The whole reason he’d tried to intervene with a baseless claim was that he thought defending Dolly and Donna could score extra points with other female students. That tactic was for naught, of course, since he hadn’t found anything to substantiate his accusation.
Olivia tried to shut out the boy’s screaming, her gaze focused on the floor. In the meantime, Leon pulled his clothes back on.
“Let’s keep going, then,” he said.
It was admittedly odd that he kept winning, but he came out clean in each search. Even when someone thought he was cheating, no one could pin down how.
Since Leon had refused to bend to her tears, Dolly lost her temper and leapt out of her seat. “This game doesn’t mean anything anyway! I’m going to tell Daddy all about this. He’ll ruin you, you know!”
“Don’t say that!” Donna cried, latching onto Dolly’s arm and tugging it. “It’ll only get worse!” She shot Deirdre a fearful look.
Deirdre stared back at the two with open disdain. “After all the trouble I went to in order to warn you, you still insist on defiling this game. Very well. My family will be your opponents as well. We’ll take this as far as you want to go.”
By the time Dolly realized what she’d done—made an enemy of one of the most powerful women at the academy—it was too late.
“I’ll have to deal with your whole house next, is that it?” Leon asked in a low, menacing voice. From the man partly responsible for the fall of the Offreys and Lafans, that didn’t sound like an idle threat.
“Please forgive my impertinence,” Dolly muttered meekly as she sank back into her chair. Fresh tears trailed down her cheeks. “I won’t be a pain anymore, I promise. I won’t do anything. So, please, have mercy!”
Donna followed her example, adding, “We can’t pay all this money back! Even my house can’t afford it. Like, my daddy would be furious with me. Please!”
Faces wet with snot and tears, they begged with everything they had, paying no thought to how shameful or embarrassing it was. They must’ve realized how cold and unsympathetic the crowd’s gazes were. Still, they didn’t hesitate.
Leon showed no inclination of offering them any of the mercy they so desperately pleaded for. “We’ll continue,” he said. “And we’ll keep going until you finally realize who you really need to apologize to. You can’t tell me you don’t know who I mean.”
Olivia. He obviously meant Olivia. He wanted them to bow their heads and apologize to a commoner. In some ways, that would perhaps be the greatest humiliation for a noblewoman.
Dolly and Donna were too terrified to think of their reputations, though. They turned toward Olivia, leaping out of their seats to rush over to her. Then they threw themselves at her feet, remaining on their knees as they apologized profusely.
“I’m sorry,” Dolly cried. “We won’t be pains in the ass anymore, I swear! Please forgive us!”
“Yeah, like, we were the ones who messed up! We’re so sorry! Have mercy!” Donna pleaded.
It was such a dramatic shift from their prior arrogance, Olivia struggled to digest it. “Um…s-sure,” she said.
Watching her accept their apologies, Leon let out a small sigh. Was it just her imagination, or did he look relieved? He seemed disgusted by this whole card game, too.
“Then it’s over,” he told Dolly and Donna. “I’ll put your debts on hold for now. Next time you try anything on the scholarship student, I’ll come after you to collect. Just keep that in mind.”
They were finally off the hook—from the card game and their debt. Bursting into sobs, they threw their arms around one another.
“Donnaaaa!”
“Dollllly!”
Leon lifted himself out of his chair.
“How kind of you,” Deirdre said sardonically. “I doubt you intended to make them pay to begin with, knowing you.”
Although Deirdre was exasperated with Leon, Olivia couldn’t help smiling.
“I’m rich, remember? I don’t need their money.” Leon turned to leave.
Olivia chased after him. “Th-thank you for what you did for me!” she exclaimed. “But, um, why exactly did you save me?”
There was no point sticking up for someone like me, but he did. This is the first time any aristocrat has done something so kind for me. Since he’d rescued her from one of the scariest situations she’d ever experienced, she couldn’t help wondering about him.
Perhaps embarrassed and unsure how to respond, Leon scratched his cheek. “Because you were in trouble, I guess? Also…sorry I couldn’t step in sooner to help you. Anyway, see you.” As if trying to escape her, he hurried away.
Olivia reached a hand out after him. “W-wait! Your name…” She stared sadly as his back receded.
Deirdre approached from behind, arms folded beneath her ample breasts. She sighed to herself. “I don’t know what he’s acting so embarrassed for. If he’d managed to keep that suave act up until the end, it would’ve been perfect. But I digress. His name’s Leon Fou Bartfort.”
“Lord Leon Fou Bartfort,” Olivia repeated to herself.
Bartfort? Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure Prince Julius mentioned him, too. That was back when the two had walked past each other at the academy. Julius had mentioned that Leon was a promising man the same age as them. I didn’t realize he was so kind.
“He’ll be a baron once he graduates,” Deirdre added, like a proud older sister. “But right now, he’s just a knight in training. I consider him a cute little brother.” She pressed her fan over her mouth. “Now, if you’ll pardon me,” she concluded, and promptly left.
Olivia set her hand on her chest. Her heart was pounding. So much heat had rushed to her head, she was sure it had to be her fever.
Clutching her shirt, she mumbled his name again to herself. “Lord Leon Fou Bartfort.”
Even if he’s still in training, he’s basically a knight, right? Yes. A knight in shining armor. The thought called to mind an image of the strong, kind knights that bards sang about. I didn’t know there were aristocrats like him out there.
Leon was very different from Julius and the other boys, and he’d somehow captured her heart.