his head.