CH 56

Me… It’s really bad. Trixie… I can’t do this…

There was no way he would be okay without her. How could it be good? But even if they ran away anyway, wouldn’t they have to cross the water? No, that was not the solution. It may change again in the distant future, but they had to be together for the present. From now on, she decided to be good to Leone, to be really good. She wanted to value that dog who was the only one at her side in that world…!

She took Leone’s hand.

“Sorry. I’m more sorry, Leone.”

“Trixie-.”

“I’m sorry I left Leone’s side.”

She couldn’t tell him all the truth. If she told him she tried to run away, it would only hurt Leone. So she said so in a rounding way. Leone hung her head without answering. She was covered by his bangs, so she couldn’t see his eyes. What was he thinking?

She stroked Leone’s hair.

“…good.”, he whispered lowly.

She just laughed out loud, because she had to do really well from now on.

“But Leone.”

By the way, she couldn’t really not ask. She cleared her troubled mind and opened her mouth.

“How did you get here? Did you come alone?”

The twinkling eyes stared at her again.

“Alone- no.”

“Then who are you with?!”

“Roo… crack.”

“Root?”

“Roo…”

“Roo?”

“Luther.”

Leone, who muttered in difficulty, spat out a clear name. Luther? That was the name of the woodcutter who was against going for a walk with Leone. The man who poured cold water on her when she was excited to receive face-to-face training applicants at the dining hall.

“Luther…? Did Luther take you?”

“Huh.”

It seemed that it would be difficult to hear the full story with Leone’s language skills. Wow, she was crazy curious. Why did the man who was wary of Leone’s danger bring him here, how did he meet him, and how did he escape by Adler’s side?

She jumped up from her seat.

“I need to go see him right now.”

“Trixie.”

“Let’s go, Leone.”

“Huh.”

Even though he put on a puzzled face, he smiled faintly when she said, “Let’s go.”

They asked the butler, Todd, and headed to the servants’ quarters where Luther was staying. No one asked if Luther had roughly explained the situation, or who Leone was throughout the journey.

“But, Leone. Does Adler know that you are here?”

She asked while walking side by side with Leone. Leone replied calmly.

“Well.”

Adler… He must be crazy looking for a missing child by now. She expressed her condolences to the young father who was rotting over his runaway son.

* * *

Adler was a little troubled by the disposition of the mansion at the foot of the Metto mountain. There was no need to demolish it, but it was useless even if it was left alone. So, as a joke, he asked Trixie and Luther, the woodsman who had said he would quit his job this time, if they would like to have it. Trixie asked him what he was talking about, but Luther, the woodsman, thought deeply and agreed. When Adler asked how he was going to live alone in the depths of the mountains, Luther answered.

‘What could a woodcutter not do in the mountains?’

Everyone, including Adler, left the mansion, and Luther, the lumberjack, was left alone in the mansion at the foot of Mount Meto.

Luther stood in front of the annex building and looked at the mansion. Every sound that touched him was stillness itself. The time spent living in this place passed through Luther’s mind. If it was long, it was long and if it was short, it was a short time.

Luther remembered the face of his old friend who had lost his arm after being bitten by Leone, then shook his head and entered the mansion. He didn’t have a personality to get along with, so even if he returned to the capital, he would go up to live in a mountain cabin.

That’s why Luther decided to keep a nice mansion on this nice mountain. It was a house he couldn’t have, so he was quite satisfied.

“Finally, it’s all over.”

He did retire much earlier than expected. However, he did not want to work for someone other than Sir Adler, and in order to work under him, he would inevitably have to be involved with Leone.

Luther had a hard time with that.

He knew that there was nothing wrong with Leone, that he was a child with a problem somewhere. He also knew that his friend who had lost one of his arms was also self-employed. He disobeyed Adler’s order and went up to Leone out of curiosity. Surprised by Leone’s vigilance and threat, he swung the pitchfork in his hand.

The employee, to that precious existence… So it’s not only Leone’s fault, he knew. Still, his body trembled when he thought of Leone biting off his friend’s arm.

‘Yeah, that’s good.’ Thinking so, Luther opened the mansion door.

“Trixie…”

But then he heard a voice that it should not be there. It was the voice of someone Luther feared.

“My hearing is getting worse as I get older.”

He worked hard to make up his mind and slowly turned his head. However, the escape from reality was colorless, and when he looked back, what he saw was a man with cool eyes as much as a dazzlingly beautiful appearance.

Leone.

He was a character who couldn’t be here.

“Leone…”

Luther muttered the beast’s name. The name rolled in my mouth, then it was crushed. He quickly rolled his eyes and searched for the weapon. He knew that the beast’s strength was growing strong enough to defeat Adler’s. So, he had no choice but to be beaten, but he thought he could hit him at least once.

Luther remembered his friend who had lost his arm. Even if he ended up like that there, just once. Only one shot. Soon, an ax came into Luther’s field of vision. The ax he always used. The thing that should have been at the back of the mansion was somehow placed on the porch. If he ran fast, he could pick it up, if you ran in an instant. It was the most familiar weapon in his hand. So-

“Trixie…”

A clear voice stuck in Luther’s ears as he was thinking a lot to the point of breaking into a cold sweat. Luther’s eyes trembled. He looked straight at Leone.

“I’ve seen it. You-.”

Clear voice. It was a ‘human-like’ tone, different from when he was just barking.

“What…?”

“Trixie, where are you?”

Luther asked. Leone said once again with strength. With clear pronunciation and a respectful tone of voice. He stood on his feet and looked straight at Luther.

“Trixie, go. It’s gone.”

“…”

“Find-her. Sun.”

Luther’s mind was complicated. The tension of trying to hold the ax, the heart beating wildly at the thought of being attacked soon, the sense of fear. Everything subsided in an instant.

Trixie.

That child was the new wind in this mansion. Trixie said, ‘Sir Leone is just anxious. He is very timid.’ It was absurd nonsense to Luther, who couldn’t trust Leone. The fact that he became calm must have been thanks to a lot of drugs, he thought.

By the way, Leone in front of Luther. This man was-.

“Please.”

“…I d…”

Really, it didn’t look like the beast that attacked his old friend.

“I do not know.”

“Really?”

At Luther’s answer, Leone asked again with a desperate face.

“Find it inside.”

Leone moved on. It seemed that Luther was about to enter the mansion. It should be scary to come, but it was nothing. Leone’s eyes were only looking at the mansion. To find Trixie? Was that why he was desperate?

But Trixie was not there.

Could Leone, who didn’t understand anything like that, find Trixie? Did Adler know about this? Leone, whom Adler cherished so much, has disappeared. To get to the resort where Trixie went, he would have to drive half a day in a carriage.

“…Wait!”

Luther caught Leone.

Was it because he felt like he had found a clue to resolve the fear and trauma he had harbored for a long time, or was it simply because he was curious about Leone? Luther made the excuse that it was for Sir Adler, so he was going to put Leone in the carriage and drove him off.

* * *

“It’s been too long for useless words. I’m sorry.”

She wondered why Luther had decided to take Leone with him, and when she inquired, she heard all of his thoughts, and the story got longer. Of course, that wasn’t practical.

After all, she couldn’t figure out how Leone had escaped Adler vigilance, or why he came looking for her. But it was worth talking about their story. She learned that Leone was polite enough to shake Luther’s heart.

Luther was the kind of adult Leone hated the most, but he was polite!

It’s something worth discussing with Benjamin.

“You have suffered a lot. Did Leone do anything strange the whole time? He must have been scared…”

“Surprisingly. Nothing.”

Luther shook his head.

“It was the only time I realized that you really changed Sir Leone.”

His bitter smile seemed complicated.

She looked at Leone once. The man sitting next to her was still not wary of Luther.

“I think Leone likes Luther.”

“It must be because he wanted to come here.”

“No, not that… Leone has never used the word ‘please’ to anyone.”

In fact, the most surprising part of Luther’s story was the fact that Leone asked Luther. How could he be so polite when he was so busy looking for her? Was that the effect of face-to-face education, or did he like Luther? She couldn’t figure out what that guy was thinking.

“I don’t think it’s because he likes me…”

“Is that so? Then… Did you realize that the word ‘please’ is effective for people?”

She looked at Leone and asked. He just blinked his eyes without answering.

“Anyway, I’ll have to stay here until Mr. Adler comes.”

“I know, right. Rest now. You must have suffered too much.”

“Okay. Sleep well Trixie.”

“Yes! Oh, and…”

She stopped opening the door and looked back at Luther.

“Thank you for bringing Leone to me. Nice to see you again, Luther.”

“…okay.”

She opened the door and came out. The general question had been resolved. Adler seemed to have little to do in that.

Now she was going to sleep comfortably with a light heart. She got out of the servants’ quarters with Leone and headed for the mansion.

It was a clear, blue night with the bright moonlight shining down on the beautifully landscaped garden. Leone was standing next to her, walking on two legs.

“Trixie.”

Walking side by side with Leone in the beautifully landscaped garden felt different.

“Yes, Leone.”

“Trixie.”

“Huh. What?”

“Okay, Trixie.”

The smile that followed the last low voice was pretty. A gentle wind and moonlight poured over it.