Chapters 26 and 27

~Luna's POV~

The seat cushions were very comfortable.

I've never been in a carriage before, let alone one so grand.

Even though its lustrous, elegant design was very eye-catching, all I could do at the moment was look at Leon across from me.

He was looking out the window, at something in the distance.

Every once and a while, a farmhouse or small village would pass by us in the green hills and valleys.

He must have been thinking of something.

His expression was serious. His eyes were deep in a far-off place. 

He looked slightly down and smirked for an instant and went right back to what it was before.

Sometimes we would hit a bump in the road, which caused the carriage to shake.

I started dozing off, my eyes opened and closed slowly.

The soft rocking comforted me, like a baby in its crib.

"Hey, Luna, why don't you come to sleep next to me."

I moved quickly to his side, barely awake.

My head rested softly on Leon's arm, and my mind then slowly eased into a sleeping state.

————

"Luna, it's time to wake up."

I didn't want to open my eyes, I just situated myself a little more next to Leon.

"Come on Luna, wake up, we're almost there."

I opened my eyes slightly and moved up a little, I could feel Leon's arm around me.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned for a moment until he spoke again.

"You see that big house overlooking the town?"

I looked out the window and saw a large white mansion on a distant cliffside

"Is that your home, master?"

"Yes, it is. Though from now on it's going to be yours as well."

He looked down at me with a smile.

I spoke of how nice it looked and he spoke of me in the same manner.

'He's so sweet.'

I looked at him with the same smile and we both laughed.

We got close, I rested my head on his chest, and both my arms were around him, hugging him.

He put his arm around my shoulder like before and we both stared out at the mansion as it came closer and closer into view.

————-

As we rode up to the mansion, I looked at the garden on either side.

It was large, it looked as though it surrounded the whole mansion.

Shrubs and bushes were all trimmed and pruned neat, the trees were the same.

We finally stopped in a quart yard, the door suddenly opened and I could see the front steps of the mansion.

Leon stepped out onto the gravel, he gave me his hand and I followed.

A large number of people, all in servant outfits, were lined up on both sides of us.

One butler, in particular, seemed to be at the forefront of the group.

He bowed in front of us and greeted Leon.

He was an older gentleman, with a mustache and great posture.

"Greeting my lord, I'm glad to see your safe return. Though I didn't expect you to come back so early."

"Butler Thomas, I think you of all people know I'm not going to spend more time than is needed in the Demon Continent."

"Hoho, that is quite true."

I was sticking behind him, our hands were clasped together.

I looked at the butler and he looked at me for a moment.

"Who might this young lady be my lord? She seems quite attached, is she your lover or companion, if you don't mind my asking?"

Leon pulled me out in front of himself and put a hand on each of my shoulders.

"Her name is Luna, she will be staying here from now on... Treat her as if she's the lady of the house."

The butler seemed surprised but as expected his expression became normal once again.

"Oh. "

"Mhm(Clears throat), Greetings my lady, I am the head butler of this manor, my name is Thomas. If you need anything at all please let me or one of the many servants who work at the estate know."

"There are also some other girls that I've brought back. However, they won't be staying for very long. I intend on returning them from wince they came, but do treat them well. They've all been through a rather tough time."

"Of course, my lord."

He did a bow to us and guided us inside the manor.

————-

-Luna's POV-

"This way."

The head butler, Thomas, guided us, mostly me, to the entrance of the manor.

Looking inside the large, lavish abode, the first thing I noticed was the sheer size of the room.

The entrance space, or what Thomas called the foyer, was large, and connected to many rooms.

A staircase led straight to the next floor, right ahead of us.

I was astonished by just this one room. Thinking of what might come next in the tour was exciting.

I held onto Leon's arm. Our hands were clasped together. We were like some newly married couple. 

"Wow."

"This is just the entrance, the rooms and gardens are much more interesting. Though seeing what impression this room gives you, it only makes me want to show you everything this mansion has to offer."

He must have thought my expressions when looking around the space were cute.

——————-

"Hello ladies, I know you've been through a lot, but I need your help. Please raise your hand if you want to go back to where you came from."

Leon was standing in front of the 7 or so girls left behind by the Demon Lords.

Almost all raised their hands, Mable and another girl didn't though.

The other girl was a Beastman, though that race has many animal types, she was a dog type.

She had a fluffy tail and droopy ears.

They were blonde, the same color as her hair.

I remember on the boat, she said that her name was Natalia, I also remember she was one of the many girls fighting for one of the beds in the dungeon cell.

"Okay, the ones that raised your hands, please talk to Thomas here. He will take care that you girls get home safe. But before we arrange your departure, the servants of this mansion will make sure your stay is as pleasant as possible."

"Also!"

He bowed with an apologetic look on his face.

"I am deeply sorry for what my fellow demon lords have done to you, I know this won't come close to compensating for the pain you've suffered, but please enjoy your stay."

He bent back straight up and looked at them.

"When you do go, I'll have some goods and other things waiting for you, so you can live an easier life."

"My lord.."

Leon looked at Thomas, as he was about to protest what he had just done, but the sincerity of Leon's expression put a halt to it.

Thomas bowed and started walking to the side to get the information from the girls. Leon stopped him and whispered in his ear.

"Make sure they each get first-class treatment, feed them what they want, and give them each a room. Also when you do get a carriage for each of them to go home, give them a sack of gold coins, enough so that they could live the rest of their lives in comfort, but not enough to bankrupt me. Got it?"

"Of course my lord."

Thomas went off to a separate room, with the girls who raised their hands.

—————

"Now for you two, can you tell me why you might not want to go home?"

Natalia opened her mouth first.

"Um, I don't have a home to go back to, I was in slavery for most of my life."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, well you are obliged to stay here for as long as you need."

"Thank you, I'll stay for a bit, but can I be free to leave, when I want."

"Of course, I not forcing you to stay, and when you do leave, you'll be given the same compensation as everyone else."

"Okay, that sounds good."

Leon turned to Mable.

"So what about you Mable, were you a slave for most of your life as well or..?"

"No, I. my family... I don't want to go back. Can I stay here as well, even if it's working as a maid?"

"Of course, but you don't need to be a maid."

"Well, it does sound nice to live in such luxury, but I already feel so indebted to you to sponge off you for the rest of my life, I want to be self-reliant."

"Well how about to stay inside the mansion and live in comfort for a bit, then when you feel you've had enough treatment, you can start working as a servant or maid."

"Thank you, demon lord Leon."

Leon smiled at the meek, timid Mable, then he looked at me, and I smiled at him.

- to be continued