Now that she had started, she wanted to say everything she wanted to say. Surely Leon would interrupt her in the middle. He would get bored of listening to her rambling on and on. Still, she wanted to say it.

“I have to stop my uncle from becoming guardian.”

“Is there anyone else?”

“Actually, I want to do it myself, but that’s impossible, so I’m looking for another relative I can trust with Emil.”

If she could, she wanted to be Emil’s guardian herself. But realistically, it was impossible. In this country, there weren’t many places for women to stand. Just because she was a woman, none of her relatives would recognize her as a guardian.

“That won’t be easy.”

How could he be so sharp even when he only said a few words?

“I know. It won’t be easy.”

Even if she found a good relative, the other elders of the family would surely side with her uncle, who was the closest relative. That was the problem.

“Anyway, my uncle is out of the question. I’ll send him away even if he comes.”

“You think you can do that? You think he’ll just leave quietly?”

He kept poking at her, sharp and sarcastic.

Yes, she knew. She knew her uncle wasn’t someone to be trifled with. Still, she had to do it. She had to.

“I want to protect Emil. That title rightfully belongs to him. Don’t you agree, Leon?”

More precisely, she wanted to avoid marrying Leon and protect Emil as well.

She felt relieved after saying everything she wanted to say. But….

Leon’s expression grew serious, as if he was deep in thought. She never thought she would confide in Leon like this. She had never done this before. But more than the fact that she had confided in him, she was more surprised that he had listened to her long story, perhaps even a boring complaint, to the end. Her head began to tilt to the side.

Strange. This was strange. She felt uneasy again.

Incomprehensible things kept happening. They kept repeating. And yet, every time she faced them, it felt new and strange, as if it were the first time. She couldn’t tell if this was a good thing or if it was just giving him another excuse to hurt her. Leon was the type to exploit others’ weaknesses. He wasn’t the type to listen to her like this for no reason.

“That’s all the more reason why we should get married, don’t you think? A lot of things will naturally work themselves out.”

Her eyes shook violently as she instantly rejected the idea. What did he think she was saying? They were back to talking about marriage.

She knew it. Even a beast like Leon could solve a lot of problems just because he was a man. It was unfair and unjust. If she married him, it would be easier to get rid of her uncle. If he married her, he would be closer to Emil than her uncle. If he stepped forward, the elders of the family wouldn’t be able to oppose it.

But she couldn’t trust Leon. Although he had been acting differently lately, she had experienced firsthand what kind of person he was during their engagement before the war. If she married him, she might have to live that horrible life every day. Furthermore, even if she hardened her heart and went through with the marriage, there was no guarantee that he would step up for Emil.

“I’ll do it myself. Stay out of it.”

She wondered how she could be so brave as to assert herself in front of Leon like this. His attentive attitude had subtly made her speak her mind.

“It’ll be difficult.”

His words, hitting the nail on the head, hurt her deeply.

“I’ll try.”

She clenched her fists, refusing to back down. Leon’s eyes, which had been watching her every move, darkened and sank lower and lower.

“You won’t rely on me. You’re going to postpone the wedding. Very well.”

Leon was furious. His glare was so intense that she felt like she was going to melt. She knew what would happen next. She should have known better than to think he would listen to her. She had been mustering up her courage to say what she wanted to say, but she was starting to feel intimidated again. Her whole body tensed up.

“Bring it here.”

She understood immediately. She had been expecting it. Yvonne picked up the crutch she had placed next to her with trembling hands. Okay. Just close her eyes and endure it. It wasn’t the first time.

She handed the sturdy crutch to Leon and turned to the side to stand in front of him. The beating on her b*ttocks would begin soon. She closed her eyes tightly and waited. She tensed up her whole body and endured it.

When…… was he going to hit her?

It was agonizing to wait like this when he didn’t start right away.

“Why are you standing like that?”

Not knowing what he meant, Yvonne turned back to Leon.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you. Why are you turning away?”

Yvonne was momentarily bewildered as she looked down at Leon’s angry face. Then she realized. It wasn’t happening today. He probably wasn’t going to hit her in his condition. Phew…… That was a relief.

She quickly backed away from him.

“Come closer.”

Was he going to hit her after all? Yvonne cowered at his command.

As she took a few steps closer, Leon’s overbearing gaze held her captive. It was only his gaze, but she couldn’t move, as if he had grabbed her tightly with both hands. Why did he have to come back so much stronger? She felt even worse.

“Are you sure there’s no other man?”

Yvonne didn’t understand what he was saying, what he was asking. Leon’s eyes were as sharp as ever, as if they contained all the suspicion in the world. So….

Yvonne, who realized it a little late, was speechless. But she was still within reach of his crutch if he swung it. The threat made her even more frightened.

“There…… is no one.”

Her voice was trembling again. It was humiliating to even give such an answer. She still couldn’t believe he would suspect her of such a thing.

Still, Leon didn’t take his suspicious gaze off her. So he thought she was putting off the marriage because there was another man? But even if there was another man, why was he being so sensitive? As if he was jealous?

That’s ridiculous.

There was no reason for this man to be jealous of her. It wasn’t jealousy, but rather his desire to have her all to himself as his only outlet for anger. That’s why he was being so sensitive, because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. Violence is a hard habit to break. It was one of the things he couldn’t fix, along with gambling and women. Just because he had been quiet for a while didn’t mean he was cured.

“You know what will happen if you lie, right?”

She knew. He would beat her up so badly that she wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for days. The thought alone was painful and humiliating.

She hadn’t even been hit yet, but she was already drained of all her energy as if she had been. Her legs were shaking from standing so tensely for so long.

“I’m a little tired today…… Can I go to bed now?”

She wanted to run away from this place. She felt like she was going to collapse from standing there so nervously.

Leon’s sharp gaze swept over her pale face.

“Do as you please.”

At least he didn’t stop her. She quickly turned around, not knowing when he would change his mind.

“Yvonne.”

She flinched again as he called out to her.

“From now on, if you have something to say, say it like you did just now.”

Her eyes widened as she looked back at him.

“I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”

Her wide eyes blinked rapidly. His expression was still angry. Yet, she was surprised by his words. She just nodded dumbly and quickly opened the door and came out.

Phew……

When would she ever stop running away like this and breathing a sigh of relief outside the door?

She didn’t think that would ever happen. Anyway, the important thing was that she hadn’t been hit today. Besides, he had even said that he would listen to what she had to say. It was hard to believe, but it sounded like he was saying he would listen to what she had said just now. So it ended well, right? That’s…… that’s right, isn’t it?

Yvonne’s legs felt heavy as she slowly climbed the stairs, as if she were walking through water.

***

“You’re recovering quickly. I’m relieved.”

The doctor, who had stopped by in the morning, said with a bright expression after examining Leon’s condition.