After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 28

Leo was fully aware that his decision to marry had been impulsive from the very beginning.
Of course, the idea that she could suppress his curse made the marriage worthwhile on its own.
But the fact remained that she was the daughter of his enemy.

That was why, when Dex asked if he could truly keep Everett’s daughter by his side, Leo unintentionally let his honest thoughts slip.
Whenever he faced Ayla, old grudges did not rise to the surface. Even so, the question always remained in the back of his mind. Was this really acceptable?

Then came the early hours of the morning, when the world was quiet and still.
At a time when everyone was assumed to be asleep, Leo saw Ayla standing alone under the soft light of the moon.
That was when the question formed in his mind.

“What would you do if I killed your father?”

He wondered what her reaction would be if such a situation ever became real.

“I am sorry… what are you talking about?”

Ayla looked up at him in shock, her face pale with disbelief.
Leo met her gaze and gave a slight shrug.

Of course she would not understand if he put it that way.
He realized he would have to explain more clearly.

“My grudge against Duke Marcus Everett runs deep. If I marry you, I will see him more often. I was just wondering what would happen if I ended up drawing my sword without meaning to.”

“Even if we are married, Your Highness, there will be no reason for you to see him often.”

“Why not?”

“Because I will not be seeing him either.”

Leo’s expression grew more focused as he heard the firm tone in her voice.

“He is still your father. That will not be easy.”

“Your Highness, I doubt you are very close to His Majesty, your own father.”

“You are comparing yourself to royalty. You are brave, Lady Ayla.”

“Even among royals, life may not be so different.”

“You are wrong. The difference is far beyond anything you can imagine.”

“Then let me answer in another way. Your Highness… I am not his biological daughter.”

“You are not?”

“That is correct. So even if you marry me, you will have no real reason to be involved with him.”

Leo was momentarily at a loss for words.
The confession had come so suddenly that he needed a moment to absorb it.

So she really had been adopted?

A faint memory surfaced in his mind. He remembered a small girl from long ago.
The feeling that followed was not pleasant.

He considered offering a kind or comforting word.
But what came out of his mouth was far more blunt.

“That is a relief.”

“Is that all? You do not want to ask anything more?”

“Is there anything else I need to know?”

His tone was flat and quiet. Ayla hesitated, then asked carefully.

“Are you truly fine with marrying someone like me, even if I am not the kind of noblewoman who belongs at the side of royalty?”

“I am already willing to ignore the fact that you come from a family I once wanted to destroy. Do you think something like your status would matter to me?”

“I just do not understand. How can you do that? How can you marry the daughter of your enemy?”

Leo looked into her eyes. She seemed genuinely lost, unable to make sense of him.
He let out a short laugh and gave her a crooked smile.

“There is no complicated reason. It was a decision I made on impulse.”

“On impulse?”

“Yes.”

Ayla’s lips parted slightly in surprise.
She clearly had not expected that answer. Her expression was filled with confusion.

“I am not the kind of person who plans out every step. I have never felt the need to be.”

Leo spoke without much thought, letting his words come naturally.
But when he noticed her expression beginning to shift into something heavier and more troubled, he fell silent.

Something about the way she looked made him uneasy.

He thought once again how different it felt to talk to her compared to the usual dark-hearted men he dealt with. Then he decided it was best to leave.

“Enjoy your walk, Lady Ayla. I will head back now.”

“Wait, Your Highness… I mean…”

Leo turned his body in the opposite direction and acted as if he didn’t hear Ayla’s voice calling out from behind him.
For a moment, he considered walking her back to her room. But this was not just anywhere, it was his own estate’s garden.

Any intruder who dared step foot inside would be caught immediately.
Not to mention the Gray Wolf knights were currently staying there.

He brushed off his brief concern and walked away without looking back, confident that there was no safer place than this.

The next morning.

Leo was in his office, discussing the marriage contract with Dex, when a knock at the door made him lift his head.

“Come in.”

The door opened a moment later, and Ayla stepped into the room.
Leo found himself at a loss for words.

There was a red scratch on her forehead that had not been there when he saw her just hours earlier at dawn.

“Lady Ayla…”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What happened in the last few hours?”

There was no way anyone had broken in. Not even a flying insect could have snuck into the estate.

So how in the world did a fresh wound end up across her forehead?

“I… I’m still not used to the garden. It was dark underfoot, and I tripped while walking.”

Dark underfoot? She tripped?

Leo frowned, clearly unconvinced.
Ayla touched her forehead lightly and added with a shy smile.

“It’s nothing serious. It will heal in a few days.”

“Sit down.”

Leo crossed one leg and leaned back against the chair, clearly displeased.
As Ayla took her seat, his eyes stayed fixed on her injured forehead until Dex elbowed him from the side.

“Why are you nudging me?”

“Nothing, Your Highness.”

“It’s obviously not nothing. What is it?”

Dex cleared his throat, then said quietly,

“Your Highness, it is impolite to stare at a lady’s face like that…”

“I wasn’t staring at her face. I was looking at the wound on her forehead.”

“It is still her face… Sigh. Lady Ayla, please allow me to apologize on his behalf. Our prince was raised in a rather rough way. He may not be the most sensitive man, so I ask for your understanding.”

“It’s alright. I should have been more careful.”

Ayla shook her head with a gentle smile, waving off Dex’s apology.

Leo watched the exchange with a look of annoyance, then turned to scold Dex.

“Since when did you start speaking so politely?”

He ignored Dex’s barely restrained irritation and pushed the marriage contract across the table toward Ayla.

“Read it. As I said yesterday, my conditions are simple. You must fulfill your duties and responsibilities as my wife, and divorce is not allowed. That’s it.”

As Leo had said, the contract was extremely straightforward.

Ayla read through it quickly, then looked up to meet his gaze directly.

“I have one condition of my own, Your Highness.”

“Go ahead.”

“Will you promise to trust me, no matter what happens?”

“No matter what happens… Can you give me an example?”

“If my father ever stabs you in the back, please trust me anyway.”

As soon as Ayla spoke, the air in the room grew cold.

Dex glanced at Leo with a tense expression. Leo moved his jaw slightly and gave a crooked smile.

“Lady Ayla, I made a very reasonable request. But your condition seems a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

“I understand. But still, Your Highness…”

Ayla’s voice trembled slightly.

“I need at least one person on my side.”

Leo said nothing.

“I have made the decision to leave everything behind. If I cannot count on my husband to stand with me, then who else do I have?”

“You are right about that.”

“So please believe me. If you can promise me that…”

Ayla paused for a breath. Her voice steadied, and her eyes grew firm with determination.

“If the day ever comes when my father points a sword at you, I will stand in front of it without hesitation.”

“And if that does not stop him? What if he stabs right through you to get to me?”

“If it is you, I do not believe you would die from a sword that goes through me.”

“I might survive it. But would you?”

Ayla gave a quiet smile. Her voice was calm.

“That would be his choice to make.”

Leo remained silent.

“I wonder what choice he would make in that moment.”

When Ayla returned to her room, she found Bella crouched just outside the door.
Bella raised her left hand and waved it cheerfully.

“Ayla, there you are.”

“Bella? Why are you sitting here? You could have waited inside.”

“Come on. I may not be great with etiquette, but I am not rude enough to walk into someone’s room without them.”

Ayla smiled, took Bella by the arm, and opened the door quickly.

“Let’s go inside. I will ask someone to bring us tea from the dining room.”

“Forget the tea. Ayla, what did you decide?”

“Oh…”

“I overslept, so I didn’t get a chance to ask. I have been dying to know.”

Looking at the excitement in Bella’s eyes, Ayla let out a soft laugh. She lifted the contract in her hand and gave it a little wave.

“I decided to marry him. We wrote the contract too. His Highness accepted my condition.”

“Well done. You remember what I told you, right? Stay close for now.”

Bella’s tone carried a quiet certainty, as if she knew something.
The way she said it made Ayla pause again.

She had not asked before because things had been so hectic.
But today, she knew she had to ask.

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