Chapter 8
2. Difference
After I returned to the castle that day, I searched everywhere for any more clues that Tess might have left. But before long, the charity party was just one day away.
“Young Master Dalton is on the way for a visit!”
“What? Dalton?!”
It was like a lightning strike out of the blue. Why was he suddenly visiting the Dark Castle? Why couldn’t he just ignore me like usual!
“The party’s right around the corner, so it might be that the Young Master is thinking of staying overnight so you could go straight to the party together tomorrow.”
“But that’s unnecessary! What time is he coming?”
“I heard he left right away, Milady. It won’t be long until he arrives.”
The von Cador mansion and the Dark Castle were quite close to each other, so there really wasn’t much time left. How unpleasant that I’d have to see the psychopath who would torture Tess. And there was another thing that was bothering me…
“I need to hide Leon. Where did you say that cabin was?”
“It’s in a hidden spot outside the castle.”
“Then get it ready. I’ll tell Leon!”
I ordered Donna to clean the cabin, then ran straight to Leon’s room. I knew that if it came to light that I was keeping a slave in the castle, I’d be surrounded by nasty rumors in an instant.
Marvin and the Midnight Guild owner might treat it as something of a joke, but it wouldn’t be easy to smooth it over if Dalton found out about it.
I knocked hastily and opened the door without waiting for a response. Inside, I saw Leon right away, who was sitting by the window with his blindfold still on. He might have removed it when I wasn’t around, but why wouldn’t he take it off when I was here?
But anyway, I wanted to comment on Leon’s contradictory behavior of following, yet not really following my order regarding the blindfold, and it was slightly bothering me too—but there was no time for that now.
“Leon, we’re going to have to move your living quarters. Is it alright if you stay at the cabin right outside the castle for a little while?”
“You look busy.”
“Yes, it’s a bit hectic.”
In preparation for the Crimson Moon, I had to explore the castle, memorize the information regarding Redcliffe, and also get ready for the party. Leon slipped my mind in the process, and in the meantime, Leon was behaving himself and didn’t cause any particular troubles.
“You’ll be busier from now on, too.”
“Yeah, I guess. But anyway, that’s not the point. Come with me now.”
“What’s going on?”
“My brother’s staying over at the castle tonight. He’s definitely not going to say anything good if he catches you staying here. He’ll be here soon. We need to go—right now.”
Leon kept stalling. He wasn’t resisting, but he just kept looking out the window as if he could see through that blindfold of his.”
“We have to go.”
“So my presence here will be a disadvantage to you.”
What, did that bother you? I wasn’t expecting this reaction, so I was rendered speechless for a moment. It wasn’t easy to figure out what he was thinking because he was such a mysterious man, so I had no idea how to respond to this…
“It’s not that your presence would harm me.”
It’s not like my reputation would get any worse. I looked at Leon with concern, thinking that he might be burdened, but his lips were tightly shut.
“But Master doesn’t want to get caught still?”
“Yes, but what I’m saying is…”
I trailed off. Leon’s tone was a bit grumpy. It felt like he was whining that I didn’t want to be seen with him. Leon and whining… It’s like trying to imagine warm iced americano, but here he was.
“It’s really not like that. It’s just that high society might not look kindly on you, that’s why I want to hide you.”
Lies flowed out of my lips like a downstream river. Actually, I wanted to hide Leon for my own sake because it would be too obscene for a noblewoman to buy a slave and let him stay as a guest in the manor.
Leon looked at me through the blindfold without saying a word. He was like a man with ghost-like intuition who knew that he was being lied to. And if he really knew, then he hit the nail on the head.
But… time was ticking during this brief intermission. Dalton’s really going to arrive any second now.
I pulled on Leon’s arm. I knew he was sulking, but he needed to hide.
“Let’s talk about it later and just come with me already. Let’s go to the cabin.”
“If it’s an order, then…”
Well, his sulking was valid. He knew that I was reluctant to use the word ‘command’ and repulsed by the caste system in general, but he followed me anyway. I wish he’d just remove that blindfold while we were walking… But until the end, he was stubborn to keep it on.
Even when he kept bumping into things while walking.
“Ah, this can’t do. Here, just hold my arm!”
“Alright.”
From then on, Leon followed behind me with my wrist clasped in his hand, then we headed towards the forest behind the Dark Castle. Right after he held onto me, he was walking so steadily that it was hard to believe he was wearing a blindfold. Maybe his other senses were good.
There was only one path towards the cabin through the forest, so we wouldn’t get lost. The forest might not have been entered by anyone for a while, so the road was a little rough, and the branches kept messing up my hair and dress.
I almost tripped at one point. Thankfully, I was holding onto Leon’s hand—I wasn’t sure if it was him or me who needed the support.
“The path is a bit rough… I’ll tell the landscape gardener to smooth it out later.”
When I tried to lift my hand, I was scratched by a stray branch.
“Ow! Ugh, damn it.”
At the same time, Leon lightly held my scratched hand, then proceeded to violently break the branch that wounded me with his other hand.
Crack, crack.
“Leon, what did that tree do to you!”
“Apologies. These useless branches scratched my Master’s hand.”
The cabin could be seen at a distance, and I brushed off what he said as a joke. It was an old cabin, but it looked so picturesque, as if it was a painting. It’s a relief that it didn’t look half bad. It didn’t look perfect, but at least it was good enough as a place to stay…
“Milady!”
Behind us, rushing through the path we walked on, one of the servants called out urgently.
“The Young Master has arrived!”
“Oh! Leon, I’ll be right back. Stay here, okay?”
“…”
Leon didn’t answer. I tried to wait, but I couldn’t stay longer because of Dalton’s arrival.
“Take Leon to the cabin. I’m going to meet Dalton.”
“Yes, Milady.”
I ran down the path, but in the middle, I looked back to see Leon on his way to the cabin. I hope he’ll do well without any problems.
As I rushed to the castle, I could still see the carriage in front and the people around it. I went there immediately, trying to fix my clothes on the way and pretending I wasn’t in any hurry. But there was no way to hide my heavy breathing from running.
“Brother.”
Dalton looked back at me inquisitively. The navy blue coat he was wearing was a similar shade to his hair, and he looked good. He was calm, as if he had walked out of an oil painting.
This impression could stem from the fact that there were very little changes in his facial expressions, and he didn’t make any unnecessary movements.
Some would say that he had an air of mystery around him, but to me right now, he was just a guy who seemed to lack the emotional capacity for empathy.
I didn’t notice until I looked down that he was holding a thin, beautifully crafted longsword in his left hand. He didn’t seem like the type, but I guess he’s a swordsman? Of course, there was one ending where Dalton died after he got his neck sliced, but the fact that he knew how to wield a sword wasn’t mentioned in the game.
He approached me wordlessly and reached out without raising the sword. Then, I was stunned when he leaned down. I knew that he wouldn’t, but at the back of my mind, I suddenly thought that he was going to beat me up.
Was it because I lost faith in him a long time ago that I easily believed this thought? I felt a little embarrassed, and it seemed like Dalton was as well.
“There are leaves on your hair, so I thought I should take them off.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Tess, your dress…”
I looked like a mess next to Dalton. My hair was tangled by the branches and my dress was torn in places. My breathing was still heavy, and my face was likely flushed red because I hadn’t calmed down from running earlier.
“It’s nothing. I just went for a walk a while ago.”
Dalton’s eyes scanned my dress again.
“Please show my brother to his room.”
“Yes. Young Master, this way please.”
Donna and I exchanged glances as Dalton was led away to the still unorganized guest room. No matter how quietly Leon lived, it was impossible to erase the traces of a person’s presence who’d been living there until just a few minutes ago. Ah, why couldn’t this guy just stay far away and never visit?
“Why aren’t you guiding me to the west wing?”
“…”
At Dalton’s question, the atmosphere froze for a moment. The guest room at the west wing was the room where Leon had been staying. If Dalton was asking like this, then perhaps that’s the room he had always used whenever he stayed here at the castle.
As all the servants and I were trying to come up with a good enough excuse, Donna came up with something.
“The west wing’s guest room is not suitable for the Young Master’s stay at the moment. It hasn’t been long since its renovation started.”
“It seems like this von Cador estate is not being managed properly.”
The servants lowered their heads, clearly dismayed by what he said. I felt sorry for the servants in the Dark Castle because they were all working hard, so before I knew it, I spewed out an excuse that didn’t really make any sense.
“Because that room is close to the room where I usually reside, and because of the noise, I told them that the east wing’s guest room might be better for you.”
He looked like the kind of guy who was sensitive to sounds and liked quiet places, and he didn’t like Tess much anyway, so I decided that it might be better to lessen our encounters and the uncomfortable situations that would stem from those.
With my answer, the mood became more and more sullen, yet no one opened their mouths to refute me.
After a long silence, Dalton finally spoke.
“Let’s go.”
And so his curt tone allowed everyone around him to move after having been frozen. Eventually, Dalton arrived at the eastern wing’s guest room instead of the western wing’s guest room where Leon had stayed.