Chapter 42. Dare You Speak That Name
Marie’s house — that is, the residence of the Debon Barony — was located in a quiet area on the outskirts.
The two-story house, which looked like it hadn’t been repaired in ages, resembled a haunted house.
At that moment, a window of the mansion shattered noisily.
“Dammit. Where’s the money, huh? Bring it out! I know you’re hiding it somewhere.”
“There’s nothing left. You took everything the last time! Can’t you see there’s not even enough to feed the children?”
“That’s not my problem. If you don’t bring it out now, I’ll kill every last one of you!”
Ominous conversations floated out from the house.
I exchanged a glance with Leonard.
“The atmosphere doesn’t seem good.”
“Please stay here. I’ll go take a look.”
Leonard stepped out of the carriage.
I followed after him.
He had told me to wait, but I couldn’t just sit back and watch.
Because amid the shouting, I had heard Marie’s voice.
Leonard glanced back at me but didn’t try to stop me.
It was likely confidence that he could protect at least one person — me.
Leonard quickly approached the mansion and observed the situation inside.
The shouting from earlier rang out again.
“Damned girl. How long do you think you can hold out, huh? Maybe we should twist your arm until you come to your senses?”
“You bastards!”
Marie’s voice, screaming in rage.
And then, the sound of children crying.
It was no longer a situation we could simply watch.
“I’m going in.”
“Protect Marie. And the children too.”
“Understood.”
Nodding, Leonard immediately kicked the door open.
Bang!
My mouth dropped open.
‘Oh my god…….’
I had expected a stealthy, spy-movie-like approach, but his method was astonishingly forceful.
This side of him — I hadn’t expected.
I had forgotten for a moment, enchanted by his graceful smiles and sweet words.
He was the Knight Commander.
One of the most skilled individuals in the Empire.
With his bold entrance, everyone’s attention snapped toward him.
“Who the hell are you?!”
Came a rough shout.
The dark interior.
Four men, all with dangerous glints in their eyes, stared at us.
Massive builds. Brutal appearances.
Weapons hanging from their backs and belts.
Scars scattered across their bodies.
It was obvious at a glance what sort of people they were.
And among them, I saw Marie.
She was sitting on the sofa, looking like she was being interrogated.
The problem was that one of the men was holding a knife to her throat.
“Sir Leonard?”
Marie’s eyes widened when she spotted Leonard.
“Sir what?”
“That bastard. Is he a knight?”
“Look at that. He’s got a pretty face, hasn’t he?”
The men sneered, sizing up Leonard from head to toe.
Leonard instantly assessed the situation.
In a low voice, he issued a warning.
“Put down that knife.”
“What the hell’s he saying?”
“Put it down? Who the hell do you think you are to be ordering us?”
The men’s faces twisted into snarls.
Their already savage expressions turned even nastier.
They laughed and mocked.
“Well, well. Looks like this pretty boy’s got a thing for the girl.”
“Which noble house are you from, huh? Got some money, I bet?”
Watching them, I silently prayed.
Dear God.
Please sew shut their mouths.
Several lives are at stake here.
But despite my prayer, their mouths rattled on like runaway trains.
“Look at his face. What a piece of work.”
“Even strapped a sword to his belt to look the part, huh?”
“Trying to look like a real knight?”
“Hey, kid. Get on your knees and beg while you still can. Maybe then we’ll spare your life.”
The men cackled.
Leonard, however, didn’t react at all.
He merely glanced at me standing beyond the door and quietly asked for confirmation.
“I’m going to take action.”
“Don’t kill them.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than Leonard moved.
“Aaagh!”
The man with the hawk-like nose, who had been holding a knife to Marie’s throat, screamed.
A dagger Leonard had thrown was embedded in the man’s arm.
“You bastard!”
“You son of a—!”
“Looks like you really do have a death wish!”
As one of them went down in an instant, the other men immediately drew their weapons.
But from the start, they were no match for Leonard.
With swift movements, Leonard slipped between them and struck lightly.
He didn’t even draw his sword from its sheath — he simply used the hilt to strike their solar plexuses and jabbed their throats.
“Urk!”
“Guah!”
“W-what?!”
The hawk-nosed man, still conscious somehow, shrank back in terror.
He had a look on his face like he’d just seen a ghost.
“Y-you mean… you’re a real knight?!”
As if he could be fake.
I scoffed under my breath.
There were a lot of things I wanted to say to that question.
He wasn’t just any knight—he was the Knight Commander.
And not just anyone, but Leonard Hilbert himself.
“Considering your rudeness, cutting off your heads wouldn’t be excessive… but you should be thankful for Her Grace’s mercy.”
“H-Her Grace?”
He was clearly talking about me.
Ahem. I cleared my throat lightly and stepped inside.
Leonard knelt down on one knee.
“You did well, Sir Leonard.”
I expressed my gratitude.
The hawk-nosed man looked flustered at the sight.
He glanced between me and Leonard with a confused expression.
“Y-Your Majesty the Empress!”
At that moment, Marie, having spotted me, fell flat to the ground.
Seeing her pressed low to the floor, the hawk-nosed man’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.
“T-the Empress?!”
Shing.
When did he even draw it?
“If you spout nonsense one more time, I’ll cut out your tongue.”
Leonard’s sword was now at the man’s throat.
“She’s not someone whose name you can speak so carelessly.”
His voice was so cold it sent a chill down my spine.
So even he could make a face like that.
“P-please, spare me!”
The hawk-nosed man collapsed to the floor, pressing his limbs flat and barely daring to breathe.
I glanced at the man trembling in fear and the others who had already fainted. Then I looked around the room, which had been broken and wrecked in places.
Finally, I approached Marie and asked,
“Marie.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Can you explain what happened here?”
***
“They’re loan sharks.”
Just as expected, the hawk-nosed man and his crew were from that kind of group.
Loan sharks were vile no matter where you went.
“A few years ago, my parents took out a huge loan and then disappeared. Ever since, they’ve come by from time to time, acting just like this.”
“How much debt are we talking about?”
“We’ve already paid it off. We sold everything we had, got help from a relative, and my brother and I worked too.”
I turned toward the hawk-nosed man.
“T-that’s… yes, the debt was paid off, but…”
I could already guess what was coming next.
“They paid off the principal, but now it’s the interest, right? The amount must have snowballed far beyond the legal rate.”
“T-that’s…”
The hawk-nosed man broke out in a cold sweat, trying to think of an excuse.
“Enough with the nonsense. Get your arm treated. If you keep bleeding like that, you’ll be in serious trouble.”
“Y-yes. Then I’ll just stop the bleeding…”
“Why are you eyeing someone else’s curtains? Rip your own clothes and use that.”
“Huh? Ah—yes, of course. You’re right.”
While the hawk-nosed man treated his wound, Leonard discreetly moved the other unconscious men out of sight.
“Marie. You must have had a rough time.”
I comforted her first.
“No, Your Majesty. I’m so sorry for showing you such a disgraceful sight. I don’t know what to do with myself.”
She burst into tears, sobbing.
The hawk-nosed man once again looked shocked.
Judging from his face, he still couldn’t believe I was the Empress.
Well, I suppose it made sense. It’s not every day an Empress visits a maid’s house.
“I came after hearing you were ill… Are you feeling any better?”
Just at a glance, Marie’s condition didn’t look good.
Dark shadows under her eyes, and a pale complexion.
“It’s nothing. Just a little cold.”
She worked at the Empress’ Palace during the day and took care of her younger siblings in the evening, so she barely had time to rest.
And on top of that, she had to deal with thugs like these—it was no wonder she was worn out.
“You did a good job hiding how much you were suffering.”
I stroked Marie’s hair and looked up.
In the kitchen area, I noticed small, curious gazes clustered together.
“Your siblings?”
“Yes.”
I beckoned to the children.
“Come here, all of you.”
They hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching.
There were seven of them.
“All of them are your siblings?”
Marie nodded.
“Yes.”
If I had known, I would’ve brought toys or something.
Seeing the kids lined up by height brought a smile to my lips.
“I brought a small gift with me today. It’s nothing fancy, but I hope you like it.”
I glanced toward Countess Chloe.
Quick to catch on, Countess Chloe called to the children.
“Alright, little ones. There’s a gift waiting in the carriage. Aren’t you curious what it could be?”
The children followed Countess Chloe outside.
Soon, I heard cheers and laughter as they received the pies.
They seemed to like them, thankfully.
We might be short on pies to give to the chefs and guards now, but I could always get more later.
“You’re amazing. Raising so many younger siblings on your own couldn’t have been easy.”
“I have an older brother, three years older. He’s been struggling lately because his business isn’t doing well.”
“Older brother?”
Just then—
Crash—!
The door Leonard had half-broken earlier was completely smashed to bits.
At the same time, a man burst in.
“Marie! Marie, are you alright?! Those bastards again! If they laid a finger on you, I swear I won’t let them live!”
He charged in, swinging a broom like a sword.
He looked very much like Marie.
“…He’s quite the brother.”
“…I wish I didn’t know him right now.”
—
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