The accommodations of an Apostle were among the most luxurious Leonidas had ever laid eyes on. There was a bed he didn’t have to worry about breaking, a mattress he could lie on without feeling the metal, a one-way window to gaze upon the landscape of Violet Waters, a personal bath, and there was even a quota of food that Leonidas could directly exchange for at no cost to himself.
Unfortunately, this previous night, Leonidas hadn’t had the chance to enjoy any of these things as he was forced to spend hours in pain reading through books to find the appropriate method of resetting bones. The good news, though, was that the passive Blessing Leonidas received from Yves was even greater now. He had been worried about how this arm would heal, but it actually only took a single night. On top of that, he only needed two hours of sleep now to revitalize himself. So, when he awoke from a long night, he could already hear the soft knock at his door.
Leonidas wasn’t surprised to find Anabel on the other side. Compared to last night, she seemed to have taken even more care of her appearance. Her fragrance was a lot less subtle, the blush on her face was no longer natural, and her dress was nowhere near as modest as it had been previously. But, considering the small bag in her hand and the coat draped between its handles, she had probably hidden much of this spectacle on her way here.
Leonidas had some internal thoughts about what he was seeing, but he decided to keep them to himself.
“You can come in.”
He stepped to the side, closing the door behind her.
Everything about Leonidas’ room was clean and tidy, almost to an anal degree. He had only just woken up, but even his bed had already been done. Anabel couldn’t help but take note of this, nervously holding onto her bag with two hands and not quite knowing where to sit. Should she sit on the bed? Or should she deviate to the connected living room? Would he take offense if she didn’t directly go to his bed? Why would he pick such an odd time? What were they supposed to do at dawn, it raised more questions than answers. She was at a complete loss.
Anabel shook her head. She was already a step ahead of all those other girls and she was here, if she allowed a moment of hesitation to ruin things, she wouldn’t be able to face her family. As all things went, she was luckier than most. Leonidas was still young, and he was very handsome. Also, he was an Apostle with a bright future ahead of him. For a young noblewoman like her, this was already far more than she could ask for. If she ever became a Paladin, she was already mentally prepared to become the plaything of an Apostle.
Steeling her mind, Anabel unzipped her dress in a single movement.
Leonidas, who had lagged a step behind Anabel, watched this scene in silence. If he pretended to be baffled, he would be being disingenuous. He realized from the moment she approached him that this was the sacrifice of the Siris family. Truthfully, this wasn’t what he had invited her over for, that was why he had purposely set the time at dawn, thinking that would make his intentions clear enough. But, it seemed that Anabel was very much determined.
Her alluring back-view was presented to Leonidas. She didn’t wear a bra, so the toned outline of her strength wasn’t obstructed in the slightest. This hidden strength and power were apparent down the slope of her perky bottom and her slender legs. Her training was obvious at a single glance and if he was honest, her body was far more impressive than his own just in terms of physique.
Anabel lowered her bag to the ground beside Leonidas’ bed, careful not to leave too much of a mess. She even went as far as to pick up her dress and fold it neatly. Her attention to detail and her read on Leonidas’ disposition was immaculate. All the while, her every action carried with it a hint of sensual appeal as though she couldn’t feel Leonidas’ gaze on her.
When she turned to face Leonidas, there was no doubt that her blush had very much become real. She held her breasts with one arm, hiding their full view away. Her underwear was plain and a deep shade of black, but they contoured the outline of her hips and those precious lips perfectly. If Leonidas didn’t know better, he would think that Anabel had been trained by a top-class brothel. She knew all too well that to a man, showing just enough but not too much was sometimes far more appealing than revealing everything too quickly.
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She stepped toward Leonidas with a lowered head, wrapping her free arm around his waist while she tried to hide her trembling.
“You… Your Lordship, I am willing to serve you… in whatever way you desire. I have not been touched by any man and I have saved myself for you. I only hope that you will remember my Siris family in the future.”
Anabel didn’t dare say that she hoped to become Leonidas’ Paladin. She didn’t even dare to hope to become his wife or concubine. Even in exchange for so much, these small words were all she had the leverage to speak. Lives in this world were truly worthless.
Anabel felt a finger slide beneath her chin, forcing her to look up. Those crimson eyes of Leonidas’ made her shiver like there was a looming mountain overhead. Maybe even Leonidas hadn’t noticed the natural pressure he gave off ever since he awakened War Cry. Though, Anabel was likely feeling much more of his pressure as an Apostle.
“For now, put your clothes on. Meet me in the living room.”
Anabel blinked in shock when she heard this, but Leonidas had already turned to leave. She panicked a bit, feeling that she had done something wrong. Was she not beautiful enough? Maybe she wasn’t to Leonidas’ liking?
‘Calm down, he didn’t chase you away yet. Just… Just…’
Anabel bit her lip hard, almost to the point of drawing blood. She didn’t dare to delay Leonidas any longer, so she slipped her dress back on, hurrying over. But now, she suddenly felt greatly subconscious about how skimpy it was. She didn’t even normally dress like this and had only done so to entice Leonidas more. This was a miscalculation on her part, though. Leonidas was used to women of the brothel. The Anabel of last night was far more alluring to him than this version of her.
Anabel stood nervously before Leonidas who sat on a lounging chair with a simple cushion. She obliged when he pointed across from him and sat down as though it was a chair formed of needles, waiting for Leonidas to speak.
“I called you here today for two main reasons,” Leonidas began. “The first reason is that I need a training partner. I am ignorant to many things in this new world but I feel that a knight who’s been training since her youth like yourself will have a great many things I can learn and take from.”
Anabel was stunned when she heard this. This Apostle wanted a sparring partner? And he chose her? No, it was more so that she had come to him. But still. This was a matter she hadn’t been prepared for in the slightest.
“The second reason is that due to these current circumstances, we need each other. Your Siris family needs the umbrella of an Apostle, and I need the umbrella of a family with a foundation that I happen to lack.
“This town is small. Finding out my identity won’t be a problem, especially with the rarity of Half-Beasts in this place. But, I made it clear to you before that I am just a commoner who stumbled upon some luck.
“That said, while I have humble beginnings, my present is anything but so. The fact that your family has sent you is a sign that they are willing to take a risk. But, quite frankly, it isn’t enough of one. The plausible deniability of sending over just a single woman is high. You understand what I mean, right?”
Anabel’s hands gripped together. That was right. Even if things went perfectly and she ended up becoming Leonidas’ wife or Paladin, or even both, should things take a wrong turn, the Siris family would abandon her in the blink of an eye. She was ultimately just a single person, and a younger generation member at that, her actions couldn’t be said to represent the whole family.
Of course, if she really did become a Paladin, it was highly unlikely that this would happen, but how long would that take? She knew how expensive it was to raise a Paladin, and that didn’t even consider the upfront cost of having one acknowledged.
“But that is fine.”
“What?” Anabel looked up, astonished once again. She had already lost count of the number of times this had happened to her.
“I do not need your family’s foundation, I only need the illusion of your family’s foundation. But, when it comes to you, I need your full cooperation. I will give you everything you want. You can become my woman in name or in reality, the choice is yours. When I have accumulated enough Blessings, I will make you my Paladin and you can fly beneath my banner. All I ask for is your loyalty, can you do that?”
“I… I…”
Anabel exhaled a long breath. Leonidas was essentially asking her to place loyalty to him above her loyalty to her family.
Did Anabel hate her family? No. They had raised her up and given her such a comfortable life until now. In order for the Siris family to grow to this point, many of her ancestors had sacrificed just as she would have to do now. The only reason she had lived a life of leisure for so long is that she was lucky enough to have good talent as a Knight.
So, though such an option was before her, the choice wasn’t obvious. But, was there even a method of backing out now? It was one thing to not have the support of an Apostle, but to gain the hostility of one? No matter how weak Leonidas’ current foundation was, could they guarantee he would die before he grew?
“You… won’t ask me to take action against my family, right?”
She had dreamed of becoming a Paladin for as long as she could remember. The sacrifices she had to make didn’t matter to her either. However, she couldn’t bring herself to do it at the expense of her family.