Chapter 1. I was abandoned by my family
https://ko-fi.com/s/8529d5becf
***
“I’m glad things are going well these days.”
Marquis Leroy smiled contentedly as he sipped his tea on a lazy afternoon in his drawing room.
However the expression on Seios’ face, sitting on the other side of the room, was unusual.
“What is so important about your business?”
“What do you mean?”
Seios managed to swallow a sigh as the Marquis looked at him in confusion.
After excommunicating Leticia, he was disappointed more and more by Marquis Leroy, who only ever talked about his business without a single worry.
“Do you know how Leticia is doing?”
He asked him in case the Marquis didn’t know.
Fortunately, Marquis Leroy frowned slightly, as if he knew where his daughter was. However, the words that followed didn’t feel fortunate.
“I hear she’s hanging around that unlucky Duke Achilles again.”
It sounded like he was glad he’d kicked her out.
Marquis Leroy said it with a small click of his tongue, and Seios naturally sighed in disgust.
“Is that all you have to say about that child?”
“What more do we need to say?”
Seios turned his head as if he couldn’t believe the Marquis didn’t care. That or he was trying to hold his tongue. He glared angrily at Marquis.
“How can you leave your child behind and move on?”
“It was inevitable that Leticia was sent away for the sake of the other children…”
“Stop, I don’t want to hear any more.”
He had no words.
Seios rose from his seat while trying to suppress his mixed feelings. There was no reason to be here anymore.
‘I’m worried about her.’
He couldn’t even dare to imagine the scars she must have from being abandoned by her family.
He thought he should visit the girl in person and check with his own eyes to see if she’s doing well. Seios also wanted to keep his promise to help her find out what her ability is.
Since there was no reason to be here anymore, he got up and left the drawing room. Surprised by him leaving without a word, Marquis Leroy called out with a puzzled look, but Seios never looked back.
As Seios was about to go look for Leticia, he felt someone approaching him. He turned around and found Emil standing there.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m here to give you a letter.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“What?”
“About your sister.”
At that, Emil shut up for a moment. It was easy to see that the ‘sister’ Seios was referring to was Leticia, and not Diana.
“I’m sure she’s doing fine where she is.”
His voice sounded more displeased than worried. Seios couldn’t hide the complex feelings he was having.
‘This guy or that guy.’
Perhaps it was better to be excommunicated.
Seios, who had to hold his tongue briefly, looked at who sent the letter to him. As soon as he checked, his expression hardened.
‘As expected, he was alive.’
The news was that there was a child who survived the Erebos family, which had fallen due to treason.
He had expected at least one person to be alive, and it was just as he expected. Seios’ sighed deeply and began to read the correspondence again. His face became paler the more he read.
‘Why….?’
Seios came to his senses belatedly and left the Leroy house with an urgent look.
The last line in the letter stated that the recent activities of the surviving child of the Erebos family was hunting.
***
On the first day of the hunting festival; Livion, the favorite to win, caught a female deer and drew keen attention. On the other hand, Enoch only caught one rabbit, but Leticia approached him with a bright smile.
“Well done, Lord Achillies.”
“I’m ashamed because I’ve never hunted much.”
Leticia shook her hand quickly, as he rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly.
“Not at all! Thank you for coming back safely without getting hurt.”
Leticia couldn’t take her eyes off the little white rabbit in the cage. The trapped rabbit looked up at Leticia with a twitch of its nose. It was so cute that Leticia bent her knees and carefully stroked its head.
“Would you like to feed it a carrot?”
“Can I?”
When Enoch nodded in agreement, Letisha took the carrot from Enoch and placed it near the rabbit’s mouth. Leticia smiled brightly as the rabbit sniffed it a few times and started to eat the carrot in tiny bites.
“How cute.”
It was the first time she’d seen such a small animal right in front of her, so Leticia murmured to it quietly. Enoch heard the sound next to him, and couldn’t take his eyes off of the smiling Leticia.
“I know.”
Leticia lightly petted the rabbit’s small nose and laughed. She raised her head and looked up at Enoch, and their gazes intertwined. At that moment, Enoch impulsively said.
“Cute.”
“What?”
Maybe it’s because his bright eyes are looking towards her, and not the rabbit.
It sounded like he was saying it to her.
Leticia turned her head in a hurry, she was feeling hot from head to toe.
“Oh, right. It’s cute. Rabbits are cute.”
She was feeling shy for some reason, and spoke faster than usual. As she turned her eyes away from him, the blue ribbon around Enoch’s wrist caught her attention. She couldn’t see any other ribbons when she snuck a peek.
“Come to think of it, did you get a lot of ribbons?”
She meant to keep the question to herself, but ended up asking it openly.
While Leticia was regretting being too direct, she heard a laugh from above her head.
As soon as she raised her head, Enoch rolled up his sleeve and held out his wrist for her to see.
“This one is good enough for me.”
Letisha’s heart began to feel ticklish once more as she watched him carefully stroke and touch the ribbon while he spoke in a soft voice.
As soon as she calmed down, Enoch asked.
“Then did you get a lot, Leticia?”
“What?”
“A white rose.”
“Oh, I…”
Leticia scratched her cheek while wearing a troubled look. She turned her head and fed the rabbit another carrot.
“I didn’t get any.”
Enoch wasn’t the type of person who would ignore her for not getting a rose, but she still felt a little embarrassed.
Then she realized belatedly that it might’ve sounded like she wanted to get a rose. Well, she did want to get a rose from Enoch, but she didn’t want to force him to give her one.
As soon as she had that thought, she leapt up and waved her hands around wildly.
“That’s not what I meant at all!”
Of course, she’d appreciate it if he gave one to her.
Enoch hid his innermost thoughts and smiled as if nothing had happened.
He just tilted his head to one side as if he was pondering something.
“I don’t think so.”
“What?”
“I gave one to you.”
“To me?”
Leticia opened her eyes wide in surprise and pointed to herself. Enoch only nodded his head.
“….?”
Apparently he really gave her a rose. She didn’t understand, so Leticia tried to slowly remember.
‘I remember giving you a ribbon.’
No matter how hard she thought about it, she didn’t remember when she received it.
“When did you give it to me?”
She didn’t remember receiving one, and she found it strange that he claimed to have given her one. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him. Enoch slowly put a strand of hair back into place, his touch tickled Leticia’s forehead.
“Secret.”
“What?”
“I was sad to hear you say it meant nothing.”
At the end of that remark, Enoch grinned and began to move away slowly. Leticia stared at him blankly, then quickly chased Enoch.
“When did you give it to me? When?”
“It’s a secret.”
“You’re playing a trick on me, aren’t you?”
Enoch touched his chin in annoyance and circled around Leticia, who looked at him as if he was lying about something he had not given her. As soon as he was standing in front of her again, he smiled deftly.
“Now do you remember that I gave it to you?”
“No!”
Enoch’s lips pouted as he glared at her, and he slowly reached out his hand. Leticia opened her eyes wide because she thought he was stroking her head like last time. Then he reached with his big hand and went behind her head.
Just as Leticia hunched her shoulders, Enoch showed her something in his hand.
It was a rose as white as snow.
She could clearly see that he didn’t have anything in his hand just a moment ago.
When Leticia blinked her eyes and looked at him in confusion, Enoch slightly shrugged his shoulders.
“I just brought back what I gave you.”
“What?”
Even when she looked at him in confusion, Enoch just smiled happily without saying a word. A scene flashed through Leticia’s head as she stared at the rose.
[Your hair ribbon is slightly loose. I’ll tie it back up for you.]
‘No way!’
When he offered to re-tie her ribbon, it seems that he secretly tied the rose in her hair.
Leticia’s blue eyes widened in surprise.
Enoch, realizing that Leticia finally knew, took the white rose in his hand and put it behind Leticia’s ear. The white rose bloomed against her hair, which was the color of cherry blossoms.
Gazing satisfactorily at the sight, Enoch whispered softly.
“I’m upset that you only know now.”
Contrary to his ‘disappointed’ tone, the corners of his mouth were lifting in a smile.
She hid her face in her hands, knowing it was a slight, but feeling too embarrassed to face Enoch at this moment.
‘Cheeky.’
A person who is irascible for being outwitted.
He looked like a cold-hearted man who couldn’t have fun pulling a single prank.
“I’m going to get revenge.”
Leticia had calmed her fluttering heart to some extent, and glared at Enoch with a dissatisfied look. Enoch faced Leticia with a nonchalant grin.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“You’d better be nervous because I’m going to get a very, very scary revenge.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Despite her warning to be nervous, Enoch smiled contentedly. He said he was looking forward to it and that he’d wait.
This man was certainly cheeky. Leticia spoke to Enoch in a quiet voice.
“There’s something I didn’t tell Lord Achilles.”
Leticia paused for a moment, then resumed speaking when she made eye contact with Enoch.
“Actually, there was someone else who was going to give me a rose.”
“Huh…?”
After that, Leticia turned her head with a coy look and moved on.
Enoch stood in stunned silence for a while, then belatedly came to his senses and followed Leticia.
“Someone tried to give you one?”
“Well…”
“Are you sure they were trying to give you one?”
Where did that idle attitude go? Now there seemed to be a hint of nervousness.
Leticia was staring at the scene without saying a word. She tilted her head slightly and smiled.
“Secret.”
“What?”
“I’m disgusted by your mean pranks.”
As soon as she turned around, Leticia smiled more brightly than ever.
She turned around when Enoch asked if she had really received one. Leticia answered as Enoch’s stomach turned upside down.