Crowning My Feral Prince

“Leone?”

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Adler made a loud noise as he moved towards the corridor on the left where Leone had appeared.

“What are you doing tonight!”

She hid from the sound behind the opposite stair wall.

“… Out.”

“Ah! Did you go for a walk!”

Adler was almost screaming.

“Do not disturb.”

“Ah, yes. All right!”

Leone was… Did he know that? She was also embarrassed. In addition, the pronunciation was much clearer than before, and the voice had become more streamlined.

“Go in.”

“Yes! Have a nice walk!”

Adler greeted him coolly and went back to the study, as if he was in a good mood despite his cold voice.

‘Did he notice me…?’

It’s true that she went to see Leone, so she wished she could take him out now and talk. If he didn’t know she was there, Leone would be surprised by her sticking out. Then there would be a commotion, and eventually, Adler would come out again.

Apparently, she failed today. She would try again next time. She was waiting to get up when Leone left, but the sound of footsteps approached.

‘Uh…?’

She was panicking, but Leone stood in front of her. He walked on all fours, straightened his back and stood upright.

“…!”

It was the second time she saw him standing like a human. Leone held out his hand to her without saying anything. She seemed to be mesmerized by his glow in the dark. As she stared blankly at him, Leone glanced at her hand and said with his mouth.

‘Hand.’

She held his hand without thinking of saying anything or doing anything. Leone’s big, hot hand wrapped around hers like a snake. It was a force that seemed like it was being held tightly and pulled into it. Contrary to her expectations that she would be swept away by the waves she created, Leone pulled her with gentle force. When she got up, he hugged her. Everything was so natural she wasn’t even surprised.

Jerk, jerk.

Only the footsteps of one person filled the mansion. She ran out of the mansion in his arms dressed in clothes. It was only after they closed the door and walked away from the mansion that he dropped her off.

“Thank you.”

She got down on the soft grass and started talking to him, but Leone had already turned his back.

“Leone?”

She unknowingly caught him trying to get away.

“What’s the matter, Leone?”

Leone, who was showing his back, turned to face her again.

It was night. And a bright moonlight had always gone well with Leone. He was mysterious even today. It seemed to be stuck somewhere.

“Leone. Perhaps… you hate me?”

His eyes, which shine even in the dark, shake.

“Great. Trixie.”

It was an urgent voice.

“But why… Harm?”

He counted his words and spoke slowly. There was anxiety in his voice.

“Lack. Soon…”

It felt like combining sentences with unfamiliar words was still pretty difficult for him. 

Suddenly, the voice rose.

“Oh my gosh. Leone! You have grown so much!”

“… No.”

He seemed to be able to understand more than before. In just one week, this far! Although Benjamin said that if he tried to learn once, he would definitely grow… Her son seems to be a real genius.

“Why are you lacking? You’re really good at it. Do you know how great it is to grow so fast? You’re a genius, a genius!”

“Teacher… not enough.”

“Mr. Benjamin… Did he say you were lacking?”

He was a fairly trustworthy person in the original work, so he won’t do anything strange. Even so, Leone was worried.

“No.”

“You, do you think you are lacking?”

“Yes.”

“What are you talking about?”

“More…”

Leone spoke with his face slightly frowning.

“Okay, you should.”

Standing between man and beast, she couldn’t properly understand why he was thinking and saying these words. Just… he could only tell that it was uncomfortable. Did he had a hard time thinking about composing words?

“Leone. You don’t have to be good.”

“…”

“You can do it slowly. You don’t have to push yourself too hard. You don’t have to learn nonsense.”

Benjamin was a good teacher, so he wouldn’t have done anything strange, but Leone’s trauma and mental illness were very deep. He seemed like he might have accidentally touched the wrong one.

“Leone. Did Benjamin do something wrong to you?”

When she asked with a worried face, Leone stepped towards her.

“Trixie.”

He reached out his big hand and stroked her hair. It was a sweet, gentle touch, just like she had been to him. She felt like she was being petted by a man with big hands and high eye level stroking her. But that’s Leone. She was just looking at him with a bit of embarrassment, but Leone continued talking.

“It’s fine.”

“Oh. That, yes.”

“It’s okay, me.”

“… Really?”

“Yes.”

Although he was still a child who did not know how to express himself, the nervousness in his voice had disappeared, and the kindness remained. That alone gave her an idea that he wasn’t being abused.

What… Even if Benjamin abused him, Leone couldn’t stay still. Besides, Benjamin was just a bit away from Leone. Leone stroked her hair a few more times and then bit his hand. As she moved away from his hot body temperature, she felt a little empty.

“Then… Why do you think it’s not enough?”

“Greed.”

“Greed?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t fully understand what he was talking about. She wondered if Benjamin’s ambition to plant a goal in Leone had really come true. Because Leone was greedy. in acquiring human language.

“You are trying to do it. Nice one, Leone. That is amazing.”

“Trixie. I like you.” he whispered softly.

She was surprised for a moment. He was like a puppy, as always. Good, good! It was because it didn’t seem like the Leone she used to do.

Benjamin was a really good person. She nodded her head, moved by her judgment.

“Haha. I like you too. Thanks.”

How clever her dog, Leone, who had grown so fast, he was really lovely. He didn’t hate her, he rather liked her. To sum up his words… It seemed that he had been avoiding her all this time because of his lack of confidence and his desire to do better. Why did it happen?

“Can’t you come next to me because you want to do better?”

“… yes.”

Leone answered in a hesitant voice. Did that mean he could do well without her? She couldn’t figure out exactly what it meant. He just said it wasn’t that he didn’t like it. So she comforted him in a friendly voice.

“Yes, Leone. I can do well.”

Leone quietly nodded his head. If he’s determined to make it, all she could do was cheer him on.

There was space between them, big enough for one person to fit in. Neither Leone nor she narrowed that distance.

* * *

It had been about a month and a half since she had been here.

“Was time originally this fast?”

“What are you doing?”

Adler approached her as she was sitting in the annex dining room.

“Benjamin shut himself off like he was going to end things with Sir Leone. Thanks to that, Trixie will be bored.”

She was about to nod at the words that she was bored, but she suddenly regained her senses. If she said she was bored there, wouldn’t he think she was getting a pay cut because she didn’t have anything to do?

“Nope. I’m not bored. Even if the main building is cleaned, it’s not enough!”

He knew she hadn’t been cleaning the main building much lately, but Adler shrugged it off as if it didn’t matter.

“Because it’s dirty.”

“Yes! It is very dirty!”

“… Are you cursing?”

“Oh no! no! The main building is a nice mansion. I just meant that it would be better with a little tweaking.”

Adler sighed as he watched her stiffly respond.

“Anyway. You get your salary.”

Adler set down a fine leather pouch in front of her in a weary voice.

“Salary… What?”

“I am sorry for being late. I was busy with work and forgot to pay my bills. As I said before, the bounty will be recorded and received at once for a year.”

Of course she remembered. Adler added the reason, ‘because you can’t get paid and run away’. It was understandable. Of course, she would not run away because the marriage record was not expunged, and she knew that Benjamin would stay because there was a reason called ‘compensation’, but he said it was a precaution.

“I’ll give you this paycheck on my date, probably in two weeks.”

“No. I forgot too.”

“Check it out and let me know if there is anything wrong. There is also a payroll statement inside.”

“Heh heh, yes.”

Having finished speaking, Adler turned away.

“Money…!”

She gulped, swallowed, and held the pouch in her arms. She looked around. Fortunately, she was the only one sitting carefree in the restaurant. Because everyone was busy saying they were moving. She quickly walked into the room and locked the door. Outside the window was all woods and no one else. Money was… She should never show it in front of others.

Whoop, whoop.

She carefully opened the leather pouch.

“Oh!”

Unknowingly, she squinted her eyes. It was because of the shining light pouring out of the pocket.

“It’s dazzling!”

Her voice trembled with joy. In her pocket, there was a lot of money she had never seen before.

10 gold per day. After a month it was 300 gold.

She couldn’t believe that there were so many 10 gold coins in it… It’s nonsense. Her heart was enriched to the point that she wished she could have just one of these pockets.

“Ughhh. Hehehe.”

Her hands trembled as she laughed.

‘Should I just go to the imperial castle and survive?’

Wouldn’t it be the same whether she died because she didn’t have money or got assassinated? If she just gave up on life…

‘No, calm down. Trixie.’

Money and comfort were too great a temptation. She kept breaking down so easily… If she went to the imperial castle, she could die without being able to enjoy money and comfort. 

The scene under the bloody moonlight of the night the assassins invaded was still replayed again and again in her dreams.

‘Wake up.’

The important thing now was to help Leone develop faster and get her marriage record expunged quickly. That’s it.

“It’s time to put in a deal.”

She got up from her seat.