Chapter 7

Father met an inglorious end at the hands of a rebel spy when he was still young. After that, the duty to reclaim the title naturally fell to the eldest son, Leon.

He entered the military academy earlier than others. After graduation, he traversed numerous battlefields and rebel hideouts, earning the titles of war hero and vampire all at once.

Now, his next duty was to marry a noble lady from a prestigious family to help reclaim the title.

Raised with military training from birth, he was accustomed to doing things he didn't want to do without complaint. It had become second nature to him.

Due to his notorious reputation for leaving a trail of blood wherever he went, he was called the vampire of Camden. However, the nickname "Camden's loyal hound" might be more fitting.

'Would it be right to call this woman a gentle lamb of the duchy?'

Leon gazed at the duchess, who was looking out the window at the deck.

Compared to the duchess, the eldest son of the Winston family was of much lower status. Yet, the duke took this marriage proposal seriously because the civil war was still ongoing.

In a world where military men rose to prominence, Leon was the most promising among many young officers.

The duke was like buying a stock that had just started to rise, with high risk but potentially high returns, using one of his remaining daughters. Thus, Rosalind Aldridge was the duke's sacrificial lamb.

Leon spoke to the woman with a disinterested expression.

"Do you like it here?"

"...Yes."

His intuition, honed from years of interrogating spies, told him that was a lie.

"That's fortunate. I was a bit regretful, wondering if it was a mistake to leave the restaurant reservation to my mother."

A faint smile appeared on the duchess's face.

"Mrs. Winston has excellent taste."

"Thank you. I'll pass that on to my mother."

He smiled without meaning, and the duchess slowly followed suit. Just as she was about to speak, a waiter brought their meal. After that, their conversation was limited to a few words about the dishes.

Finishing his plate quickly wouldn't help him escape this place any faster, but his body acted on its own, finishing the meal in no time.

When his plate was empty, the duchess also put down her fork and knife. Her plate was only half-empty.

"I apologize. In the military, one gets used to the pace of men's eating."

Leon moved to a café on the same floor and looked at the menu, apologizing belatedly. He thought he should offer her a cake since he couldn't let his guest go hungry.

"No, actually, the portion was too large for me."

The duchess, acting like a proper lady, declined dessert and ordered tea. While waiting for the tea, her gaze kept drifting to his face as he looked out the window. Leon, feeling uncomfortable, finally asked.

"Do you have something to say?"

The duchess looked caught. Her obvious behavior wasn't even amusing. Then, for some reason, she smiled to herself and spoke.

"You're not as terrifying as the rumors suggest."

Leon suppressed a sneer.

'Stupid woman. Did you think I would whip you?'

He knew the rumors were vicious, but they weren't entirely false. He just wouldn't show his true self to the duchess.

"Captain, you are truly kind and considerate."

If she saw his true nature and still called him kind and considerate, what kind of woman was she?

Sally Bristol.

She didn't seem stupid. Rather, she appeared to be a fox pretending to be stupid.

The gap between her words of admiration and her eyes of disdain was quite entertaining. He wanted to corner her into a dead end and see her true self.

Would he then know if this fox was a mischievous female or a cunning trickster?

'For example...'

A cruel impulse suddenly surged, and Leon took a deep breath.

Lifting Sally's black maid's skirt, he spread her slender calves. Tearing the white bloomers, he would thrust his gun into the narrow, damp area.

The cold gun barrel would stir the soft flesh, and Sally would let out a moan closer to pain than pleasure.

Pulling the gun out of her quivering insides, the wet barrel would be drenched in her lustful fluids, soaking his hand.

'This is hard to bear.'

Leon crossed his legs more tightly. Why did his pants feel like they would burst just from imagining that insignificant woman?

Was it because of her eyes?

"I had a pleasant time."

When he dropped the duchess off at the villa, it was nearly midnight.

"I also had a very pleasant time."

Leon's cheerful smile made the duchess widen her eyes in surprise. She didn't expect him to be so sincere. It seemed she found it hard to believe.

It was quite a pleasant time.

The last two hours on the cruise ship were so enjoyable that his pants were uncomfortably tight.

"See you next time."

After escorting the duchess into the villa and getting into his car, the butler quickly approached from the entrance.

"Captain Winston, His Grace asks if you would repay the debt from tonight if you're not busy."

This was about him refusing the drink earlier.

"Oh..."

Leon pretended to be flustered, rubbing his forehead with his gloved finger.

"I already promised the duchess that I wouldn't drink tonight... I don't want to lose the trust of my wife-to-be so soon. I'm sure His Grace will understand. Tell him I'll repay the debt with interest."

Leon got into the car, leaving the duchess and the butler, who were looking at him strangely. He refused the pointless overtime.

Actually, he had an urgent matter to attend to in his pants.

***

In short, it was a terribly difficult day.

Sally lay on her bed, sighing as she reflected on the day.

Creak.

The old bed's groan echoed in the empty room. The maid's room in the attic of the annex was spacious enough for four people. Since Edel left, she had the luxury of the entire room to herself.

"Oh, what kind of wind blew today?"

So, she could vent her frustrations out loud.

Today was the most entangled day with Winston. He was a moody person, but today he kept popping up like a ghost, making her think she would die of a heart attack.

Did his beastly intuition kick in?

"Have you ever been to Abingdon Beach?"

A long sigh crossed the silent room.

Damn my eyes.

A spy should have a plain appearance. They should be so unremarkable that people can't describe them in detail when trying to create a mental image.

She thought she had a plain appearance. She had common chestnut hair and a plain face that lacked any allure.

Except for these teal eyes.

She warned them before being assigned to this mansion that her unique eyes might cause trouble. But he didn't listen.

"The leadership must set an example."

James 'Little Jimmy' Blanchard Jr., the young leader of the Blanchard Revolutionary Army and her fiancé.

No matter what dangerous mission he gave her, Sally never complained.

She never wanted a conventional life of sitting at home, raising children, and preparing gourmet meals for her husband when he returned.

She wanted to be recognized as an equal comrade by her fiancé, just as her mother was by her father.

So, her refusal of the Winston infiltration mission wasn't because she was a coward. It was because she feared her distinctive physical features might ruin the mission.

'See? I was right.'

It might be better to quickly replace her with someone else and withdraw. A small crack can lead to a collapse. Just because today's incident was brushed off doesn't mean Winston's suspicions are completely gone.

'I should call Jimmy...'

The interrogation room would be empty tomorrow, so he wouldn't have much work.

'Should I go to the post office tomorrow? Make a call...'

Sally looked at the dresser across the room. The large sum of money she had inadvertently taken from Winston today was hidden in a rolled-up sock.

'Should I send the money?'

She would send it to the headquarters along with her last week's salary as military funds. Unlike her salary, no one knew about this money, so she could have kept it, but her conscience wouldn't allow it. Besides, she didn't really need it.

Well... a cappuccino and a piece of cake at Madame Benoît's café would be nice.

"Do you know what's better than a piece of cake?"

I know. A whole cake.