When she stopped to consider it, they had even shared two kisses — and yet somehow this felt more embarrassing, more disorienting than either of those moments had been.
Perhaps it was the broad daylight — the openness of it, exposed to every passing eye. Or perhaps it was the way Leon held her: so deliberate, so utterly courteous, so unmistakably chivalrous.
Leon moved slowly, with the careful attention of a man carrying the most fragile thing he had ever held.
No one had ever treated Kasha this way. Not with eyes like these, not with hands like these.
It was the absolute opposite of how Simon had always treated her — concealing her existence, ashamed of her, as though she were something to be tucked away.
Even so, what steadied her more than anything else was the glimpse of his red-tipped ears bobbing at the edge of her swaying vision.
He was embarrassed too. Just like her.
Kasha pretended not to notice and dropped her gaze, pressing her face gently against his chest — to make it easier for him to walk.
And then the sound of his heartbeat reached her, and surprised her all over again. Loud and honest and unruly enough to make the person hearing it flush in sympathy.
The warmth radiating from Leon’s body — vivid through her awkwardly circled arm, yet wholly different from the heat the curse of lust had once given off.
His scent drifting into her breath, inexplicably soothing.
The length and strength of his arms holding her back and legs with careful, unshakeable steadiness. The solid reassurance of his presence — the kind that made her feel, unreasonably, that he could protect her from anything.
All of it was so much more overwhelming than the sea she had just seen for the first time in her life. Kasha felt a dizziness far worse than before and buried her face deeper.
The days at the villa passed more quietly than she had expected.
Kasha rose before dawn to read, and to write the letters required for her ongoing magical instrument commissions. She entrusted the letters to the servant who brought in her wash water, and then slipped over to check on Eve in the room next door. After confirming that Eve was safe and sleeping, she would come back downstairs, and the three of them — Kasha, Eve, and Leon — would have breakfast together.
The Duke had not shown his face since his argument with Leon on the first day, and Anthony had not yet arrived at the villa, as he was still receiving treatment at the temple. Because of this, the three of them were able to share a holiday that was, all things considered, warm and peaceful.
Kasha was given the room directly adjacent to Eve’s — the two bedrooms connected by a small internal door. It was Eve who had requested it, delighted at the idea of staying so close to Kasha — but the truth was, it suited Kasha’s own purposes entirely.
Even with guards posted outside the door, Kasha often woke at the smallest sound in the night, cracking open the connecting door to listen. Only once she had heard the peaceful rhythm of Eve’s breathing could she return to bed.
Kasha had used the pretext of confidential matters related to her magical instrument work to request an increase in the security personnel, and Leon had agreed without comment.
In practice, however, the extra guards were somewhat beside the point during any waking hour — because Leon never left the two of them unattended for a single moment.
To be precise: Kasha never left Eve’s side — and Leon never left Kasha’s.
He was seated at the breakfast table at exactly the time she came downstairs every morning without fail.
When she settled by the window to read, he sat nearby without a word, helping Eve with her lessons.
When they walked along the shore, when they took out canoes, even when they went into the village to browse the shops — he was always there, just beside her.
He offered his hand at the smallest step, as a matter of course. Whenever there was a door to pass through, he materialized like lightning to hold it open.
To anyone watching, he was the picture of a devoted public suitor — a faithful companion without flaw or reproach. Kasha found herself genuinely impressed by his consistency.
To give this much to a contract courtship. What a joy it must be, to be the woman who truly has his heart.
That the thought even crossed her mind was partly because the quiet thrill and safety of his presence were simply too sweet.
In my past life, in this life — with no one, not even when I lived with my mother — have I ever felt this way.
The feeling of being perfectly, completely sheltered.
The irrational but persistent sense that no matter what mistake she made, he would quietly stand in place and face it alongside her.
One day, a ribbon slipped from Kasha’s hair and was swept toward the sea, and Leon chased it all the way to the water’s edge — and for a moment, Kasha felt something that was almost like alarm.
I can’t afford to get used to this. To him.
She and Leon were bound by a contract, entered into out of mutual necessity. She was hiding an enormous secret from him. Strictly speaking, she was using him — as a means of reaching the mastermind.
She had lifted his curse, yes — but that was nothing more than atoning for what she herself had set in motion. She owed him that much and no more.
So I cannot grow accustomed to this sense of being looked after. Because when the day comes that all of this is over — when I confess everything to him — he will look at me as though I am the most contemptible thing in the world and walk away without looking back.
And that was as it should be.
Leon Aranias was a Holy Knight of noble soul and form alike. Kasha Rüschino was nothing more, at her foundation, than a baseborn illegitimate child.
But on the nights when she reminded herself of all this and turned away from his unwavering devotion, she felt a loneliness — a small, aching loneliness, or perhaps not so small at all — that made sleep difficult.
Of course, the fact that it kept her awake through the night to watch over Eve’s safety was a silver lining of sorts.
Seven days passed this way.
On the seventh evening, Kasha, Eve, and Leon found themselves wound into the gentle, intimate, and ever-so-slightly misaligned rhythm that had come to define their days.
“Leon, that’s not fair! You won again!”
After dinner, Eve stamped her feet at the card table across from Leon.
Kasha had been dozing over her book, and Eve’s voice jolted her awake. A quick glance confirmed it was nothing more than harmless sulking — Eve’s cheeks puffed out in the most endearing pout.
Reassured, Kasha looked out the window at the darkness. A light rain had been falling since the afternoon, and the air was heavy with humidity.
The rain seems heavier than before.
Whether it was the weather or the fact that she hadn’t slept properly in days, her eyelids kept wanting to close.
She had no idea that Leon, seated across from Eve, had been watching her the entire time. Kasha sank back into the armchair and stifled a small yawn.
Leon watched her, and something both fond and worried rose naturally to his face. When Eve caught his expression and made a teasing, knowing little face at him, Leon adopted a deliberately solemn air.
“I’ve won three rounds in a row. As agreed — tomorrow at breakfast, you eat your carrots.”
Eve’s face crumpled in an instant.
“You’re so mean, Leon! You don’t give me any grace at all!”
“Games aren’t meant to be played with grace.”
“Kasha always lets me win sometimes! I like playing with Kasha much better. Hmph!”
Eve folded her arms with pointed emphasis and stuck out her lower lip. Leon looked flustered — and dropped his voice, attempting to soothe her.
“Even so, you shouldn’t bother our guest too much, Eve. Kasha is here to rest.”
“Hmph.”
But Eve puffed out her cheeks as though she were truly insulted. Leon hesitated for a moment — and then reached out and gently ruffled her platinum curls.
That was all it took. Eve’s expression dissolved at once, and she broke into her wide, bright laugh — her smile as fresh and open as a flower newly bloomed.
“Leon.”
“Mm?”
“Everything has been so much better since Kasha came, hasn’t it?”
“…It has.” Leon glanced quietly at the small woman dozing in the armchair. “I think so too.”
That he could ruffle his beloved little sister’s hair like this — that he had been sleeping deeply and waking fully rested for days now, at the height of his strength — all of it was because Kasha had freed him from the curse.
Her true intentions were still beyond his ability to guess.
But over the past week, with a mind finally clear, Leon had been watching her carefully.
On the surface, she appeared to be enjoying a peaceful holiday. But looked at more closely, she was clearly tense. The shadows beneath her eyes had deepened with each passing day, as though she had barely slept — and throughout the daylight hours, she kept Eve close and never let her vigilance slip.
And yet, for all that suspicious watchfulness, her eyes were too clear. The warmth in her hands when she reached for Eve was too genuine.
Eve, who had grown up reading rooms and people out of necessity, seemed to feel it instinctively. She was at ease with Kasha in a way that was unmistakable.
If Kasha had harbored any ill intent, Eve would have sensed it. Children who grew up unacknowledged developed an almost uncanny sensitivity to the moods and motives of others.
Leon looked away from Kasha and rested his gaze on his small, dear sister. As if she could read his thoughts, Eve gave him her sunniest grin.
Just then, heavy footsteps broke through the quiet, shattering their fragile peace. A voice filled the drawing room — unpleasant and loud.
“Leon, get ready at once! We’ve been invited to the Crown Prince’s villa! Quickly now!”
The sound of Kasha jolting awake as though struck by lightning registered somewhere in Leon’s awareness, but he did not let it hurry him as he rose from his seat at a measured pace.
“Father. You’ve returned.”
“That I have. Did you sleep well after driving your own father out of his home, you ungrateful wretch?”
The Duke’s expression, harder and more haggard than it had been even a few days ago, was full of bluster and threat.
The front of his shirt was smeared with something unidentifiable, and his fingers were crowded with so many gaudy rings that they caught the light with every movement.
Has he been drinking? There’s no smell of alcohol, though.
Leon suppressed an instinctive unease and cut off the Duke’s tirade with firm composure.
“Please exchange greetings first. This is Miss Kasha Rüschino of the Rüschino Countship — the woman I am courting.”
If you treat Kasha with any disrespect, I will withdraw whatever courtesies I have so far extended to you.
He had spoken that warning clearly just a few days before. Perhaps the Duke remembered — because though his expression remained thoroughly displeased, he accepted Kasha’s greeting without incident.
“…Yes. I’ve heard about it. You seem quite at home in a house whose master has been absent.”
The rudeness of his manner and tone was still very much in evidence.
Leon’s brow tightened with barely contained displeasure — but before he could act on it, Kasha replied to the Duke with unhurried pleasantness.
“Thanks to you. I’m grateful.”
“Hmph.”
When Kasha showed no sign of rising to his bait, the Duke turned his attention back to Leon.
“Didn’t you hear me? Get ready! We’ve been invited to the Crown Prince’s villa!”
“I have received no such invitation.”
“An invitation — what does family need with written invitations! The Crown Prince sent a messenger directly to me!”
Family.
The word turned Leon’s stomach.
“Father. You cannot truly be considering going there.”
