“You crazy bastard…!”
I hoped against hope it wasn’t him, but seeing Leon standing at the front gate barely a day after all that commotion made my rage surge, choking off any words I might’ve had.
“Hehe, sorry, Bell.”
Here I was, blood pressure skyrocketing, about to pop a vein—and this idiot had the nerve to grin. Was this how Kalz had felt yesterday, seeing me laugh in the lobby? I’d deliberately pulled out that ancient K-wisdom—never spit on a smiling face—but now I realized it could actually piss someone off even more.
“Showing up here means you’re ready to cut ties, right? Got it loud and clear, so kindly get lost.”
“No, really—I couldn’t stop worrying about you.”
“Is that right? Strange, because I feel like all my worries would vanish if you’d just disappear.”
“Look, I even came early because I know you hate me showing up during your working hours. Technically, you’re not working yet, right?”
Hopeless.
Leon’s eyes were just like when he’d proposed—obsessed, fixated, deaf to anything but his own thoughts.
I knew he was this type of guy. My own greedy mistake for letting things drag out this long. I could admit that, but it didn’t stop the anger boiling inside me.
“Your tailored ‘consideration’ isn’t welcome. Was it really that hard to just not do the exact thing I told you not to?”
“Bell, you’re seriously angry…”
My voice had gone icy, making Leon shrink back like a puppy that just chewed up his owner’s shoe. Clearly, he knew he’d messed up—which made it even worse, this bastard.
I knew Leon wasn’t actually a bad guy. Objectively, he was probably closer to being good. He’d climbed a mountain first thing in the morning genuinely worried about me, after all.
But couldn’t he understand that his kindness might be someone else’s headache? Maybe it was because he grew up comfortably in a privileged family, never lacking anything. The thought drained my energy.
“Haah, enough. Just leave. I’m too tired to argue anymore.”
“Bell, please, just hear me out—”
Leon jammed his foot between the closing door and forced his way inside.
“Hey! That’s breaking and entering!”
Not that I knew if the Empire even had a law about that.
“Listen, okay? I don’t know exactly what your conditions are here, but I’ll absolutely offer better. Just think about coming to work at our place instead.”
“I already told you no. And the more you act like this, the more I dislike the idea. Why would I willingly work in a house run by such a reckless young master?”
“Stop calling me ‘young master.’ You know I hate that.”
“Oh? And what exactly should I do about that, young master?”
He ignored my dislikes but was sensitive about his own. Completely fed up, I openly mocked him. But Leon was annoyingly persistent.
“Fine, fine. At least hear the offer. Just listening won’t cost you anything, right?”
“Wrong. It costs me wasted time and mental energy. That’s more than enough.”
“Bell, please—”
“Stop grabbing me!”
I slapped away Leon’s grasping hands, setting up a firm defensive wall. Just as the pointless back-and-forth reached the level where I was considering biting him—
Thud.
“Huh?”
Leon’s arm, which had grabbed my shoulder again, was abruptly knocked away by a strong force.
“…He said no.”
A familiar, deep voice murmured quietly beside my ear, accompanied by a thick arm protectively shielding me. Surprised, I turned my head. To my shock, the figure standing behind me was fully cloaked, wearing the white mask and black jacket I’d seen at our first meeting.
“Kal—!”
I almost shouted his name but caught myself at the last second. I still didn’t know if his name was part of the confidentiality rules. For the same reason, I forced down the urge to scream out loud and instead screamed inwardly.
Here I am busting my ass trying to keep your existence secret—why the hell are YOU personally stepping in?!
Leon winced, clearly hurt from Kalz’s grip.
“Ugh, what was that for?”
“Exactly what you’ve been doing until now.”
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I wasn’t about to do anything wrong—wait, who even are you?”
“Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first before asking for someone else’s name? Didn’t anyone ever teach you basic manners?”
Standing rigid beneath the sunlight, the Beast radiated an imposing aura that even his mask couldn’t conceal. Maybe it was due to his towering stature or the sheer weight of his years. Leon seemed to sense it as well, momentarily hesitating before quickly adopting a more respectful tone.
“My apologies. I’m Leon Swalter.”
“Swalter?”
Hearing Leon’s surname, Kalz nodded slowly, murmuring to himself.
“Ah, I thought you looked familiar. You’re that brat from the Swalter family.”
Only then did Kalz finally let go of Leon’s arm. Leon’s expression twisted, clearly displeased—whether from the lingering pain or from being called a brat, I wasn’t sure.
“Now it’s your turn. Who exactly are you?”
“The owner of this place. Now that you’re aware, get out of my mansion.”
Wait, did he just dodge introducing himself? After lecturing Leon about etiquette? Luckily, Leon was too distracted to notice.
“The owner? So, you’re the one who employed Bell?”
Kalz visibly stiffened at Leon’s words. Slowly turning toward me, he repeated in a low voice.
“Bell…?”
Oh, crap.
“…It seems your relationship is even closer than I thought.”
The eyes behind Kalz’s mask fixed on me with a dark, ominous glare. Stop looking at me like that! It’s not what you think!
I desperately wanted to explain myself, but with Leon standing right next to me, it wasn’t possible. I couldn’t exactly blurt out, “Actually, I deliberately pretended to be a girl and hid my name to fool you!”
Oblivious to the tension, Leon responded earnestly.
“Yes, although Bell and I haven’t known each other for long, we’ve become good friends.”
“That might’ve been true until yesterday. But starting today, we are absolutely nothing.”
“Bell, please don’t say that.”
I smiled sweetly at Leon, mercilessly cutting him off, causing him to look pitifully dejected. Every time Leon uttered the name “Bell,” Kalz tapped his foot irritably, clearly displeased.
Was it really that annoying to him? If he was jealous, he could just call me Bell too.
Not that I minded Kalz switching back to calling me Briel or anything…
“Now, tell me exactly why you came uninvited to my castle and caused a fuss.”
“That’s…”
Leon hesitated briefly before straightening his back, looking Kalz directly in the eyes.
“Since you’re Bell’s employer, I’ll be straightforward. I came because I was worried about him.”
“Worried? About what, exactly?”
“The last time we met, Bell had injuries on his face and his arm was bandaged. Were you aware of this?”
“Of course. I’m the one who bandaged him.”
“Huh?”
Leon’s eyes widened in shock—clearly, he hadn’t expected that answer.
“So you climbed the mountain at dawn because of those minor scratches? You’re fussing more than a mother with a three-year-old.”
“It’s not the injury itself that matters—it’s why he was injured. Bell claimed it was his own fault, but I wanted to verify the truth—”
“To be precise, he was running on a mountain path and scratched himself on a branch. That’s exactly what he said, wasn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
Leon bit his lip, unnerved by Kalz effortlessly recounting details he hadn’t even brought up. See? If only you’d believed me from the start, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
“Anything else you want to know? Perhaps you’re curious why he was running around the mountain in the first place?”
“…Actually, yes.”
“Apparently, he encountered a bear and fled, got lost, then ran into wolves and ended up crying—until I personally rescued him.”
Crying?! Who exactly was crying? Sure, I was trembling in fear, but I swear I didn’t shed any tears! Kalz clearly enjoyed spicing up his stories.
“A bear? And wolves?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’re saying you defeated the wolves by yourself?”
“I didn’t kill them, but I drove them away. Satisfied now?”
“Wow! That’s incredible!”
Wait—why were Leon’s eyes suddenly sparkling? All hostility had vanished, replaced by sheer excitement and admiration as he eagerly fired questions.
“How exactly did you do it? Surely, you didn’t fight barehanded?”
“…I used a sword.”
“Ah, I thought so! You practice swordsmanship? No wonder your grip was so strong—I was genuinely startled earlier. Do you train your body regularly too?”
Leon enthusiastically stepped closer, bombarding Kalz with questions. Kalz awkwardly stepped back, clearly uncomfortable.
“Why are you suddenly so curious?”
“Because I’m impressed! People always say I’ve got a good physique, but yours is on a whole other level. This is all muscle, right?”
“…Back off.”
Kalz growled a low warning as Leon stared intensely at his chest, examining him as if he were sizing up watermelons at a fruit stand.
