The Beast Who Has Returned Obsesses Over Me - Chapter 7

Before he could say anything, she quickly left the room, fleeing. This time, he didn’t grab her.

She leaned against the closed door and slapped her cheeks repeatedly. Crazy… crazy.

She had made a grave mistake. How could she have fallen asleep there? She stomped her feet in regret, lamenting her own stupidity. Ugh…

Pulling herself together, she headed out of the mansion, hoping to cool down her flushed cheeks. Even the garden looked disheveled. Dead trees were tangled together, and weeds sprouted everywhere. It would look even more eerie at night.

As she looked around with a troubled heart, her gaze fell upon the lush mountain in the distance. Emil wasn’t in the mansion, so he must be somewhere in those mountains, painting again.

Beyond that mountain lay the Duke’s estate. Her eyes briefly welled up with tears.

By cruel fate, the great duchy of Clift and her family’s estate, the countdom of Heywood, were adjacent to each other. Moreover, their mothers had been friends. Their few childhood encounters had become the root of all this misery. Leon had become fixated on her, leading to months of ardent courtship and even an engagement. Her greedy father, of course, had been all too eager to agree.

There was nothing she could do. And back then, she hadn’t known what a beast Leon truly was. Many noblewomen entered into political marriages when they came of age. She had thought hers was no different. Besides, he was handsome, and he had been kind to her initially, so she had naively believed that her marriage would be better than those of her friends.

However, after their engagement, Leon’s true nature surfaced. It began with light physical abuse, escalating to whippings, leaving the fragile Yvonne utterly helpless. A year into their engagement, unable to bear it any longer, she had confided in her father. He couldn’t have been completely oblivious. The bruises on her face and arms were impossible to hide. She could never forget what he had said to her then.

“Why don’t you just be obedient and do as he says? It’s something you’ll be doing all the time after marriage anyway. Just submit to him. You’re the one getting hurt by resisting.”

Was he trying to be helpful? How could a father say such a thing to his own daughter? It was as if he assumed she was already engaging in intimacy with Leon in his study, even though they weren’t even married. If that were the case, shouldn’t he, as her father, intervene even more?

That day, she had cried her heart out, longing for her deceased mother. Her father only cared about boasting about his daughter marrying into a prestigious ducal family. More importantly, he needed the money Leon provided. He was indifferent to the state of their countdom, choosing to squander their wealth on gambling. Their land was falling deeper into poverty.

Still, they were an countdom. All decisions fell to her father. Then the war broke out. Afterward, news arrived of Leon’s death. She had believed he was truly gone.

But for him to return alive like this… It was a tremendous shock. However, something about Leon seemed different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, which made it difficult to determine how to act around him.

Fortunately, a short while later, the carriage carrying Jack and Nora arrived. Nora had already been to the village market and returned with the carriage loaded with food.

She needed to hurry and prepare. Dinner time was approaching. She didn’t even want to think about how long she had slept.

“I’m going to make the whole place smell like meat tonight. Even though only he will be eating it.”

Nora knew. She knew that all these ingredients were solely for Leon.

But neither she nor anyone else particularly craved the food he ate. Leon was that kind of person. They only concerned themselves with preparing his meals to avoid his displeasure.

Nora bustled around the kitchen, putting away the ingredients.

Yvonne, holding the leather pouch she had received from Jack, headed back to Leon’s room.

***

Leon stared at the door Yvonne had left open and let out a soft chuckle.

He couldn’t believe she had slept beside him. He found himself reaching out to touch her peaceful face but stopped himself. The thought of her waking up to his touch and the memory of his own restraint brought another chuckle to his lips. Although he hadn’t been pleased with her reaction upon waking up.

He had snapped at her, suspecting another man might be involved. He couldn’t understand why she was being so distant.

Just then, another wave of pain surged through him. He had to clench his jaw and motion for her to come closer. Terrified, she had crawled towards him, tears of fear welling up in her eyes.

He couldn’t help but be bothered by how scared she was. Her fragile appearance, as if she would shatter with a single touch, weighed heavily on his mind.

Knock, knock.

A moment later, Yvonne re-entered the room. Her face seemed flushed, at least to his eyes. He fought back a smirk.

“I… used some of it for the ingredients…”

He took the leather pouch she handed him. Judging by its weight, it couldn’t contain more than 1,000 gold.

Naturally, his expression hardened.

Seeing this, Yvonne tensed up again. He must be thinking she used too much… She quickly turned around.

“I’ll… go check on the kitchen.”

She wouldn’t be coming back until dinner. As she hurried out, she let out a sigh of relief. It was fortunate she had this excuse.

She made her way back to the kitchen.

The kitchen was bustling with activity for the first time in a while. Delicious smells wafted through the air, and the flames from the burning firewood crackled, heating the iron pot. A maid diligently stirred the beef stew simmering inside.

As dinner time approached, a lavish spread of food began to fill the table, all prepared for him.

She instructed the servants to bring Leon to the dining room in his wheeled chair. Emil hadn’t returned yet, so it seemed he would be a little late for dinner. He couldn’t be too late, though. Leon would be furious.

Soon, the sound of wheels reached her ears, and Leon entered the dining room. The servants carefully positioned him in front of the well-set table and quietly dispersed. The aroma of meat filled the austere dining room. Hopefully, he would be pleased…

She watched anxiously as Leon surveyed the table without a word.

“What is this?”

Yvonne tensed as his deeply displeased voice rang out. Nora had outdone herself, preparing a feast fit for a king, but it seemed to be lacking in Leon’s eyes.

This was bad.

His expression and gaze hardened with a mixture of disbelief and anger.

“If… you want anything else, we can prepare…”

She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Leon’s furious gaze was fixed on her. His eyes then moved back to the table, scanning the food placed before him, Yvonne, and Emil. Calling it “food” was generous. It was nothing more than hard bread, watery soup, and a dull salad.

“Are you trying to embarrass me in front of Emil by only preparing a feast for me?”

Yvonne blinked repeatedly. What was he talking about…? This was clearly all for him. If she had dared to use his money to prepare a decent meal for herself and Emil, he would have surely flown into a rage. Wasn’t the whole point of giving her money to ensure he ate well, even if it meant they had to scrimp and save? Was he now telling her not to do that? Leon was a man who valued appearances above all else. But she must have misheard him. There was no one else here for him to maintain appearances in front of, and he had never shown any consideration for Emil before.

“Set the table for them the same way.”

Them? Emil and… her?

She hadn’t misheard him.

Still, Yvonne stared at Leon with a puzzled look.

Leon was a man who only spent money on himself. He acted as if the impoverished Yvonne was trying to steal from him. He had never given her a single thing. Not that she had ever expected anything from him. All she wanted was for him to stay away.

And now, he was asking her to eat with him, along with Emil. He was willing to spend his precious money on someone other than himself? Could she really take him at his word? What if he suddenly changed his mind and flipped the table in a fit of rage? The thought terrified her.

“So… you’re saying… you want us to eat this too?”

She had to be sure. He had never shown her such an act of kindness before. His sudden concern for her well-being was difficult to comprehend.

“Must you make me repeat myself?”

She tilted her head, confused. He really did want them to eat well. Why?

A while later, she watched in a daze as an identical feast was placed in front of her. She felt uneasy, unsure if she deserved such treatment.

Eva and Nora, who were bringing the plates, also wore puzzled expressions. Still, they glanced at the petite Yvonne, urging her to eat up.

Emil, who had arrived late, looked delighted. He sat down, his mouth agape in silent admiration.

“Apologies for being late. Please, eat up, Sir Leon.”