Episode 104. Leana's Stupid Party
"A reply from Lady Isabelle."
Christine, who had stopped training, accepted the envelope Zimmer had handed him. It had the red wax seal of the Rodwell family.
He opened the envelope and read it, but was silent for a moment.
"Sir?"
Zimmer called carefully. His expression didn't look good.
He said as he closed the envelope.
"We should have a party tonight."
Zimmer tilted his head.
"Was it good news?"
Instead of answering, he handed him the envelope again and left the training ground.
Zimmer, who was puzzled and took out the letter inside the envelope and read it, let out a faint groan.
"This is really the best!"
Leana shouted excitedly, dodging the people moving around busily.
Everyone was busy preparing for the sudden party.
And in the afternoon, a wonderful party venue was set up in the training ground garden.
The knights, who usually seemed to be haphazard, moved in perfect unison when the order was given and prepared for the party.
It seemed like these people could easily build a ship even if they were shipwrecked on a deserted island.
Adele was absent-minded in the kitchen for a while.
There were several cooks in the kitchen, but they were in charge of the main dish, and she was preparing the dessert for the dessert. Leana assisted her.
“Leana, can you bring me this gratin? The bowl is hot...”
The moment she spoke, the gratin bowl on the counter disappeared.
“It’s magic.”
Leana winked and sat down on the counter where the gratin had been placed.
She picked up a freshly baked muffin.
“Yeah, I forgot that you can do anything.”
“But you can’t make this. This is truly magic!”
Leana ate one muffin in the blink of an eye and picked up another.
“Leana, stop.”
Adele shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I almost ate all the party food.”
Leana smiled cutely, sticking her tongue out.
“That’s not it. It would be a shame to fill your stomach with muffins when the real food hasn’t even come out yet.”
Adele took the apple pie out of the oven this time.
“Wow! It looks and smells so good that it’s going to make your mouth water!”
Leana jumped down from the counter and screamed, stamping her feet.
“That’s the most enthusiastic reaction anyone has ever had to my apple pie.”
“I feel bad for saying that.”
When Adele turned around, Christine was already leaning against the kitchen door.
He seemed to have come from preparing for the party with the members. He was wearing a vest, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, looking plain.
Looking at his face, you couldn’t say plain.
“You like my apple pie, but I don’t remember you being as enthusiastic as Leana.”
“Then, should I show you here? I can show you a much more enthusiastic reaction than that little kid.”
Christine strode into the kitchen.
Then, the cooks who had been preparing food with Adele laughed sinisterly and left one by one.
The last cook to leave dragged Leana, who was looking bewildered, out.
“Have a good time, boss!”
Boom!
“It’s just the two of us.”
He smiled, stretching his red lips.
“That’s right.”
It wasn’t the first time they were alone, but Adele felt nervous for some reason.
He came close to her and asked, brushing her hair back.
“You look nervous?”
He was like a ghost.
“Yeah, I’m nervous. I’m waiting for your intense enthusiasm for apple pie.”
His face came close enough to kiss her.
“How can I make you excited? Like dancing naked?”
“It’s not bad, but is there anything more novel?”
“Unfortunately, it’s the kitchen. If it were the bedroom, it would have impressed you much more novelly.”
As his breath touched her lips and the familiar scent flowed into her nose, Adele bit the inside of her lip without realizing it.
“Then shall we go to the bedroom?”
Adele's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected bold statement.
Are you crazy? What are you talking about?
Christine gently rubbed the tip of his nose as if he found Adele cute.
"What a bold seduction."
"You were the one who seduced me first!"
"I see. I'm at my limit."
Christine lowered his lips, burying his fingers in Adele’s hair as if he couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Chris...”
Adele, who had been calling his name, also hugged his neck as if she couldn’t bear it anymore.
Their soft skins overlapped, and their breaths mingled.
The heated body temperature must have melted their reason.
It didn’t matter that this was the kitchen, that they were preparing for a party, or that they could hear the noise of people outside.
Their kiss became deeper and more intense with their heated breathing.
“Hey, be quiet!”
“I’m telling you to hear it with magic!”
“Ugh! Stop pushing!”
But he couldn’t stop when he heard that sound outside the door.
“...Damn it! Just a moment, Adele.”
He stopped kissing, smiled softly at Adele, and pulled out the kitchen knife stuck in the cutting board with all his might.
“Don’t worry, I’ll kill them all in one minute and come back.”
Bam!
“Ugh!”
As the door opened, the cooks who had been eavesdropping outside rushed forward.
Then, they were startled when they saw Christine with a gleaming knife in his hand and a serious expression on his face.
“Uh, we’re going to serve food...”
“Yes, the party is about to start... Hehe..."
While the large cooks hesitated, Leana confidently stepped forward and shouted.
“It’s your fault for not respecting the time and place!”
Before the bewildered Christine could react, she disappeared in an instant.
“Is this the only place you escaped to with magic?”
“Adele!”
Adele was holding a large box in her hand as she entered Leana’s room.
Leana quickly ran over and took the box, and apologized.
“I’m sorry for ruining your kiss. Are the Count really angry?”
“He put the knife down, so don’t worry.”
“He looked really angry.”
“I guess you didn’t see my face after that. If he hadn’t done that, I would have picked up the knife.”
Adele chuckled as Leana was surprised.
“Half joking.”
“Half serious. Adele really likes kissing, too.”
“It’s not that I like kissing, it’s that I like the feeling of being in love with each other. Of course, it was a mistake that I didn’t know the time and place, as you said.”
“I’m sorry. I was so flustered earlier that I spoke rudely.”
“I apologized enough, so should you open the box first?”
Leana screamed and jumped up as she opened the box on the bed.
“Oh my! Are you giving me this?”
Inside the box was a lavender dress.
“I found it in the closet of this mansion. It’s not a debutante, but since it’s your first party, I wanted to make you pretty.”
During her time at the Vatican, Leana’s clothes were always old, black one-piece dresses that reached her calves. She had never been invited to a party or a social gathering.
So the pretty dress alone was enough to impress her.
“Adele! Thank you so much!”
Leana ran over and hugged Adele.
But the dress she was wearing for the first time in her life had sleeves and a skirt that were too puffy.
On top of that, the lipstick Adele had put on seemed too dark, and her hair, which had been wavy and let down, looked too messy.
Leana thought that she looked so ridiculous in that dress and makeup.
“Adele, this is too..."
“If you say ‘too’ one more time, I won’t let you eat apple pie.”
“This is too much... Ah, cancel!”
Leana gathered her courage and went out to the garden where the party was being held. When the knights saw Leana, they jeered and cheered as if teasing her.
“See? I told you I was too weird.”
Leana complained to Adele, who was following her with a sad face.
But Adele seemed even happier.
“To my ears, it sounds like cheers of being pretty.”
“Adele, do you know that it’s secretly cruel?”
“Yeah, I know. But you know that it’s not like you to be embarrassed?”
“Yeah. That’s true.”
Sigh!
Leana took a deep breath, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and strode briskly toward the garden party venue.
Then she stopped. She saw Christine’s back among the crowd.
His beautiful silver hair, recognizable even in a crowd of people.
His sharp nose and his picture-perfect profile.
“The Count, what if he still hasn’t calmed down?”
She asked Adele, who was following her.
Adele laughed when she saw Leana, who was trembling.
She used to act all brash and mature, but at times like this, she was a total kid.
“Trust me, have the courage to talk to me.”
Leana took another deep breath and approached Christine.
“Ahem, I’m sorry. I was rude earlier.”
He turned around at her awkwardly hesitant voice.
Unable to meet his eyes, Leana lowered her head.
After a while, a soft, low-pitched voice was heard.
“...Beautiful.”
Leana’s cheeks flushed.
“T-It’s not that bad...”
Christine smiled brightly and strode toward her.
However, he passed Leana and politely extended his hand to Adele, who was standing behind her.
“Would you do me the honor of escorting me, Miss Adele?”
Leana’s cheeks turned even redder. She felt like hiding in a mouse hole right away.
When she thought about it, she realized that Adele and she were incomparable.
Adele was wearing a plain beige dress with a green ribbon tied around her head. Yet, she exuded an air of elegance and grace.
Above all, Christine’s most beloved lover.
At that moment, a small whisper was heard.
“Little girl, you look pretty today, too.”
“...!”
When she looked up in surprise, he chuckled.
Still fixating his gaze on Adele, he stroked Leana’s hair with his large hand.
Thump.
After Adele and Christine entered the crowd, Leana quietly stroked her own hair. She kept thinking about the feeling of Christine stroking her.
He really was like her father.
“What are you doing? Why don’t you come quickly?”
When she turned around, Jennifer came over with his blonde hair fluttering and winked.
“Me too?”
“If you don’t come quickly, you’ll miss out on the fun!”
The music flowing in the garden was wild, and everyone was dancing wildly.
Some were on tables, others were juggling apples and dancing the dog dance.
They were all ridiculous, but they all looked very cheerful together.
“It’s all stupid...”
But Leana was laughing.
“Parties are stupid. Come on.”
Leana took Jennifer’s hand and jumped into the crowd.
After dancing with Leana, Jennifer emptied a cupful of fruit punch in one gulp.
Then he saw Zimmer standing alone in the flowerbed, and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Hey, what are you doing there?”
Zimmer glanced at him and didn’t say much.
Jennifer approached him, holding a cup full of fruit punch.
“What are you doing here, all alone?”
“It’s getting dark.”
“Pfft!”
Jennifer finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“I can’t help but cringe. You're not even a teenager, and you're sitting in a flowerbed and talking about dusk.”
“Get out, Jennifer.”
“Yes. Drink it up instead.”
Zimmer emptied the cup Jennifer held out in one gulp.
“Yes, yes?”
But Jennifer smiled and folded his arms as he sat on the flowerbed.
“I think I’ll be able to hear some good music if I just wait a little longer.”
“What nonsense..."
“You have a habit of singing when you get drunk.”
“Sorry, but I don’t get drunk on just one punch.”
“I mixed all the alcohol I could find. That’s why this punch is pretty strong. And you have a low tolerance.”
Punch was a cocktail drink made by mixing fruit and alcohol. It was fragrant and sweet, but depending on the combination, it could be strong alcohol.
As if to prove Jennifer’s words, Zimmer’s face quickly turned red.
“Yes, do you want to sing?”
“Get out.”
“Then I guess I can’t help it.”
Jennifer, who had turned around as if giving up, made a trumpet and shouted at the people.
“Hey, Deputy Zimmer is going to sing!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the very excited people started running towards him, shouting, “Wow!”
“You idiot with no sense.”
Jennifer frowned at Zimmer’s reprimand.
“That’s a bit harsh. You don’t have a sense when you’re acting all splendid at the party.”
At this, Zimmer’s eyes turned red as if he was about to cry.
“The captain and Adele... will be separated soon.”
“What?”
“This is a farewell party.”
"A reply from Lady Isabelle."
Christine, who had stopped training, accepted the envelope Zimmer had handed him. It had the red wax seal of the Rodwell family.
He opened the envelope and read it, but was silent for a moment.
"Sir?"
Zimmer called carefully. His expression didn't look good.
He said as he closed the envelope.
"We should have a party tonight."
Zimmer tilted his head.
"Was it good news?"
Instead of answering, he handed him the envelope again and left the training ground.
Zimmer, who was puzzled and took out the letter inside the envelope and read it, let out a faint groan.
***
"This is really the best!"
Leana shouted excitedly, dodging the people moving around busily.
Everyone was busy preparing for the sudden party.
And in the afternoon, a wonderful party venue was set up in the training ground garden.
The knights, who usually seemed to be haphazard, moved in perfect unison when the order was given and prepared for the party.
It seemed like these people could easily build a ship even if they were shipwrecked on a deserted island.
Adele was absent-minded in the kitchen for a while.
There were several cooks in the kitchen, but they were in charge of the main dish, and she was preparing the dessert for the dessert. Leana assisted her.
“Leana, can you bring me this gratin? The bowl is hot...”
The moment she spoke, the gratin bowl on the counter disappeared.
“It’s magic.”
Leana winked and sat down on the counter where the gratin had been placed.
She picked up a freshly baked muffin.
“Yeah, I forgot that you can do anything.”
“But you can’t make this. This is truly magic!”
Leana ate one muffin in the blink of an eye and picked up another.
“Leana, stop.”
Adele shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I almost ate all the party food.”
Leana smiled cutely, sticking her tongue out.
“That’s not it. It would be a shame to fill your stomach with muffins when the real food hasn’t even come out yet.”
Adele took the apple pie out of the oven this time.
“Wow! It looks and smells so good that it’s going to make your mouth water!”
Leana jumped down from the counter and screamed, stamping her feet.
“That’s the most enthusiastic reaction anyone has ever had to my apple pie.”
“I feel bad for saying that.”
When Adele turned around, Christine was already leaning against the kitchen door.
He seemed to have come from preparing for the party with the members. He was wearing a vest, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, looking plain.
Looking at his face, you couldn’t say plain.
“You like my apple pie, but I don’t remember you being as enthusiastic as Leana.”
“Then, should I show you here? I can show you a much more enthusiastic reaction than that little kid.”
Christine strode into the kitchen.
Then, the cooks who had been preparing food with Adele laughed sinisterly and left one by one.
The last cook to leave dragged Leana, who was looking bewildered, out.
“Have a good time, boss!”
Boom!
“It’s just the two of us.”
He smiled, stretching his red lips.
“That’s right.”
It wasn’t the first time they were alone, but Adele felt nervous for some reason.
He came close to her and asked, brushing her hair back.
“You look nervous?”
He was like a ghost.
“Yeah, I’m nervous. I’m waiting for your intense enthusiasm for apple pie.”
His face came close enough to kiss her.
“How can I make you excited? Like dancing naked?”
“It’s not bad, but is there anything more novel?”
“Unfortunately, it’s the kitchen. If it were the bedroom, it would have impressed you much more novelly.”
As his breath touched her lips and the familiar scent flowed into her nose, Adele bit the inside of her lip without realizing it.
“Then shall we go to the bedroom?”
Adele's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected bold statement.
Are you crazy? What are you talking about?
Christine gently rubbed the tip of his nose as if he found Adele cute.
"What a bold seduction."
"You were the one who seduced me first!"
"I see. I'm at my limit."
Christine lowered his lips, burying his fingers in Adele’s hair as if he couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Chris...”
Adele, who had been calling his name, also hugged his neck as if she couldn’t bear it anymore.
Their soft skins overlapped, and their breaths mingled.
The heated body temperature must have melted their reason.
It didn’t matter that this was the kitchen, that they were preparing for a party, or that they could hear the noise of people outside.
Their kiss became deeper and more intense with their heated breathing.
“Hey, be quiet!”
“I’m telling you to hear it with magic!”
“Ugh! Stop pushing!”
But he couldn’t stop when he heard that sound outside the door.
“...Damn it! Just a moment, Adele.”
He stopped kissing, smiled softly at Adele, and pulled out the kitchen knife stuck in the cutting board with all his might.
“Don’t worry, I’ll kill them all in one minute and come back.”
Bam!
“Ugh!”
As the door opened, the cooks who had been eavesdropping outside rushed forward.
Then, they were startled when they saw Christine with a gleaming knife in his hand and a serious expression on his face.
“Uh, we’re going to serve food...”
“Yes, the party is about to start... Hehe..."
While the large cooks hesitated, Leana confidently stepped forward and shouted.
“It’s your fault for not respecting the time and place!”
Before the bewildered Christine could react, she disappeared in an instant.
***
“Is this the only place you escaped to with magic?”
“Adele!”
Adele was holding a large box in her hand as she entered Leana’s room.
Leana quickly ran over and took the box, and apologized.
“I’m sorry for ruining your kiss. Are the Count really angry?”
“He put the knife down, so don’t worry.”
“He looked really angry.”
“I guess you didn’t see my face after that. If he hadn’t done that, I would have picked up the knife.”
Adele chuckled as Leana was surprised.
“Half joking.”
“Half serious. Adele really likes kissing, too.”
“It’s not that I like kissing, it’s that I like the feeling of being in love with each other. Of course, it was a mistake that I didn’t know the time and place, as you said.”
“I’m sorry. I was so flustered earlier that I spoke rudely.”
“I apologized enough, so should you open the box first?”
Leana screamed and jumped up as she opened the box on the bed.
“Oh my! Are you giving me this?”
Inside the box was a lavender dress.
“I found it in the closet of this mansion. It’s not a debutante, but since it’s your first party, I wanted to make you pretty.”
During her time at the Vatican, Leana’s clothes were always old, black one-piece dresses that reached her calves. She had never been invited to a party or a social gathering.
So the pretty dress alone was enough to impress her.
“Adele! Thank you so much!”
Leana ran over and hugged Adele.
***
But the dress she was wearing for the first time in her life had sleeves and a skirt that were too puffy.
On top of that, the lipstick Adele had put on seemed too dark, and her hair, which had been wavy and let down, looked too messy.
Leana thought that she looked so ridiculous in that dress and makeup.
“Adele, this is too..."
“If you say ‘too’ one more time, I won’t let you eat apple pie.”
“This is too much... Ah, cancel!”
Leana gathered her courage and went out to the garden where the party was being held. When the knights saw Leana, they jeered and cheered as if teasing her.
“See? I told you I was too weird.”
Leana complained to Adele, who was following her with a sad face.
But Adele seemed even happier.
“To my ears, it sounds like cheers of being pretty.”
“Adele, do you know that it’s secretly cruel?”
“Yeah, I know. But you know that it’s not like you to be embarrassed?”
“Yeah. That’s true.”
Sigh!
Leana took a deep breath, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and strode briskly toward the garden party venue.
Then she stopped. She saw Christine’s back among the crowd.
His beautiful silver hair, recognizable even in a crowd of people.
His sharp nose and his picture-perfect profile.
“The Count, what if he still hasn’t calmed down?”
She asked Adele, who was following her.
Adele laughed when she saw Leana, who was trembling.
She used to act all brash and mature, but at times like this, she was a total kid.
“Trust me, have the courage to talk to me.”
Leana took another deep breath and approached Christine.
“Ahem, I’m sorry. I was rude earlier.”
He turned around at her awkwardly hesitant voice.
Unable to meet his eyes, Leana lowered her head.
After a while, a soft, low-pitched voice was heard.
“...Beautiful.”
Leana’s cheeks flushed.
“T-It’s not that bad...”
Christine smiled brightly and strode toward her.
However, he passed Leana and politely extended his hand to Adele, who was standing behind her.
“Would you do me the honor of escorting me, Miss Adele?”
Leana’s cheeks turned even redder. She felt like hiding in a mouse hole right away.
When she thought about it, she realized that Adele and she were incomparable.
Adele was wearing a plain beige dress with a green ribbon tied around her head. Yet, she exuded an air of elegance and grace.
Above all, Christine’s most beloved lover.
At that moment, a small whisper was heard.
“Little girl, you look pretty today, too.”
“...!”
When she looked up in surprise, he chuckled.
Still fixating his gaze on Adele, he stroked Leana’s hair with his large hand.
Thump.
After Adele and Christine entered the crowd, Leana quietly stroked her own hair. She kept thinking about the feeling of Christine stroking her.
He really was like her father.
“What are you doing? Why don’t you come quickly?”
When she turned around, Jennifer came over with his blonde hair fluttering and winked.
“Me too?”
“If you don’t come quickly, you’ll miss out on the fun!”
The music flowing in the garden was wild, and everyone was dancing wildly.
Some were on tables, others were juggling apples and dancing the dog dance.
They were all ridiculous, but they all looked very cheerful together.
“It’s all stupid...”
But Leana was laughing.
“Parties are stupid. Come on.”
Leana took Jennifer’s hand and jumped into the crowd.
***
After dancing with Leana, Jennifer emptied a cupful of fruit punch in one gulp.
Then he saw Zimmer standing alone in the flowerbed, and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Hey, what are you doing there?”
Zimmer glanced at him and didn’t say much.
Jennifer approached him, holding a cup full of fruit punch.
“What are you doing here, all alone?”
“It’s getting dark.”
“Pfft!”
Jennifer finally couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“I can’t help but cringe. You're not even a teenager, and you're sitting in a flowerbed and talking about dusk.”
“Get out, Jennifer.”
“Yes. Drink it up instead.”
Zimmer emptied the cup Jennifer held out in one gulp.
“Yes, yes?”
But Jennifer smiled and folded his arms as he sat on the flowerbed.
“I think I’ll be able to hear some good music if I just wait a little longer.”
“What nonsense..."
“You have a habit of singing when you get drunk.”
“Sorry, but I don’t get drunk on just one punch.”
“I mixed all the alcohol I could find. That’s why this punch is pretty strong. And you have a low tolerance.”
Punch was a cocktail drink made by mixing fruit and alcohol. It was fragrant and sweet, but depending on the combination, it could be strong alcohol.
As if to prove Jennifer’s words, Zimmer’s face quickly turned red.
“Yes, do you want to sing?”
“Get out.”
“Then I guess I can’t help it.”
Jennifer, who had turned around as if giving up, made a trumpet and shouted at the people.
“Hey, Deputy Zimmer is going to sing!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the very excited people started running towards him, shouting, “Wow!”
“You idiot with no sense.”
Jennifer frowned at Zimmer’s reprimand.
“That’s a bit harsh. You don’t have a sense when you’re acting all splendid at the party.”
At this, Zimmer’s eyes turned red as if he was about to cry.
“The captain and Adele... will be separated soon.”
“What?”
“This is a farewell party.”
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