Chapter 6

‘I’m starving.’

Leslie awoke with her stomach growling. ‘How long did I sleep?’ she wondered. For the first time in a long time, she slept peacefully without nightmares. Usually, she will toss and turn, rudely awoken by nightmares and then by the marquis yelling at her. But no one came to wake her and her dreams were sound.

And so, she was able to sleep in for a couple of hours. Slowly, she got up and stretched her arms.

“Where’s the basin…?”

Leah always brought up a basin filled with water so that Leslie could wash up her face. But today, the bedside table was empty. But it wasn’t hard to guess where she was. After what happened the night before, Leah won’t be coming for a few days.

Leah was one of the few whom Leslie was attached to, and Leah knew this very well. She punished and humiliated Leslie but also talked to her even though the conversation was mostly one-sided and degrading. So, whenever Leslie did something wrong in Leah’s books, Leah used to give Leslie the silent treatment. She ignored Leslie as if she was invisible. As a young child, Leslie hungered for someone to talk to and be loved by. So after a few days of the silent treatment, Leslie broke and said all the right things that Leah liked. In addition, Leslie was extra obedient after that.

‘And she always told me she did it out of love.’

Love made her weak. Leslie narrowed her eyes. She clung onto her family’s non-existent approval and affection. But she doesn’t believe that was wrong.

But she chose the wrong people to seek love from. It might have been more productive to beg for it from strangers.

‘It’s easy when I let go.’

Leslie used to feel a sharp pain at the thought of letting go of all her unfulfilled expectations. But now she doesn’t feel anything. Again, it was much easier to simply let go and not want anything from the people who didn't love her. Leslie opened the door and saw a passing maid and stopped her.

“You, bring me the basin.”

“Me?”

The maid looked dumbfounded. She looked behind her and then pointed at herself.

“Did you mean me?”

“Yes. Is there anyone else here other than yourself?”

The maid looked around again in disbelief. When she finally realized and processed that Leslie did indeed call for her, she snorted.

“Ha! Talk to Leah, Miss.”

“Well, Leah isn’t here.”

“I serve Miss Eli, not you.”

The maid glared at Leslie. “Ah, so that’s why she’s being annoying,” thought Leslie.

“So?”

At her words, the maid widened her eyes and raised her voice.

“Since I only serve Miss Eli, I can’t bring you the basin.”

“Who’s paying you?”

The maid began to catch on to what Leslie was saying and it made her frown. But her confidence began to waver and her voice became small.

“The House of Sperado.”

“You know it well. Then let me ask you. Who am I?”

“...Miss Leslie Sperado.”

The maid rolled her eyes, thinking hard to counterargue.

“But...”

“But?”

Chills ran down her back. Why is she looking at me like that? Is she really twelve years old? Leslie’s eyes glistened in the shadows and the maid grew nervous with each passing second. The others were saying how the girl had been weird since her return from the family vacation. Leslie ignored the maid’s discomfort and brushed her hair behind her ears. Then she curtly ordered once again.

“Bring me the basin.”

The maid retreated into the room silently this time. But behind the closed doors, Leslie could hear her angry grumblings. Soon, the maid reemerged with a porcelain basin full of warm water and delivered it to the attic. Leslie dipped her hands and began to wash her face. The warmth quickly spread, warming her up instantly. It was now near winter and the attic was colder than other parts of the mansion. So, she welcomed the sensation and took her time washing. After that, she left the room and passed Eli’s room, walking down flights of stairs to the dining room.

Leslie’s entrance created whispered murmurs. Leslie rarely showed herself around the mansion and much less in the dining room.

“M-Miss Leslie?”

One of the kitchen maids approached Leslie.

“Why are you here?”

“Isn’t the dining room a place to eat? I’m hungry, so I’m here.”

Leslie walked along the long table and sat on an expensive chair by a large window. Warm rays of sunlight were shining down on her. She felt a soft velvet cushion envelop her small body. This was the first time she sat on these chairs. Normally, she would be given a tiny wooden stool in a dark corner of the kitchen where the cold drafts came through. It was uncomfortable and cold.

“What are you doing standing around? I said I’m hungry. Bring me food.”

Leslie ordered at the maids and finally one of them brought out a tray with a watered-down soup, hard and dry rye bread, and a cup of water. Leslie looked down at the tray and pushed it aside, ordering once more.

“Not this. Bring me something edible.”

“Um... but isn’t this what you’ve been eating recently? Marchioness Derrial instructed to not give you anything else. She said that you’re on a strict diet for weight management...”

A brown-haired maid hesitantly told Leslie and took charge to deliberately disobey her.

Some time ago, one of the maids took pity on Leslie. So, she toasted the rye bread and buttered it up before giving it to her. Later, the maid was fired without a letter of recommendation. She was made an example of to warn anyone who would feed Leslie more than what the marchioness had instructed. Naturally, the maids were cautious.

“That is done. So, bring me a proper meal, something normal people eat.”

The maids exchanged anxious glances, but eventually went back into the kitchen to prepare a meal for Leslie. After a bit of waiting, the maids came back with food they usually bring out for the marquis, the marchioness, and Eli.

Tender bird roast was steaming with juices still seeping out, garnished with roasted vegetables. In a bowl next to it was a salad with fresh herbs dressed with lemon and decorated with colorful fruits. Then, freshly baked white bread topped with butter and various fragrant jams. Leslie’s mouth watered at the sight of it all.

“Um, what about the orders from Marchioness Derrial...?”

“I won’t tell her. So go.”

The kitchen maids’ nervous grins were replaced with a smile. At least with Leslie’s word, they won’t be blamed and punished. Before Leslie could say anything, they promptly left the dining room, leaving Leslie alone to the food. Leslie didn’t care if they stayed or not. So, she lifted a fork and took a piece of juicy, tender meat into her mouth.

“...!”

‘Delicious.’ Leslie tried so hard to maintain a straight face, but a smile escaped. It was something she had never tasted before. The only taste she knew was from the bland watered-down soup and hard, dry rye bread. She didn’t know the name of the bird she was eating, but it was so wonderful and a happy smile was soon plastered on her face.

She next took the white bread and tore it in half. The flesh of the bread was soft and moist. It smelled amazing and invaded all her senses. Patiently, Leslie took a butter knife and took a generous amount to spread them on the bread. She then took a big bite.

‘Delicious.’

In the fire, the memory of bread and butter was the only happy memory that came to her. Leslie heard that the maid was fired and she was most grateful to that maid. If it wasn’t for her, she would have had nothing happy to remember.

Leslie ate the rest slowly, enjoying and savoring all the flavors. She tried every jam on the tray and every vegetable that garnished the plates. New flavors gave her tickles and made her smile even wider.

Eli always complained about the vegetables. She played with them, declaring that she won't eat them. But to Leslie, it was so scrumptious that she never wanted to stop eating them.

Leslie devoured the meat in her mouth and drank freshly squeezed orange juice when she got thirsty. The day was truly wonderful. She slept through the night without a nightmare, then she was able to wash up with warm water, and now her stomach was being filled to her heart’s content with the most delicious food she ever tasted.

“Haaah.”

It took time, but Leslie finished everything the maids had brought out. Leslie sighed deeply with contentment and leaned back on the chair. Her belly was rounder and bigger than ever before. Maybe she had a bit too much, but the day will be long.

She wasn’t sure when the next meal was going to be or what’ll happen next, so it was wise to force herself to finish everything.

“...Leslie?”

Just as Leslie was about to return to her room, a shocked voice rang in the dining room. It was the marchioness and Eli, who woke up late and came down to enjoy brunch.

“Did you just wake up? What are all these plates? Did you eat everything here by yourself?”

The marchioness’s lilac, violet eyes, which were the exact same color as Leslie’s, grew bigger and rounder from the shock.

The marchioness and Eli usually started the day mid-morning, but they always made sure that Leslie would be woken up early in the morning. Her meals were meager watered-down soup, dry rye bread, a cup of water, and two potatoes just like what one of the priests of Luren eats. But instead of prayers, Leslie studied.

“...”

Silence fell and Leslie passed by her mother and sister. She had nothing to talk about and didn’t want to talk to them.

No matter how much she tried, she was always scolded, humiliated, and degraded. And in the end, she was sacrificed. Family always hurt Leslie, so it wasn’t worth her time.

“Wait, can’t you see I’m speaking to you...?”

“Mother!”

Eli reached out an arm to stop her mother. There was a certain sense of urgency in the gesture.

“She has lost her mind. Don’t bother with her. Do you know what she said to me yesterday? She’s vicious like a dog with rabies. She might bite and hurt you, so don’t bother with her…”

“L-lost her mind? What are you saying, Eli? Don’t we need to stop her? Maybe lock her up in her room?”

Leslie paid no attention to the marchioness and Eli’s conversation and stepped out of the mansion. She walked straight to the stables to find the same carriage driver with the same frown.

But this time, when Leslie said her destination, the carriage driver did not argue. He merely sighed and drove the carriage.

“Miss... we have arrived.”

The wheels of the carriage stopped smoothly and a little window by the driver’s seat opened to inform Leslie.

“But I don’t understand why you wanted to go to such a place... It’s dangerous there...”

The carriage man glanced around nervously at the gigantic mansion. The House of Salvatore was before them, their greatness and might in full sight.

“Dangerous? The House of Empire’s most praised war hero and one of the high nobles’ duchess?”

“That’s right! They say that the House of Salvatore has the blood of monsters flowing in their veins. That’s why they are so strong and how they won those wars.”

‘Funny, huh.’ Leslie observed the carriage man trembling with fear as he spoke. He was a man many decades older than her, and yet he didn’t know who the real monsters were. The carriage man looked at Leslie with apparent fear.

“Rumor says that half of the current duchess’s face is covered in scales because she has a particularly tainted blood of monsters. Miss Leslie, why don’t we just return home?”

“No. Just wait here until I come back.”

Leslie couldn’t stand the carriage man’s ramblings anymore and opened the carriage door herself. Then she jumped out and called one of the gate guards.

“Please inform the duchess that the second-born daughter of the House of Sperado, Leslie Sperado, requests a meeting.”