Chapter 42.1
“……*Shiver*…….”
Even though Leo was wrapped in the thick, warm and expensive covers of his bed, he was still shivering from cold, so he couldn’t help but frown in displeasure–
“Muu….”
–However, Kai quickly noticed that change on his master’s expression, so he approached Leo and placed a hand on his forehead.
“Are you okay, Leonorsama!? Did your fever rise again!?”
“No, I’m okay, Kai… that’s not, the problem….” – Said Leo, as he removed Kai’s hand from his forehead.
But the young butler wasn’t satisfied with that answer, so he picked up a wet piece of cloth and gently placed it on his master’s forehead.
“You know, Leonorsama, it’s really hard to trust your “I’m okay,” when I know you’re not feeling okay, so I’ll have you rest a bit more.”
“I have to, rest more…? Even though, I’m feeling, a lot better, than before…?”
“Like I said, it’s hard to trust your “I’m okay,” so just obediently lie down. You have to rest, if you want to get better.”
Although he was being scolded by his own butler, Leo could tell that Kai was just worried about him, so he complied without making a fuss, after all, for someone who had spent the last five days in bed, one extra day wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Besides, thanks to the Bernstein brothers, the water business was doing better than ever, so Leo didn’t really have to worry about anything…… except his cold.
Apparently, Leena’s body was so weak, that Leo got a cold just because he stayed inside Carnelian’s lake for a long time. But even though the same thing happened to Bianca, she seemed to be completely fine… well, she had the blessing of the Great Spirit of Water, so it wouldn’t be weird if she was also immune to water now.
(Haaah∼, if only Leena’s body wasn’t this weak…)
The Spirit Festival was going to start next week, so Leo wanted to leave the academy as soon as possible, but because of everything that happened recently, and because of his cold, Kai prohibited Leo from leaving his room until he got better–
(Kai is probably going to kill me* if I leave this room, so I’ll just stay here until I’m better…) (*Tl/n: This kill me is just figurative.)
–However, that wasn’t all. Kai had also booby-trapped all the exits. So now, every time Leo tried to leave his room, an alarm would sound, which was a bit disheartening… but he wouldn’t give up that easily.
Leo tried everything. He tried to run away, but Kai was always in front of the door waiting for him; He tried to jump out of his window, but Kai was always there to catch him; He even tried to fight his way out of the academy, but Kai would always win.
In the end, Leo’s spirit broke… it was impossible to beat Kai.
(No! I only lost because Leena is weak, so that doesn’t count!)
Even though Bruno was always there to protect him, Leo knew how to fight… but Leena’s body was so weak, that Kai could beat him with just one arm. So, on that day, Leo swore to himself that he would train this body’s stamina and strength as soon as possible, after all, he didn’t know when he’d be able to go back to his original body.
(Haaah∼, I guess I won’t make it to festival this year, huh—?) – Thought Leo, as he turned his head slightly to the side to look outside of the window.
Since the Spirit Festival was going to start next week, Leo had to leave the academy today, if he wanted to arrive in Richard with enough time to get his original body back and prepare for the festival, like he always did. However, with Kai watching over him like a hawk, that was an impossible goal to achieve—
(—Hmmm… yeah, I should probably send a letter to Leena saying that we’ll have to postpone our plans…)
—But Leo didn’t want to stay as a girl forever; he wanted to go back to his original body and live a normal life. Although, he couldn’t deny that, thanks to Leena’s appearance, he managed to make a lot of money during the winter festival, which left him a bit divided on the matter.
“Gununu….” (Tl/n: Confused loli noises.)
Because he was lost in thought, Leo didn’t even notice that he had a difficult expression on his face… but Kai noticed it, and to him, the difficult expression on his master’s face definitively had something to do with her cold, so he approached Leo with a plate filled with strawberries and presented them to him. (Tl/n: Apparently, eating strawberries can help you a lot if you have a cold.)
“Here, Leonorsama, you can eat these to your heart’s content. Hopefully, you’ll get better soon.”
Anyone, with enough money, could buy as many strawberries as they wanted, after all, they weren’t expensive. But as soon as Leo bit into the first strawberry, he could tell that the ones he received from Kai were different from the ones he knew… these strawberries reeked of money. However, that wasn’t all. Aside from them being free, which was a plus to Leo, they were so sweet and tasty, that he even wondered if he was really eating the same fruit that ate in the past.
As Kai watched his cute master greedily devouring her food, he couldn’t help but let out a relieved smile, after all, it seemed that she was finally getting better. However, while doing that, Kai remembered something really important, so he cleared his throat to get his master’s attention, and said–
“–I understand that you want to go see your friends, Leonorsama, but I can’t let you leave this room until you’re fully healed, since you have to attend an important event next weekend.”
“An important, event…?” – Said Leo, as he tilted his head to the side, before placing the strawberry that he picked up back on the plate.
“You don’t remember what I told you before you went on that field trip, Leonorsama?”
“No… I don’t, remember what, you told me, Kai….”
“Well, you were probably too focused on the field trip to pay attention to what I said anyway, so I’ll just repeat it…*Ahem*…the Emperor himself invited you to a small party that’ll be held at the castle, on the day of the Spirit Festival—!”
“What…!?”
Kai was really happy to see the surprised look on his master’s face, after all, the fact that the Emperor himself invited her to party being held at the castle, obviously meant that she was a guest of honor and a candidate for the position of next Empress, so he just assumed that she was happy as well and continued—
“—Oh, but that’s not all! You see, for a while now, your grandparents have been planing this with His Majesty and his wife because they want to use that event for your debut party, which is why that day is so important! Well, I know it’s a pity that the day of the party coincided to be on the same day of the Spirit Festival, but those four are busy people, so I’m sure that was the only open day on their schedule.”
—However, Leo wasn’t happy… he was frightened. The scale of his debut party was too big. Just imagining it was enough to make him as pale as a sheet of paper.
“N-no way… such a, big event… i-is my, debut party…?”
Even though Kai knew that his master had some self-esteem problems, and that she would often try to downplay her own achievements, it was hard for him to watch her doing that all the time, so when he saw her face turning pale, his first reaction was to grab her hands to imply that everything was okay, then he looked straight into her purple eyes, and said–
“–It’s okay, Leonorsama. You’re a wonderful person. There’s no one else as qualified as you to become Albert-sama’s wife. So please, believe in yourself.”
“Huh!?”
Leo still had hopes that he would be able to go to the festival after he got better, but those hopes were quickly shattered into pieces when he heard what Kai said, after all, he didn’t want to attend that dreadful event, and he didn’t want to marry Albert either–
(Which part of that is a small party!? I said a small one was okay, didn’t I*!? And what’s that thing about marrying Albert!? Is that a new form of harassment!?) (*Tl/n: Ch-22.1)
–Well, his only saving grace was that the prince hated him, so it was safe to assume that he also didn’t want an engagement between the two of them. However, the same couldn’t be said about the party, since Leo couldn’t simply refuse an invitation from the Emperor himself…… but maybe he could convince Kai to help him postpone the event.
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“Hmm, Kai… I-I know, I can’t refuse, the invitation, but… can you please, ask them to, postpone the party…?” – Said Leo, in a sweet tone, as he tried to persuade Kai by staring at him with a pleading look in his eyes.
But the young butler didn’t waver.
That was something that he couldn’t do for his master.
“I’m sorry, Leonorsama, but I can’t help you this time. That event is your debut party, so you have to be there no matter what.”
“S-so… I have, to attend, that event… n-no matter, what…?” – Said Leo, in a weak tone, as he became even more pale.
However, Kai noticed that look on his master’s face, so he decided to tell Leo something that only a handful of people knew.
“That’s right. You have to attend that event no matter what, after all, your grandmother and Her Majesty the Empress worked really hard for your sake, Leonorsama.”
“Huh…? E-Emilisama did, all of that, just for me…?”
“Yes, she did. Emilisama was so happy when you asked her to organize your debut party, that she used all of her connections just to make the perfect debut party for you, her granddaughter. Well, I know it’s a bit frightening to attend such an important event, however, even if you’re scared, please, remember that you’re doing this for your grandmother, Leonorsama.”
After hearing all that, Leo couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty for trying to postpone the party, after all, Emilia was, for better or worse, his grandmother now, and she loved him unconditionally, so he couldn’t make her sad.
(Emilisama…… she loves Leena a lot, doesn’t she…?)
Unconditional love.
To tell the truth, Leo couldn’t really understand those feelings–no, he could understand them… but he didn’t know what to do when those feeling were pointed at him.
When Leo was younger, he used to long for that kind of affection… but as the years passed, he forgot about that. Instead of seeking something that would never come, he decided to seek other things… and one of them was money. Those shiny little things could make him feel happy, cheerful, and sometimes even thrilled, whenever he found a coin on the ground, or when he made a good deal.
However, that’s exactly why Leo couldn’t forget what Hannah said to him*, on the day he visited the orphanage. (*Tl/n: Ch-28)
Leo couldn’t even imagine what the Marquis couple went through when they lost their daughter, which is why he felt compelled to go to the party, after all, the day of the Spirit Festival was meant to be enjoyed with one’s family… and the two of them deserved that happiness more than anyone else.
But make no mistake, Leo was itching to go to the Spirit Festival. He wanted to sell things and earn a lot of money. However, compared to the Marquis couple, who waited 13 years just to meet their granddaughter, waiting a couple of months for another festival wouldn’t kill him.
Well, technically, the one inside their granddaughter’s body was Leo, not Leena, so they wouldn’t really spend the festival with a member of their family. But that was a unique chance for Leo, who was an orphan, to experience what was like to be on the receiving end of all that love, so he wasn’t totally against the idea of joining them on the castle to enjoy that luxurious party.
(B-besides, I’m still not sure if Albert is a good guy, so I can’t really trade places with Leena yet–!) (Tl/n: Oh no… Leo’s becoming a Tsundere!)
Leo hadn’t spoken with Albert ever since the day he received that magic crest, so he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to thank the prince, but given his circumstances, that was a bit hard to achieve, since he couldn’t leave his room.
(–and Leena didn’t seem to be interested in spending some time with her family anyway, s-so there’s nothing wrong with me doing that for her! Yeah, I’m sure she’ll thank me later!)
After convincing himself that he wasn’t doing anything wrong, Leo nodded with a pleased look on his face. Now he just needed to send a letter to Leena explaining everything that was going on. Surely she would understand him—
“I understand, Kai… I’ll attend, the party. But I need, you to send, a letter to, Hannah’s orphanage, for me fir—”
*Knock* *Knock*
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“—Hmm, excuse me… are you there, Leonora?”
—However, before Leo could ask Kai to do that for him, the two heard someone knocking on the door–no, actually, they already knew who was standing outside, just from hearing his voice. Without a doubt, that person was Albert. And, apparently, he came to visit Leo without a previous notice… again.
So, as Kai hurried to tidy the room before welcoming the prince in, Leo got up from his bed and went over to the door–
“T-thank you, for waiting, Albert-sama… what brings, you here, today?”
–However, when he saw Albert, Leo couldn’t help but notice that there was something wrong with him.
(Hmm, he doesn’t look good… maybe he’s sick…?)
Even though Albert was smiling like he usually did, there was a shadow over his face. It was like he was feeling down. Even his bright aura was nowhere to be seen. Well, he was still as handsome as ever, considering that he was wearing a simple white shirt and black pants, so Leo didn’t mind much, after all, he could be wrong.
After making sure that the room was tidy enough, Kai guided Albert and Leo to a nearby couch set, located at the right side of the room, then he told the prince everything that happened these past few days, while he served them a cup of tea, before retreating to the corner of the room to let the two talk. (Tl/n: Just to let you guys know, although the author didn’t mention it, Leo and Albert are facing each-other.)
“I’m really sorry for showing up so suddenly like this, Leonora… I didn’t know you were sick.” – Said Albert, as he stared at Leo with his usual smile; there was a hint of concern showing on his face.
However, even Albert’s usual smile wasn’t enough to hide the fact that he wasn’t feeling okay, and Leo could see that–
“It’s alright, Albert-sama. This isn’t, your fault, in the, first place, so you, don’t have, to apologize. But, you look, a bit pale… are you sure, you’re okay?”
–So he decided to ask that question.
Albert was a bit surprised when he heard that, but his expression quickly went back to normal. He then reached out towards the table and picked up his tecup, however, at that moment, Leo saw the tip of a golden bracelet peeking from his right hand’s sleeve.
(Ohh!!! It’s a golden bracelet! And it’s even shining!)
Leo only saw the bracelet for a moment, but he knew that it was very expensive, which was very unusual, since Albert rarely used any accessories.
Also, for some mysterious reason, Leo didn’t seem to be as attracted to the golden bracelet as he’d usually be, so he thought he had lost his knack for appraising valuable objects. But, thankfully, that didn’t seem to be the case, after all, to Leo, the gold coin dangling on his neck* was still the most valuable object in the world. (*Tl/n: See Tl/n down below for a detailed explanation on this.)
After taking a sip of his tea, the price then finally answered Leo’s question.
“No, I’m not sick, but thank you for your concern. However, that should be my question. I mean, you almost died during the field trip.”
“Oh, hmm, about that–”
Ever since the day Leo left the magic crest at the bottom of the lake, he couldn’t forget what Carnelian told him, after all, according to her, he only managed to stay alive because of Albert, so he felt compelled to at least thank the prince for helping him with the water business.
“–I actually, wanted to, thank you, Albert-sama. If it weren’t, for your, magic crest, then the people, wouldn’t have, water to drink.” – Said Leo, as he bowed his head to Albert.
“Yeah, I know… Bianca and Oscar already told me that everything was going as planed on their end. The people also seemed to be really happy with this outcome, but… you almost drowned to achieve that goal. To tell the truth, my heart sunk when I heard that. I never thought you’d try to make a deal with the Great Spirit of Water. I was so sad when I heard that you almost died, that I even wished I never made that magic crest….”
“B-but you, helped a lot, of people with, that crest! You even, managed to, saved me, with it! I’d be, dead by now, if it weren’t, for you, so don’t, say that, ever again!” – Screamed Leo, as he leaned forward on the couch to scold Albert.
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Leo was angry. Even if he tried really hard, he wouldn’t be able to recreate the magic crest that Albert invented, so he became a bit mad at the prince when he started belittling himself for creating such an amazing thing.
However, instead of feeling offended by that, Albert couldn’t help but let out a weak smile, as he stared quietly as his own reflection on his tecup.
“…*Whisper*…So… you’re saying that I saved you this time? Along with everyone else?”
“Hmm, Albert-sama…?”
“…*Smile*….”
“H-hmm….”
“…*Smile*….”
“……….”
Albert was usually the one who started their conversations, so now that he was completely silent, Leo had no other choice but to break the ice himself, after all, this never-ending silence was becoming more and more awkward by the moment, so he needed to do something fast.
However, Leo didn’t know what was trending among the nobles, so after considering many topics, he finally decided to talk about the only thing that didn’t involve making a lot of money… which was next weekend’s party.
“That, hmm, Albert-sama…! You may, already know this, but your, parents invited me, to a party, at the castle, next weekend–”
After hearing that, Albert finally looked up… however, there was no emotion on his face. He was just expressionlessly staring at Leo, which was a bit creepy, but that was still 10x better than him being silent, so Leo just ignored that.
“–And, it seems like, Emilisama and, Her Majesty helped, organizing everything, which only, makes things, even more, exciting, right?”
There was a brief moment of silence right after Leo said that, however, a sigh from the prince was all it took to break that heavy mood.
So, after placing his tecup back on the table, Albert stared at Leo’s purple eyes with a serious look on his face, before saying–
“–This may seem a bit sudden to you, Leonora, but I don’t want to delay this talk even more than I already am, so I’ll be brief–”
But, for some reason, Leo got really nervous when he saw Albert making that serious face, so he unconsciously squeezed his gold coin from over his clothes, before nodding for the prince to proceed.
“–Before something irreversible happens at that party… before you are seen as my betrothed… could you return that gold coin to me?” – Said Albert, in a calm tone, as he pointed at the one thing that was hanging on Leo’s neck.
It took a moment for Leo to understand what was happening, but when he followed Albert’s finger trajectory, his breathing halted.
(D-did he mean… this gold coin? T-the same one he told me to treasure for the rest of my life…? My Kar-sama…?)
Leo was sure that Albert was still saying something, but he couldn’t hear anything, except from some faint sounds–no, those weren’t just faint sounds… they were worried screams… and they were calling his name–
“Eh……?”
–But Leo didn’t care, after all, everything was fading to black.