I’ve thought about reuniting with Leo many times. Before I met my family, Leo was the most reliable person I had ever known.
No, even after meeting my family, he would have been that kind of presence for me.
There were times when I thought that if I ever left the Grand Duchy and lived on my own, Leo would be there for me.
But over the course of hundreds of nights, he had gone from being a nostalgic presence that I sometimes thought of, to someone I wasn’t supposed to miss.
“Mary, you recognized him! Leo, what did I tell you Mary wouldn’t forget?”
It was unmistakably Leo, standing in front of Astina and me, though he was now much taller than we were, and his demeanor was dignified and somewhat aloof.
Astina, who didn’t know anything, wiped tears from her eyes, saying she hadn’t expected the three of us to be together again like this.
When Leo didn’t move after getting out of the carriage. It felt strange, so I turned back and grabbed Astina’s wrist as she was trying to go and get him.
It was something I did without thinking, and both Astina, whose wrist was caught, and I, who caught her wrist, were surprised.
“What’s wrong?”
As I stared into Astina’s innocent eyes, I couldn’t say anything but purse my lips.
Instead of feeling happy to see Leo, I felt an unexplainable sense of discomfort.
When I was told I tend to be obsessed with life in the past, I thought of Leo, and I wondered if that’s why.
“Mary must have been very surprised…”
Astina’s white face crumpled, as if she felt sorry for me as I silently pursed my lips like a goldfish.
Astina, who was a little taller than me, hugged me as if she understood me.
I was surprised to see Leo suddenly appear. But why am I shaking so much? Astina, sweeping down my back, turned her back on Leo and couldn’t see him, but I was making eye contact with him.
Leo was just looking at me and Astina with a friendly smile.
Yes, it’s a very familiar smile.
Maybe I was mistaken? Or was the God of Death playing tricks on my head, jealous of the boy who was a big part of my childhood?
To the extent that such thoughts crossed my mind. Leo, who was merely smiling, evoked memories of our time in the orphanage.
If there was a lesson that I learned in the orphanage, it was survival of the fittest. Even though we were struggling and hungry, there were times when I felt like it was okay as long as Astina and Leo were there…….
“But Leo is still the same. Leo, come here and say something.”
Astina, who was still hugging me, let go of me and said.
Astina seemed to think that the strange tension between me and Leo was just awkwardness.
She turned to Leo and spoke in a bright, cheerful voice as if she was on a mission to resolve the awkwardness.
Unlike me, who was at a loss for words, Leo simply stood there, looking back and forth between me and Astina.
But there was a coldness in that sweet smile. Finally, after fixing his gaze on me, he laughed low.
It was as if the laugh had been carried by the wind, blown at me, and poked me in the chest.
“That’s enough, Astina.”
“What?”
“I told you, the young lady of the Grand Duchy may have already forgotten all about me.”
“What do you mean, Leo?”
Leo’s words sent chills down my spine. Astina padded toward him, as if she heard something she shouldn’t.
I tried to grab her as she moved away from me, but my arms flailed in vain as she disappeared with a quick stride.
“Mary is not like that. Mary is Mary even if she’s wearing such colorful and beautiful clothes now!”
Leo, who lowered his gaze to meet Astina’s eyes, took a step back, looking quite forlorn at first glance.
“Why are you here?”
I said sharply, stepping between Leo and Astina, who were engaged in small talk, and pulling Astina behind me.
Astina tapped me on the shoulder in confusion as if to say, “Mary, what’s wrong?”
I just wanted to know why he had disappeared and only reappeared now. He was pretending to be nonchalant and acting all natural, yet he didn’t hide the tension he himself had created.
“You sound quite disappointed…”
A playful voice, uncharacteristically soft, penetrated my ears, stirring up a memory somewhere.
Leo, standing in front of me and Astina, cowering behind me. All this was a nostalgic scene for me.
But why am I doing this? Leo’s presence didn’t make me feel glad. Every single cell of my body was rejecting him.
Perhaps because of this, I felt slightly resentful, and Leo sighed deeply before speaking.
“Look, Astina. Mary might have already forgotten about me.”
“But, Leo…….”
“Let’s go, Astina.”
Leo suddenly reached out towards me, but he did so only to grab Astina’s wrist from behind me.
As I watched Astina being dragged by the wrist by Leo, I stepped forward and grabbed her other wrist.
“If you came all this way, tell me what you want.”
Turning around, Leo glared at my grip on Astina’s wrist.
“I just wanted to see your face.”
This is crazy. Astina’s face turned tearful again upon hearing Rio’s response. She’s probably wondering what’s going on between me and Leo right now.
Astina must have finally realized that this tension between me and Leo isn’t just awkwardness.
“Don’t lie.”
“Good thing……. Astina is still so naive.”
“Leo, be honest with me, why did you show up out of nowhere? Where have you been all this time?”
“Mary…… must have really forgotten all about me. Yeah, I guess living in a castle like this makes someone like me nothing. Astina, let’s go back. I’m sorry for coming all this way.”
Leo’s long lashes fluttered pitifully. I felt like I’ve become a villain who rejected his childhood friend who had come seeking me so desperately.
No, maybe it wasn’t entirely wrong. Leo was dressed ordinarily. Astina, who was looking at me and Leo, also looked confused.
“To be honest, I’ve thought about it a lot. Whether someone like me should appear or not.”
“No, Mary is.”
“You’re still the same young lady.”
Leo grabbed Astina and dragged her away. Astina’s face, which kept looking back at me, seemed to ask if Leo was really right.
Astina bowed her head in shock as I stared.
“Astina!”
I called her name, but she stood still like a statue. Leo tried to nudge her, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Come here.”
“Leo, it’s a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding? Astina, do you really think so?”
“I’ll explain everything. Come here for now.”
“What misunderstanding? And if there is a misunderstanding, you should solve it with me.”
Leo’s words made me stand still. He was right. He was the victim of my passive-aggressive behavior.
If we have a misunderstanding, we should clear it up together. But I was hesitant to bring him into the castle.
“Leo, let go of this.”
“What?”
“I’m going to go to Mary and talk to her, and then I’ll make a judgment……. If you two have a misunderstanding, it’s a friend’s job to clear it up.”
Leo looked at Astina in disbelief as she turned to me.
“You two are really making a fool out of me.”
“It’s not like that!”
But Leo simply ignored Astina’s words, smirking coldly and dragging her to the carriage.
Astina tried to struggle as she had earlier, but Leo was pulling her with more force.
“Mary!”
Astina panicked and tried to pull away from Leo’s grip with her untrapped arm, but there was no way she could overpower him. I began to follow suit in a hurry.
What should I do? What should I do?
Leo, who forced Astina into the carriage, turned to me and smiled coldly.
“Leo, I’m sorry, come on in!”
“It’s too late.”
“What are you doing?”
I signaled to Astina’s maids and the coachmen to protect Astina from Leo, but they seemed oblivious.
Leo smirked and snapped his fingers. And then, like smoke, they all vanished.
As I opened my mouth to speak, unable to comprehend the situation, the knights behind me, who had been standing still, tried to rush at Leo.
Then, without even looking at the carriage Astina was in, Leo slammed his fist into it.
There was a tremendous crash, and Astina screamed in terror.
“Everyone stop!”
In fear, I managed to shout loudly enough to stop the knights. The silence that flows now seems to pierce my body.
Maybe I should have taken Leo to the Grand Duchy. Is it too late, as Leo said? I stared at Leo, unable to breathe.
What’s wrong with him? Is he suddenly acting like this because he’s on the God of Death’s side, or because he thinks I’m looking down on him after all these years?
Thoughts raced through my head, none of them seemed to be the right answer.
Yes, Leo had shown up now, but the timing was suspicious. X, the God of Death’s favorite subordinate, was dead. Maybe that’s why he chose Leo.
Then, is it because of me that not only Astina but also Leo got involved in this?
“Leo, I’m sorry. Astina didn’t do anything wrong, so let her go.”
“Mary Conler.”
Leo said my name. Hearing the name Conler out of his mouth felt so strange.
I nodded. I felt like tears would burst out if I answered the call.
“Come alone.”
“What?”
“The orphanage we were in. If you come there alone, I will let Astina go nicely.”
“No, Mary, don’t!”
With that, Leo entered the carriage. I could hear Astina shouting desperately from inside the carriage.
Before I could do anything, the carriage disappeared before my eyes.
I stared at the spot where the carriage had disappeared, then clenched my fists and ran back into the mansion. There was no time for this.
I’ve thought about reuniting with Leo many times. Before I met my family, Leo was the most reliable person I had ever known.
No, even after meeting my family, he would have been that kind of presence for me.
There were times when I thought that if I ever left the Grand Duchy and lived on my own, Leo would be there for me.
But over the course of hundreds of nights, he had gone from being a nostalgic presence that I sometimes thought of, to someone I wasn’t supposed to miss.
“Mary, you recognized him! Leo, what did I tell you Mary wouldn’t forget?”
It was unmistakably Leo, standing in front of Astina and me, though he was now much taller than we were, and his demeanor was dignified and somewhat aloof.
Astina, who didn’t know anything, wiped tears from her eyes, saying she hadn’t expected the three of us to be together again like this.
When Leo didn’t move after getting out of the carriage. It felt strange, so I turned back and grabbed Astina’s wrist as she was trying to go and get him.
It was something I did without thinking, and both Astina, whose wrist was caught, and I, who caught her wrist, were surprised.
“What’s wrong?”
As I stared into Astina’s innocent eyes, I couldn’t say anything but purse my lips.
Instead of feeling happy to see Leo, I felt an unexplainable sense of discomfort.
When I was told I tend to be obsessed with life in the past, I thought of Leo, and I wondered if that’s why.
“Mary must have been very surprised…”
Astina’s white face crumpled, as if she felt sorry for me as I silently pursed my lips like a goldfish.
Astina, who was a little taller than me, hugged me as if she understood me.
I was surprised to see Leo suddenly appear. But why am I shaking so much? Astina, sweeping down my back, turned her back on Leo and couldn’t see him, but I was making eye contact with him.
Leo was just looking at me and Astina with a friendly smile.
Yes, it’s a very familiar smile.
Maybe I was mistaken? Or was the God of Death playing tricks on my head, jealous of the boy who was a big part of my childhood?
To the extent that such thoughts crossed my mind. Leo, who was merely smiling, evoked memories of our time in the orphanage.
If there was a lesson that I learned in the orphanage, it was survival of the fittest. Even though we were struggling and hungry, there were times when I felt like it was okay as long as Astina and Leo were there…….
“But Leo is still the same. Leo, come here and say something.”
Astina, who was still hugging me, let go of me and said.
Astina seemed to think that the strange tension between me and Leo was just awkwardness.
She turned to Leo and spoke in a bright, cheerful voice as if she was on a mission to resolve the awkwardness.
Unlike me, who was at a loss for words, Leo simply stood there, looking back and forth between me and Astina.
But there was a coldness in that sweet smile. Finally, after fixing his gaze on me, he laughed low.
It was as if the laugh had been carried by the wind, blown at me, and poked me in the chest.
“That’s enough, Astina.”
“What?”
“I told you, the young lady of the Grand Duchy may have already forgotten all about me.”
“What do you mean, Leo?”
Leo’s words sent chills down my spine. Astina padded toward him, as if she heard something she shouldn’t.
I tried to grab her as she moved away from me, but my arms flailed in vain as she disappeared with a quick stride.
“Mary is not like that. Mary is Mary even if she’s wearing such colorful and beautiful clothes now!”
Leo, who lowered his gaze to meet Astina’s eyes, took a step back, looking quite forlorn at first glance.
“Why are you here?”
I said sharply, stepping between Leo and Astina, who were engaged in small talk, and pulling Astina behind me.
Astina tapped me on the shoulder in confusion as if to say, “Mary, what’s wrong?”
I just wanted to know why he had disappeared and only reappeared now. He was pretending to be nonchalant and acting all natural, yet he didn’t hide the tension he himself had created.
“You sound quite disappointed…”
A playful voice, uncharacteristically soft, penetrated my ears, stirring up a memory somewhere.
Leo, standing in front of me and Astina, cowering behind me. All this was a nostalgic scene for me.
But why am I doing this? Leo’s presence didn’t make me feel glad. Every single cell of my body was rejecting him.
Perhaps because of this, I felt slightly resentful, and Leo sighed deeply before speaking.
“Look, Astina. Mary might have already forgotten about me.”
“But, Leo…….”
“Let’s go, Astina.”
Leo suddenly reached out towards me, but he did so only to grab Astina’s wrist from behind me.
As I watched Astina being dragged by the wrist by Leo, I stepped forward and grabbed her other wrist.
“If you came all this way, tell me what you want.”
Turning around, Leo glared at my grip on Astina’s wrist.
“I just wanted to see your face.”
This is crazy. Astina’s face turned tearful again upon hearing Rio’s response. She’s probably wondering what’s going on between me and Leo right now.
Astina must have finally realized that this tension between me and Leo isn’t just awkwardness.
“Don’t lie.”
“Good thing……. Astina is still so naive.”
“Leo, be honest with me, why did you show up out of nowhere? Where have you been all this time?”
“Mary…… must have really forgotten all about me. Yeah, I guess living in a castle like this makes someone like me nothing. Astina, let’s go back. I’m sorry for coming all this way.”
Leo’s long lashes fluttered pitifully. I felt like I’ve become a villain who rejected his childhood friend who had come seeking me so desperately.
No, maybe it wasn’t entirely wrong. Leo was dressed ordinarily. Astina, who was looking at me and Leo, also looked confused.
“To be honest, I’ve thought about it a lot. Whether someone like me should appear or not.”
“No, Mary is.”
“You’re still the same young lady.”
Leo grabbed Astina and dragged her away. Astina’s face, which kept looking back at me, seemed to ask if Leo was really right.
Astina bowed her head in shock as I stared.
“Astina!”
I called her name, but she stood still like a statue. Leo tried to nudge her, but she wouldn’t budge.
“Come here.”
“Leo, it’s a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding? Astina, do you really think so?”
“I’ll explain everything. Come here for now.”
“What misunderstanding? And if there is a misunderstanding, you should solve it with me.”
Leo’s words made me stand still. He was right. He was the victim of my passive-aggressive behavior.
If we have a misunderstanding, we should clear it up together. But I was hesitant to bring him into the castle.
“Leo, let go of this.”
“What?”
“I’m going to go to Mary and talk to her, and then I’ll make a judgment……. If you two have a misunderstanding, it’s a friend’s job to clear it up.”
Leo looked at Astina in disbelief as she turned to me.
“You two are really making a fool out of me.”
“It’s not like that!”
But Leo simply ignored Astina’s words, smirking coldly and dragging her to the carriage.
Astina tried to struggle as she had earlier, but Leo was pulling her with more force.
“Mary!”
Astina panicked and tried to pull away from Leo’s grip with her untrapped arm, but there was no way she could overpower him. I began to follow suit in a hurry.
What should I do? What should I do?
Leo, who forced Astina into the carriage, turned to me and smiled coldly.
“Leo, I’m sorry, come on in!”
“It’s too late.”
“What are you doing?”
I signaled to Astina’s maids and the coachmen to protect Astina from Leo, but they seemed oblivious.
Leo smirked and snapped his fingers. And then, like smoke, they all vanished.
As I opened my mouth to speak, unable to comprehend the situation, the knights behind me, who had been standing still, tried to rush at Leo.
Then, without even looking at the carriage Astina was in, Leo slammed his fist into it.
There was a tremendous crash, and Astina screamed in terror.
“Everyone stop!”
In fear, I managed to shout loudly enough to stop the knights. The silence that flows now seems to pierce my body.
Maybe I should have taken Leo to the Grand Duchy. Is it too late, as Leo said? I stared at Leo, unable to breathe.
What’s wrong with him? Is he suddenly acting like this because he’s on the God of Death’s side, or because he thinks I’m looking down on him after all these years?
Thoughts raced through my head, none of them seemed to be the right answer.
Yes, Leo had shown up now, but the timing was suspicious. X, the God of Death’s favorite subordinate, was dead. Maybe that’s why he chose Leo.
Then, is it because of me that not only Astina but also Leo got involved in this?
“Leo, I’m sorry. Astina didn’t do anything wrong, so let her go.”
“Mary Conler.”
Leo said my name. Hearing the name Conler out of his mouth felt so strange.
I nodded. I felt like tears would burst out if I answered the call.
“Come alone.”
“What?”
“The orphanage we were in. If you come there alone, I will let Astina go nicely.”
“No, Mary, don’t!”
With that, Leo entered the carriage. I could hear Astina shouting desperately from inside the carriage.
Before I could do anything, the carriage disappeared before my eyes.
I stared at the spot where the carriage had disappeared, then clenched my fists and ran back into the mansion. There was no time for this.
