RHFTY chapter 15

‘So that’s why… it was a secretly prepared event.’

Since the Onyx estate is far from the main house, it wouldn’t be uncomfortable as Leonard’s family wouldn’t be around.

Even if he stayed for a few days, there wouldn’t be any problems or people he would have to be mindful of.

Leonard might have been considerate of these things since he first made the offer to his. According to the hint he gave his, the annex is each person’s own space, and it’s a rule not to intrude recklessly.

On the other hand, he thought it was a strict and cold household, but ensuring the children’s privacy was not a bad thing.

Anyway.

He didn’t expect Leonard to have prepared such an event just because it had been a while since they met.

While feeling admiration for his mature and deep-hearted nature, he realized that Leonard had grown up a lot, and that much time had passed as well.

‘Hmm. What should I do?’

Chaeyi rolled his body over and got up from the edge of the bed, lost in thought for a moment.

‘Even though he said to live together, I suppose it meant that I could stay as long as I wanted.’

Chaeyi was serious.

‘Honestly, if I were allowed to be greedy, it seems like I could stay here forever.’

The fact that he left the house and the pub owner without properly explaining was somewhat troubling…

Well, he would think about the house later and send a letter to the pub soon to ease any worries.

‘I need to ask Leo how to send it. He did say he could come by in the afternoon because of work, right?’

After organizing his thoughts, Chaeyi lay back on the bed, this time pondering “what to do today.”

‘Hmm. Now what should I do… Suddenly being unemployed, nothing comes to mind.’

Being unemployed, able to eat, sleep, and play without working. It was excellent, but Chaeyi, who had always lived a busy life, felt uneasy when not moving around.

‘Yesterday, people I had never met before kept coming in and saying hello, so the atmosphere was hectic and time flew by.’

Today, it was quiet as if nothing had happened. Maybe because it was still early morning. he thought about going for a morning walk but wasn’t entirely comfortable with his new surroundings yet.

In the end, Chaeyi decided to visit the library, which he didn’t get to see yesterday. With a destination in mind, there was no reason to delay.

Chaeyi got up and changed clothes. He wore a polo long-sleeve with frills on the wrist and chest, typically worn by nobles.

Leonard had prepared clothes in his size and filled the wardrobe, so even though Chaeyi came with nothing but himself, he didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

‘He’s really well-prepared.’

After a warm bath and quickly fixing his hair, Chaeyi opened the door and went out. The library was at the top of the stairs at the end of the hallway. he took a step forward, but…

“……?”

As soon as he stepped into the hallway, a knight who was standing nearby suddenly followed his.

Chaeyi quietly turned his head to look at him.

He probably felt his staring, but the man steadfastly looked straight ahead.

‘Could it be a bodyguard?’

With eyes as deep as a forest green, a sturdy build like Leonard, and a height close to 190 cm.

Come to think of it, this man seemed familiar, though he couldn’t recall exactly.

He seemed to be one of the knights who had come with Leonard a few days ago.

‘Hmm.’

Thinking he wouldn’t speak unless spoken to, Chaeyi initiated the conversation.

“I’m just going to the library, so I can go alone.”

It was a polite refusal. But suddenly, the man, who seemed steadfast, broke out in a nervous sweat and spoke in a trembling voice.

“That’s not possible. Please allow me to accompany you, I promise not to be a bother. If not, the young master will have my head.”

He seemed trapped in a dilemma. Anyone hearing him would think he was leading him to his doom.

“Oh, come on. That’s an exaggeration.”

“It’s not a joke. Please have mercy on me.”

Seeing his eyelashes trembling pitifully, Chaeyi felt a twinge of guilt, as if he had tormented him.

If he nagged him further, he might actually cry.

‘Uh… hmm.’

In the end, Chaeyi reluctantly held his tongue. he thought it would be best to let him have his way since he seemed adamant.

Walking alongside him down the hallway, he changed the subject.

“What’s your name? Is it alright to ask?”

“Yes. I’m Lawrence, the leader of the 1st knight squad under the Lancaster family.”

“Oh, I see. Feel free to speak comfortably.”

“No, I couldn’t possibly. Please refrain from such difficult requests. If the young master finds out, I’ll be hanged.”

“…….”

He really was inflexible.

Moreover, since earlier, he seemed to be afraid of Leonard as if he were some terrifying monster.

The reaction of the knights last time was the same…

Chaeyi thought they were all being too sensitive.

“Is Leo that scary?”

So, Chaeyi began to gently broach the topic.

“I don’t know how he appears, but Leo is kind-hearted and gentle… He cries quite often too.”

She hoped Lawrence would understand that Leonard wasn’t as scary as he seemed.

But Lawrence…

‘Kind-hearted… gentle… cries often? Not anyone else but the young master Leonard?’

He wore a complicated and serious expression as if faced with a monumental challenge.

He was speechless, caught between the Leonard he knew and the Leonard Chaeyi described.

‘He’s so careful when touching animals smaller than him, afraid they might get hurt… he’s a kind soul.’

But anyone who annoyed or obstructed him had their necks broken without mercy.

‘And he listens well….’

Not sure about that, but he is excellent at making others listen through torture.

Lawrence restrained himself from rebutting his point by point.

Watching Chaeyi speak with sparkling eyes, as if boasting about his child, made him feel dizzy.

There were rumors that Leonard had been raised by commoners during the period when he was exiled from the family as a child….

‘Could this person be…?’

Even so, he couldn’t imagine Leonard as kind, gentle, tearful, and obedient. As one of Leonard’s closest aides, having been by his side for several years, Lawrence had never seen such traits.

Chaeyi, unaware of this, was pleased, thinking that Lawrence was deeply impressed by Leonard’s new side.

‘I guess he understands.’

While they each had different thoughts, they reached the stairs at the end of the hallway.

‘Huh? What’s that?’

Chaeyi suddenly stopped, his attention caught by something outside the window along the building’s outer wall.

It was a relatively small structure, open on all sides with a roof supported by thick marble columns… various weapons were displayed inside. Curious about its identity, he stared at it, and Lawrence came up beside his.

“It’s the open training ground of the Onyx.”

“Training ground….”

“Each annex has a training ground. It’s usually used by the young masters, but knights use it occasionally when it’s available.”

“Sounds good. Can I take a look?”

“Yes. The young master said you could do whatever you like in the estate.”

Since he said so, there was no reason to refuse. Chaeyi, intrigued, changed his destination to the open training ground and headed down the stairs. Without thinking, Lawrence followed behind his.

“Gasp. Mister Chaeyi!”

Lawrence panicked when he saw Chaeyi suddenly grab a dagger from the weapon display.

“You… you must be careful with that!”

Chaeyi felt strange, as if he were being treated like a child handling a sharp object carelessly.

Since he still carried the habits from his past life as someone trained in lethal martial arts and weaponry, there was virtually no weapon he couldn’t handle.

Staring at the trembling Lawrence, who looked as if he might collapse at any moment, Chaeyi spun a dagger in his hand and tossed it into the air.

For a moment, Lawrence’s eyes widened as if his breath had been taken away.

But only for a moment.

Chaeyi deftly caught the dagger by its handle and then demonstrated a simple trick, causing Lawrence, who had been half out of his mind, to regain his composure.

Chaeyi smirked and lifted the corners of his mouth. His reactions made him an ideal target for teasing.

“Lawrence.”

Chaeyi placed the dagger back on the display stand and pulled out two wooden swords, tossing one to him.

Lawrence caught the wooden sword with a nimble movement, looking puzzled.

“Would you teach me a thing or two? I’ve always wanted to learn something like this.”

To be more precise, he wanted to learn the swordsmanship used by knights in this world. he thought it might come in handy someday.

But Lawrence shook his head even more frantically than before.

“No, no, absolutely not! Such a dangerous thing… how could I… Please, take back your words. If anything goes wrong, I’ll be torn apart by the young master!”

As always, he spoke as if death were looming.