“Leticia! Leticia!”
“What?! If you’ve got something to say, then say it! Do you have any idea how your voice sounds just like a farm animal going ‘cluck, cluck, cluck’? It’s giving me a headache!”
Leticia had only just stepped out of the church when Stano’s voice rang out, impatient and a little urgent, as if he had something important to say.
It was evening. She’d just finished a full day of chores and studying, and was getting ready to go home and have dinner with her uncle, John.
Come to think of it, when Uncle John found out Leticia could study at the church, he’d been over the moon. He’d practically started glowing, and even stood a little straighter.
“Leticia, there is something I really need to talk to you about.”
Stano caught his breath. After learning a few things, he’d practically skipped all the way to his room and immediately started contacting her. “You said you’re in the Kingdom of Intis, right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Leticia asked, puzzled. They’d talked about this before, but neither of them had thought much of it.
“Then, do you know a city called Rhodes?”
“Rhodes? It sounds a little familiar…”
The name sounded familiar. She must have heard it somewhere before. Leticia thought for a moment, then quickly found the answer in her memory. “Isn’t it the city closest to my village? I know it. Why?”
Over the past year, Uncle John had taken her to Rhodes once. It took about half a day to walk there.
The city wasn’t quite as grand as she’d imagined, but its buildings had that wonderfully authentic medieval Western European style. They’d opened Leticia’s eyes.
But money was tight, so they’d only gone there to take care of their business before hurrying back.
“So that’s how it is!”
Stano perked up. “Great! You have to help me with this!”
“But I refuse!”
Leticia replied, exasperated. “I can tell just by thinking about it that you’re up to something. Listen, it’s not happening. Absolutely not. I don’t care what you’re planning—I’m saying no, no, and no!”
It had something to do with Rhodes, and he’d even gotten a foreigner involved. Leticia knew this was no simple matter. And on top of that, the young master of the Benson Family was asking her for help through a roundabout channel like this…
“How can you be like this?!”
Clearly enraged by Leticia’s blunt refusal, Stano gritted his teeth and growled, “It’s just a tiny little favor! How dare you refuse without even hearing me out?!”
“Stano Bansen, I’m telling you this now.”
Leticia spoke calmly. “All I want is to live a peaceful life with my uncle. And I know perfectly well that if I agree to your request, my life could change completely. So why should I say yes?”
Stano felt as if something had been stabbed straight through his head. Anxiety, tension, and the anger of being rejected over and over again combined into the most volatile reaction.
“Because you’re my toy!”
At that moment, her body began moving against her will. Leticia nearly dropped the scraps of paper in her hand and headed straight for the edge of the village.
What the hell?!
Leticia’s expression changed at once. After spending so much time together, she’d thought she’d built a pretty good relationship with this young master from a noble family. But she’d been far too naive.
“Stano, I’m warning you!”
Because Stano had priority when it came to controlling their body, Leticia could only let him move her, one step at a time, toward the edge of the village.
But she absolutely wasn’t going to give in like this.
“It’s almost dark. You won’t be able to use my body tonight. I’m telling you, if you try this again, I’ll hurt myself if I have to—but I will never cooperate with you!”
Leticia’s voice trembled a little. It wasn’t just anger making her shake. There was a trace of sadness in her heart, too.
She lamented being at someone else’s mercy, and mocked herself for ever thinking this guy could be her friend.
“…”
Hearing that, Stano did indeed slow down. He seemed to be thinking about what to do next.
Stano still had most of the control over their body. So to anyone watching, it looked like a skinny little girl had stopped in the road, as if lost in thought.
“I’m not going to help you.”
Leticia spoke softly, with a firmness and coldness that surprised even her. “Whatever you’re planning, you’d better give up now.”
Time slipped by. Leticia could feel herself gradually regaining control of her body.
“You really won’t help me?”
Only now did Stano manage to get the words out. He’d calmed down, too, and there was a hint of weariness and sadness in his voice.
“Hmph…”
Leticia gave a cold snort. She was just about to say something when she realized everything had gone quiet. She’d regained complete control of her body, and Stano’s voice was gone, too.
Night had brought her “freedom.”
