“I have no choice but to hire a sailor from another ship.”
He intends to kill his son and adopt an heir. Leo's eyes sparkled at those words.
“You’ll need a skilled sailor. But no ship would willingly give up a capable hand…”
Leo cleared his throat.
“You’ll need to find a sailor whose skills are yet unknown.”
As he spoke, he subtly curled his hand into a fist.
The Marquis didn’t miss Leo’s gesture. He smiled faintly and calmed Leo’s excitement with a mundane remark.
“A difficult task indeed. I must see them in action. It requires time.”
Still, it wasn’t a rejection, and a sliver of hope blossomed within Leo.
“You speak the truth. What’s more difficult than selecting the right person? In fact, I once met someone on a voyage. Back then…”
He revealed Lena’s existence to the Marquis.
It was a sales pitch, implying that he wasn't the only thing the Marquis could gain. However, the Marquis simply changed the subject, pretending to be interested.
“Oh, yes. There’s no one closer than family. A friend of mine once broke a plate…”
Breaking a plate meant getting into trouble before marriage.
Although disappointed, Leo was satisfied with having brought it up and followed the new topic.
The Marquis’s story about his only friend who had hurriedly married and had a very tomboyish daughter was rather trivial.
If one listened closely, there seemed to be a hidden message, but Leo couldn't be sure if the drunken Marquis was spouting nonsense, so he entertained a different thought.
‘I can make Lena a princess with the Marquis’s power.’
A tremendous {Event} was hidden here.
The Marquis hadn’t shown much interest at the moment, but Leo could prove himself over time.
A son with swordsmanship skills on par with a knight and a daughter beautiful enough to shake a kingdom. If he proved his worth by carrying out the request and introduced Lena to the Marquis, the man would surely adopt them both. Then…
To Leo, this seemed like a much easier path than getting rid of the prince of the Conrad Kingdom.
He tried not to show his eagerness, chatting with the Marquis a while longer before taking his leave.
As he bowed gracefully, Leo promised to return to discuss the time and place for the task. The Marquis, in turn, assured him of a handsome reward for the Family.
Stepping out of the mansion, Leo held a pass the Marquis had given him.
He hummed a tune, a little tipsy, as he hailed another carriage.
Things were finally looking up.
Or so he thought.
Unbeknownst to him, Marquis Tatian watched from a high window, carefully putting away the decanter and glass.
He had never been drunk a day in his life.
* * *
Leo returned to Leather Street, feeling the pleasant buzz of the alcohol.
The meeting with the Marquis had been fruitful.
He’d practically completed the boss’s request and found a way to make Lena a princess.
‘Oh right, Lena asked me to bring back snacks.’
He looked around, but it was too late; no shops would be open at this hour.
He hesitated for a moment, feeling a pang of guilt, but the thought of Lena’s delighted face spurred him on. He turned and headed towards the Rauno Family’s shelter in Leather Street. Ober would still be on duty.
Ober always had food. Not only did he have a sweet tooth, but despite his rough appearance, he had a kind heart and often shared his snacks with the beggars.
“Uncle Ober, I’m…”
Leo, brushing off the snowflakes that had begun to fall, stopped mid-sentence as he pushed open the creaky door.
“Oh, Leo, you’re back.”
Ober was with Cassia.
Leo’s faint smile faded as he forced himself to speak, avoiding Cassia’s gaze.
“Uncle, do you have any snacks? I promised Lena I’d bring some back, but it slipped my mind.”
“For Lena? Hold on.”
As Ober rummaged through a drawer, Cassia stared at Leo, taking in his appearance after all this time.
Leo found her gaze uncomfortable and unpleasant.
He hated this woman.
It wasn't as if the Cassia before him was responsible for what had happened, but the resentment lingered, and he remained silent, waiting for Ober.
“Here you go.”
Ober handed him a paper bag. The rustling of candy wrapped in thin wax paper could be heard from inside.
“Thanks. I’ll pay you back.”
“Pay me back? Don’t be silly. We’re family.”
Ober’s gaze was full of warmth. Perhaps it was the effect of his achievements? Leo was doing well in the Rauno Family.
He nodded at Ober and quickly left, heading for the mansion.
- Click, clack.
But Cassia stealthily followed him. Leo pretended not to notice, but she stuck to him like glue.
‘Just how far is she going to follow me?’
She was a strange woman.
Cassia had stopped by Ober’s before heading to work.
It was her routine. She relayed the information she’d gathered at the brothel the day before, under the pretense of paying protection money.
She hadn’t always done this, but Ober was like a savior to her.
Once, when Cassia had tried to end her life, Ober had grabbed her and shouted. He’d told her that even the gutter sees the light of day, his rough words carrying a weight of sincerity as he’d pulled her back from the brink.
His desperate cries had stopped her. It was pointless, but she’d continued to live.
And then she’d met that young man.
The young man who made her heart ache just by looking at him. Cassia bit her lip as she watched him walk away.
‘Why am I doing this?’
She’d come to her senses to find herself following him.
In the opposite direction of the brothel.
Leo had left for the Rauno Family, but Cassia couldn't forget him.
And now, after six months, the boy she’d met had filled up, his body radiating a calmness and strength that made him almost unrecognizable.
Holding her breath, she trailed after him, until Leo suddenly turned around in a narrow, dark alleyway.
His face was hidden in the shadows. Cassia stepped closer, desperate to see him.
She wanted to be held by this man.
‘Annoying woman.’
She had reached out like this before.
The smell of old leather and dust, scattered silver coins, Lena’s curses and retreating figure.
And then, the struggle… The feeling of his palm against her throat, choking her, came flooding back, bringing with it a wave of nausea.
He pushed her away, putting a little more force behind it this time, and Cassia stumbled back, startled, her outstretched hand falling limply to her side.
Leo didn’t care. He simply turned and walked away, heading for the mansion without a word, let alone a harsh farewell.
Cassia stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do. All she could do was stare blankly at his retreating figure, her vision blurring with unshed tears.
Her shoulder, where he’d pushed her, ached as if it were broken.
As snow fell softly, blanketing her in a cold embrace, she finally broke down, tears streaming down her face.
It was the first time she had cried since her father’s funeral ten years ago.
Alright I understand. His judgement is still highly influenced by the character's feelings a nd personality so even if he understands Cassia didnt have bad intentions or that it wasnt this Cassia he can't think rationaly.
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