Just as Lancer sat on the floor, deep in thought about how to handle Leone's situation, he heard approaching footsteps. To his astonishment, the door swung open once again.
Leone stood there, her lace lingerie covered hastily by a thin coat, her face flushed crimson. Before Lancer could speak, she swiftly stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
"What—"
"No! I just… I just want to stay with you tonight. Sir, you're leaving tomorrow, right?"
Seeing Lancer's expression harden, Leone quickly spoke up again.
"I won't do anything, I swear! I just want to keep you company, that's all."
She hadn't thought much of her choice of words, but Lancer's face twisted into an odd expression. Usually, wasn't this something men said?
"I'll only look, nothing more."
"I'll just cuddle a bit, I promise."
"I swear I won't go all the way—"
Such phrases were textbook lies men told women. Yet, seeing Leone's hopeful gaze, he sighed helplessly.
Settling onto the bed, he quietly lifted the blanket.
"Get some rest. I still need to head out to the military camp tomorrow."
In some ways, wasn't he being a tsundere himself? He had already accepted Leone, had even begun imagining their future together. Yet, due to his earlier promise, he now had to put on a facade of cold indifference.
Watching Lancer reluctantly accept her company, Leone's cheeks reddened even further under the moonlight. She approached the bed happily, reminded of the time she first tried to pet Jack. Compared to the casual Aru or affectionate Tiger, Jack had initially avoided her touches. The first time she'd pressed his paw pads, hadn't he worn the same stiff, bashful expression Lancer wore now?
Leone slipped beneath the covers, feeling strangely relaxed—perhaps from exhaustion, or perhaps simply from the safety Lancer's presence brought her. Before Lancer could say another word, she had already fallen asleep. He chuckled quietly, then surrendered to sleep himself.
...
Leone, clad in her maid uniform, stood awkwardly watching a young girl sobbing uncontrollably in front of her. Ever since Lancer had purchased her, she'd softened considerably—but soothing a crying child was still well beyond her abilities. Comfort and tenderness just weren't her strong points. She'd always handled problems roughly, a method guaranteed to make a child cry louder.
What puzzled her even more was that no one else came to comfort this child, despite her heart-wrenching cries.
When she finally knelt to comfort the girl, Leone froze in shock. Following the child's gaze, she saw a street surrounded by noisy crowds and Imperial Police barking orders amidst pools of blood.
Why does this seem so familiar…? Like I've lived it before.
At that moment, the girl suddenly stood and dashed toward the crowd, crying loudly. Leone looked in the same direction, her heart stopping as she saw two people who shouldn't have been there at all.
"Father…? Mother?"
The words felt foreign, yet achingly familiar. Suddenly, Leone understood why this scene felt like deja vu. She'd indeed experienced it herself. If that was true, then this girl was—
Before she could finish that thought, several policemen grabbed the girl—or rather, herself—and dragged her away.
Leone instinctively reached out to stop them, but her hand passed straight through their bodies.
The girl's anguished cries echoed endlessly, and Leone stood helplessly watching, gazing upon two blurry faces she could barely remember.
At that moment, she realized she must be dreaming. After all, she could hardly recall her parents' faces clearly; they'd died more than a decade ago, when she was still very small.
From there, Leone watched her own childhood unfold from an outsider's perspective.
From initial confusion and helplessness, she gradually grew into someone who stole, robbed, and fought desperately for survival.
She recalled the dangers vividly: almost beaten to death for theft, nearly assaulted by a man—whom she barely escaped by kicking him where it hurt. That was when she'd cut off her long hair, opting for a short style harder for assailants to grab.
Her parents' deaths had left her alone, forcing her onto this path of survival. Theft and violence became her reality; there was no alternative. To stop meant death, to fail also meant death. Why? Because she was a child of the slums.
She despised the arrogant nobles, envied their effortless comfort, dreamed of their life. But she knew it was merely a fantasy.
Then, without warning, the turning point came.
Caught stealing, she became a slave.
When Lancer had first bought her, despair overwhelmed her. She didn't even dare resist; she'd tried countless times when he'd first apprehended her, each attempt failing utterly. Later, she attempted breaking the slave collar around her neck, desperate for freedom. That, too, proved impossible.
When she had finally accepted her grim future, Lancer unexpectedly spared her.
At first, she was just relieved. Privately, she thought him an idiot—who would pass up meat served right to his mouth? Yet she was endlessly thankful he was such an idiot, at least for the time being.
But as she spent more time around him, she realized he was far more complicated.
A general of the Imperial Guard. Protector of the Emperor. The Empire's feared executioner.
Each revelation sparked fear, yet also intense curiosity. This "Bloodstained Executioner" wasn't at all like the rumors.
Yes, he was tall and strong, yet not terrifyingly so. When he trained with his spear, he resembled a disciplined martial artist, not a ruthless killer. Most surprising was how this seemingly invincible man would sometimes appear lonely. Why would he ever be lonely, surrounded by comfort, luxury, and even someone like her—a cute girl—to serve him?
She vividly remembered once greeting him at the door, cheerfully calling "Welcome home," and glimpsing a faint, genuine smile flicker across his face.
Not his usual polite smile, but something far warmer and more honest.
Her feelings had evolved from fear, to habit, to gratitude.
Lancer had freed her from the endless cycle of poverty and danger. Now she could live comfortably with minimal effort—something she once considered unreachable.
In fact, she'd long wondered how to repay him. That was why she had begun to wait every evening, ready to greet him the moment he returned.
She discovered his strength, seriousness, and respectfulness. She also saw his human flaws: the reluctant face he wore in the mornings, his hopeless cooking lessons with Tiger, his occasionally clumsy sword practice…
Sometimes she even proudly thought, Maybe I know him better than anyone else in the Empire.
Then came the incident with that white-haired devil, Syura. When her wrist was clamped in his grip it reminded her she was still just a slave. That realization pushed her to become stronger—not someone Lancer protected, but someone who could stand beside him.
She didn't know exactly when she'd started developing feelings, but she desperately wanted to be closer to him.
She thought she'd need much longer to understand herself clearly. Yet, the day Lancer called her to his room changed everything.
When he rejected her first attempt at confessing, confusion tore at her heart. After his gentle explanation and promise, her emotions swung wildly, making her question herself entirely. Why did she react so strongly?
But recalling his words, she couldn't help but smile.
I've grasped my future… I won't ever let go…
Watching all of this unfold, the dreaming Leone felt a bit embarrassed—but mostly joyful. Why did she like him so much?
Now, she finally understood.
He'd shown her a respect she'd never known before. He had a hidden loneliness she wanted to soothe, and an earnest, protective strength that had saved her.
She had countless reasons, too many to count clearly.
But one thing was certain—she would never regret falling in love with this man.
Please let this be real…
...
When Leone woke, she saw a silhouette beside her and froze, before quickly relaxing again. She knew exactly who lay beside her.
"You stubborn, awkward man… the more you push me away, the tighter I'll hold on. Or is that your plan? Did you count on me reacting this way?" She smiled warmly. "Whatever. I'll never let go now. I'll hold onto my happiness."
Nestling comfortably against Lancer, Leone inhaled deeply, memorizing his unique scent. She rubbed her cheek gently against his chest.
"You're hard as a rock… but so comforting…"
She laughed softly, curled up beside him, and drifted happily back to sleep.
Once she slept, Lancer opened his eyes. He'd woken instantly when Leone stirred earlier—her cheek rubbing against him was impossible to ignore—but he'd kept still to spare them both embarrassment.
Seeing Leone sleeping peacefully beside him reminded him again of the heavy burden he carried.
Maybe someday I won't wake so easily…
Despite his quiet lament, a faint smile crossed his lips as he drifted back into restful slumber.
---
A/N:
I've already explained a lot regarding the romance plotline. I never intended to write a deliberate dating-sim-like scenario, so I've intentionally reduced direct interactions between the protagonist and female characters. It's not that there's none—it's just fragmented into smaller pieces. Generally, each chapter will have at most half (around 1K words) involving female interactions. But being fragmented doesn't mean the scenes are meaningless. For example, all the interactions from Leone's perspective with Lancer that appeared in this chapter were previously covered in detail, so there's no "the girl randomly falls in love with Lancer out of nowhere."
Think carefully: Leone is a girl from the slums who got caught stealing and thought she would become a fucktoy, yet ended up as a maid instead. Even if she didn't initially like him, she surely wouldn't hate him, right? (That's the first step in Leone's route.)
And while Lancer might not be super handsome, he's at least a powerful, highly respected general favored by the emperor. Wouldn't that add a few points to his appeal?
Then you factor in the fragmented daily interactions. I might not have written romance novels, but isn't it reasonable that a girl might develop feelings for a man like this? Leone's sudden outburst was also triggered by an unexpected event, after all.
I spent several chapters carefully laying groundwork for this emotional arc. I'm not sure why readers don't feel it yet. Sigh.
Also, some readers mentioned Leone's situation being similar to Ryouko Fueguchi and her daughter. I have to say—it's entirely different, okay?
One was a mother offering herself up to protect her child, something no normal person would accept lightly.
The other is a girl who gradually notices her feelings and ultimately makes a determined confession.
They're fundamentally different!
And just to clarify, the Fueguchi mother-daughter pair in the first arc wasn't something Lancer deliberately pursued romantically at all. It was purely because I personally sympathized with their tragic situation. Even the character I officially designated as the main heroine of the Ghoul arc didn't get a deliberate romance script at that point. Lancer barely had time to survive, let alone pursue romance!
Honestly, writing sometimes feels like a struggle. If I write slice-of-life scenes, readers say it's filler; if I write male friendships, they joke about BL; if I write combat, it's called boring; if I write female characters, readers claim my mind is full of perverted thoughts… It's honestly frustrating. What's worse, when I intentionally foreshadow something, many readers immediately jump to the conclusion that I'm writing randomly without thinking. When the payoff happens quickly, like yesterday's chapter, adding another chapter makes readers suddenly understand what I was trying to do. But if there's a longer gap… well, that's truly frustrating, because I can't explain clearly without spoiling, and I really hate spoilers!
I've said all this just to encourage readers to use more "question marks" when commenting. If there really is a problem, I'll happily correct it. If there isn't, I'll gladly respond that "it'll be explained later." To me, speculating about hidden plot points is part of the fun of reading novels.
The thing that makes me happiest is when a hidden plot point is finally revealed, and everyone reacts with surprise and amazement.
Although I'm just a small-time writer, please give me a bit more trust. When you see something unusual (except for typos), give it another glance—maybe you'll find unexpected enjoyment!
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