PLMYP 45

Chapter 45 —

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“I wanted to see Hawk and Ray spar too…”

“You’ll have another chance later.”

“But we’re so busy right now?”

There were still piles of documents stacked on the desk.

Irenea wondered if she could even go down to the dining room for dinner tonight. A sigh escaped her lips.

“And it’s not just me—Ray is just as busy. With the count’s duties on top of everything, he’d need two bodies to handle it all.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I heard the young lady from the annex has always taken care of the count’s work.”

“Really? Ah, right…”

After all, the original holder of the title Count was Janice.

And since Leonard had been away working as a mercenary to pay off debts, the annex young lady must have been doing all the count’s work in his place.

“Edward also spends about half the day helping her.”

“Oh my, so you’re on first-name terms with him now?”

At Irenea’s question, Daymond’s face lit up with pride.

“He’s the most rewarding guest I’ve ever hosted.”

“Well, he is pretty cute.”

She remembered when he came alone to the marquis’s residence, trembling like a drenched puppy, asking if the count was here.

She had given him a room to rest in until Leonard came back, and after only a day of being shy, he started sleeping well, eating well, and even taking walks.

Like a puppy born and raised at home.

Not that she really thought of him that way—he was a perfectly fine young man.

“My goodness, Marquis, you’re getting married in just a week—how can you say such things about another man?”

“Hmm? No, I didn’t mean cute in that way—”

Before Irenea could wave her hands in denial, Kiri spoke in an overly dramatic tone like an actress on stage.

“These days you’ve been so busy you only see your fiancé at dinner. If he found out you were calling another man cute in the meantime…!”

Clutching her chest as though heartbroken on his behalf, Kiri glanced at Daymond.

Understanding her intention instantly, Daymond put on a similarly regretful expression.

“Your fiancé would be terribly hurt. Just this morning he personally checked the carved candles, fountain decorations, and chandeliers that arrived. He even went to the greenhouse to pick flowers to decorate your office desk.”

Daymond gave a full speech about how, while her fiancé was working so hard for her, the marquis was busy complimenting another man.

“You’re not the type to stop feeding the fish after you’ve caught it… are you?”

“Of course not! What kind of question is that?”

“In that case, why not take this chance to go see him in person?”

“Right now?”

“Yes. He’s probably training with the knights in the drill yard. You could bring some snacks along.”

Daymond chimed in that it was a great idea.

“I’ll tell the kitchen right away to prepare enough for all the knights.”

Before Irenea could stop him, Daymond left the office. Kiri quickly stood up and began tidying the papers on the desk.

“Then I’ll go get Emily. You have to dress up nicely if you’re going to see your fiancé.”

“No, that’s not—”

But she couldn’t stop Kiri either.

It dawned on Irenea that the two of them were purposely sending her to Leonard—giving her forced rest because she had been working nonstop.

“Have I really been that buried in work?”

She didn’t think it was much different from usual.

But then again, things were different now—she was a bride-to-be with just a week until the wedding.

“Well, I suppose I haven’t been feeling very excited…”

Since it had come to this, maybe it was time to bring back that lost excitement.

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Drill Yard

Beep!

A sharp whistle rang out over the dusty training ground.

“Thirty-minute break!”

At the voice that followed, the knights, barely standing on shaky legs, collapsed to the ground.

They didn’t just sit—they fell over completely. Too tired to care about the dust getting in their mouths, they panted heavily.

“Ugh… I’m dying…”

“How is this guy worse than the vice-captain…?”

“Get it right—if the captain’s weaker than the vice-captain, that’s a problem.”

The one laughing was the vice-captain himself.

Hawk, who had stepped down from his temporary captain position and joined the training rather than leading it, was sitting on the ground instead of lying flat like the others—but his breathing was still rough.

After gulping down water handed out by squires, he too eventually lay back on the dirt.

“I thought mercenaries would be tougher…”

They were tougher—far tougher. It was starting to feel like Leonard wasn’t even human.

Lying on the ground, Hawk stared at Leonard, who was still standing on his feet.

He’s definitely stronger than other mercenaries…

The Blair Knights weren’t exactly top-tier in prestige, but they didn’t accept just anyone—recruits had to pass a test to prove their skill.

Yet after sparring with all of them, Leonard didn’t even look tired.

When Hawk had first joined, he’d struggled hard to hold onto his vice-captain spot. He’d tried multiple times to beat Leonard, even resorting to underhanded tactics, but had never succeeded. Leonard had dealt with his tricks as if he’d seen them a hundred times before.

Such a completely one-sided defeat…

If Leonard didn’t already serve someone, Hawk might have called him “boss” and followed him around.

What kind of stamina does he have…

Hawk’s eyes swept over Leonard’s well-trained, perfectly balanced body. No matter where you attacked, it felt like he wouldn’t fall.

The only possible strategy against such a man would be to keep fighting until his stamina ran out—but Leonard’s stamina surpassed Hawk’s.

Worse still, despite his body being built for defense, Leonard’s sword was incredibly sharp and aggressive. With a body like that, anyone would charge head-on, using themselves as armor.

The only tricks left were to make him drop his guard or catch him off guard…

Forget it.

Even that wasn’t easy against someone like him.

For a man from the back alleys like Hawk, the most he could think of was taking a hostage.

“Is that for me? Thanks.”

Leonard knelt on one knee before Charlotte, who had run up with a water bottle.

His gaze was gentle—after only a few days, they seemed quite close.

If she were an enemy to his master, Hawk might have grabbed the unsuspecting child as a hostage… but even then, he doubted he could win.

Maybe take an arm… but that’s it.

Still, Leonard wasn’t the type to go down from just that.

After running countless scenarios in his head, Hawk finally decided it was lucky Leonard was an ally.

At best, we’d both die.

At worst, he’d lose his life in vain—and brutally at that.

That killing intent…

Hawk had never felt his spine chill like that before. What kind of life had this man lived?

“No, real swords are dangerous.”

When Charlotte reached toward the sword at his waist, Leonard scooped her up in one arm, holding her away from his sweat- and dust-covered clothes.

Charlotte still wrapped her arms around his neck, making his effort pointless.

“Do you want to learn swordsmanship?”

Nod nod.

“You’re eight this year, right? That’s old enough to start training, but…”

…Excuse me? Isn’t this where most people say it’s too dangerous?

“If you learn the sword, you’ll get calluses and scars. That could be a flaw when you debut in society.”

Shake shake.

“You’re not planning to debut in society?”

Shake shake.

Charlotte reached for his hand. When Leonard gave it to her, she patted it gently, as if saying “good boy.”

He understood her meaning right away.

“So you’re saying it wouldn’t be a flaw?”

Big smile.

“…I see. That’s true.”

Leonard’s expression turned strange—he seemed unsure if smiling was the right reaction.

“Still, learning the sword is more dangerous than you think. You should get your guardian’s permission first.”

Tilt head.

“Rin… I mean Irenea, your sister.”

Charlotte tilted her head again, then pointed her finger at Leonard, poking him repeatedly.

This time Leonard didn’t understand, but Hawk, grinning from a distance, explained:

“She means you’re also a guardian, Captain.”