The Beast Who Has Returned Obsesses Over Me - Chapter 3

Leon’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at her words.

[Even the dragon lives in a place like this. Amazing. I wouldn’t be able to stand it for a day.]

He had even said things like that before.

“The… Duke’s mansion would be more comfortable than here, so why did you come here?  It’s not too late to go back….”

“Why would you say that?”

Leon cut her off. His eyes hardened once more. 

“I came here to see you.”

She froze again at his words. With a body like that, why… would you come to see me? In a state where you can’t even hit me.

“Th…then you should’ve summoned me to the Duke’s mansion.”

Yes, that would be the normal thing to do. To summon her to the Duke’s mansion.  He used to order her around as he pleased, so why was he acting like this now?

“It’s dangerous there.”

He was even stranger than she thought.  After the royal palace, the Duke’s mansion was the safest place in the country.  Could this be… the aftereffects of war she had heard so much about? The delusions and hallucinations that plagued soldiers even after returning home.

“Leon, the war is over. You’re home now. There’s no place safer than the Duke’s mansion. Let’s go back to the Duke’s mansion and….”

“It’s safest here.  I suggest you drop the subject.”

His eyes turned sharp. Leon’s gaze burned with a fierce intensity.  It was even more powerful than before. It was as if the battlefield had forged him into an even more savage beast.

But this feeling… it was the feeling she got when his anger wasn’t directed at her.  It was like when he was angry with his brother, Luke. He would look at her with those same eyes, taking out his frustrations on her. She was his outlet for the stress he received from Luke and the ducal mansion.

Something must have happened as soon as he returned to the mansion. That’s why he left and came here. Something must have displeased him. He couldn’t do as he pleased at the Duke’s mansion, so he chose this old and shabby place where he had free rein. What a cruel man.

His eyes, no longer burning with anger, looked up at her once more.  Life gradually returned to his gaze as he looked at her. But the light in her own eyes had long since faded.

But even when he was angry about other things, he would glare at her, the innocent party, with those eyes. He had never suppressed his anger like this before… He really had changed. 

“This place is old and shabby… It must be so uncomfortable….”

Still, she couldn’t give up on sending him back. This mansion was a sanctuary for her and Emil. Although old and dilapidated, it was a peaceful haven for them. She couldn’t let him ruin it. 

Only then did he glance around the empty room, his brow furrowing. A sliver of hope flickered within her. Please, just go back to the Duke’s mansion. Please. Just ruin me. Leave this place alone.

“It is quite old.”

Yes, you knew that. You knew what this mansion was like. So why did you come here? Leaving behind the grand and comfortable Duke’s mansion. 

But that was all he said. No other complaints followed.

“Hand.”

What? Hand?  Confused by his sudden request, she looked down at his hand. He wiggled his fingers. Was he saying his hand hurt?

Yvonne, forcing herself to suppress her strong desire to get as far away as possible, hesitantly sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Why….”

She didn’t need to ask. He gently took her hand in his. So, he hadn’t meant his hand hurt, but rather that he wanted her to give him her hand. After he had just caressed her lips, holding her hand wasn’t that surprising.  Of course, it was still awkward and unfamiliar.

Unlike her hand, cold with tension, his was warm. His fingers moved gently, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. Another tender gesture. She began to tremble. It was as if she was caught in the paw of a fearsome lion, deciding when to devour her.

He had hit her so many times with that hand. With this large, broad hand. This hand that was twice the size of hers.

So, her hand trembled uncontrollably. 

“While I was gone.”

His low voice wrapped around her, a suffocating pressure.

“Tell me how much you missed me.”

“What…?”

Was this what they called unbelievable? What had she just heard? Were… were they in that kind of relationship?  She couldn’t understand why he would say such a thing.

“Why are you so shy?”

His voice dropped lower, even huskier than before.

Excuse me?  S…shy? Me?  Yvonne found it increasingly difficult to follow his line of thought.  He wasn’t making any sense. 

As if reading her bewildered expression, Leon smiled faintly.  Even that smile, one that seemed to believe she was truly too shy to speak, was gentle.  He was a man who was the furthest thing from gentle.  This strange behavior really must be a side effect of the war. It was the only explanation that made sense. War was a truly terrifying thing. It could twist a person beyond recognition.

The present was a stark contrast to the past.  Could a person really change this much?

He watched her, seemingly amused by her ever-changing expression. His gaze held a mixture of tenderness and affection.  Yvonne was utterly bewildered by this unfamiliar look in his eyes.

“It must be a shock, just seeing me like this.  You’ll need time to adjust.”

It was a shock. A huge one. But she didn’t need time to adjust to this. Because she would never be able to.

She cautiously pulled her hand free from his grasp.  To her relief, he let her go without resistance.  She moved away naturally, putting distance between them.  Come to think of it, he looked strong enough to at least be able to reach her cheek.

No matter how strangely he was acting due to the aftereffects of the war, she felt like a mouse being toyed with by a ferocious cat.  It was as if he was enjoying her reactions, saving them up for later amus*ment.

“I haven’t eaten anything, so I’m hungry.”

She doubted his motives.  Why hadn’t he eaten at the Duke’s mansion, where he always enjoyed lavish meals, and why was he looking for food here, where they barely had enough for themselves?

Yvonne quickly turned around. She had no choice but to bring him some soup.  It was an excuse to get away from him, even for a little while.  She was shaking so badly that she felt like she might collapse.

After telling him she would bring him food, she fled the room, running away. 

“Miss.”

As soon as she closed the door, Eva, the maid, rushed over, as if she had been waiting.  She must have been waiting for a long time.

Eva.  Just a moment.  Let me catch my breath.

Right now, she was a complete mess.  Her world felt like it was spinning.

Yvonne leaned against the door and took several deep breaths.

“Well… The other servants are waiting…”

Right.  Yvonne closed her eyes tightly.  She couldn’t have her way. She had never imagined that Leon would act so strangely.

“Tell them to go back and bring me some soup, please.”

If only she could tell them to take him away immediately.

Soon, she heard the sound of a carriage departing.  To her, it sounded like the last thread of hope, keeping her from falling into the abyss, snapping.

Staggering, she collapsed onto a chair in the hallway.

Despair and anguish filled her features as she pressed a hand to her forehead.  Her mind was blank.  So many bizarre things had happened, and this was her reality?  This had to be a dream.  A nightmare she desperately wanted to wake up from.  Tears welled up in her violet eyes.

Just then, she heard Eva approaching with a tray.  Yvonne quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand, not wanting Eva to see.

“Miss.  Should I… take this in…?”

Yvonne sighed again.  Eva was hesitant, afraid of Leon.  Just like at the Duke’s mansion, Leon wasn’t welcomed here either.  Ferocious, frightening, incredibly strict.  Everyone cowered in his presence, as if a wild lion was on the loose.  And she had to continue living like this.  That’s why she tried to stop him from staying here.  But it was no use.  She was so pathetic, unable to accomplish even one thing properly.

“I’ll do it.”

She didn’t want to trouble poor Eva any further.  Yvonne rose weakly and took the tray.  On it sat a bowl of thin soup, steam rising from its surface.  It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.

“What took you so long?”

His impatient voice reached her as soon as she entered.  It hadn’t been that long….

Tired of waiting, Leon had shifted his position, sitting up against the headboard.  So he could move that much.  She had felt safer when he had been completely bedridden. 

She quickly approached the bed and set the tray down within easy reach. 

“Please, eat.”

She discreetly backed away.  She always felt a sense of security when she kept a certain distance from him.

Leon’s gaze followed her every move, as if he was determined to monitor her every action. But strangely, his eyes weren’t sharp.  He always used to glare at her with disapproval.  His gaze would rake over her, sharp enough to find fault even where none existed.