《Meet You When the Night Ends》 Chapter 1 After an all-out war with the Kingdom of Decant, the army of Levanstein, dressed in white and gold, were marching past the capital Brussels Square. A march song played by the military band echoed along the streets while the patriotic citizens from the balconies and on both sides of the streets scattered the flowers from their baskets. At the front of the procession was the second prince with his fiery red hair, a characteristic of the Levanstein royal family. He animatedly waved his hands towards the crowd. It was a perfect spring afternoon with not a hint of a dark cloud in the sky. The heavens seemed to guarantee the glorious future of the Levanstein army. Leticia Levanstein, who was leaning against the balcony of the clubhouse on the fifth floor of the penthouse, giggled as she lifted the morning paper which was still freshly inked and yet to dry. ¡°His Majesty must have spent quite a lot of money.¡± On the front page of the newspaper was a black-and-white photograph of the second prince photographed while he was making a public address with his fists raised. Those sitting around her in a circle were busy hiding the smirks on their faces. ¡°I don¡¯t recall the prince having such a high bridged nose the last time I saw him.¡± ¡°Ah! Now that I think of it, were his eyes always that big?¡± ¡°To think that they would use a heavily altered photo for a newspaper that should only portray what is true and factual.¡± * Several opened bottles of wine already littered the table. Everyone was pleasantly flushed except Leticia, who was fully drunk. She emptied her innumerable shot in one go, leaned her chin on her hand as she looked down at the worn face of her brother marching beneath the club house. The only reason Prince Linnsbern Levanstein was able to graduate from the Royal Military Academy of W¨¹nterhausen was because of the tens of millions of decats the King had poured into the school. She couldn¡¯t believe the person, who she couldn¡¯t even remember ever holding a gun, was appointed as the general commander of the Army straight after graduation. ¡°I assure you,¡± her crystal glass clanked loudly against the table as she slammed it down, ¡°our glorious Landstein army will defeat the Decant empire.¡± She wagged her finger in the air in front of her. ¡°Before that- before he returns with a glorious triumphant cry, my dear brother will at least for once make a big mess or at least once put himself in trouble!¡± In her defense, her sister had a crush on the man who had been driven out of his position by the incompetent brother of hers. It enraged her that a deserving man had been booted because of her own brother. She consumed a little more alcohol than she usually did and practiced her right of freedom of speech. ¡°If my brother returns unharmed and victorious, I promise to allow you all to give me one punishment!¡± As she slurred loudly, everyone present took out their pen and notebook with a glow in their eyes. Leticia, penned down her promise in a humorous way and even approved it with the tensile ring she was wearing. If her sister, who had taught her to be logical and not act on impulsive feelings for twenty-one years had seen her right now, she would have shed tears of blood. As for Leticia who had held this rage drinking party for that very sister forgot completely about her drunken promise and forgot about it completely. That is, until one year later on the day of the victory banquet. * The victory banquet was an unforgettable event that she wanted to erase from her life. Her good-for-nothing brother, who she had half-heartedly hoped would perish in battle, returned home healthier than she had expected. The 1st Special Task Force, which he led himself, had nearly suffered destruction at the hands of their enemies, but turned the tables around by acting in disguise and almost wiped out the enemy¡¯s main base, leaving the front line badly wounded. Shortly after, the Lecon River froze and a severe cold spell enveloped the region, resulting in the two countries signing a temporary armistice. If the main force had not been wiped out, the Decant Kingdom would never have agreed to sit at the armistice table, so newspapers made headlines as the second prince was the winning contributor to the armistice agreement. And Iskanta III, who was thoroughly impressed with the remarkable results his son achieved on his first expedition, scattered the medals to the surviving members of his son¡¯s unit. The Order of Saint Mikatella, which used to be awarded once every five or ten years, was given to five people in one day. In many ways, the outcome of the war gave the heralds a whole list of things to write about. Leticia who had secretly hoped for her brother¡¯s failure had to tolerate his triumph and his inflated ego for almost an entire hour. He went on and on with praises towards himself with a big grin that hung from ear to ear. Eventually, his face muscles spasmed after being overused, giving her a chance to escape from the banquet hall to a quiet corner. There she found a table, sat down and rested her face on it. ¡°I wonder how brother Linsy can bear to see the mirror every morning. I bet his heart won¡¯t be able to survive that narcissistic face of his.¡± Young ladies from noble households gathered around the princess who looked at least five years older from being in the presence of her egotistical brother for just an hour. They giggled and spoke in a lowered voice. ¡°There are some people out there who find that side of him appealing. He is cute¡­kind of.¡± ¡°If they want to find something cute tell them to raise a dog. At least a dog will wag its tail at you.¡± Leticia said with a grudge. Chapter 2 ¡°If you hate him that much-¡± ¡°Nuh-uh, what do you mean hate. I don¡¯t hate Linsy. Life is just too short to waste my time interacting with my darn brother.¡± At those words Lady Lisa Everton Brandstein, who had spoken initially, gave her a shrug. Her shrug delivered the message that she wasn¡¯t buying a single word of hers. Leticia squinted her eyes and looked at Lisa. ¡°Lisa, now don¡¯t go and spread weird rumors to reporters again. Because of you there was an article stating falsely that I favor my sister Lena over Linsy, which buys me an earful from His Majesty every time it is mentioned.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­but that was a fact, is it not?¡± ¡°I take photos with Linsy on a regular basis. And I don¡¯t even act close to my sister in the presence of others.¡± ¡°I would say you can¡¯t please everyone, but I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t hear a word I say.¡± ¡°I want to live peacefully. Why do people have to take sides? Why can¡¯t they just allow me the freedom to choose who I want to talk to?¡± Lisa made a face that said ¡®here she goes again¡¯ and avoided the discussion by turning towards the wine. As for Leticia, who had already had a few glasses, she was feeling emotional and tipsy. ¡°In this large city I should venture out and meet people that are not a part of my family. Expand my relationships, make friends, find love. And if I have to be on the papers with my family it would be better if it were regarding political affairs and mentioned with my sister Lena rather than because of gossip.¡± ¡°I doubt the prince will agree. Princess Leorna and you are so unmatched.¡± ¡°Yes, if they put two of you together then it would make it seem like you are rivaling for the throne.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re more like a free lone wolf¡­enjoying the wild from a distance?¡± ¡°And also preying on handsome men?¡± One lady piped in unceremoniously. At those taunting words the young ladies burst into laughter. Leticia giggled and downed the wine glasses they had brought over. The daughter of Cersei Jose Tyringale who had been sipping wine along with the crowd, leaned forward. ¡°But princess, luckily Prince Linnsbern won.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°They encountered a defeat beforehand, yes, but that was the deputy¡¯s fault for not realising the leak of information.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Leticia shrugged in response when one lady brought the jarring topic she wanted to avoid, ¡°Princess, don¡¯t you have a prey in mind right now, do you?¡± The unpredictable direction the conversation was veering to, paired with Cersei¡¯s glistening eyes made Leticia extremely nervous. Instinctively, sensing danger she tried to get away and was getting up from her seat when Cersei stopped her and hooked her arms around her. ¡°Princess, don¡¯t you remember what you promised?¡± Leticia frantically tried to recall from memory the kind of promises she would have made while under the influence of countless drinks and the noisy surroundings. But there was no need as a flimsy piece of paper was waved in front of her, reminding her of her mistake. ¡°I, Leticia Levanstein, vow to carry out whatever penalty the members of the Sangwol Club offer if Linnsbern Levanstein leads the war to victory without a mistake of his own.¡± ¡°Thi-this¡­This!¡± The diagonally crooked penmanship was definitely identifiable as her own handwriting even after consuming a bottle of rum. Her seal was stamped at the end so there was no way that she could deny it. Even without the seal, she had to keep her promise as she had made a royal oath and bet her throne on the line. ¡®My mouth should be sewn up.¡¯ While Leticia stared at the memorandum in despair and felt to her very core that her hands were the source of evil, young ladies gathered around and started to excitedly chatter. They were familiar with parties full of all kinds of unusual entertainment hosted by Leticia, and had lost interest in the current formal banquet. They rushed towards the crowd like a school of sharks just in time to enjoy the meat that was the princess. ¡®Maybe if I don¡¯t look at it everything will go away.¡¯ While Leticia continuously banged her head against the table, Cersei hooked her arms around her. ¡°Princess, there¡¯s a saying that a man will be classified as handsome only if he catches your attention.¡± ¡°Some people put too much meaning in other people¡¯s personal taste.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why whenever there is a banquet all the men around here pay attention to you and only you. As an excluded woman, I can¡¯t help but be upset. Don¡¯t you think I would want to be in a handsome man¡¯s company as well?¡± Leticia shrugged dismally. ¡°Which is why princess, your penalty shall be¡­¡± Cersei giggled and leaned in to whisper the penalty into Leticia¡¯s ear. ¡°¡­to dance with someone who is not handsome.¡± Leticia was highly tempted to shout something along the lines of ¡®I want to pluck out your eyes¡¯, but she clenched her jaw tightly to keep the ugly words at bay. Chapter 3 ¡®God¡­¡¯ As she walked towards the center of the banquet hall, all eyes followed her movements. Donning the mask that she had perfected under the limelight, she smiled at the onlookers and even waved at them. While internally she pictured herself screaming and tearing her hair out. ¡®If I ever drink again, please turn me into a jellyfish. I doubt a jellyfish that only has survival instincts would do such self-destructive acts.¡¯ The more she thought about it, the more erratic her thoughts became. Eventually, she gave up on thinking about it altogether. When she peeked back to look at her club members, who must have left their sense of mercy at their homes tonight, were keenly looking at her with eyes gleaming with eagerness to see her dance with a man who wasn¡¯t exceptionally handsome. In the end, Leticia gave up on putting up a meaningless fight and started searching the crowd to find someone with an appearance that would satisfy the sadistic tendencies of the club members, without traumatizing her delicate taste. Seems like Viscount Benhoff hasn¡¯t washed his hair for today¡¯s monumental feast. Lord Racinoel¡¯s unique face might be catching some hidden admirers. Count Sybil already has jellyfish for brains. There were a lot of men who were adequate but it made her nauseous to think that she had to forego them in order to agonize between the bad and worst. What had she gotten herself into? Usually, her steps would have had a bounce to them the moment she entered the banquet hall, but today she had to drag them across the hall. Just then, past the masses, she spotted a man standing alone in a secluded corner of the hall. She couldn¡¯t see his face clearly because of the shaggy, light brown hair covering his face and long overdue for a haircut. But she guessed that he couldn¡¯t be over thirty years old. The three long rows of white and gold bands which were fixed in place with rose decorations on the royal military uniform indicated the completion of the Order of St. Mikatella, which the king had given away like free candy today. Clearly, this man was a deputy of the prince; one of the main characters of today¡¯s banquet. If he was a deputy commander of the 1st Special Forces, he was at least a lieutenant, and if he was promoted quickly, he could even be a promising player as a captain. With so much potential, he was definitely someone worth talking to, but curiously, there were no people around him. ¡®Who is he?¡¯ Leticia, who had appeared at the banquet long after the medal ceremony to minimize her encounter with her brother, had no idea who his deputy was. Thankfully she had sharp ears and overheard a group of people gossiping. ¡°I wonder what His Majesty was thinking? To think that he would award The Order of St. Mikatella to someone as inferior as him.¡± ¡°Being a nobody is not the worst thing he has done. Apparently, he¡¯s the one who got drunk and revealed the army¡¯s secret slogan to the enemy. So frankly speaking, isn¡¯t he the reason why the special forces were nearly wiped out?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand why everyone is trying to keep it hushed up. I guess we can only pity the parents who¡¯ve lost their children because of him. I saw Marquis Lepar barely holding back from tearing his head off.¡± ¡°I heard he¡¯s not even a noble. His father was a lowly merchant who transported trees after his funeral home business went bankrupt. He¡¯s someone who should never have been in a place like this at all.¡± Another woman said scornfully. ¡°Anyways it¡¯s all over, right? He¡¯s been retired from service and from what I hear his brother isn¡¯t doing so well either. I guess it¡¯s a matter of time before they all end up on the streets.¡± Les Kishir. That was the name of the young captain who was being bad mouthed by all the guests in the banquet hall. The guests seemed unconcerned about keeping their thoughts to themselves and showed no mercy in criticizing him, rather they spoke loudly as though they wanted to bully him. Surely, he could hear their loud voices and yet he stood upright against a wall unbothered, keeping his gaze lowered but head high. Underneath his messy hair, his lips were pressed in a thin line and his face was expressionless. It felt like an empty shell with all its content gone was standing there instead of a man. It was not the kind of reaction she expected from someone who had driven his entire troop into near annihilation. Leticia placed a finger to her chin in thought. ¡°Pr..Princess?¡± A young man that had been itching to talk to her, called out enthusiastically as she moved past him. As an apologetic gesture she blew him a kiss and moved past the crowd towards the unwelcomed hero. Leticia had never thought of herself as a patriot. She appreciated the good fortune of having good parents and like others that lived off their parents, wished the country would continue to prosper and do well. This was her only consideration towards the country. To swear at someone for their mistakes that got someone¡¯s child killed was not her kind of thing. As the daughter of the man who had driven those sons and daughters intentionally out to the battlefield, she was in no position to say anything. ¡°Hello, Lord Kishir.¡± The moment she stopped right in front of Les Kishir and spoke to him, all the whispering voices around them came to a stop, like magic. ¡®Finally, they are quiet.¡¯ She smiled brightly up at him and only then did Les Kishir turn his gaze slowly to acknowledge her. ¡®Gloomy¡¯ was the first word that popped into her mind as their eyes met. The man was even thinner up close than he seemed from a distance. The state department wasn¡¯t short on budget to distribute officers with good food, so he must have lost weight in the short period of time after the war, to the extent that his customized clothes outgrew him by at least one size. His towering height made him look leaner. His cheekbones were prominent and his slit eyes had dark bags beneath them making him look like a skeleton. However, the man respectfully placed a hand on his heart and gave a deep bow to her.. ¡°Princess.¡± Chapter 4 Perhaps he had hurt his vocal cords, the sound that came out of his mouth was rough and hard, like he had just downed a bottle of whisky after smoking a whole pack of cigarettes. Just to make sure, Leticia glanced at the other award winners for comparison. They glowed and sparkled, like they had prepared their whole lives for this day. Some gentry-born folks were more well to do than some nobles these days. So, she assumed that his financial situation seemed to be poorer than them. She could feel the eyes of all the people around them and glanced past the man over his shoulder. She caught a sight of the appalled club members. ¡®Someone like him doesn¡¯t please them.¡¯ She smiled in satisfaction internally and stopped the waiter passing by to grab a glass of wine. She swayed the pinkish rose wine in the crystal glass. ¡°Congratulations on your award.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He answered in the same gruff voice without sounding pleased in the least. ¡°I heard you served next to my brother? I¡¯m sure there must have been many hardships, but thanks to you, my brother returned in one piece. Therefore, I¡¯d like to thank you as his little sister.¡± ¡°I am not to credit.¡± ¡°Is this your first time at a banquet? I don¡¯t recall seeing you in Beurwinsel?¡± She quickly diverted. ¡°I struggled to make a living so couldn¡¯t spare any time beyond my given tasks.¡± His straightforwardness took her aback. ¡°How¡­ humble.¡± Even though Leticia didn¡¯t show it, she was shocked. It had been a long time since she had experienced someone uninterested in her or someone who spoke to her without any undertones. Les Kishir treated her as though he expected nothing from her. He wasn¡¯t acting this way in order to gain her interest. Even those that had been uninterested would have a change in attitude if it was her talking to them. Even in the era where some people mocked the royal family as decorations of the parliament, as the third royal princess who owned Levanstein¡¯s First Trade Port Libertine and the real owner of the Luchen Heights Corporation, which paid the most taxes in the kingdom, she was treated differently. As a result, there was no one who expected nothing from her. They might not have something they want from her now, but eventually they all have something thought of in the end. ¡°Lord Kishir.¡± Leticia smiled with her eyes and brought her glass of wine to her lips. She tasted the sweet, refreshing and somewhat bitter taste. ¡°Actually, my brother has mentioned you a lot.¡± Of course, this was a lie. There was no way someone who was so self-obsessed could be interested in telling stories of others. ¡°So I have been very curious about you.¡± To be accurate, since around 5 minutes ago. She couldn¡¯t comprehend why this person was still standing here listening to all the gossip about him when the award ceremony was already over. If he had something he wanted, then wouldn¡¯t he be interested in her. Maybe Les Kisihir didn¡¯t understand who she was. Although he was skinny, the thin neckline above his collar was prominent. She imagined how he would tremble when he was lying face down while she licked down his spine. She wondered how his voice would sound then, how that dark face would reveal an expression absorbed in pleasure, and how desperately he would cling on afterwards. As a habit she licked her lips. Then she offered her glass to Kishir. The man¡¯s gaze turned to the swishing rosy liquid that glistened like a jewel. Then his gaze trailed up her pale hand to her seductive lips that had taken a sip from it. Leticia smiled as she followed his gaze. ¡°Do you want to dance with me?¡± At those words, Les Kishir¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She heard the murmurs erupt around her. She enjoyed the shock and waited for an answer. She was fully prepared for any form of answer. Touched and taken aback, shocked and rooted to the spot or even suspicious of her offer. To her it was a piece of cake trying to seduce a man who was at his first social event. Then just in time the music changed, Les Kishir had spread out his hand. ¡°Princess.¡± His hand neither grabbed hers nor did it accept the glass she was offering. The man smiled softly as he lifted the bottom of the glass and took her hand to his mouth. The cold and rough lips that were the personification of his voice, came into contact with her fingers wrapped around the stem of the glass. At the feeling, Leticia couldn¡¯t help but shudder. ¡°I am already trying my best right now.¡± The calm and courteous voice shook slightly towards the end of the sentence as though he was suppressing something. Leticia frowned as she couldn¡¯t understand what she was saying at all, he bowed his head lightly. ¡°As you may already know, I am unable to act as your dance partner.¡± Was that something she should have known? She had no idea. ¡°You should offer it to someone else who deserves the honor of your hand.¡± His lips and his hand withdrew. The man who had kicked away the same honor like a rock in his path, placed his hand on his heart and bowed again before turning around and limping away as fast as he could. Leticia felt her face heat up as mortification crawled through her. Chapter 5 Les wiped his forehead with his sleeve. With every step that he took, he felt like he was being set on fire. And before he knew it, his hair was soaked with sweat, covering his line of vision. The stinging gaze and murmurs of those around him burnt into his skin. He felt like he was being strangled, and his head was spinning as he couldn¡¯t breathe while his leg burned in pain from his unhealed wound. ¡®Haven¡¯t you ever thought that it¡¯s your own fault? Don¡¯t you think that if it weren¡¯t for you, things wouldn¡¯t have resulted in such a terrible outcome?¡¯ The prince¡¯s mocking voice echoed in his head. Les wiped his wet forehead with his sleeve again, and placed a hand over his mouth to stop himself from groaning out loud. Then he dragged his shaking leg and walked on to somewhere dark, like an insect avoiding the light, far away from the murmurs that wanted to eat him alive. He sighed as he couldn¡¯t hold back the pain any longer and plopped down on the spot. He was on the beach where the sea water was starting to rise. The spectacular palace used for royal retreats here at the fine white sand beaches of Notter Bay stood distinctly in his view. Abruptly, the gushing salty waves hit against his throbbing leg. At the sudden surge of pain that left him breathless, he grabbed his legs and curled up in a fetal position unable to hold back his groans. The commissioning officer of the Kingdom of Decant, who was his superior was a terrible smoker. Often, he would tie Les to the ceiling, light the Feitan cigars and let the suffocating scents fill up the small room. Les would cry out until he lost his voice while his tied-up wrists peeled and his shoulders dislocated. No matter how much he begged or cried or even remained expressionless, the officer would pick a tool like an emotionless machine, check his state under the shaking lamp then stab him with it. The piercing pain, the heat underneath his skin the moment his tendons were cut, the burning sensation that never disappeared even after the knife was pulled out, the blood that covered the floor¡ªhis blood, all of it made him sick. Then the voice would call his name with a familiarity which reminded him of his teacher at the military academy. ¡®Kishir.¡¯ ¡®Just give up and join us.¡¯ He knew everything would stop as soon as he agreed, but Les hadn¡¯t. Now it felt like a distant memory from another life. But every time he took a step, his crushed bones and cut tendons that had missed their chance for surgery reminded him of that moment. His torn leg, as though it had been dissected, with every step reminded him of it and made him regret it. He had chosen silence, and this was the price to pay. A disabled leg. A hopeless future. A bad reputation. And a life that was in the hands of the royals. The moment he was fully exposed and executed by the words of those present at the banquet, he felt like he had fallen to the lowest point in his life. Then the princess had burst that thought by kindly engaging him in a conversation. ¡®Actually, my brother has mentioned you a lot.¡¯ His hands shook. What did she hear? How much more could he fall from where he was now? ¡®Do you want to dance with me?¡¯ A voice full confidence that hadn¡¯t even considered rejection to be an option. He knew best that there wasn¡¯t an inch of himself that could attract a woman with his current condition, so what could be the princess¡¯ reason? Surely, she must have considered him a toy that she could play with as she wished. There was no other plausible reason for her to show him any interest. It was a revolting thought. If the princess truly wanted him, the fact that he had no choice in the matter drove him into despair. This was not the reason why he had held out and kept silent until the end. This was not the kind of life he had wished for when he had desperately struggled and run away from his death. The waves crashed against his feet. The tide was rising and soon it had reached his ankle. Then all of a sudden as though he was possessed by something, Les headed straight with his aching footsteps. * After Les Kishir fled from the banquet, Leticia struggled to get away from the wave of crowds that approached her. She found the table her club members were seated at, and Cersei approached her, out of breath. ¡°Princess, did you just get rejected for the first time¡ª¡± ¡°No! I didn¡¯t, okay?¡± ¡°Oh my! Oh my! You really did get rejected! Oh! what in the world?¡± Her surprised giggling irritated Leticia but Cersei seemed unbothered. The banquet that had been getting boring and had prompted her idea had born fruit. There was no one who could dare to refuse Princess Leticia, but they all had lived to see the day when someone did! Chapter 6 Soon eight heads gathered and they all started to talk to Leticia. ¡°What was his name again? Li? Lans?¡± ¡°Les Kishir. I heard he is a gentry?¡± ¡°I heard he was the top graduate in Beurwinsel and he¡¯s from the same graduating batch as His Majesty the Prince.¡± ¡°Ah, is that why he was assigned to that unit? ¡°But besides his award he has nothing to his name, right? So where did he get the guts to reject the princess?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t rejected!¡± She finally interjected. ¡°Oh please! We could hear your conversation from here. Why are you trying to deny a fact?¡± They shooed the princess away and gathered closer to continue their giggling and discussion. Leticia nervously bit her lip as she could, her father crying out indignantly in the back of her head, saying how the reputation of the royal family had fallen. She didn¡¯t necessarily want to join them but she didn¡¯t enjoy the feeling of being isolated. So, she vented out her rage on the reporters around them that were busy flashing their cameras. ¡°I never gave you permission to take any photos! Ah! Stop it, really!¡± The reporters of course weren¡¯t going to be so obedient when there was a scoop right in front of them. Instead, they bombarded her with questions. ¡°Princess, is it true that this is the first time you¡¯ve been rejected at a dance?¡± ¡°It was a different partner as compared to your usual choices, is it because he is the deputy of your brother¡¯s unit?¡± ¡°Stop trying to come up with a story.¡± She frowned at them as hard as she could but the flash parade continued. Coincidentally the king had called on all the reporters to advertise the victory banquet, so political and gossip reporters alike gathered around her like moths drawn to a fire. She bit on her lip as she could foresee the large headlines of tomorrow¡¯s paper. ¡®Damn it I am screwed today. Screwed for good.¡¯ ¡°Princess, please give us an answer. There is a rumor that your chosen partner of the evening leaked confidential information to the enemy. Were you going to spend the night with him?¡± ¡°No! I was being polite! And what is your name and the company that you work for? I should sue you for sexual harassment! You have no right to ask me that question!¡± ¡°This sounds like it does not support the citizens¡¯ right to know. Is this a royal statement?¡± Leticia felt like she had hit a wall and knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to answer them logically, so she emptied a glass of wine and tried to move away. The guards, sensing the chaos, quickly formed a human wall between her and the reporters. ¡°Princess! Princess! The question!¡± ¡°Please answer us! Your citizens require an explanation!¡± ¡°You cannot restrict the press of their freedom of speech!¡± She heard the shouting voices over the human wall. Leticia shuddered in disgust and quickly left the banquet hall. Normally she would have posed in front of the cameras and answered their questions and enjoyed the attention. But for now, they all looked like insects that she wanted to crush. ¡®Damn it, what a wreck¡¯ Tomorrow, Linsy would probably whine about not being on the first page of the news and her father would be enraged at how his son was not getting the attention after all the money and effort he had poured in. This was all because of Les Kishir. There was never a partner who had rejected her, even if they were her foes. But since she had failed to realize that he had a disabled leg she couldn¡¯t freely curse him as she wished to. ¡°Argh! Damn it!¡± She groaned in annoyance. She roughly loosened her elaborately braided hair and pulled out all the hair pins as she rustled her hair with her hand. She pulled at her hair and bit her lip while walking up and down the dark corridor of the palace. She will find Les Kishir and apologize. Pretend the rejection never happened, seduce him again and make him beg at her feet. ¡°Perfect.¡± She grinned at her brilliant plan. There was no one on this earth who could reject Leticia Levenstein twice. She felt proud of her plan and couldn¡¯t help but feel excited. Once her mind was set, her footsteps quickened. The crystal palace was used only for retreats or royal activities and opened up for the summer, so it wasn¡¯t that large. Meaning there were only so many places Les Kishir could be hiding to avoid the crowd. The crystal palace, befitting of its title, had crystals along the corridor, blooming underneath the lights from between the colored crystals reflected off the milky white hallways and walls. She searched a few rooms and shocked a few couples making love or those doing drugs and had the guards kick them out. Soon she had reached the beach. To her surprise, someone seemed to be drowning¡­ Chapter 7 Leticia coughed and gulped as the seawater flooded her nose, robbing her of her breath. She gasped for air, tears prickling her eyes. She struggled to come up to the surface, but her soaked clothes pulled her down. Suddenly, relief flooded through her as strong, muscular arms caught her and pulled her up. She was barely able to stand without her knees giving in. For a moment, death had seemed imminent. She gulped a lungful of air and held on to the strong arms for dear life. Her shoulders shuddered. Her breath was ragged, accompanied by severe coughs. Her throat felt raw from the coughing and her stomach felt sour. She covered her mouth to soothe her nausea. After a while, when her coughing was subdued and there was no sign of queasiness, she straightened up and assessed the situation. She faced the skull-like face of Les Kishir, and nearly jumped out of her skin, but she composed herself before he could notice. She cleared her throat and released his arms, which were still holding onto hers. When she could stand on her own without help, she, much to her embarrassment, realized that the water only came up to her waist. She had already embarrassed herself, so she thought she might as well smile to diffuse the awkward situation. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked, looking at him, concerned. Les Kishir was silent for a long while. His gaze was polite enough, but she thought she saw an element of bewilderment in his face. Probably thinking she was mad. ¡°I was,¡± he said, ¡°Until Your Highness decided to run over here in a hurry.¡± ¡°I thought you were going to drown yourself,¡± she said in her defence. Les Kishir ignored her comment. ¡°There are many people waiting for the honour to meet you, Your Highness,¡± he said instead, ¡°Why are you here, in such a remote place?¡± His voice was polite, but cold. He had eloquently changed the topic of their conversation. But she was glad to hear his usual indifferent tone of voice. He had never really meant to die. She was relieved that her name wouldn¡¯t appear in the morning newspaper, tomorrow. ¡°I wanted to apologize,¡± said Leticia in a lighter tone. She could finally breathe free as the most important task had been done. ¡°Apologize?¡± inquired Les Kishir curiously. ¡°I felt guilty,¡± she said, ¡°So I followed you to apologize.¡± ¡°Why would you need to apologize?¡± he asked. Leticia couldn¡¯t fathom if he was truly confused, or if he was just mocking her. His tone was polite, but she thought she heard a sceptical note somewhere. Perhaps he had been through a lot, so the prospect of an apology offered was strange for him. ¡°I don¡¯t read my brother¡¯s articles, ever,¡± she explained, ¡°I only arrived in the middle of the banquet. If I had even an inkling of your disability, I would never have asked you so brazenly for a dance. I would have suggested talking over a meal, instead. I am so sorry.¡± ¡°Oh¡­,¡± he said. His serious expression relaxes slightly. The sharp-angled eyebrows lowered a little. Leticia, feeling triumphant at the improvement in the mood, declared, ¡°As part of my sincerest apology, I won¡¯t take part in any dance tonight. In fact, here I shall stay, your faithful servant for the rest of the day!¡± She looked beautiful basked in the moonlight, with her flaming red hair clinging to her wet face. Her green eyes glittering, and her lips curled into a confident smile. Les, who had been stunned by her declaration, was enraptured by her beautiful eyes. He caught himself a moment later and looked away. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that, Your Highness,¡± he said. ¡°But I want to!¡± insisted Leticia, ¡°As an apology. Besides, do you even know how many people would die for this rare opportunity? Oh, to be served by a beautiful woman, a princess at that!¡± ¡°That is exactly why you don¡¯t need to do it,¡± he said, sombrely, ¡°People will stare. They¡¯ve got enough to talk about already.¡± ¡°Should I wear a mask then?¡± she teased. Les turned his gaze to her and met her playful eyes. The princess never hesitated to express her charm. She was so very confident in her own self that it emanated from her like sunlight. He laughed and stopped, suddenly aware of the very close distance between them. ¡°As you say,¡± he obliged, ¡°But I doubt that can hide your beauty.¡± He lowered his face to look at her. They were standing so very close now, their noses almost touching. The princess looked up at him, a smile still playing on her lips. ¡®Why was the princess showing such interest in me?¡¯ Les wondered. This normality and ease with which they conversed, once so familiar, felt very distant for him, now. Les slightly tilted his head to the side and looked at her. ¡°Why do you make such promises to me?¡± he asked, ¡°What if it makes me feel something for you?¡± ¡°You have already conversed with me, haven¡¯t you?¡± she taunted, ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time until you fall in love with me, anyway.¡± She winked. Les was amused. His sombre, weary face looked almost boyish for a moment. The corners of his mouth pulled upwards in something akin to a smile. ¡°And if it so happens, will you take responsibility?¡± he asked, smiling sadly. Chapter 8 His expression caught Leticia¡¯s attention. His smile had a heavy sense of resignation to it. It looked so desolate. Watching him walk into the water had given her a sense of the same feeling of despair, which had made her rush after him. She had thought he was going to drown himself. It made her want to reach out her hand towards him. ¡°Responsibility,¡± she mused, ¡°That word makes you sound like a burden, which you are not.¡± Les was silent. ¡°If we are both interested in each other,¡± she said, ¡°we can quench each other¡¯s curiosity.¡± Les gazed at her hand, which touched his cheek. ¡°Relationships between two people can turn into anything.¡± Her fingers trailed gently from his cheek to his chin, down to the nape and to his chest. His hair stood on end wherever her fingers touched his skin. ¡°Life is full of possibilities,¡± she whispered, ¡°We could give in to passionate emotions just this once, or we could forge a stronger bond to survive this cruel and fierce world, or¡­.¡± ¡°Or?¡± he asked softly. She leaned forward and said in a low voice, ¡°We could become good friends and share our thoughts and experiences together.¡± She poked his chest playfully. ¡°Good friends, huh?¡± he smirked. ¡°Hm,¡± she mumbled. Leticia thought she saw Les¡¯ face pale, but it might have been just her imagination, because the next moment, she only saw a smile spreading across his face. She stared, fixated at him. His miserable smile from a while before was replaced by a radiant one. He appeared a completely different person, with his drenched hair sticking to his forehead. The young officer took Leticia¡¯s hand, which had been on his chest, and pulled it to his lips. He tilted his head slightly and looked at her, her fingertips on his cold lips. ¡°Which one do you think we will be?¡± he asked. Leticia pondered for a while, unable to look away. His health was poor, and he looked sickly. She didn¡¯t want to get all excited in passion and then be turned off. That would be annoying and embarrassing. She had already embarrassed herself enough. ¡°Hmm, the way I see it¡­,¡± she began as her fingers pressed against his pale lips. He opened his mouth to her. His moist tongue enticed her fingers. Leticia could think no more. ¡°Perhaps show me how well you can eat me, first,¡± she whispered as she lifted her soaked dress up to her thighs. Les narrowed his eyes and smirked. *** Les and Leticia tumbled inside a nearby room that they found, entwined in each other¡¯s arms. Leticia removed her dress and her undergarments; they were so soaked through and cold that it was uncomfortable having them on. She loosened her thick and long ribbon from her hair and covered her eyes with it. Her vision, which had just gotten accustomed to the dark, was darkened completely. She giggled when he kissed her over her veiled eyes and his lips trailed over to her neck. ¡°Is this the kind of thing you like?¡± he whispered, hoarsely. ¡°Well, we all have different preferences,¡± she whispered back, ¡°You like pretty things, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I do,¡± he said, placing kisses all over her. ¡°My face isn¡¯t really very pretty right now¡ª,¡± her sentence was cut short as he placed a passionate kiss on her lips. His cold lips stimulated her sensitive areas. He reached out a hand and caressed her neck, while gently sucking on her lower lip. His skinny appearance had given her the impression that he would be a small man, but now when they were in each other¡¯s arms, she realized he was muscular as his strong arms covered the entirety of her nape. He pulled her to him and gently bit her lower lip. His kiss deepened and his tongue explored her mouth. ¡°Mm,¡± she mumbled. Leticia stretched out her hands and wrapped them around his neck. He pulled her to her tightly, and now his thighs were between hers. She lowered her hands from his neck and trailed them down his spine. He was so thin. Leticia preferred her men muscular. They were nicer to the touch. The officers from W¨¹nterhausen boasted their muscular physique more than the others. They did have rigorous activities and training that drove some to death. Leticia wondered why Les was so thin. She stroked his upper body with her thighs. He flinched. A low groan threatened to escape his lips, but he held it back. The sounds he made when she pressed against him made her feel as though she was torturing him. ¡°Is your mind wandering?¡± he whispered in her ears. He pulled his lips away momentarily and his breath tickled his ear. In the next moment, he nibbled gently on her earlobe. ¡°No, I¡ª,¡± her voice died mid-sentence as he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer and her hips thrust forward. She gasped. She could feel his hardness between her legs. Chapter 9 ¡°K¡­ Kishir,¡± she called his name. In answer, his large hand wrapped around her chest and he caressed her naked breasts. Her nipples under his palms hardened and stiffened. It sent a lewd pleasure coursing throughout her body. He stroked them slowly, making her squirm. Her hips trembled. She wrapped her legs around his waist, ankles crossed, as though binding him to her. ¡°Harder,¡± she insisted. Les¡¯ finger tightened around her nipples and he pinched it, sending a moan erupting through her. He took one of them in his mouth and used his tongue on them. She felt like she was on fire. Leticia gasped, her thoughts scattering. He was good, and he knew it from the way he touched her. Leticia hadn¡¯t expected him to be so good, but he was ever so attentive to her every twitch of pleasure, every tremble that he did everything that reduced her to a squirming mess. She moaned, and her hips thrust forward in anticipation for something more. She dug her heels into his back, pulling him to her. His hand, which had been stroking her breast, slipped down and touched her between her thighs. Her back arched, and she screamed in pleasure. His finger dug further, while his other hand stroked her hair, to soothe her. ¡°More, please¡ª,¡± she said, and wheezed. His hand, which was on her hair, had returned to her breast, teasing her stiff nipples. He stroked and pinched her there, and his other hand explored her in her nether regions. She twisted her body, moaning. His lips were in her ears now, nibbling and his tongue exploring the folds of her ear. ¡°Kishir, now,¡± she pleaded, ¡°Do it.¡± She couldn¡¯t take it any longer. She wanted him in her. She was wet with pleasure and carving. She didn¡¯t want this foreplay, she wanted him. She trailed her hands from his neck, to his chest, further down to his hardened shaft. She squeezed it and made Les¡¯ groan and tremble in her arms. He reached out and pulled her hands away to his lips. ¡°I heard that women say that when they are dissatisfied with their men being unable to pleasure them,¡± he winked, ¡°When they want them to be done fast.¡± He kissed her. ¡°Let me try to do you better,¡± he whispered in her ears, teasingly. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡ª.¡± Her protests trailed off and were replaced by a moan, as he pinned down her hands, their fingers intertwined, and his mouth moved down past her belly to kiss her in between her legs. His shaggy hair pricked her belly. His other hand held her thighs firmly as he entered her with his tongue. He worked slowly, stimulating every fibre of her being, tickling every sensitive spot in her. She gasped for breath and grabbed his hair. His face was buried between her thighs while he pleasured her almost completely. She was liquid fire, pulling on his hair, and thrusting herself at his mouth. Her vision blurred and she could form no coherent thought. ¡°Kishir,¡± she kept calling her name. It was the only word she knew at the moment, her only tether to the living world. Les, as though unable to hear, licked her and drove her senseless. He lapped at her sweetest spot, enjoying her moans of pleasure. He wanted to hear her call his name more, ever so tenderly. He stimulated her sweetest spot and sucked on it gently, while she trembled and arched. Her body felt like it would snap in two. Her breaths came in gasps. Her brother¡¯s lieutenant, the victorious, most decorated officer, pleasuring her like nobody in the world had ever been able to. The thought made her tremble as he sucked on her a bit forcefully and made her mind tumble. Her vision blanked as she climaxed. A scream escaped her, followed by a moan. A cough brought her to herself. She tried to clear the spots in her vision and look around. Leticia lifted her hand with difficulty and pushed up the blindfold that covered her eyes. Pale moonlight streamed through the window. And Les Kishir was here, bathing in the light. His pale skin looked bluish in the moonbeam. He was panting, his lips parted slightly and eyes watery. In her nakedness, Leticia realized that Les Kishir was still dressed, not one button out of place. That made her want to tear his clothes off. For the first time, she looked into his eyes. They gleamed in the light with a shine. His eyes were golden, like the fields in autumn that she so loved. It emanated a kind of warmth. She couldn¡¯t look away from his eyes. He leaned over her. ¡°Was there anything insufficient in my service to you, Princess?¡± he said, smiling. Leticia grinned. She pushed him down and climbed on top of him. Chapter 10 As Leticia had hoped, the morning paper headlines were not decorated with the news of Les Kishir¡¯s suicide. Instead, they had found a rather lurid topic to cover in each and every newspaper. [Shocking! Princess Leticia gets rejected by her brother¡¯s lieutenant!] [Exclusive coverage: The man who rejected Princess Leticia¡¯s hand or her brother¡¯s deputy? Who in the world is Les Kishir?] [The decline in royal authority: Even fallen nobles are rejecting the royal family! [Is this the end of Princess Leticia¡¯s habit of taking men?] Leticia gathered all of the morning papers that had been piled up on the desk and threw them in the fireplace, imagining that each burning page was the face of one of the reporters that had written up this nonsense and called it a news article. She grabbed the poker and fiercely prodded at the scraps of paper. The moment she had dragged Les Kishir into her bed, she had forgotten all about the flashes of cameras that had surrounded her in the banquet hall after her first encounter with him. ¡°Do they really have so little to write about that they would put THAT out as an article? This is an invasion of privacy. I will sue them for contempt for the royal family!¡± The princess¡¯ rant hardly garnered any sympathy from the chief secretary, Tesira Jarden, who slowly sipped at the tea that she had poured for herself. Many replies passed through her mind like, ¡°You brought this upon yourself¡±, ¡°I knew this would happen eventually¡± or ¡°Take this opportunity to fix your habit of sleeping around as you please.¡± But not wanting to lose favour with the princess for saying things that she would never listen to anyways, she decided to stay quiet. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been pretty peaceful these days, they need something exciting to write about.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not an excuse! My father decorated five officers. Why don¡¯t they write about that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why they wrote it. Les Kishir not only received an award from the King of Saint Mi Catella, he also turned down the Princess in front of¡ª¡± ¡°That is not what happened!¡± The photo on the front page of the morning papers had been a bit too decisive for her to be able to deny it, but once more Tesira wisely kept her mouth shut. She didn¡¯t want to provoke the princess who signed her pay-checks and put her purchase of the long-awaited limited-edition shoes in peril. The princess put the poker down only after the morning papers had burned down into mere particles, and paced back and forth across the room before suddenly raising her head. ¡°Did any letters arrive this morning? Was there anything for me, a memo, telegram or whatever?¡± ¡°Um¡­there were a lot from reporters, of course. Oh! And an exceptional interview request came from the ¡®Lanstein Daily¡¯ who swear they don¡¯t write gossip¡ª¡± she back-tracked at the look on the princess¡¯ face. ¡°But of course, you wouldn¡¯t be interested in that.¡± ¡°Yes, I wouldn¡¯t. But there must have been more than that, right? I saw Emery come in with a whole bunch today.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! I¡¯m on the verge of asking for extra wages just to read through all those; from Ms. Everton on behalf of the clubhouse members inviting you to join them for brunch¡ª¡± ¡°Not that! Ah, while we¡¯re on the subject, don¡¯t ever let those people into this place unless I say so, especially Cersei Jose, that brat.¡± ¡°Just tell me whose letter you¡¯re waiting for¡ª¡± Tesira started responding in an annoyed manner because the princess kept beating about the bush but stopped short as a realization hit her like a meteorite in the back of her head. She suddenly stood up from her seat, knocking her chair back. ¡°Princess, did you sleep with him?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Leticia¡¯s eyes flitted from side to side. ¡°No! No way! No matter how much you would try to sleep with any person wearing pants, I believed in you!¡± ¡°Hey, what do you mean?! My standards are very high!¡± ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t what I wanted you to deny!¡± Holding her dizzy head in her hands, Tesira sat back down. Even without her saying anything definitive, she could guess exactly how everything went down last night. The princess had slept with Les Kishir. Considering her usual behavior, it honestly shouldn¡¯t have come as such a surprise. If she had really been turned down in front of the public, it would have lit a fire in her and she would have chased that person down. There really weren¡¯t many men who could deny a princess who was determined to sleep with them. If this was all, Tesira would have simply thought of it as half-pathetic and half awe-inspiring, but that wasn¡¯t it. This was a man who had somehow received a medal from the king despite rumors that he had leaked confidential information to the enemy and gotten his entire troop destroyed for it. With the military refusing to comment and the royal family never having issued an official statement, there were thousands of speculations going all around the place. And on top of that, if the princess were to get involved with this man¡­ ¡°Princess, did you think about the fact that some people might think that your unrequited love for this man might have caused you to intervene in his military trial and manipulate your parents into awarding him a medal?¡± Chapter 11 She saw the princess slowly become enveloped in shock as realization struck her. ¡°But it was the military court that ruled him not guilty, and it was my father that awarded the medal. How can any of that be my fault?¡± ¡°Princess, don¡¯t you know that the truth is not important? The fact that such a rumor might arise is already a problem!¡± ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m sure they would gossip no matter what I do. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to get elected for any political position, and I¡¯m not in need of a suitor, so what does it matter?¡± ¡°Wow, how can you¡­¡± She trailed off as anger suppressed her words. How could the princess not care about the fact that her phone would practically be on fire! She didn¡¯t care that reporters would follow her even into the bathroom just because she was the princess¡¯ assistant! Ignoring the frustrated chief secretary, Leticia chewed her lip. At the end of last night, after she had sucked off Les Kishir and trembled underneath his body several times until she was exhausted, the man had bowed to her as if nothing had happened, helped her put on her shoes, and kissed her ankle. ¡®I hope the moonlight shines on your path as you go back.¡¯ As if reluctant to leave, his lips had stayed on her ankle for a while, before slowly falling away. She had seen that they were still slightly swollen and colored red from their kisses that had lasted all night. She figured he might still be asleep because of what they had done. And maybe he was busy in the morning, since he had work to do, unlike her. So, Leticia kindly and patiently waited until noon. He was probably struggling to decide the exact wording of his letter, choosing the best stationery and using his best writing, etc. He probably didn¡¯t have his own servant so he would have to hire someone to deliver his letter, then that person would have to travel all the way to her place which was very far north, and Emery would need time to bring all those letters, all organized, to her room. She understood it was a taxing process and probably would take till noon for her to receive his letter. If Les Kishir had even an ounce of proper manners in him, no¡ª if he was a person with a brain that could grasp even the minimum amount of morality that a situation like this would require, and as a human being who understood the fact that actions have consequences¡ª the very least that he could do was to send her a letter asking how she was doing and inquiring whether she would be interested in meeting again. By noon. She looked at her chief secretary¡¯s face who was lying on the floor, silently protesting. She could almost hear her say ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me, if you¡¯re going to treat me like this then at least increase my wages¡± Her maid and butler were staring at her from their posts at the door. She couldn¡¯t believe they had the audacity to look at her like that. Didn¡¯t they know who she was? She could do whatever she pleased, whenever she pleased and no one could stop her. She narrowed her eyes at them while she passed them as she strode out of the room. She didn¡¯t stop before she reached her bedroom window and watched the setting sun. The sky was painted in the red hue of her primary emotion; anger. ¡°Les Kishir¡­¡± Now, when she recalled his face that had smiled so softly at her yesterday, fury spread from her head to her toes. He wasn¡¯t even handsome! He was all skeleton and bones! He used to be Linsy¡¯s nanny, for Christ¡¯s sake! And he had the nerve to avoid her?! ¡°I will destroy you.¡± Ah, she was deep in her illness again. The maid who was watching the princess¡¯s eyes glowing with fire shook her head sadly. * Born D.H. Year 250, June 21st. Current age, twenty-five Born to Rosengton¡¯s Gunther Kishir and Nemia Kishir of the Robert Family Youngest of four siblings; two older brothers and one older sister Current head of the family is the eldest son, Sowan Kishir Entered the Royal W¨¹nterhausen Academy with a full scholarship, which continued for the complete duration of his studies, at the age of fifteen Talented in planning, ploys, history, and combat, especially shooting Appointed to the 5th Special Forces right after graduating top of his class. Quickly promoted to lieutenant after three years and then to captain two years later Iscanta III directly designated him as the lieutenant of Prince Linnsbern Levanstein, the second prince, in year 275 ¡°Pretty impressive, I guess.¡± Casually lying down on the fluffy couch in the study room with her feet propped up, Leticia threw aside the file she had just been reading onto the side table next to her. There were quite a few files piled up there. They had all the information about Les Kishir gathered by her very competent chief secretary who had been unable to avoid doing her bidding. From the personal documents of the Kishir family to financial reports, report cards from W¨¹nterhausen, letters of recommendation from the time of his enlistment, and reports of his performance during military service¡ª all kinds of papers were gathered here. Les Kishir¡¯s life history, which she had been looking through for every moment of her free time, reminded her of a protagonist of a new wave drama. The protagonist that had to suffer from all sorts of adversities as a child in order to make his future success story truly stand out. After his parents, who had been merchants, passed away and the shop went bankrupt because it could not withstand the economy¡¯s decline, the eldest son had struggled to feed his three younger siblings. She had only glanced at the financial report of the Nochez Chamber of Commerce, which listed Sowan Kishir as the owner, but she could see that it was a mess. The siblings had scattered in different directions just to try to survive, and Les Kishir had put in his application to W¨¹nterhausen. As if to compensate for his hardships up until then, Les Kishir¡¯s performance after entering W¨¹nterhausen was dazzling. The deans of W¨¹nterhausen were not the type to easily give out scholarships. The fact that he was talented enough to receive full scholarships from them for five years, and to graduate at the top of his class, was pretty impressive. That was obviously why the king had appointed him as Linsy¡¯s lieutenant. Chapter 12 Such a splendid history being destroyed in an instant, crashing into the ground. ¡°He was pretty cute back then.¡± Leticia looked at the photo from Les Kishir¡¯s admission to W¨¹nterhausen for a long while. The fresh-faced fifteen-year-old boy looked like a completely different person from the skinny man she¡¯d seen at the banquet hall a few days ago. His hair, which she had thought to be a faded light brown, was actually closer to a golden brown. And his eyes shaded with long eyelashes were slightly raised at the ends with the whisper of a smile. The muscles of his shoulders and chest were surprisingly straining his plain shirt that was buttoned all the way to his throat. But above all, the boy with the tense shoulders had what twenty-five-year-old Les Kishir crucially lacked; innocence. It was such a tender thing that Leticia gently touched the photo of the boy without realizing it. ¡°Tesira.¡± At her call, Tesira, who had been sitting at a huge desk working alongside five of her underlings, appeared in front of her without a sound. ¡°How¡¯s it looking?¡± The subject of the matter was omitted, but Tesira¡¯s answer came without hesitation. ¡°Unfortunate. Since he¡¯s retired from the military, he would either have to go home or find another job. But you know the whole reason he retired was because¡ª you know¡­and his leg too. Plus, it¡¯s not easy for a person who has been working for the military all his life to try to learn how to do other things after retiring. And even if he tries, there are endless rumors to set him back.¡± ¡°And going back home would be¡­?¡± ¡°You saw the financial report.¡± ¡°Yes, quite horrible.¡± ¡°In the worst case, of course, if he can¡¯t find an answer before his severance pay runs out, he¡¯ll still have to go back. At least lodging is cheaper in the countryside.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s he doing now?¡± ¡°It seems he¡¯s looking to work at a school or at a home, while currently living with a colleague from his time at W¨¹nterhausen. But he doesn¡¯t seem to have any ties with anyone who could become his employers.¡± ¡°And his other colleagues?¡± ¡°Half of them are still on the front line, and the other half¡­ well, rumors are rumors.¡± ¡°Must be so hard for him.¡± ¡°Yes, it must be.¡± ¡°Even though all the morning papers are talking about him being my lover?¡± ¡°Well, since they think he dared to reject the princess, it¡¯s probably gotten worse if anything.¡± Lying on the sofa, Leticia wagged her feet that were atop the armrests. As was her habit when she was lost in thought, her green eyes stared quietly into the air, then narrowed slightly. Tesira¡¯s brand-new limited-edition shoes sparkled underneath her skirt. It was a new product that had just been released yesterday, so it seemed she had bought them as soon as they came out on the shelves. Since the shoes were new, she would have bought everything from a new dress to new accessories in order to match them, and as she never so much as looked at anything that wasn¡¯t a luxury-brand item, everything that she was currently wearing probably cost enough money altogether to buy a house down in the countryside. Because of this the chief secretary, who was one of the top five highest-paid people in this nation, always suffered from a chronic case of excessive debt. At the same time everyone acknowledged that there was no one in all of Lanstein who had a better eye for luxury items than Tesira Jarden. It was even said that among all the luxury goods in Lanstein, if it wasn¡¯t known by Tesira Jarden, then it wasn¡¯t really a luxury good. She was the secretary who wore more expensive things than her employer. Looking her up and down, Leticia got up from the sofa. ¡°Tesira, you still enjoy shopping these days, right?¡± Bewildered at the sudden change in direction, Tesira blinked before replying truthfully. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I want to offer you something.¡± She waved her hand in the air. At her movement, Tesira, who was having a rare moment of confusion, quickly ran to the desk and brought her check-book to her. Leticia Levanstein. A check with a signature and official seal was placed into Tesira¡¯s hands, without its amount written. Tesira¡¯s hands trembled as she held the piece of paper that could buy the entire capital of Brinzel, if so desired. ¡°Make it so that there is not a single soul in Brinzel that doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m courting Les Kishir.¡± Leticia looked straight into her eyes and emphasized each word, making sure she understood her. She would force Les Kishir to kneel in front of her, hang on to her ankles, weeping and begging for her. And then! Then she would turn away from him and leave him to suffer! ¡°Hehehehehe!!¡± The princess chortled to herself. At this annoying behavior of her employer, Tesira politely turned her head away before she could see her frown. She is crazy. Chapter 13 ¡°Your eyes are closed, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After waving his hand several times in front of Les¡¯ eyes, Cesar Mehin grabbed his sharpened razor. Cesar looked at Les in the mirror in front of him, swiping his dirty, straw-colored hair several times with his fingertips. Having roughly decided in his mind where and how to cut it, Cesar¡¯s blade moved without hesitation. Snip, snip, and the cut off hair fell to the floor. He must be able to feel the blade approaching even with his eyes closed, for his closed eyelids trembled with every cut. Without taking his attention away from the nervous and shaky breaths, Cesar quickened his hands even more as he cut his hair. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± As he tapped his shoulder lightly, Les gasped for breath. A cold sweat had formed on the nape of his neck, and his face had gone white. He accepted the cup that was handed to him without a word and emptied it at once, his hand trembling slightly. ¡°3 decats.¡± Without a glance at his distressed friend, Cesar had brought a large broom and was sweeping the floor. Looking at his hair that covered the floor as if it was shedding season, Les touched the back of his neck, which felt empty now. ¡°Kinda expensive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a philanthropist, you know.¡± ¡°Could you please cut it down to 1 decat, my brother with such beautiful muscles¨C?¡± He was cut off by a thick hand striking the back of his head. Bent over, Les complained as he rubbed the back of his head. ¡°That hurts.¡± ¡°Any luck finding a job yet?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t want me anywhere.¡± ¡°What about the professors? They used to praise you so much.¡± ¡°Professor Sodeberg, Professor Bernheim, and Professor Raden all stepped down. As their disciple it just doesn¡¯t feel right to ask them.¡± ¡°The most useless thing is to worry about people who are doing well on their own.¡± ¡°Still, I have a sense of honor, you know. If I become a reject from society, then I should do it alone instead of taking others down with me.¡± ¡°What a pointless sense of honor.¡± Even at such words, Les smiled. Cesar clicked his tongue at his fool of a friend, then finished throwing away the cut-off hair and cleaning the tools he had used. Les quietly followed his movements with his eyes. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask?¡± ¡°Ask what?¡± ¡°Why I¡¯m not clinging to the princess for help.¡± A week ago, when he had gone out to answer the doorbell that rang first thing in the morning, what greeted Les was a woman with enough sophisticated beauty to appear in any fashion magazine¡¯s pictorial. Her gorgeous curly blonde hair ran gracefully down her back, and she was wearing a white turtleneck sweater underneath a light brown trench coat. She quickly swept her gaze up and down, with a subtlety that wouldn¡¯t have been noticed by the average person. ¡®Are you Sir Les Kishir? I¡¯m Princess Leticia¡¯s chief secretary, Tesira Jarden.¡¯ It was the chief secretary of the princess, who was known to earn a higher salary than the prime minister and who oversaw the managers of the twenty-five businesses of the country¡¯s richest princess. Tesira Jarden, who was capable of being extremely polite while never making herself seem like a subordinate to the other person, turned halfway round as soon as she had straightened her deeply bowed waist, revealing the long string of humans standing in line behind her. ¡®These are gifts the princess has sent, while apologizing for her mistake at the banquet yesterday. She asked that you would think of it as her heart for you, and she earnestly hopes that you would be willing to accept them.¡¯ And, as if it had been planned, a mob of reporters suddenly gathered around like a cloud and their cameras began flashing. As he recalled the events of that day, Cesar¡¯s blunt face hardened even further. Each and every one of those people who had appeared with boxes were the managers of high-end stores that were well-known in Brussels. He hadn¡¯t been able to check the contents, but there was no way that the princess would have sent anything below the absolute high quality. This woman had gathered all of these people and gifts here, declaring in front of all those reporters that the princess had sent these gifts as an apology. It was a heavy burden that a mere military veteran such as Les shouldn¡¯t dare to refuse. However, Les Kishir turned down every single one of the gifts without even opening them. ¡®The princess has already sufficiently apologized. These gifts are excessive to someone like me, so if she insists on still giving them, I will donate them in the princess¡¯ name.¡¯ That day, Cesar saw an expression of shock on the face of the secretary who was famous for her ability to keep a straight face. After Les committed the brutality of actually donating the latest-edition watches from the Ramiere men¡¯s line to the soup kitchen, the secretary didn¡¯t show up any more, but the gifts continued to arrive every day for six days. The latest gift, sent yesterday, was a state-of-the-art rifle that had even tempted Cesar, who normally prided himself on his disinterest in material goods. It was the model from the stage right before the latest model, which was restricted from being exported due to military secrets. Les had donated this rifle to the museum. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you telling me that I should just have fun, pretend I¡¯ve won the lottery or something, since it¡¯s not like the princess¡¯ enormous wealth will be affected at all if I were to help myself to some of it while acting as her lover?¡± As he asked this, Les slowly tightened his loosened tunic straps closer to his chest. He couldn¡¯t wear short sleeves anymore, nor could he wear any clothes that were tight around his throat, and he could hardly bear to see bright colors; so all of his clothes were now either black or white and loosely fitting. Now that his shaggy hair had been cut off, the nape of his neck was clearly visible, which made his bony figure all the more prominent. Cesar, watching his friend¡¯s slender wrist sweeping over his head, frowned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of hearing the same thing over and over yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m unemployed, remember? I don¡¯t have much better to do.¡± ¡°Well, enough people will ask you those questions, so there¡¯s no need for me to also pry into that.¡± Les, who had opened his eyes wide at him, smiled. Cesar glanced at the figure once more, furrowing his brows and tousling his hair roughly. ¡°Still, I do feel rather thankful to the princess.¡± ¡°To the princess?¡± ¡°Since she made the guy who was struggling to eat, finally eat with his own hands.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Smacking the back of the guy who laughed as if it was funny, Cesar moved to the window and opened it wide. It had been a while since he¡¯d cleaned the place, and the cool morning breeze flowed into the room that had felt stuffy until now. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t very close with Les. Unlike Les, who took combat and elite courses in the military academy, he was in the mechanical engineering department from the very beginning, so their paths were completely different. It was only because they had ended up becoming roommates in his last semester due to certain circumstances that they had written down each other¡¯s names as their emergency contacts. They had become roommates again now because there had been no family or other contacts to accompany Les after he had been discharged from the military hospital. When he was first discharged, he was really just barely alive. His leg was injured and left unattended for a long time, so he wasn¡¯t able to walk properly, and he wasn¡¯t able to eat for several days after being discharged. His fever boiled, and then at times it barely cooled down, but then immediately skyrocketed again. On the day when he had finally, just barely recovered enough and was called to the victory banquet, Cesar had half-expected that Les might return as a corpse. But on the contrary, Les, upon returning from the banquet, found and ate food with unprecedented aggression. This man, who had previously struggled to even lift a finger while lying down, was now fighting through his rehabilitation even while sweating profusely. Whatever had happened, it was welcome news for Cesar. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t keep encroaching in your space forever, so I have to become self-reliant sooner or later.¡± Contrary to the laughing tone in it, his voice was dry, as if swallowing sand. He opened the drawer, lined up all the medicine containers, and swallowed a fistful of medicines without any water, all while slowly rubbing the nape of his neck. Just looking at him seemed to block his throat, so Cesar frowned and turned his gaze away. ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± Having inadvertently thrown his gaze into the alley outside, a strange expression came over Cesar¡¯s face. The splendid carriage of Princess Leticia, with the emblem of the royal family of Levanstein, symbolized by an eagle with a blue moon in the background, as well as the emblem of the Luschen Heights merchant which was engraved with galleys and killer whales on either side, had not appeared today until noon. He had originally thought maybe Les¡¯ tactic of complete refusal had finally worked to fend her off, but today the atmosphere was a little different. First of all, the reporters who had always flocked around her like a pack of dogs were strangely absent. There was also no bustling procession of people following the princess¡¯ carriage and carrying gift boxes. Instead, a bright red luxury-brand car and three black cars that were following it all stopped silently in front of the door of their boarding house. The suffocatingly narrow road, with its crowded buildings and the street vendors who had arranged seats in front of these buildings as makeshift shops, was now fit to burst with these four expensive cars filling the street as well. People in black robes, who couldn¡¯t possibly be anything other than private bodyguards, exited the vehicles and silently lined either side of the stairs in front of the house. And the red car¡¯s rear door opened to reveal its passenger. Cesar¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Uh, hey, hey Les? There¡¯s, outside ¨C¡± Rrrrrring! The doorbell rang before he could finish his sentence. Without any rush, Les Kishir tidied his clothes once more before opening the door without any sense of hesitation. ¡°Hi!¡± And on the other side of the open door, the princess waved her hand, boasting a dizzying beauty that literally seemed to spill out from her face. Chapter 14 ¡°Princess, I don¡¯t think that man is quite right in the mind.¡± Tesira¡¯s tone as she reported the rifle that had been sent to the museum was terse. She had perfect pronunciation, tone, and volume that was fit for a textbook example of what a secretary should sound like. Her resentment1 against Les Kishir radiated from her body. ¡°I think it¡¯s exciting that he doesn¡¯t let me have him too easily.¡± Leticia defended him softly. ¡°If you were to hear what he did with Ramiere¡¯s finest watch¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard and I know. I think you¡¯ve told me about it nine times now.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t we take this opportunity to round it to ten.¡± Taking her attention off of Tesira as she furiously ranted about the watches once more, Leticia turned her gaze back to her reflection in the vanity mirror before her. She had instructed her maids to make all other women look like sea creatures next to her. It was a difficult and vague instruction, but her maids were Lanstein¡¯s best and most exclusive artists. The difficult task of waking up at dawn and being fussed over by them for the whole morning had paid off and by noon Leticia was practically glowing from every pore of her body. After checking herself out in the mirror and admiring their work, Leticia graciously rained bonuses on each and every one of her maids, then triumphantly instructed that she be driven to Lionel street. It was a feeling that made her reminisce the first time she had put money into a slot machine. It was old and broken, on the verge of being thrown out, but she had begged to play with it for a while before they got rid of it. The machine had swallowed her one-decat coin and spun with a loud mechanical beep before coming to a stop in the wrong position, as if it were purposely avoiding the desired numbers. Even as one decat became five, and five decats became fifty, the slot machine still didn¡¯t pay out her desired prize. Though she prayed, made threats, and even kicked the machine in the end, it still didn¡¯t respond in the way that she had wanted. Eventually, she had gathered all of her personal resources and hired nearly a hundred people to run the slot machine. Seeing the machine forced to spit out her desired number within one day, she felt an endless thrill. The lights of the slot machine flashed brilliantly and changed colors alongside its audible mechanical sounds. The superficial sense of excitement that would immediately fade the moment she experienced it; those were the things she loved. The pale and thin man under the moonlight had made her feel as if she had gone back to when she was a child standing in front of that slot machine for the first time. She couldn¡¯t wait to see him standing in front of her; mouth agape, unable to speak. She would say, ¡®I remember everything you know, that you didn¡¯t accept a single one of my gifts, that you didn¡¯t send a letter or even a note after that night, that you didn¡¯t show any desire to contact me, making it seem as if I was the only one that enjoyed myself that night. I swear¡ª¡¯ At that moment, her heart dropped and all the color drained from her face. Her memory of that night was nothing aside from the sense of exhilarating pleasure she felt as she clung to him all night long. The reaction of the other participant, which had always been intense even if she just looked at them with her beautiful face as she took off her clothes, was something she had never considered until now. ¡°He did enjoy himself, right?¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been just me enjoying myself alone, right?!¡± Politely disregarding the princess, who was struggling with the possibility that could not be easily denied, the driver drove through the narrow, rough alleys that didn¡¯t seem suitable for the passengers of the vehicle at all. As the car rolled to a stop, she wondered how much time had passed. It seemed they had reached their destination when the car door opened and Leticia climbed the creaking stairs of a red brick building. 12 Lionel Street, no. 5 As the result of much persuasion, a mix of bribery and blackmail, there were no reporters around. After one last check of the address Tesira had written down for her, Leticia took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. The doorbell rang with a sound that grated in her ears, and when she had counted up from one to five in her head, the door opened. ¡°Hello!¡± As she smiled brightly and waved, a man who did not show any hint of surprise at her appearance regarded her with his own smile. His golden eyes, with their long and curly lashes, narrowed as he smiled. ¡°You¡¯re even more beautiful today, Princess.¡± He greeted her calmly, as if it was just part of their daily routine for her to suddenly arrive like this. ¡°I put in a little extra effort today, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°If you had put in a lot of extra effort, then you would have shone so brightly I wouldn¡¯t have been able to look at you.¡± ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡± Les Kishir smiled quietly as she lifted her chin confidently, and he angled his body to let her through the door. ¡°I¡¯m worried that we don¡¯t have any teas suitable enough for you, Princess.¡± He seemed to naturally assume that she would come inside. At that moment, she realized that the thousands of scenarios that she had mentally prepared for in case he refused to let her in were all in vain. Really though, why was he reacting so casually? Did someone leak the information that she would be arriving today? She even wondered if maybe she was a friend of his who had known Les for years but she had suffered from amnesia and completely forgotten all about it. But when she walked in and saw his roommate, who had pretty much turned to stone in shock, she figured that was probably not the case. ¡°Greetings Your Highness,¡± he bowed as low as his back allowed him, ¡°My name is Cesar Mehin, Lieutenant of the Navy Logistics Command, ma¡¯am!¡± That was exactly the kind of reaction she¡¯d been wanting to see. She gave him a wide smile and waved her hand at him in order to relax his hardened face, but he still stood with his back ramrod straight like a criminal in front of the jury. So, she gave up and looked around the living room, which felt constricting with three people standing there. With his attention following her gaze, Cesar Mehin quickly moved his stiff legs and pulled the sheet off of the sofa. With a rumbling sound, a cloud of dust rose into the air. Cesar guided Leticia, who had barely held in her sneeze by turning her head slightly away and holding her breath, to the sofa which was now mostly revealed. ¡°Please be seated, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m sorry to arrive so suddenly without any warning.¡± ¡°No problem at all. I understand you probably have business with Sir Kishir, so I will leave the two of you alone.¡± Without even giving her a chance to say ¡®no, that¡¯s alright¡¯, Cesar Mehin saluted her rigidly. The angle of his salute was so sharp that it could have cut someone. Letting out a laugh at his stiff posture, she nodded her head. Immediately, the large man somehow disappeared within an instant. As the door closed roughly with a thud, silence settled across the apartment. Les Kishir, who had been watching his friend¡¯s retreating figure, exclaimed in his growly voice. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Cesar move so fast. Don¡¯t you think you scared him a bit too much?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. People usually get nervous when they meet me for the first time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty unfair to you.¡± ¡°Right? It¡¯s not like I bite or anything.¡± She had agreed with him that it was unfair, but the truth was that Leticia had never given much thought to that fact. She had grown up all her life looking down at the back of the heads of those kneeling at her feet. So much so that she almost felt rather awkward making eye contact with someone as they spoke. She watched Les Kishir¡¯s back as he made tea in the kitchen attached to the living room, and Leticia tried to recall her memories of that night. Had she seen the back of Les Kishir¡¯s head at the time? Even at their first meeting, Les had never given her any awe-inspired looks of respect. He hadn¡¯t been nervous, he hadn¡¯t desired her, and he hadn¡¯t regarded her as anything particularly special. He treated her as if she was just the same as any other girl on the street. As her thoughts reached this point, Leticia frowned slightly. She was a princess, the richest person in this country, and the most beautiful woman in the land. On top of that, she had been sending him a long line of very expensive gifts for the past six days, complete with reporters. Even without all that, she had spent a night with him. ¡°You¡¯re strange.¡± She blurted out. ¡°I am?¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you nervous when you¡¯re with me?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve already taken a bite of me, haven¡¯t you?¡± He smirked. Leticia stunned momentarily at his bold answer, stared blankly at his profile as he removed the loudly whistling kettle from the stove. Closing her mouth which had been hanging open, she took a step towards him. ¡°So you remember it, at least.¡± As soon as she spoke these words, she felt the pointlessness of everything she¡¯d worried over until now. Feeling like she was going crazy and at the same time reliving her memories of that night that had suddenly been revived within her, she shot a look at the man who had dropped that conversational bomb so casually. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I thought you might have forgotten.¡± ¡°You¡¯re underestimating yourself.¡± Les struggled to hide his smile. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really overestimate, can I? Considering that you never even wrote me a letter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain that I was not your first, nor will I be your last.¡± With a clink, a steaming teacup was placed in front of her. The tea, served in a chipped plain teacup, was an instant tea mixture sold in local markets. Leticia drank down the hot tea to counter her boiling insides and looked up at the man with a mindset of at least hearing out what the hell he was about to say. Sitting down across from her with a face that seemed unreasonably calm, Les Kishir finally spoke. ¡°If I were to cling to you desperately, I¡¯m sure it would just annoy you.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry for not telling you; I like clingy men, actually. I love men who cling desperately to me and won¡¯t let go. But you know who my favorite kind of man is?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°A man who knows how to accept my gifts.¡± The man only smiled softly in the face of her open contempt. ¡°Well, thanks to my refusal, I was able to see your face again like this. Isn¡¯t that right, Princess?¡± She was speechless. She couldn¡¯t believe it. A player. He is a player. She had gotten caught up in a player¡¯s game. The tea was so hot she wasn¡¯t sure if she was actually drinking any tea or just torturing her tongue, but she stubbornly kept sipping at it so that she could glare at him over her teacup. She clearly remembered how Les Kishir had looked at her at first. He really hadn¡¯t cared for her at all, even a little bit. And it wasn¡¯t only that, every time he stole a glance at her face, his eyes seemed to sink, as if he was upset with her for something. To be fair, she had taken the initiative to apologize to him first, but could one¡¯s feelings switch so quickly from indifference to attraction? ¡°It feels like you¡¯re hiding something from me. You didn¡¯t like me very much at first, right?¡± ¡°I wonder how many people could not like you, princess.¡± ¡°But then your attitude suddenly changed, and maybe you pretended to like me, but then¡­you spent the night with me, like it was so easy.¡± He had said it wasn¡¯t the case, but Leticia somehow had a feeling that if it hadn¡¯t been for her, he would have drowned into the sea that night. There had been some sort of change in his thoughts in the short amount of time that it took for her to stop him, apologize, and continue a conversation with him. Maybe Les Kishir had realized that there was something for him to gain from her, and his attitude shift was part of the plan. That was the conclusion she had reached by wringing her brain over everything through the last six days. ¡°There must be something that you want from me. That must be why you¡¯re putting on this act, to get my attention, and that¡¯s why I was trying to wait until you would give out and start clinging and crying for attention,¡± the princess boldly said. His gaze was calm, and he didn¡¯t confirm nor deny anything she was saying. Holding his gaze, Leticia inwardly swore at the clubhouse members who had triggered her meeting with him, swore at herself for participating in that stupid bet, and swore at her brother who had always been powerless except for this one time. ¡°¡­I liked it.¡± He said quietly, while rubbing the back of his neck. His cheeks reddening at the confession he just made. ¡°Sorry?¡± She was surprised by him for the second time. ¡°I¡­ enjoyed that night. It was so good that all this time we¡¯ve been spending in this meaningless tug of war, feels like a waste of time!¡± The annoying thing was, she knew she was behaving exactly as Les Kishir wanted her to. Leticia Levanstein hadn¡¯t been able to look at another man for a whole week because of this man who didn¡¯t want to give up what she wanted so badly, like the pesky slot machine that had bothered her so long ago. And the most annoying thing was that she found herself thinking that his behavior was not that bad. This man, who kept betraying her expectations every time, annoyed her but also intrigued her; so much that she felt that it didn¡¯t matter if she was being played. If that was the case, then what would be so bad about enjoying this man? Leticia smiled at the man, who looked surprised for once. ¡°You can use me, if you want.¡± At the age of ten, she had been able to hire a hundred people to get what she wanted. At twenty-two, she could hire the whole country if she wanted. Les Kishir wouldn¡¯t be able to last long. She would soon be able to make him kneel. Until then, the tug of war with this man would be pretty fun. ¡°Just make me happy.¡± It wasn¡¯t like she had anything else she wanted, anyways. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do to please you, princess, I¡¯ll never turn it down.¡± His golden soft eyes gently closed halfway as he smiled. It was still a pale and skinny face, but it had gained a bit more flesh than last time, so that he didn¡¯t look as bad as he did a week ago. Gently lifting Leticia¡¯s hand from the teacup that it was holding, Les Kishir kissed her fingertips gently, then spoke. ¡°Tell me, what can I do for you?¡± Leticia grasped his hand and pulled it upwards as she stood. Looking at the man whose eyes had gone wide in confusion, she tilted her head towards the door. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Chapter 15 Leticia stopped the car in front of a miniature castle-like stone building at the end of Danez Avenue. The faded and weathered gray bricks only contributed to the elegant, antique appearance of the building. The deep red flowers of a rose vine creeping up the wall were the only splash of color against the desolate building. Even without a sign board, people knew what place it was; Lanstein¡¯s number one men¡¯s clothing store, Ramiere. As soon as they got out of the car, Ramiere¡¯s general manager, Atlante Sinomine, greeted Leticia with a flowery smile. ¡°Welcome back, Princess! Haven¡¯t seen you in a long time.¡± The manager was in her mid-thirties but her youthful face and small figure didn¡¯t show it. Her curious gaze alternated between Leticia and Les Kishir, who had naturally taken the princess¡¯ hand to escort her out of the car and hadn¡¯t let it go. Leticia smiled, ignoring the question that was obvious on her face. ¡°It doesn¡¯t actually feel that long Atlante, people have been singing your praises all around me.¡± ¡°I would prefer if you would say those kind words while also wearing the clothes I¡¯ve made, Your Highness.¡± ¡°When you start making women¡¯s clothes just as good as men¡¯s clothes, I¡¯ll start wearing them.¡± ¡°Ah! I¡¯d rather you not say anything than this.¡± Atlante threw a wounded look at the princess. Leticia only smiled in response and walked inside. After crossing the lobby and the long, red carpet covered corridor, they reached the main showroom. Sunlight filtered through the glass ceiling and tinted the gigantic glass statue of the sun, that hung from the ceiling instead of a chandelier, golden. In the center of the showroom was a red velvet-covered sofa and a white marble tea table. Across from the sofa was a long curtain decorated with colorful paintings and what seemed to be hundreds of clothes on hangers strewn about. As Leticia sat down on the sofa, two servants dressed in white emerged as if they had been waiting, and set down tea and light refreshments in front of her. Atlante sat across from her on the L-shaped sofa, while Les chose to stand with his back to the wall. ¡°As I told you before, I want some clothes that would suit Sir Kishir over here.¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve prepared a few sample products beforehand so he can try them on. We¡¯ll probably need to adjust the size a bit after measuring him.¡± Atlante looked Les Kishir up and down, who looked uncomfortable at her perusal, then smiled kindly at him. ¡°Our lead designer will help you. Would you come this way, please?¡± Nodding his head slowly, he glanced at Leticia once before leaving the room. She watched his figure disappear behind the curtain, led by Ramiere¡¯s chief designer who had appeared out of nowhere. ¡®He didn¡¯t seem very surprised.¡¯ She thought to herself. Ramiere was a place with an aura that usually made even nobles and landed gentry nervous. Each and every decoration in this luxuriously decorated showroom instigated a sort of pressure that could be felt by those who knew their value. Was it because he didn¡¯t know anything at all? Les Kishir seemed to show no surprise or awe in reaction to how much money she was spending on him. But the strange thing was, his lack of reaction wasn¡¯t limited to material things; he seemed to be completely unemotional to anything in life. Except for his reaction when she had asked him to dance at that victory banquet. ¡°I am already trying my best right now.¡± He had said. What had he meant? ¡°I could already tell from when I saw him in the newspapers, but¡­ he¡¯s even thinner than I thought he was. We might have to completely get rid of some designs here that wouldn¡¯t suit him at all.¡± Atlante sighed and put down the portfolio file she had been holding onto her lap. At her words, Leticia recalled the bony bulges of his spine that she had felt beneath her fingertips that night. ¡°Have you driven him too crazy over you that he can¡¯t even eat properly?¡± Atlante¡¯s playful, narrow eyes left Leticia inwardly laughing to herself at the irony of the remark. After all, wasn¡¯t that the whole reason she was making such a fuss right now? Because he refused to ¡®go crazy¡¯ over her. ¡°He was like that before I even touched him.¡± ¡°Then you should take him out to eat often, or exercise together frequently. His bone structure isn¡¯t bad, so if he were to gain just a little more weight and shape his muscles more, the types of clothes that would suit him would be endless.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Leticia¡¯s eyebrows raised at Atlante, who was revisiting the portfolio she had planned beforehand with a serious look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s very rare to hear you compliment someone so openly.¡± After seeing his face a few times, and especially after seeing his smile, she¡¯d had the thought that maybe Les¡¯ face wasn¡¯t too bad to look at, but she hadn¡¯t given it any further thought. He was tall, but because he was so thin, it was difficult for her to find any masculine charm in him. Even in the picture of his admission to W¨¹nterhausen, his body had been quite similar to what it was now. ¡°Well, he does have good proportions. He has a clearly outlined face which gives him a good look. His face is sharp which gives an intimidating air about him. He¡¯s slim and tall so his body frame is nice to look at. If he just puts on a bit more muscle, his bones wouldn¡¯t stand out so much like it does. Oh! One moment.¡± Atlante hopped up from her chair and ran towards the curtain, seeming to have had an idea. She called over the chief designer who had just finished measuring Les, and whispered something into his ear. Soon the two designers disappeared behind the curtain and started working on something, their voices constantly heard from beyond the screen; the sound of cloth moving over flesh and then sliding down, the sounds of them commanding Les to try something on and then take it off or them tightening it flowed from behind the curtain. Leticia wiggled her toes, while sipping her tea that smelled of chrysanthemums. She couldn¡¯t really hear Les Kishir¡¯s voice. Even though she couldn¡¯t see it, she could easily imagine that he was being played with like a doll on the other side of the curtain. After eating three cookies and emptying a cup of tea by herself, Leticia went up to the curtain holding a cup of tea and a plate of cookies for Les and crouched down in front of it. ¡°Sir Kishir, are you alive? Do you want some cookies?¡± She asked him from behind the curtain with a smile. ¡°Is it possible that you feel bad for putting me through all of this, which is why you¡¯re trying to make it up to me with cookies?¡± Les Kishir spoke in his low baritone voice. ¡°Not at all! it¡¯s just that the cookies are quite good.¡± She slid the plate forward and watched his long fingers appear from underneath the curtain and grab a cookie. The sound of swishing cloth was soon mixed with the sound of chewing cookies. ¡°It takes quite long for Atlante to do a fitting. She¡¯ll have a lot of demands, so you¡¯ll probably be tired by the time it¡¯s done. I asked her to minimize the work as much as possible, but I¡¯m sure it will still take a while.¡± She continued after a moment of silence when no one answered. ¡°But that¡¯s why Atlante¡¯s clothes are the best. I assure you they will be worth the wait.¡± ¡°Why thank you, Princess!¡± Atlante yelled excitedly from behind the screen making Leticia giggle. As her laughter subsided, she placed her chin in her hands like a little girl as she thought about what to say next. ¡°Sir Kishir, I know very well what some people around here have to say about me and about the people with whom I spend the night. Because I¡¯m a celebrity, whatever I do is bound to end up splashed on the news¡¯ front page.¡± In her opinion, it was better to be the focus of idle gossip than to be notorious for incompetence and immorality, or even the opposite of it. It was because she knew her truth better than anyone else, and there were plenty of people who understood her too. Therefore, why would it matter what strangers said about her? But Leticia was aware of the fact that only she could think that way because of the perks of her position. While she did think that Les may have refused her gifts to get her attention, but to some extent she also thought that he probably felt inadequate of them. And she didn¡¯t want him to feel that way. ¡°Think of all the gifts I give you, as an apology for all the nonsense you¡¯ll hear in the news and gossip about yourself. Frankly speaking, I¡¯m not just talking about material goods. Physical gifts only last so long, but the things you¡¯ll experience and the relationships you¡¯ll make while you¡¯re acting as my lover will remain with you forever, no matter how our relationship turns out.¡± She took a deep breath before speaking with a fluttery laugh. ¡°So you go ahead and make sure to fully enjoy all the opportunities you can as Leticia Levanstein¡¯s lover.¡± Les Kishir was silent for long enough to make her feel anxious. ¡°To be honest, I also enjoyed our night together. Very much so that I really wanted to see you again.¡± The words that he spoke after the long pause caused the fuss behind the screen to freeze for a moment. It appeared as if no one had anticipated that he would even speak, let alone his words. ¡°Thanks for the compliment, I guess? But I feel like whatever you¡¯re going to say next won¡¯t be as nice to hear, so I¡¯m a bit apprehensive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of the rumors about me as well.¡± ¡°Well, of course.¡± At first, she had heard, it started with negligence in the workplace. He was said to abuse the favor of his superiors, so that he could leave his station whenever he wanted, go drink at the bar in a nearby village, or flirt with his female classmates. It was said that many women testified that they had borne his offspring. He often made mistakes in his work, so he was punished more than once. People wondered if maybe he felt overwhelmed by the pressure of being expected to continue the remarkable achievements he had made in his early military career, and that was what made him go off the rails. It was also said that on the day when the 1st Special Forces, which he belonged to, was completely annihilated, Les Kishir went missing. He had apparently gotten drunk and revealed secret codes to enemy spies, and after seeing his troop being attacked, he realized his mistakes and ran away in fear only to be captured by the enemy. It was a well-known story that when the royal family recaptured the base, he was discovered in the corner of one of the enemy¡¯s jail cells and rescued¡ª a story that every newspaper had gleefully typed up on the daily. ¡°It is indeed an interesting and fantastical story, but how much of it is true?¡± At her words, Les Kishir huffed out a small laughter and didn¡¯t confirm nor deny anything. ¡°I¡¯m just telling you one last time, since I¡¯m a man with a conscience, it will be bad for you to be seen with me.¡± The man¡¯s voice had lowered into a mere whisper. His dry, shaky voice sounded unstable, like that of a young boy. From her crouching position, Leticia looked up at the curtain between them. She was confident that her judgment of people was usually pretty accurate. In her eyes, the man in front of her didn¡¯t seem to fit the description of the person from all those rumors, but of course, one couldn¡¯t tell that simply from looks. There might be a completely different reason why he was truly reluctant to openly accept in front of the public that they were together. But he seemed to be worried about her. That much seemed to be quite genuine. He was worried for her and also afraid. ¡°Do you know who you should never worry over? The rich and the powerful.¡± Leticia deliberately made her tone playful and teasing because of how vulnerable he had sounded. ¡°I¡¯m pretty wealthy, and I¡¯d say I¡¯m in a position of quite a lot of power too.¡± Boasting was a daily occurrence for her, so she didn¡¯t feel any embarrassment at all as she said this. Her legs were hurting from squatting down, so she stood up, and stretched her back with a slight groan. ¡°I see. To you, nothing bad can happen.¡± Somehow, his voice had a very different tone than before. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Overwhelmed by some inexplicable impulse, Leticia threw the curtain aside. She wanted to see his face. She felt like she needed to know what kind of expression he had made while saying that. ¡°Oh!¡± Leticia accidentally exclaimed at his revealed appearance once the curtain had been pushed aside. Les Kishir was still the same, of course. He was still thin and sickly-looking, but¡­ He was wearing a loose-fitting sweater designed by Atlante. The soft white fabric covered his body, concealing his small physique, and giving an illusion of volume to his muscles. A dark brown long coat was tightened around his upper body, showing off his angular frame. His pants, on the contrary, fit perfectly on him, highlighting his long legs. The eyes of Lanstein¡¯s top designer had hit the nail on the head once again. The man who had been so extremely ordinary was no more. No, it wasn¡¯t because of the clothes or the location. The thing that had changed was his countenance.