Chapter 329: Leona(2)
Chapter 329: Leona(2)
The meeting with Leona’s mother—though it felt more like a formal introduction to a future mother-in-law—was set for the weekend. Since Leona was a student and had to focus on her studies, that was the only time she had available.
As expected, the meeting place was my dormitory. I would have preferred a quiet restaurant, but the circumstances didn't allow for it.
The moment I stepped outside, I would draw every eye in the vicinity.
I could have used a disguise with the help of those around me, but I didn't feel the need to go that far. It felt a bit much to ask for help for something like this.
So, I waited outside for her mother. Since Leona had met up with me beforehand, she was waiting quietly by my side.
"Do you usually dress like that on weekends?"
"Yeah. It's not like I can wear my school uniform every single day."
"Still, isn't that a bit... breezy?"
I glanced at Leona’s outfit, which looked refreshing just to look at. The current weather was the sweltering heat of approaching summer.
It was only natural to wear well-ventilated, cool clothing, but Leona’s attire was eye-catching no matter where she went.
She wore a short sleeveless top and short brown shorts. She was wearing only those two pieces, and the top was a crop top that left her midriff completely exposed.
It was a somewhat modern look, but considering training suits existed in this world, it wasn't something to be overly concerned about. It was just a bit novel to see Leona, who was building an image as a 'model student,' wearing such clothes.
Thanks to that, Leona’s figure was revealed without reservation, making for quite a pleasant sight. I scanned her up and down as she happily ate the ice cream I had bought her.
I had a general idea even when she wore her uniform, but her body was surprisingly voluminous. She was curvy in all the right places.
‘Come to think of it, didn't they say beastkin generally have good physiques?’
To be precise, their physical specs were on another level. Even a slender-looking body like Leona’s was packed with muscle, supposedly weighing over 80kg.
Furthermore, due to their racial characteristics, they were highly fertile and tended to have large babies by human standards. Because of this, they naturally possessed wide hips and large breasts.
If there was a difference from the demons, it was that while demons followed the principle of survival of the fittest, for beastkin, it was simply etched into their genes.
Even Zinai, the new Grand Chieftain, was taller than me, which showed just how superior the beastkin's physical specs were.
‘And yet, humans used to go around massacring such beastkin.’
I wondered exactly how they managed that. But I suppose the barbarism committed in the name of civilization made it possible.
I watched Leona, who was now crunching on her ice cream cone, and called out to her quietly.
"Leona."
"Yeah?"
Leona turned her head toward me, munching on the cone. Her blue eyes, rather than her golden ones, looked straight at me.
She had her ears and tail hidden; I understood the ears, but I was curious how she hid the tail. Was it curled up inside those short pants?
"Why'd you call me?"
"Just because."
"How boring. But this is really delicious."
Leona licked her lips, clearly enjoying the ice cream I bought her. I chuckled at the sight.
In this world, ice cream was an expensive snack. Even though magic existed, it wasn't readily available to civilians.
Even if one used cold storage magic, the maintenance costs were astronomical. Therefore, ice cream was a luxury enjoyed only by nobles or the wealthy.
"I can buy you more if you want."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But if you eat too much, you'll get an upset stomach, so keep it in moderation."
"Sweet!"
Fortunately, I had more money than I knew what to do with. With piles of gold bars stacked in my house, I could afford this much luxury.
Since I liked ice cream myself, there was no reason to be stingy.
I looked at the genuinely happy Leona with a satisfied smile and reached out my hand. However, realizing we were outside, I pulled it back.
There were no people around at the moment, but you never knew. As the President had warned, there might be stalkers I wasn't aware of.
The same went for the demon worshippers. I was fine for now because I had a sturdy shield named Kate, but I would become vulnerable if something happened to her.
‘There really are a lot of things to keep in mind.’
Of course, knowing Kate’s personality, she wouldn't dream of leaving my side. I looked at the backs of Adelia and Kate, who were reliably guarding the path ahead of me.
Behind us was the dormitory entrance, guarded by knights, so there were no issues. All that was left was to wait for Leona’s mother.
After some time had passed...
"It has been a while, Lord Isaac. This is our second meeting since the exhibition."
I had my second meeting with Lucia, Leona’s mother and the third wife of the former Grand Chieftain.
Her appearance was the spitting image of Leona—a beauty with piercingly bright blue eyes and dull blonde hair.
However, while Leona’s hair texture was similar to a lion’s mane, Lucia’s was straight and calm.
Perhaps because of that, she exuded an image of wisdom and composure. I treated her with courtesy as she greeted me politely.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mother Lucia. Has it been two months since the exhibition? I trust you have been well?"
"As long as my daughter is doing well, that is enough for me."
Lucia replied with a bright smile. I had felt it when I heard about her from Leona, but her love for her daughter was palpable.
That made me even more nervous. I wondered how Lucia would press me.
I could easily counter her if she brought up the slip of the tongue Leona had mentioned before, but she was a woman who became the Grand Chieftain’s wife through 'wisdom' alone in Animus.
Even though she couldn't hold proper power, considering beastkin culture, it was undeniable that she had been a great help to the Grand Chieftain.
"Shall we head inside first?"
"Yes."
As we moved to enter, the knights guarding the main gate opened the doors without a word.
They were tight-lipped, so there was no worry about rumors leaking, and even if they did, I could just face them head-on.
Afterward, Kate returned to her own dormitory, and Adelia left for the kitchen to prepare some light refreshments.
"By the way, I was quite surprised. To think that Lord Isaac was actually Xenon... After hearing that news, I spent quite some time wondering if it was truth or fiction."
Seated, Lucia brought up the topic in a calm voice. Hearing her words, I maintained my smile and spoke.
"It may be hard to believe, but I am indeed Xenon. Though I am neither a prophet nor a person from the future."
"You have achieved feats equivalent to that, so it must be difficult to deny. Even I find myself believing it."
"Just to be sure, I'm telling you, I'm absolutely not."
At my half-joke, Lucia covered her mouth and laughed. Looking at her like this, she seemed like nothing more than an ordinary woman.
However, those experienced in politics always carried a blade within them. I looked at Lucia while taking a bite of a cookie Adelia had prepared.
As the savory taste and aroma of the cookie filled my mouth, Lucia also picked one up without hesitation.
And Leona...
"Nom, nom, nom."
"Is it good?"
"Yeah!"
Before I knew it, she had revealed both her ears and tail and was eating heartily. Taking the opportunity, I gently stroked her head.
Her ears drooped to the sides and her tail wagged, expressing her mood.
If she had no affection for me, or if someone else had tried to pet her, she would have rejected it violently. This was a sign of how deep our bond was.
"...As I heard, you two seem to get along well."
Lucia spoke in a slightly lowered voice after confirming the nature of our relationship. Her voice carried a hint of complexity.
I left Leona, who was busy eating cookies, for a moment and turned to Lucia. Her mouth was still smiling, but her face looked as complicated as her voice sounded.
"Yes. As you can see, Leona and I get along very well. It started by chance, but as we helped each other out, it eventually became like this."
"I heard the story from Leona. That it was Lord Isaac who resolved the political rift that broke out within Animus. I was skeptical at first, but I understood as soon as I learned your identity."
"Contrary to what you've heard, I'm not that wise of a person."
"You are far too humble. Then, I shall ask you one thing."
It seemed she was finally getting to the point. Since this was the original purpose of the meeting, I leaned my upper body forward slightly.
Sensing the atmosphere grow heavy as Lucia stopped speaking, Leona also quietly put down her cookie.
I used a napkin to wipe the crumbs from the corners of her mouth. She twitched her ears but let me do as I pleased.
Lucia watched us with a strange look in her eyes. Then, she looked me straight in the eye and spoke.
"Lord Isaac, do you like Leona? As a man likes a woman?"
It was an expected question, so I answered without a moment's hesitation.
"Yes. I like her."
"And not because you are 'forced' to follow beastkin culture?"
Lucia particularly emphasized the word 'forced.' In fact, that was the fundamental issue.
If Leona hadn't been immersed in beastkin culture, she wouldn't have made the choice to become my wife.
I hadn't had such intentions in the first place, either. I had only helped Leona and mediated the conflict in Animus out of pure goodwill.
That single cultural difference had caused this whole mess and was the reason I had hesitated many times, but not anymore.
"It was like that at first. I was very flustered when I suddenly heard she would become my wife. I had a fiancée at the time, after all."
"Leona told me that it's not just a fiancée. She said she would become your third wife. I heard the second wife is the Princess of Helium."
"Yes. That's correct."
As I answered, I glanced not at Leona, but at Adelia. She was my exclusive maid, but she was also my woman.
Leona knew this fact as well but hadn't mentioned it. Mentioning it would only make the situation disadvantageous for her.
"But I doubt it will be just the two of them. I expect that before long, the number of women around Lord Isaac will increase."
"...What makes you think that?"
"Because that is politics, and that is the world. When a center appears, people who move toward that center are bound to appear one after another. That is the world I have experienced."
Lucia was keenly grasping the political situation. It was an insight an ordinary person would never have.
As I found myself momentarily speechless at her prediction, Lucia continued calmly.
"I felt it in Animus. It is the law of nature for women to flock to a man... no, a male with power."
She immediately corrected herself after a brief slip of the tongue.
"It is the law of nature for women to flock to a man with power. This applies to all races, not just beastkin. Especially you, Xenon, who has bestowed grace upon every race. You saved the demons, rescued the World Tree from danger, and further exposed the existence of the demon worshippers hiding in the shadows. There is no one in this world who can best you in terms of power."
"..."
"Leona may have formed a bond with you before she knew your true identity, but... I am anxious. Living as a concubine with no power. Being treated as a 'prize' and living passively. Having to prove one's 'usefulness' to avoid being discarded. I want to prevent that, at the very least."
Lucia indirectly expressed her own unfortunate life story. Leona and I listened to her story in silence.
She then looked at Leona with sorrowful eyes and spoke solemnly.
"Leona’s father—the former Grand Chieftain of Animus—was a man deeply steeped in beastkin culture. He treated even taking me as his third wife and fathering Leona as a 'prize.' I wanted to avoid that ideology rubbing off on my daughter, but... I only half-succeeded."
"..."
"I want Leona to be treated as a person, not a 'prize.' When I heard that Lord Isaac had rejected her, I was actually happy. Because it meant you were someone who knew how to treat a person like a human being. So, I will say this to you, Lord Isaac."
After her long explanation, she took a slow breath, opened her eyes wide, and said what she wanted to say to me.
"Leona will not be of much help to Lord Isaac. In fact, she might even be a hindrance."
"..."
"I will not reject Lord Isaac’s choice. My daughter happens to like Lord Isaac as well, so it is something I must accept as a parent."
"I'm grateful for that, but... Lady Lucia."
"Yes. Please, speak."
Lucia wasn't stopping Leona from coming to me. She just wanted to understand what kind of person I was.
At that, I clasped my hands together and smiled brightly. There was one very appropriate thing to say in this situation.
"My sister once asked me this: 'Will you be a ruffian, or will you be a piece of trash?'"
"Pardon?"
"And I decided to be a ruffian."
This was the resolution I had made when I accepted Adelia.
"I figured it would be better to be a ruffian who takes in this woman and that woman, rather than a piece of trash who breaks a woman's heart."
Better to be a ruffian than a piece of trash. The milk was already spilled, and since I had revealed myself as Xenon, it was an unavoidable phenomenon.
However, I would never do anything to hurt them. To repeat, I wasn't that kind of trash.
"The same goes for Leona. I will never break her heart."
"..."
"I will follow my heart, regardless of her usefulness."
Did she realize something after hearing my answer? Lucia’s mouth hung open slightly as she dazed out for a moment, before she eventually lowered her head.
Just before she lowered her head, I caught a glimpse of her face breaking into a smile.
"Pfft..."
As soon as she lowered her head, Lucia’s body trembled as she suppressed her laughter. I waited quietly until she was finished laughing.
Eventually, Lucia raised her head, pressing a fist to her mouth, and looked at me. Judging by the tears at the corners of her eyes, she must have found it quite funny.
"Phew... Honestly..."
The words that then escaped Lucia’s mouth were...
"Lord Isaac, you truly are an irredeemable ruffian. I should have known sooner."
It was a compliment that wasn't quite a compliment. Hearing that praise, I shrugged and joked back.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"But won't it be difficult for you, Lord Isaac?"
In fact, that was the biggest problem. That it would be difficult for me to handle.
At that, I spoke with an ambiguous smile.
"That's why I'm working so hard on my writing."
I don't want to die young.