Episode 29

Episode 29 – I Can’t Take It Anymore

“P-Please wait, Sir Leonard!”

Startled, I cried out.

But despite my flustered voice, Leonard remained calm and unbothered.

“Just stay still for a moment. It’ll be over soon.”

“B-But…”

I tried to pull my leg away, but it was no use. Leonard’s hand gripping my ankle was like an iron shackle—completely immovable.

“P-Please stop…”

His office.

An awkward situation where I was alone with him, ankle in his grasp.

How on earth did it come to this?

Just moments ago—

After I lost my footing, I ended up falling right into Leonard’s arms. And that wasn’t even the worst part.

— Truly… you’re someone I can’t take my eyes off for even a second.

He muttered something cryptic to himself and, without any warning, scooped me up into his arms and started walking toward his office.

In a full-on princess carry!

I couldn’t even lift my head from the embarrassment.

Princess carry… really?

It was mortifying.

Especially because it happened in front of so many people.

The curious stares from the handmaids. The scorching gazes from the knights watching from a distance.

Amid all that attention, Leonard brought me straight into his office.

“It looks like you’ve twisted your ankle. I’ll treat it, so please leave us for a moment.”

At his request, the handmaids quietly withdrew.

No, wait. Don’t leave!

I screamed internally, but the handmaids left obediently, wearing suspicious smiles.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Leonard seated me in a chair and examined my ankle.

“It’s fine. Just a minor twist. If I rest at the empress’s quarters, I’ll be fine in no time.”

“Even so, if you leave it untreated, it might get worse.”

“Then I’ll ask Cedric once I return. He’ll probably heal it right away, like with my wrist—”

“I’d rather do it myself.”

His calm voice cut me off.

Was it just my imagination?

His grip around my ankle suddenly felt firmer. Like he had no intention of letting go.

Regardless, he was being so insistent that I couldn’t bring myself to say no.

Let’s just close our eyes and pretend this isn’t happening.

This isn’t Leonard treating me.

This is some random person performing first aid.

“It might hurt a little.”

As he applied pressure, a sharp pain jolted through my ankle like lightning.

“Ahh! I-It hurts!”

“Just a little longer.”

His steady fingers pressed into various spots around my ankle and calf.

This man is a stranger. He’s definitely not Leonard…

“No really, this time it hurts! I can’t take it anymore, Sir Leonard. Please stop!”

Even if it was treatment, I couldn’t take it anymore!

“The muscle is quite shocked. There might be more pain.”

Wherever he pressed next, it felt like I was being jabbed with a needle.

“All done.”

At last, Leonard declared the treatment finished.

The comfort that came after the pain was, in a word, blissful.

Wow… that actually worked?

“Ah!”

That’s right—I’m still in his office right now.

If I stayed here any longer, it’d cause all kinds of misunderstandings.

“Thanks for the treatment. I thought you were just good with a sword, but apparently you’re quite the massage expert too.”

“Are you feeling any discomfort?”

“I’m totally fine now. I’ll definitely repay you for this someday. Well then, I’ll just… huh?”

I tried to stand but couldn’t.

Because Leonard still hadn’t let go of my ankle.

“Sir Leonard?”

When I called to him, he responded… with an action.

“…!”

A sudden warmth brushed over the top of my foot.

He had kissed it.

My head spun in confusion.

And when he finally pulled back, I managed to stammer:

“W-What was that…?”

“A blessing.”

“A… blessing?”

“Though I can’t use magic,” Leonard’s gaze softened, “I offered a small prayer, wishing for Your Majesty’s swift recovery.”

Around the same time, in the Imperial Consort’s Palace.

Fay was spending time with Jerome.

They were walking through the rose garden—her favorite place.

A garden full of pink roses the same shade as her hair. A gift that Jerome had created just for her.

Normally, Fay would have been all smiles, chatting endlessly with Jerome.

But today was different.

Her expression was sour; she looked like she was pouting, deeply upset.

Eventually, Jerome couldn’t take it anymore and asked:

“Did something happen?”

“…No.”

“You don’t look like someone with nothing on their mind. Just tell me—what is it?”

Fay answered with a sulky grumble.

“It’s because of you, Your Majesty.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

She nodded, frowning.

“You broke our last promise and vanished. And then you didn’t even say a word about it afterward.”

Lowering her lashes, she looked forlorn.

She’d been really looking forward to that day.

Time spent with the man she loved was something she always cherished.

But…

“Didn’t I explain that already?”

Even as she whined, Jerome’s tone stayed cold and blunt.

That only made Fay more upset.

“But it’s not like you said it to my face.”

She bit her lower lip as if trying to hold back tears.

That day, all he left was a short letter saying he was busy.

“You were gone for quite a while. Where did you go that was so urgent?”

“Something came up.”

Pressed further, Jerome let out a sigh.

“Fine. I was in the wrong.”

A brief silence settled between them.

Eventually, Fay broke it.

“Your Majesty. Then can you answer a question for me?”

“Go ahead.”

“You have to promise me you’ll answer it.”

Jerome raised a brow.

“A promise? What kind of question is this?”

“Come on.”

“Alright, fine. I promise.”

Fay’s expression instantly lit up.

“It’s not that big of a deal, actually.”

But her tone was brimming with anticipation.

“Here—this is it!”

She pulled something out from her coat with a flourish.

A gleaming golden mask.

One Jerome recognized immediately.

“…”

His eyes narrowed at the sight.

“Where did you find that?”

“I discovered it in your office.”

Fay smiled innocently.

“It’s so cool-looking, don’t you think?”

She turned it around in her hands, examining it from every angle.

“What’s this mask for?”

“…”

“It’s not like you’d perform in a masked play or something.”

She laughed as if joking.

“Can I have it?”

“If you want a mask, I’ll buy you a prettier one.”

“No, I like this one.”

Unusually, Fay was being stubborn.

“Give it to me.”

But Jerome was firm.

Fay’s expression sank.

“…Here.”

She handed it over reluctantly, clearly disappointed.

But Jerome’s face remained stony and unfeeling.

At that moment—

“Your Majesty!”

A man came rushing from the far side of the garden, breathless from running.

It was Jerome’s secretary, Marquis Niclad.

“What is it?”

Jerome asked.

Niclad glanced hesitantly at Fay, then whispered something in Jerome’s ear.

Jerome’s brow twitched.

“…That person?”

Inside the carriage returning to the empress’s quarters.

I still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

A blessing?

A kiss on the top of my foot?!

What kind of sappy fairy tale nonsense was that?

Why was the villain of the Empire’s dark future whispering such romantic lines to me?

I shook my head furiously.

Something was definitely wrong.

Leonard would never behave like this under normal circumstances.

Who was he again?

The man who, in the second half of the original story, went dark and dragged the empire to the brink of ruin.

Once he embraced his role as the mastermind, Leonard became more cold-blooded and merciless than anyone.

And now?

Kind smiles?

Kisses on the foot?

“What the hell is going on?”

I thought everything would be fine as long as I avoided acting like a villainess…

But now Jerome, Fay, and Leonard were acting completely off-script.

The original main characters were all becoming strangers.

“I must’ve done something wrong…”

But I had no idea where it had gone wrong.

Just then, the graceful, steady pace of the imperial carriage came to a stop.

We’d arrived at the empress’s quarters.

As the door opened, the handmaids welcomed me with beaming smiles.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

“Please, you must hurry back!”

Huh?

I tilted my head.

Their nervous energy seemed too much for a mere greeting.

“What’s going on?”

“You have a visitor!”

“A visitor?”

“Hoho. They’re all flustered to see me, I see.”

A warm chuckle sounded, and a middle-aged man stepped forward.

He was dressed in richly ornate clothing, practically dripping with opulence.

Despite his stern features, his face was lit with a wide smile.

Most strikingly, he had violet eyes—just like mine.

The moment I saw him, one word fell from my lips:

“Father?”

***

Helena’s father.

Duke Hastings of House Schwaben, a character who appeared several times in the original story.

One of the empire’s only three Grand Nobles, he often clashed with the male lead, Jerome.

Though not exactly a villain, his reputation was just as bad.

Because he was the father of the infamous villainess, Helena.

Known in public as a cold-blooded man, he was secretly a doting father.

He gave Helena everything she asked for, fulfilled all her whims and desires.

That kind of indulgence turned her into the selfish aristocratic lady she became.

“I heard you were abroad. When did you return?”

“Two days ago,” he said with a warm smile. “I had mountains of work to sort through, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you, so I had to come.”

Then he turned to the handmaids.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen my daughter. Could we have a moment alone?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Sensing the mood, the handmaids promptly left the room.

Click.

The door closed—and the moment it did, the duke’s expression changed.

“You foolish girl.”

His voice turned sharp.

And not just his voice—his entire demeanor shifted.

His eyes narrowed in anger.
His thin lips trembled with fury.
His cold gaze looked down at me with contempt.

There was nothing fatherly about it.

“Where have you been gallivanting around at a time like this?”

Tsk tsk, he clicked his tongue.

I was taken aback.

I thought you were a doting father…?

What part of this man is supposed to be soft-hearted?

Seriously—what is wrong with the people in this place?

Why does everyone change personalities the moment a door closes?!