Episode 7 - Strange Woman
Leon Ashford was a man who slept well. He slept as soon as he lay down. He did so even on the battlefield. Even if there was a fight the next day, he would fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. Not wasting emotions was connected to sleep. As long as he didn't keep unnecessary things in his head, there was no reason not to be able to sleep. Yet now, Leon was staring at the ceiling. It had been over an hour since he had lain in bed. His eyes would not close.
Leon stared at the ceiling and closed his eyes. When he closed his eyes, it was dark. Something was in the darkness. It was golden hair. Then he heard a voice. 'Why are you so skinny? Are you even eating properly?' Leon opened his eyes. It was the ceiling.
Leon sat up. It was dark outside the window. It looked like it was past midnight. Since he had returned from the banquet at ten o'clock, it meant he had been lying down for over two hours. Two hours. Leon couldn't remember the last time he hadn't slept for two hours. Why was this happening? Leon walked to the window. He opened it. The night air came in. It was cold. As he felt that cold air, Leon thought.
Serena Valois. Leon first saw Serena right after the engagement was finalized. It was at the official engagement announcement at the Imperial Palace; Leon saw Serena there. She was sixteen. A Princess of the Valois family with golden hair and blue eyes—she was a pretty girl. That was what Leon thought. Calmly, it was a political engagement, and Leon already knew that fact. He didn't expect any emotion. But right there, their eyes met. Serena's ears turned red when she saw Leon. Leon saw it. And strangely enough, that stuck in his memory.
After that, they ran into each other a few times at imperial palace events. Leon considered striking up a conversation with Serena. As they were engaged, it was only natural for them to get to know each other. However, Serena reacted strangely whenever Leon was nearby. She would either push too hard or sulk and turn away; Leon didn't know how to respond to either reaction. He was flustered when she pushed, and uncomfortable when she ignored him. So, Leon kept his distance. But when he kept his distance, Serena reacted even more strangely. She would either push harder or sulk even more intensely. This cycle went on for two years. And then, the engagement was broken off.
Serena raised her voice at a public event. Directed at Leon. The nobles heard it. That was the end of it. Leon hadn't thought about Serena since the broken engagement. There was no need to think about her. It was over. Leon wasn't the type of person to bring up a past matter. However... at the imperial palace event today, Leon looked out the window and recalled that scene again. When he entered the banquet hall, the first thing he saw was Serena. She was standing at a food table, eating pie. Leon watched the scene. Why is she acting like that?
He could see the surrounding nobles whispering. Their gazes seemed to say that the Princess of Valois was no disgrace. Serena was eating her pie while receiving those stares. She had no expression. No, to be precise, she looked as if she didn't care. The Serena Leon knew wasn't like this. The Serena Leon knew was sensitive to the gazes of others. She would get nervous when nobles saw her. She would flare up if they whispered. Yet, right now, this woman was eating her pie. Meticulously, slowly, as if checking exactly how it was made.
Leon tried to avert his gaze. He couldn't. This time, Serena picked up the fish dish. She looked at the fish as she ate. It seemed as though she were looking at herbs. She had a thoughtful expression. Leon saw that expression. He had never seen that look before, either. A look of deep contemplation, a quiet look. Serena was someone who displayed her emotions openly, but this was different.
“Young Master."
Siegfried, a subordinate, spoke from the side. Leon averted his gaze.
"Why."
"Were you watching Princess Valois?"
"No."
“Oh, yeah.”
Siegfried nodded. The way he nodded was a way of not agreeing. Leon knew this, but said nothing more. Leon tried not to look at Serena. It was a matter that had ended two years ago. Serena Valois and Leon Ashford had broken off their engagement. There was no reason to see her anymore. However... he saw a noblewoman saying something to Serena. He couldn't hear the content because of the distance. But he could tell from the lady's gaze. It wasn't pleasant words. Leon watched to see how Serena would react.
Serena said something to the lady. Briefly. Then she turned around and picked up a piece of cheese. The Lady froze. Leon watched. What was that woman doing? Serena turned around and was eating the cheese. The Lady was still frozen. Serena didn't pay attention to her. The Serena Leon knew would have flared up or flinched in situations like that. She had never turned around so calmly to eat cheese. Leon realized he was watching Serena again. So he walked over. Out of curiosity. To confirm if she was the woman he knew.
When he approached, Serena had her back to him. Leon didn't even know why he was walking. To say something. He didn't know what he intended to say. He just walked. And he spoke. 'Have you decided to just go all out now, Princess?' Serena turned around. His gray eyes met her blue eyes. Leon looked into them. In his memories, Serena's eyes always wavered when she looked at him. Nervous, fluttering, or irritated. There was always something there. Now, those eyes were different. They were calm. They were calm even though Leon was right there. They didn't waver. There was no tension. She just looked at Leon. And Serena's gaze descended. From his face to his neck, from his neck to his shoulder, from his shoulder to his forearm—Leon felt her gaze moving downward.
And then a hand came. Serena's hand grabbed Leon's forearm. Her fingers wrapped around the sleeve. She squeezed tightly. Leon froze. His mind stopped for a moment. Serena spoke. "Why are you so skinny?" Leon heard those words. "Are you even eating properly?" Standing by the window, Leon recalled that moment again. The sensation of his forearm being grabbed was still there. It was through the sleeve. It hadn't even been a direct touch. Yet, it was still there. "You're so skinny." Leon felt that those words would not leave his mind.
The heir to the Empire's most powerful ducal family. Someone who had returned from the battlefield; if a subordinate had said such a thing, it would have warranted immediate punishment. However, the bigger problem wasn't that he couldn't punish her because it was Serena who said it, but that he didn't even feel the urge to punish her. Leon rubbed his forehead. "Do you make sure to eat?" What on earth did that even mean? Asking the heir to the Empire's top ducal family to make sure they eat properly—Leon thought about what he had felt when he heard those words. It was bewilderment. It was definitely bewilderment. Yet, despite being bewildered, he wasn't offended. He should have been offended, but he wasn't. That was even more offensive.
No, even the word 'unpleasant' wasn't accurate. It was just. Strange.
When Siegfried asked if he was watching the Princess of Valois from the side, Leon said no. It was a lie. He couldn't remember the last time he had lied to him. Throughout the banquet, Leon looked at Serena. He tried not to look, but his gaze was drawn to her. When Serena ate fish, when she ate cheese, when she stood by the window looking down at the garden—especially when she stood by the window. When she laughed while talking in a low voice with a lady-in-waiting named Lucy. Leon saw Serena's expression then. It was a brief smile. It wasn't a big laugh. Just a slight curl of the corners of her mouth. But that...
Leon closed the window. The cold air was cut off. The room fell silent. Leon traced his memories back. Had he ever seen her smile during the two years she was engaged to Serena Valois? Yes, she had. There were moments. When she was talking with other nobles. When they were in groups at imperial palace events. She smiled then. But had she ever smiled in front of Leon? Leon thought. No. Serena would get nervous whenever Leon was nearby. She would either push herself or look away. She had never smiled.
But today, by that window, while talking about cheese with Lucy, she laughed briefly. Leon saw it. Leon returned to bed. He lay down. He closed his eyes. It was dark. In the darkness, there was a golden light. It was Serena standing by the window. He saw her back. It was a view from behind. Narrow shoulders, a slender neck, a posture looking down at the garden. Leon did not open his eyes. It was over. He thought.
He broke off his engagement with Serena Valois. Two years ago. Since then, Leon hadn't paid any attention to Serena. There was no reason to. What was strange today was simply that Serena had changed. She caught his eye because the change was unexpected. That was all. "You look so gaunt." He heard those words again. "Are you even eating properly?" Leon opened his eyes. He was looking at the ceiling. He didn't know why he kept hearing those words; he had never heard anything like that before, so it stuck in his memory. That was all.
Leon tried to close his eyes again. They wouldn't close. The sensation of Serena gripping his forearm returned. It was on his sleeve. It hadn't even been a direct touch. Yet, Leon sprang to his feet and sat up. Sitting there, he clutched his head with his hand. Why am I acting like this? Leon asked himself that question. There was no answer.
It was dark outside the window. It was well past midnight. Leon had a meeting at the Imperial Palace tomorrow morning. He should have slept. But he couldn't fall asleep. Because of Serena Valois, Leon felt uncomfortable about the fact. It wasn't just uncomfortable; he couldn't understand it. It was a matter that had ended two years ago. Moreover, it was something Serena had brought to a close by raising her voice in public. Leon couldn't go so far as to say he was hurt. He was simply displeased. It felt dishonorable. So he put an end to it. He thought it was settled.
But today, that woman... thinking about the recipe while eating pie, saying a word to the noble lady, turning around to eat cheese, grabbing Leon's arm to ask if he had eaten, thrusting a plate of food at him, and Leon accepted it without realizing it. He took it and ate the pie. As he ate, he watched Serena's retreating figure. Serena did not look back. She had handed him the plate and walked away. She did not wait for a reaction. She did not check. She simply left it there.
'She's a strange woman,' Leon thought. Had she changed, or had she always been like this and Leon just been unaware? No. That wasn't important. Leon lay back down. He closed his eyes. 'What kind of plan is she using now?' he wondered. There must be a reason why Serena Valois had changed. He had heard the news that the family's fortunes had declined since the broken engagement. He had also heard that she had become isolated from society. She might be trying to change something in that situation.
Leon could have been among the things she was trying to change.
She had been dumped two years ago. She might have wanted to mend her relationship with the Duke's family. For the sake of the family, she might have been pretending to have changed like that. Leon sorted out his thoughts. That was a possibility. It was a strange strategy. If the tactic of grabbing his arm and asking if he had eaten was meant to impress people in that way, then Serena Valois had chosen a rather peculiar method. Leon concluded this with his eyes closed. That was right. That was the correct way to think. His eyes closed. He felt sleep coming. "Are you making sure to eat?" That voice was heard again. Leon ignored the voice and closed his eyes. And he fell asleep. Thinking of the golden hair he had seen from behind.
[Siegfried's Internal Report - Episode 7]
I am recording Young Master's strange behavior at today's banquet.
Abnormal Behavior No. 1: He watched Princess Valois intermittently throughout the banquet. When I asked him, he said no. It wasn't that he wasn't.
Abnormal Behavior No. 2: He walked directly to Princess Valois. The young master walked ahead.
Abnormal Behavior No. 3: The Princess grabbed the Young Master's forearm. The Young Master remained still. Normally, he would have subdued her on the spot with just a glance.
Abnormal Behavior No. 4: Received the plate of food handed by the Princess. Ate it.
Abnormal Behavior No. 5: The Young Master's gaze remained fixed on her even after the Princess had moved.
Headed. Checked three times.
I have been serving Young Master for 10 years.
Young Master had never seen anyone like that.
I thought about asking tomorrow, but decided against it. He will say no.
I decided to watch.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment