Chapter 16

"Ride me... no, become my bride, Cordelia."

"I refuse to be treated like a catnip."

Cordelia immediately rejected Leonhardt's passionate proposal (?). After firmly stating her refusal, she noticed Leonhardt blinking in surprise.

"Could it be that Cordelia dislikes catnip?"

"Before liking or disliking it, I am not catnip."

"I am not catnip."

...Even to myself, this line sounds meaningless. Cordelia thought it was unlikely that she would ever use such a line in her life.

Ignoring Cordelia's inner thoughts, Leonhardt opened his lips as if in a feverish state.

"Sorry, my words were inappropriate... 'Catnip' was a metaphor. Cordelia, you are more adorable than catnip, a truly wonderful and charming presence to me."

No, that's not it. Cordelia held back the urge to correct him.

(Actually, is 'more adorable than catnip' even a compliment...?)

It shouldn't be. While berating her own thoughts, Cordelia was about to speak when—

"Cordelia, let's put this conversation on hold for now. She's regaining consciousness."

Leonhardt lowered his voice and looked at the young lady leaning against the tree. With his superior hearing, he had sensed a change in her condition. His expression, which had been sweet and passionate toward Cordelia, was now calm and unreadable. Cordelia silently applauded his facial control and turned to watch the young lady.

"Ugh...?"

Slowly, the young lady's eyelids lifted. She blinked a few times and slowly shook her head.

"Why am I... in such a place...?"

Her wandering gaze stopped on Cordelia.

"Ah!! Cordelia?!"

The young lady's voice cracked. She seemed to still be in a state of confusion, her eyes filled with fear, and her lips opened and closed as if gasping for air.

While Cordelia was trying to figure out how to calm her, the pale young lady let out a scream—

"Viscountess Pamela, close your mouth."

A stern voice cut through the scream. It was Leonhardt. He hadn't raised his voice or sounded angry, but his words carried a commanding presence.

Usually calm and gentle, and sweet and kind to Cordelia, Leonhardt was, after all, a member of the royal family. Reaffirming this fact, Cordelia called out to the trembling, pale-faced Pamela.

"Pamela, calm down. There's no need to be afraid. His Highness saved you from drowning."

"His Highness saved me from drowning...?"

Pamela's eyes closed as if confirming her memory.

"I fell from the boat and was drowning—"

Pamela stood up and looked around frantically.

"Lions!! A lion attacked me while I was drowning!! Where did it go?!"

"Pamela, calm down."

Leonhardt's command made Pamela freeze again.

"There are no lions. What you saw was an illusion."

"But, that can't be—!!"

"You had swallowed a lot of water. The pain must have caused you to hallucinate."

"But, my dress was pulled so close—!!"

"That was also an illusion. There are no lions near the capital, right?"

"His Highness is right, Pamela. I was there, and there were no lions."

With Cordelia's support, Pamela seemed to finally accept it.

"...That's true. If there were really lions, even Lady Cordelia would have been attacked and wouldn't be unharmed."

"Exactly."

...In a way, Cordelia wasn't unharmed, having been treated like catnip and proposed to, but she kept that to herself and smiled to reassure Pamela. It seemed Pamela was calming down, as she had resumed using honorifics.

"But, if there were no lions, why is Lady Cordelia's dress like that?"

"To save you, I was about to jump into the lake—"

"About that, Pamela, could you cover your eyes and turn around for a moment?"

Leonhardt pointed in the opposite direction of where Cordelia and the others were. Pamela instinctively followed the instruction, though she sounded anxious.

"His Highness, what do you mean?"

"Cordelia was just about to fix her disheveled clothes. Even if it's a woman, one doesn't want others to see them changing or getting ready, right?"

"I'm sorry!!"

"Don't worry. Cordelia, I'll turn around until you're ready."

Pamela nodded, covering her eyes with both hands. Leonhardt approached Cordelia and whispered.

"Cordelia, what should we do next...?"

"We should say that His Highness wasn't here and get her to agree to the cover story."

If it became known that Leonhardt had come to help, it would cause a lot of trouble. With Zayeed's involvement and the many difficult-to-explain events, it was best to avoid complications.

"We don't know when Pamela, my attendants, and Lady Katharina will arrive. His Highness should leave this place as soon as possible."

"You're right. Then, Cordelia, can you ride on my back later?"

...What?

Just as Cordelia was wondering what he meant—

(Ah, I see. He's going to turn into a lion and wants me to ride on his back...?)

She understood the meaning but couldn't quite grasp Leonhardt's true intentions.

"I can't do that. I can't ride a lion, even if it's His Highness."

"I'd be more than happy to have you, if it's you."

"I couldn't possibly."

"Don't worry. You're as light as a feather."

Cordelia felt a headache coming on as Leonhardt confidently stated this with a beautiful smile.

"To begin with, I don't see the necessity of riding a lion."

"Would you prefer me in human form? Then I'll carry you in my arms."

Leonhardt said this matter-of-factly, explaining that it would be too dangerous to let her walk through the forest.

"...Why is it assumed that I will be acting with His Highness from now on?"

"Of course. Katharina hates you. I can't leave you here alone if she might come."

"His Highness, I appreciate your concern, but I can handle Katharina—"

"Cordelia."

Cordelia suppressed the urge to jump at the sound of Leonhardt's calm but intensely passionate voice. Her heart raced as if she were being stared down by a large predator.

"You said you were my catnip, didn't you?"

"Catnip..."

Leonhardt's fingers touched and gripped Cordelia's wrist.

"Lions are beasts and part of the cat family. I can't leave my catnip behind."

His eyes seemed to glow with a fierce light, as if to prove that he was a lion.

"...Cordelia, you have two choices."

Leonhardt released her wrist and held up two fingers. The dangerous light in his eyes had disappeared. Cordelia relaxed her shoulders as Leonhardt folded his index finger.

"First, ride on my back in lion form and head to the carriage I came in."

He then folded his middle finger.

"Second, stay here with me and take the boat that comes to pick us up to the viscount's mansion."

Cordelia sighed softly at the choices presented.

(Those aren't really two viable options, are they?)

If she chose the second option, many people, including Katharina, would know that Leonhardt had come to her aid. Moreover, her dress was half-off and disheveled.

If people saw Cordelia, who was rumored to be Leonhardt's favorite, in such a state with him, the rumors would be obvious. Since Cordelia had no intention of accepting Leonhardt's proposal, the second option was practically non-existent.

"...I understand. Though it's a great honor, I will ride the lion His Highness."

"I believed you would choose that."

Facing Leonhardt's smile,

(His Highness is quite a handful...)

Cordelia thought to herself. Leonhardt, who was usually kind and sweet to her, like a cat with catnip, was not just a gentle and calm man.

He was a prince and a lion. He had shown his royal authority to Pamela and had eyes that emitted a predatory aura.

—Cordelia, who had been designated as catnip by this extremely troublesome person.

Thank you for reading.

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The next chapter will be updated tomorrow. Thank you for your continued support.