FTA Ch 10

<Chapter 10>

 

“……”

 

As Gloria coolly tried to dissuade him, Leonard’s handsome face grew even stiffer.
It wasn’t something Gloria failed to notice.

 

“Instead, hold this for me.” Gloria said.

 

Gloria quickly changed the subject, offering him the robe she was wearing with a faint smile.

Though Leonard’s face remained hard, he obediently accepted the robe.

Gloria tucked her hair, stiff with Triol’s dried blood, behind her ear and made her way to the bedroom.

Leonard, the room’s owner, silently followed her inside.

Once in the room, Gloria leaned her mace carefully against one side of the wall.

She then glanced down at her mud- and blood-stained clothes, her expression serious as though the state of them was a dire problem.

 

“There’s something I’d like to ask you.” Leonard said.

 

Leonard’s voice was somber. Gloria looked up to meet his gaze.

 

“I’ll wait until you’re done washing. Could you spare me a moment afterward?” Leonard asked.

“Hmm, alright.” Gloria replied.

 

He had seemed preoccupied for a while now—was he finally ready to explain? Gloria readily nodded.

 

“I’ll wash up quickly.” Gloria said.

 

Leonard quietly watched as Gloria headed for the bathroom, then sat at the table beside the bed and began reading a book.

 

“Oh, wait. I don’t have any spare clothes…”

 

Gloria paused at the bathroom door, glancing down at herself in dismay.

Her one and only outfit, a combination of indoor and outdoor wear, had long since been ruined.

 

“Could I borrow some of yours?” Gloria asked.

 

Gloria turned to Leonard with an awkward smile.

Without a word, Leonard approached the wardrobe and pulled out a shirt.

 

“My trousers will likely be too big for you.” Leonard said.

“Hmm, that’s fine. A large shirt should be enough.”

Thanks.

Grateful, Gloria took the shirt and disappeared into the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

Gloria stepped out of the bathroom wearing nothing but the borrowed shirt.

Leonard was still seated at the table by the window, engrossed in a book.

 

“I’m done waa-” Gloria said.

 

Hearing the sound of the door, Leonard looked up—and froze.

 

“What’s wrong?” Gloria asked

“……”

 

Tilting her head in confusion, Gloria walked over to Leonard. She plopped down in the seat across from him, carelessly tossing her damp hair over her shoulder. Leonard’s brow furrowed as he continued staring at her.

 

“There should have been a towel in the bathroom.” Leonard explained.

 

Why didn’t she dry her hair? His unspoken question hung in the air.

Gloria blinked innocently, shrugged nonchalantly, and responded,

“If I had taken the time to dry it all, the sun would have risen.”

 

Her hair was extremely long, as she hadn’t cut it since becoming the Oracle’s chosen.

It wasn’t by her choice; the senior priests had insisted that cutting it was forbidden, so she had complied.

‘Come to think of it, maybe I can cut it short now‘ she mused.

‘Long hair is nothing but a hassle.’

Lost in thought, Gloria fiddled with her damp ends.

 

“You’ve gone out of your way to buy so many clothes for me, yet you haven’t gotten even one outfit for yourself.” Leonard said.

 

Leonard approached with a towel.

Gloria raised her head, puzzled, as he stepped closer.

She didn’t have to wonder for long—he began drying her hair.

His movements were slow and cautious.

 

“Hmm.”

 

Gloria stiffened in her seat.

her eyes staring straight ahead, blinking in surprise.

She’d received care from many attendants in the Marquis’ residence and the Oracle’s temple, but Leonard’s touch carried a tenderness she had never felt before.

 

“There’s no need for you to go this far…” she muttered.

“I could say the same to you.”

“Huh?…”

 

Leonard stopped her from turning to face him with a gentle press of his hand.

 

“Why are you going to such lengths for me?”

 

His question hung heavy in the air, and Gloria kept silent, her confusion evident.

 

“You never hesitate or hold back when it comes to spending money on me, but you won’t spend a single coin on yourself.”

 

His voice was low, tinged with a faint sigh.

 

“And if you’re short on funds, you even go hunting monsters.”

 

It was no secret that monster carcasses could be sold for money, and some made a living trading them. But for a saintess, of all people, to risk her life in such a way?

 

“What am I worth for you to do all this?”

 

As Leonard muttered self-deprecatingly, Gloria scowled.

His offhanded self-denigration displeased her.

 

“Three years ago, I think,” she began suddenly, recalling an old memory.

“When I attended a banquet at the Imperial Palace, I overheard someone talking about you.”

 

It was the reason Gloria had sought out Leonard immediately after leaving the Marquis residence.

 

“They said the Emperor had a much younger brother—a brother trapped in a mansion gifted by the Emperor, slowly dying.”

 

The day of the banquet had coincided with Leonard’s birthday, which was likely why people were gossiping about him.

That day, Gloria had learned everything about Leonard’s birth and the curse afflicting him through the words of others.

 

“From that moment, I thought it’d be nice to have you on my side.”

 

Her voice was calm and straightforward.

 

“Because I was just like you.” Gloria said.

“……”

“I didn’t have anyone by my side either,” she added quietly.

 

Leonard’s hands, which had been diligently drying her hair, stilled.

 

“At least, until I met you.”

 

Though she was secretly disappointed by the pause in his careful touch, Gloria showed no outward sign.

 

“I want you to be the one person in this world who stands by me. And I, of course, want to do the same for you.”

 

Leonard’s grip on the towel tightened.

Sitting with her back to him, Gloria didn’t notice his slight turmoil.

 

“So it’s only natural for me to be good to you. After all, I told you when we first met: I would help you, that you should focus on reclaiming your family’s power while I take care of everything else.”

“……”

“And in return, you promised to grant me noble status.”

 

Gloria turned to Leonard, who wore a conflicted expression.

It was as if he had so much to say but no words to convey it.

 

“There’s no need to overthink. I do what I can, and you do what you can. That’s all there is to it.”

 

She took the towel from him and tossed it carelessly onto the table.

Grasping his wrist, she gently pulled him over to the sofa.

 

“Isn’t it a perfectly fair exchange?” Gloria said.

 

‘Fair exchange?‘ Leonard shook his head slowly.

It was anything but fair.

He had no choice but her, while Gloria had countless other options.