LUW 60

Chapter 60

That evening, Leo still hadn’t returned. Cecilia was unsettled; it was the first time he had disappeared without a word while they were away from home.

He probably hadn’t gone far, but she couldn’t stop thinking about his demeanor toward her since they arrived at the Grand Duke’s estate—especially the way he looked at Pierre with such wary eyes.

After much deliberation, Cecilia stepped outside the mansion. If Leo was upset, he’d likely be in that place.

She headed toward the garden behind the mansion. Walking deeper in, she saw the neatly trimmed hedges and tall trees. As she followed the moonlit garden path, she scanned the trees above.

She came to a halt in front of one. A broken branch, as if someone had climbed it, and a shadow perched above—it had to be Leo. Cecilia was sure of it.

It was just like Leo to climb over mountains and sneak onto her terrace. When something bothered him, he often climbed trees with a good vantage point.

Cecilia carefully followed and began climbing the tree.

It had been a while since she’d climbed one, and her body felt heavier than she remembered. Groaning softly, she grabbed a higher branch to pull herself up—and locked eyes with Leo.

Just as she’d expected, he was there. Cecilia smiled. But Leo’s eyes widened in surprise.

“My lady?”

“It’s you, Leo.”

Perhaps relieved, Cecilia suddenly lost her footing. She didn’t even have time to scream as her body slipped downward.

In an instant, Leo grabbed her waist and pulled her up. She hadn’t realized before, but now she could feel it clearly—Leo was nearly a head taller and quite strong.

He set her down gently and scolded her.

“Why did you climb up here? It’s dangerous.”

“Well, because I thought you’d be here.”

“…Next time, just leave me alone. I’ll come back on my own.”

Leo’s tone was curt, as if still sulking. He thought if he acted this way, even Cecilia—who was always kind to him—might get upset and walk away. But Cecilia replied firmly:

“How could I? You left like that.”

“….”

Leo’s gaze wavered at the seriousness in her eyes.

To him, Cecilia was the daughter of his benefactor, someone precious he had to protect—someone who would always be first in his heart.

When they were young, he looked out for her out of duty. But as he grew, that sense of protection evolved—without him even realizing it—into something more possessive.

Even today, he had acted impulsively. He hadn’t meant to show it, not ever, but when he saw Cecilia’s calm expression in front of Pierre, he lost control.

Leo clenched his fists. What if Cecilia chose to distance herself from him over this? What if she never wanted to see him again? The anxiety swelled.

Finally, after a long silence, he spoke hesitantly.

“You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”

“Hm?”

“…I was rude to that man.”

He looked down, unable to meet her eyes. His voice trembled with guilt and worry.

Still clenching his fists, he added in a pleading voice:

“But… please don’t hate me too much.”

The only thing he could offer was this desperate request. His body trembled slightly with fear as Cecilia reached out and grabbed his tightly clenched hand.

“You’ll hurt yourself,” she said softly as she loosened his fingers.

“Leo, don’t tell me you’ve been out here all this time because you were afraid I’d be mad at you?”

“…Yes.”

Leo looked up at her like a scolded puppy.

“You’re not mad?”

Cecilia let out a quiet laugh. She’d thought that old side of Leo was gone after he grew up. But in this moment, his face looked exactly like when they used to get in trouble together and got scolded by their uncles.

Recently, she’d been worried that Leo was becoming someone she didn’t recognize—with that cold, distant expression of his. So seeing this side of him again actually made her feel relieved.

Smiling, she said:

“Leo, earlier today you asked me if I had real feelings for Pierre, right?”

She continued firmly:

“I do feel something for him. I want to get closer, even if I have to use the excuse of helping him.”

“….”

“But Leo, you’re also very important to me.”

Her eyes sparkled like the stars he had just been watching in the night sky.

“You’re my oldest friend.”

“…Friend.”

“Yes. So I’ll say back to you what you said to me: Don’t hate me. Everyone who matters to me is precious, and I want to do my best for them. So I hope you’re not hurt, Leo.”

Leo quietly gazed at her. There wasn’t a single lie in her words.

And so, Leo clearly understood his place. He was her family and her oldest friend.

He loved Cecilia, and that’s why he couldn’t betray the role she expected of him. Maybe that was the only way he could truly repay her.

Having reached that conclusion, he finally relaxed, letting go of his tension. He gave a small smile.

“I don’t hate you, my lady.”

Cecilia smiled back, and Leo added:

“How could I hate my benefactor?”

That part struck her strangely—but the moment passed quickly as they returned to casual conversation, and the odd feeling faded away.

A few days later, Pierre made a full recovery and got out of bed. That’s when Cecilia realized that he’d only been pretending to be sick in front of her—he’d continued handling business behind the scenes as usual.

She was annoyed at first, but quickly forgave him after he earnestly confessed he just wanted an excuse to act clingy around her.

Pierre then sent a letter to the Imperial Palace. It was brief and direct:

He had no intention of marrying right now and would no longer consider any of the proposed candidates. They could stop sending Grand Duchess hopefuls.

Honic worried about the Emperor’s reaction, but Pierre was confident the Emperor wouldn’t act immediately. Why? Because with war against the Hakan tribe looming, he still needed Pierre.

The Emperor had used Pierre like a loyal hound—so he couldn’t discard him easily now.

Pierre planned to use that to his advantage. With Cecilia, he would strike back.

“We’ll be heading west soon.”

Pierre was preparing to travel to the western border to deal with the vacant position of the border lord ahead of the war with the Hakans.

He intended to ask Cecilia to stay behind at the estate—but her stance was clear.

“I’m coming with you.”

“…I figured you’d say that.”

“You worry about me, and I worry about you. Don’t even think about leaving me behind again.”

She was still remembering when he left her behind with House Niberius. Pierre exhaled awkwardly, slightly embarrassed. But he’d more or less expected this from her personality.

Although the war was close, Pierre wasn’t going west just for military preparations.

And the biggest variable wasn’t the war—it was something else entirely.

Pierre’s eyes shifted to Leo, who stood behind Cecilia with his hands behind his back.

Since Cecilia arrived at the estate, Leo’s hostility had peaked and then suddenly vanished. Now he didn’t even meet Pierre’s gaze.

From the beginning, Pierre thought Leo had a defiant look for a knight sworn to his master. That’s why he’d acted so childishly—to provoke him. But it wasn’t a simple tactic that worked.

Looking at the unpredictable Leo, Pierre said:

“You know why we’re going west—to meet with the Hakans. And Cecilia’s knight accompanying her… is a Hakan.”

Both Pierre and Cecilia looked at Leo—specifically, his red eyes, a symbol of the Hakan people.

“Even if I don’t mean to, the moment you travel with me, everything will be seen as political. If you don’t want that, stay here.”

Pierre wasn’t wrong, and Cecilia looked up at Leo with concern.

But Leo replied with unwavering conviction:

“No matter what happens, I’ll accompany the young lady. You may use me however you wish—as long as her safety isn’t compromised.”

In other words, if anything did threaten Cecilia’s safety, Leo would reveal the claws he was keeping hidden.