Leonard slowly stepped back. It was his choice that there would be nothing special.
He no longer wanted to concern himself with Yellian. He didn’t want to attach any meaning to them. He only hoped that they would serve their purpose as a feline humanoid and disappear when the time came.
“My lord……?”
Yellian was confused by Leonard’s behavior, approaching as if he might kiss them at any moment, only to suddenly pull away. Of course, they had no desire to kiss him, not even a little. They were merely curious about what Leonard was thinking. But Yellian couldn’t bring themselves to ask that question.
‘Knock knock’
“What is it?”
At the sudden sound of knocking, both of their gazes turned toward the carriage door. Leonard responded to the knock impassively, as if nothing had happened.
Yellian found Leonard’s demeanor somewhat irritating. Their own heart was still pounding as if they had sprinted a hundred meters, yet the man who caused this felt completely unaffected. Feeling as though they were the only one at a loss, Yellian pouted and acted as if nothing had happened either.
“I’ve brought the clothes you ordered to be prepared.”
“Wait there.”
When Leonard opened the door, a servant holding the clothes was waiting. To Yellian, the servant looked quite young, almost childlike, and seemed to be searching for something as he peered into the carriage, rolling his eyes around.
“What are you looking for?”
“Ah, no, nothing!”
Noticing this, Leonard snapped coldly at the servant.
Yellian swallowed dryly at the icy tone that seemed ready to punish the servant at any moment. They were prepared to intervene if necessary. No matter how much Leonard was known as a mad lord, Yellian couldn’t stand by and watch him act cruelly toward such a young child.
“Since you seem young and ignorant, I’ll tell you.”
“Y-Yes, yes!”
“In my estate, even rolling your eyes the wrong way could cost you your head that very day, so be careful.”
“H-Huh, ugh. I-I’m sorry.”
At the chilling threat, the young servant bowed his head, not knowing what to do. He had only been curious about the man the lord had brought into the carriage, having heard the rumors. He never imagined it would anger the lord.
“Leave.”
“Y-Yes, yes…….”
The servant barely managed to reply with a trembling voice before hurrying away. Leonard glared at his retreating figure with a cold gaze.
If he hadn’t been just a child, Leonard would have dismissed him on the spot. He wasn’t unaware that the servant’s gaze had been searching for Yellian.
Elton would likely handle silencing the subordinates, but the news that he had brought some man into his embrace would surely spread quickly.
Honestly, Leonard didn’t care what rumors followed him. He already knew that no one thought well of him. Adding another rumor to the mix wouldn’t matter.
However, if Yellian were at the center of those rumors, it would be a different story. The rumors surrounding him and Yellian would undoubtedly be scandalous.
Though nothing of the filthy nature people might imagine had happened, nor would it ever, the thought of strangers making crude jokes about Yellian as gossip fodder made his blood boil.
Of course, he didn’t think the servant would make vulgar remarks about Yellian. But even mentioning Yellian to someone else could spark a scandal.
Yellian, who would only stay within the duke’s estate, would likely never hear the rumors attached to him. But on the off chance they did, Leonard didn’t want to see Yellian hurt. So, it was his duty to do his utmost to prevent the scandal from spreading.
“I’ll be outside, so let me know when you’re dressed.”
“Yep.”
“If you try anything funny, I’ll really cut off your ankle, so keep that in mind.”
“……Yep.”
Yellian glared at the closing carriage door. They were annoyed by Leonard, who kept threatening their ankles at every turn.
Ankles don’t grow back once they’re cut off, so how could he so casually talk about cutting them? It was baffling. Yellian grumbled like a drenched dog while putting on the clothes.
Dressed in a white blouse and navy-tinted trousers, Yellian tilted their head while holding a mysterious blue cloth strap.
It had been brought as part of the clothing, so it seemed to be some kind of garment, but they had no idea how to wear it. In the end, Yellian knocked on the carriage door while holding the strap.
“My lord. I’m done changing. I don’t know what this is for…….”
As the carriage door opened and Yellian began to speak about the strap, their words trailed off under Leonard’s intense gaze.
He scanned Yellian from head to toe. Feeling oddly embarrassed by the attention, Yellian scratched their cheek.
At that moment, Leonard climbed into the carriage and took the strap from Yellian’s hand.
Yellian didn’t think much of him taking the strap. But when Leonard suddenly pressed close, their eyes widened in shock.
“M-My lord……?”
Thinking he might be approaching with the intent to kiss again, Yellian froze, but to their surprise, Leonard expressionlessly tied the strap around their neck.
His touch seemed indifferent yet meticulous, stern yet gentle. Yellian gazed at him quietly, feeling a strange emotion.
Beneath thick, dark eyebrows were deep-set eyes. The sharp gaze held a mysterious black glint. The defined T-zone, full lips, and chiseled jawline made his face worthy of being called a sculpture.
Just looking at his face, it was so perfectly handsome that one might want to give him everything. No wonder he was the protagonist of the story. The more Yellian looked, the more their eyes were drawn to him, almost becoming addicted.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Ah, no, I’m not looking!”
Yellian quickly turned their head, spouting a lie that wouldn’t fool anyone. Leonard quietly watched them before shifting his gaze elsewhere.
Only then did Yellian let out a sigh of relief inwardly. Then, they caught sight of their reflection in the carriage window.
“A ribbon…….”
A ribbon, which they certainly hadn’t tied themselves, was neatly fastened around their neck. Only then did Yellian realize that Leonard had tied the ribbon for them.
Even to their own eyes, the pale blue ribbon matched their sky-blue eyes quite well. Satisfied, Yellian smiled brightly at their reflection in the window.
“Why are you smiling?”
At Leonard’s question, Yellian turned to him, still wearing a smile. Pointing at the ribbon, they said,
“Because it’s pretty.”
“What?”
At Leonard’s startled question, Yellian’s face fell. In a dejected voice, they muttered to themselves,
“……Isn’t it pretty? It can’t be.”
Even as they watched Yellian looking so downcast, Leonard couldn’t say anything. He didn’t know how to react to Yellian calling themselves ‘pretty’ while pointing at the ribbon.
Of course, objectively speaking, Yellian was pretty. It wasn’t just that he saw them that way; anyone would say they were pretty from a general perspective. It absolutely wasn’t that he personally found Yellian especially pretty.
But agreeing outright that they were pretty felt embarrassing, and denying it felt like lying to himself. So Leonard pondered for a long while, searching for the right words.
Meanwhile, Yellian pouted like a sulking child, continuously muttering to themselves.
“It’s pretty……. Isn’t it? Is it not pretty……. But it’s pretty.”
At the repeated muttering, Leonard finally let out a sigh. Seeing them so dejected made him feel oddly gloomy too, so he decided to give the answer they wanted.
“……Yes, it’s pretty.”
“Really?”
“Yes, you’re pretty.”
“I knew it. It’s pretty.”
Leonard couldn’t help but smile as he watched Yellian, who sounded delighted in a voice that had brightened as if they had never been sad. Yellian, absorbed in their reflection with the ribbon necktie in the window, didn’t notice Leonard’s smile. Leonard murmured softly as he looked at Yellian’s bright smile,
“Indeed…… you’re pretty.”
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