TCBUP 56

Chapter 56

 A Scar That’s Not Ugly

Washing up made me feel human again.

How much suffering had I gone through in that dust pit?

The warm water, fragrant bath salts, and soft, rich bubbles washed away all my fatigue.

As I stepped out, patting my wet hair dry with a towel, I saw Leon sitting across from Leonardo, holding out his palm.

“Wow.”

I didn’t think I’d ever openly admire a man’s body, but… wow.

That dense, tight muscle, the complete lack of any fat, the taut lines…

Not a body sculpted at the gym, but hardened in real combat—a beautiful, swift stallion in human form.

I shouldn’t stare so openly. What if he notices? That would be embarrassing.

Then again… I’ve shown him something similar before, so we’re even—oh.

“You’re done?”

“…”

I just stood there staring, but then Leon spoke.

And then… I couldn’t hear, answer, or even look at him—because of the burn scar covering half of his broad back.

He gave Leonardo another pat, then stood and grabbed the shirt he’d tossed carelessly on top of the wardrobe.

“All dry?”

“It’s ugly.”

Realizing I’d been staring, he moved to put on the shirt, but I quickly caught his hand.

“It’s not ugly.”

“…”

“I was just surprised. Sorry… it’s worse than I expected.”

Trying to keep my tone casual, I took out a fresh towel from the bathroom and held it out to him.

“It doesn’t look ugly to me. But if you really don’t want to show it, you can use this. Your hair’s still wet anyway—dry it.”

He silently took the towel.

Staring down at it in his hand, he covered his head so I couldn’t see his face.

“Leonardo, you’re all fluffy now! Feels good, right?”

His once dingy gray fur was now clean white.

The ears and half his back were light gray, the rest soft white curls. After washing, it was curly but no longer matted into tight tangles.

It must have been knotted from the long hair being left unbrushed.

“Ah, you look so much better now. Handsome boy, our Leonardo.”

His bright eyes darted here and there in delight, so cute that I grabbed his head and shook him playfully.

“Do you think you can really keep him?”

Leon, towel draped over his shoulders, sat next to me.

He wasn’t hiding his scar anymore, looking as fresh as ever.

Good. I felt oddly relieved and smiled brightly.

“Of course. You think I brought him here without being prepared?”

“Take good care of him, Sienna.”

“Of course.”

“I mean it.”

Leon’s blue eyes were as deep as the abyssal sea.

They carried the guilt of not being able to look after Leonardo himself.

Since he had to leave often while using Eugene as a stand-in, it would have been hard to bring Leonardo into his own quarters.

And if Leonardo distrusted Eugene, it could expose the truth.

Besides, Eugene… from the impression I got, probably wouldn’t get along with Leonardo anyway.

“Don’t worry.”

“I’ll come visit often.”

“When did you ever not?”

Oops. I’d replied so casually, like I used to.

I glanced at him, but Leon just burst out laughing pleasantly.

“There you are. That’s the you I know.”

“…”

“Keep treating me like this.”

“That’ll be your loss. I’m way cheekier and more shameless than you think.”

“And what would I gain from taking advantage of you?”

Resting his chin on his arm, Leon gave a crooked smile.

“Even if I lose out, I don’t mind. You’re different.”

Ah—his blue spade sparkled.

It had been a long time since his favorability score changed.

For a while, I thought it was broken—it hadn’t budged—but apparently the difficulty setting really had changed.

[Leon/Aiden’s Favorability: 20% → 24%]

“Leonardo. Do you really have to take up the whole bed like that?”

He wagged his tail shamelessly from the center of the bed he’d claimed before I could even get in.

Well, fine. It’s his first day—he gets a pass.

I squeezed myself into the small space he left.

One light push from him and I’d probably tumble right off.

Still, the warm body heat against my side was comforting.

“It’s been such a long day.”

From catching the empress’s ghost to finding the emperor’s seal, I’d been running around endlessly.

And the “reward” was a completely useless toy hammer.

Ah—might as well check it now while I’m thinking of it.

[ABOUT YOU]
Name: Sienna Hagrives
Age: 21
Occupation: Investor
Assets: 210,930,511G
Current Status: ♨
Current Items: Harness (in use), Imperial Palace Map, Unquenchable Lantern (broken), Dark Toy Hammer
Public Opinion: So, when are you going to show your face?
Available Male Leads:
✤ Damian Ortiz — This might really be the end.
♦ Knox Green — Feeling uneasy from neglect.
♠ Leon/Aiden — Is it really okay to be this comfortable?
♥ Huperion — What have you been up to lately?

I had plenty of assets, but most of it was tied up in property, so cash was tight.

If I was going to support Leonardo, I’d need to raise my living expenses… sigh.

Maybe I should get a part-time job. A bakery? No, better to work at a butcher shop—cheaper meat.

Well, I’ll think about it tomorrow. First, item check.

I planned to give the seal to Leon when Eugene was present.

It was an item that could earn me Eugene’s trust.

“Let’s see what’s so great about this thing you pressured me to choose.”

[Dark Toy Hammer]
Been getting a creepy feeling lately?
The Dark Toy Hammer resolves the source of that unease.
A limited-edition item only you, the hidden character, can use.

Oh. This might actually be more useful than I thought.

Even Leon hadn’t found the source yet.

[Dark Toy Hammer]
However, the exact cause has not yet been identified.
An item upgrade is planned soon, so please refrain from using it until then.
As this is a trial version, it may break before proper use.

…Why make me choose an item I can’t even use?

Ugh, this game. Maybe it doesn’t even want me to clear it.

It’s probably trying to trap me here forever, like some wandering ghost…

That’s when a new status message popped up, leaving me speechless.

[Damian Ortiz’s Favorability: 43% → 48%]

What? Why did Damian’s favorability suddenly rise?

And at two in the morning, no less.

“I really don’t get it.”

I thought Damian was the one I understood best among the male leads.

Through Sienna’s memories, I’d shared his childhood and our adult years as his fiancée.

But the one who constantly defied my expectations was Damian, without a doubt.

“Phew…”

Leonardo placed his head on mine and let out a long sigh.

Guess my fidgeting was annoying him.

“Alright, Leonardo. Let’s sleep.”

No point overthinking it—I wouldn’t figure it out now anyway.

I draped an arm over his large body.

His fluffy fur was surprisingly steady and comfortable.

Before long, Leonardo’s breathing evened out, and I too drifted off into sleep.

The Hagrives count’s estate—my first visit in a while.

Only a season had passed since I’d moved out, but it already felt strange.

“Welcome, Sienna!”

My father, the Count, came running barefoot with a bright smile.

But when I sidestepped his attempt to hug me, his eyes narrowed sharply—just like old times.

“Why did you want to see me?”

Ignoring my clear request to just get to the point, the Count dragged me into the parlor and even offered tea and desserts.

And not just any desserts—my childhood favorites: Le Deux Flora’s strawberry shortcake, almond pie, Mont handmade chocolates…

But I didn’t touch any of them. When I curtly asked again, the Count’s lips pursed in irritation.

“An invitation.”

“To what?”

“Her Majesty the Empress says she wants you to attend.”

So this was part of my social debut.

I opened the envelope with little interest—

“Hah.”

Not a royal banquet, nor the Marchioness of Pites’s ball, but… the Count of Cherat’s.

A name unfamiliar to me.

And that was the biggest problem with this invitation.

For a prospective crown princess’s first social appearance to be somewhere other than the imperial palace was unusual.

They could claim the emperor’s illness prevented a formal announcement, but the real motive was clearly to lower Aiden’s standing.

The Count, however, didn’t care one bit about the empress’s intentions.

From the way he stressed—over and over—that I must attend no matter what, even if the sky fell—