'I have to escape! I absolutely cannot give up!'
Although Leone had started to hesitate because of what the 'maid miss' had said, she quickly firmed up her resolve. After all, no matter whether she had met a 'good master' or not, it couldn't change the fact that she was a 'slave'. And once she became a slave, she would completely lose her freedom, so she decided to 'escape'!
With the other party's identity, he probably wouldn't chase her outside the Imperial Capital, right?
Although Leone had been living by swindling and cheating in the streets and alleys since she was a child, it was obvious that she didn't know much about some 'nobles' and 'rich people', so she was still a little hopeful when she left Lancer room wrapped in a robe. But...
She found that the people around her seemed a bit off. Both the staff in the store and the guests were looking at her with strange eyes. She even wondered if it was her imagination, but as she got closer to the main entrance, many people's gazes even became piercing.
'Calm down! It's fine! It's absolutely fine...'
"Slap~!"
Just as Leone was reassuring herself, a hand grabbed her wrist. The surprised Leone saw that the maid who had cleaned the room this morning was looking at her with an unbelievable expression...
When Lancer arrived in front of the hotel, he was still thinking about one thing:
Would he, just like a protagonist, happen to run into someone harassing Leone, and then he could get some favorability points?
But unfortunately, many people had seen him leave in his military uniform this morning, and there was no one who was so clueless as to cause trouble. In the end, when Lancer pushed open the door to the room he had rented, he only saw a girl in a cloak sitting on the bed in a state of unease. When he pushed the door open and entered, she couldn't help but shiver.
Although Lancer had indeed curbed his impulse in the end, there was no doubt that his actions had also caused the other party a lot of psychological pressure. Looking at Leone, who was like a quail at this time, he felt a bit unaccustomed to it, as if he had destroyed something with his own hands...
Lancer had already disregarded the so-called 'plot' when he was a Ghoul investigator before. Everything he did was for a 'better future', and this world was no exception. Whether it was killing or joining the Imperial Guards, it was all to gain more bargaining chips to change the future.
But changing didn't mean that he completely denied everything. He naturally rejected and hated the things he disliked, but he hoped to preserve the good things. There was no doubt that the timid Leone at this time made him feel uneasy, as if something he wanted to protect had been destroyed by his own hands...
"Let's go."
He didn't know if it was because of his regret for his actions, but his voice also unconsciously softened. And Leone, who had stood up as soon as Lancer came in, was stunned when she heard Lancer voice.
When she had first met Lancer and he had caught her stealing from him, the other party's voice was full of mockery. She felt as if she was a small insect being wantonly played with by the other party. Then, after being sent to the guardhouse, she clearly noticed that the other party's attitude toward her had changed. His gaze was as if there was something about her that was worth investigating. Finally, there was last night. As he said before, she had already resigned herself to her fate when the other party was holding her. After all, the other party's gaze, which was full of desire, and the fiery aura emanating from his body were too overwhelming. But in the end, for some reason, the other party held back...
After the other party left this morning, although she had fantasized for a while because of the maid's words, the gazes of some people after she left the room made her deeply realize one thing: the difference between a slave and an ordinary person.
According to the maid miss, those people were actually waiting for her to take that final step so they could catch her and 'claim credit'. As for why? It was simple. It was because she was a slave! And slaves had no human rights in the Empire!
And the only reason the other party had stopped her was because she 'sympathized' with her. Later, Leone found out that the victim of the 'obscene thing' the other party had mentioned was herself. In the end, she was 'bought back' or taken in by the kind-hearted boss and was able to stay in this store. And being kind-hearted by nature, she didn't want Leone to experience the same thing as her.
But even though she had been stopped by the other party, Leone still felt uneasy. After all, no one could guarantee whether someone would 'rat' on her to Lancer. So just now, when Lancer pushed the door open and entered, she was very afraid that the other party would directly 'punish' her.
Fear, unease, anxiety...
A heavy cloud of negative emotions enveloped Leone. These negative emotions made Leone, who was originally a bit masculine, feel as helpless as a wounded little animal.
It has to be said that sometimes waiting for death is more frightening than death itself. Leone, who was usually fearless, was no different from an ordinary girl when she had to face certain things.
But at this time, Lancer unusual gentleness made her feel both incredulous and in a daze...
'Am I not awake?'
If Leone was like a wildcat waving its claws when she first met Lancer, then after she found out she had become a slave, she had become a sick cat. But now...
Looking at Leone, who was following behind him with her head lowered and would unconsciously jog to keep up with him if he walked too fast, Lancer only felt that he was a grave sinner, so he became even more of a 'gentleman', but the more of a gentleman he was, the more Leone felt that something was wrong and the more cautious she became. In the end, the two of them fell into a dead loop, and it wasn't until Lancer took Leone back to his new house that the two of them ended this strange way of getting along.
"This is your room. If you need anything, just tell me..."
"No need! No need! This is enough... Master!"
Looking at the room that was not much smaller than her entire 'home' before, Leone quickly waved her hands. And although she hesitated for a moment, she still said the word 'Master'.
The maid miss had talked to her a lot, and she had mentioned the matter of 'addressing' someone, including the time she was beaten up because she didn't call her master 'Master'.
But she didn't know that calling him this way actually made Lancer feel even more guilty.
"Just... forget the 'Master'. I'm not used to it..."
"Then how about 'Sir'?"
Although Lancer really wanted to say that there wasn't much of a difference, he considered the other party's current situation. If he kept 'forcing' her, it might make her even more nervous. He'd just... ease up on it for now.
"You can look around yourself."
"Okay, Sir~!"
Although she still couldn't be sure, at least Lancer attitude made Leone breathe a sigh of relief, and at the same time, a look of relief appeared on her face.
'It seems that the other party is probably not a tyrannical 'master'.'
Leone made a preliminary judgment.
And looking at the relieved Leone, Lancer felt incredibly guilty, but then, seeing the unconscious smile on the other party's face, he suddenly had an urge to rub the other party's head.
It was also pathetic to say, but having almost no experience with relationships, he basically didn't know how to handle his relationship with a woman, so he unconsciously used the same method he used when getting along with 'Tigre' and the others.
"Ah~! My apologies, I did that without thinking..."
Leone, whose head was suddenly touched, was also stunned for a moment, but then her cheeks turned red.
How long had it been since someone touched her head? Since her parents passed away? And the other party's head-patting technique seemed to be very skilled and made her feel very comfortable?
The blushing Leone even instinctively wanted to lift her head up and rub against his hand, but fortunately, her rationality took control of her.
"It's okay, as long as you like it, Sir..."
Lancer didn't know if it was because the other party's use of her 'Teigu' had left too deep of an impression on him, but he always unconsciously associated the other party with felines. At this time, looking at Leone shy expression, Lancer actually felt a sense of 'familiarity'.
However, he still put his hand down. His previous rude behavior toward a 'stranger' had already made him seem a bit abnormal. Now that he had calmed down, he naturally wouldn't continue to do so, but he wondered if it was his imagination, but it seemed that the other party was enjoying it very much?
After letting the other party arrange the room by herself, he pushed the door and left. Then he couldn't help but sigh.
"Sigh~"
Although he knew that his actions were not enough to compensate the other party, this was the only thing he could do at this time.
And at the same time, Lancer didn't know that he was being watched.
That's right, because Lancer knew the 'future', he had been targeting Honest, whom most people wouldn't care about, from the very beginning.
Why did most people not care? It was simple. Although the other party's department was important, there were many checks and balances, and his age meant that no one knew how long he could hold the position, so others didn't care about him at all. But he was different. At this time, he had the files of all the people he cared about on his desk.
"Crunch~ crunch~!"
Along with the sound of his chewing, a piece of paper full of information was casually crumpled into a ball and thrown to the side.
"Tsk~! It's completely useless; it's all garbage. Can't you find some useful guys?"
"Hehe~ Mr. Honest, your request is not simple. It wasn't easy for us to find this information..."
"That's your problem! I only care about results! Results! Do you understand?"
His face, which was completely different from the gentle expression he had in the court, was now ferocious. And the person hiding in the shadows did not respond. It was unclear whether they chose to obey his words or just ignored him.
The only sound in the entire room was the sound of Honest chewing on a piece of meat. Suddenly, the rhythmic chewing stopped abruptly. He looked at the 'file' in his hand with a look of excitement!
"Lancer? Hoho~! An interesting guy! He might make for a good pawn~!"