CHAPTER 7: -To Kill The Boogeyman

'When I was a child, I was obsessed with fairy tales'

Inside a dark military-like room that was built for a solely utilitarian purpose, Anastasia reminisced on her past as she packed her essentials before making the trip to the home of what would hopefully be her newly assigned Young Master.

'In the brutal and cold environment, I was raised in, it was the only way I could cope with my reality…and it also fueled my drive to become what the organization wanted me to be'

In her suitcase, the snow-white maid began to efficiently check her weapons with frightening precision. From pistols to more esoteric instruments of carnage, Anastasia prepared an answer for any possible situation she might face.

'Our lives as Romanov maids were always destined to be of service to the precious men that remained in the world. But though I performed my duties with pride, I always longed for a more tangible fulfillment for the bloody path I walked'

She didn't wish to simply serve from the shadows, she wished to dedicate her whole being to one she believed to be in need of her skillset and techniques. A prince-like young master whom she could defend from the evils that plagued the world.

It was always a far-fetched dream for Anastasia, something she relegated to her childhood fantasies. That was until she received the information regarding the latest assignment to be tasked to the Continental's elites.

"Leon Greenfield…"

She began to blush as she recalled the image of the young man in her mind. His looks were utterly perfect. Beauty that could only be cultivated from the most serene of genetics. But what struck her most was not his looks, but the bright smile he showed to the person who photographed him.

The unabashed smile of joy reminded her of the princes of the fairy tales she grew up with. In an instant, Anastasia felt that her long-desired dream was now in reach. A prince-like young master was now present for her to serve with her entire body and soul.

'And to think he was sheltered on top of all that. He truly is a precious person despite having not yet met him…but it's also because of that that I can recognize just how much danger he is truly in'

Being familiar with the depraved shadow of the world she lived in, Anastasia's blue eyes grew extremely cold as she concocted countless scenarios of despicable women wishing to vent their desires upon such a vulnerable person.

𝘾𝙇𝙄𝘾𝙆

Checking the safety on her favorite pistol which clicked with a cold and hollow metallic echo, the snow-white maid finished her preparations as she swore to make haste to arrive at where her Young Master was currently located.

'There might already be some villainess who has caught wind of Young Master Leon's existence. I must hurry to be there by his side'

Fueled by worry and a hint of excitement at her dream possibly being realized, Anastasia left the darkness of her room and headed into the bright light that awaited her just beyond.

…

..

.

𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂...𝘿𝙊𝙉𝙂...

"Hm?"

While Leon was thinking about why his mother had been taking photos of him recently, the sound of a doorbell began to echo through the walls of the mansion. Informing him that a guest had arrived at the gates of their estate.

But just as he was about to fiddle with the intercom to see who had arrived at their home, Ada suddenly stopped him from reaching the screen that would show what the gate's security camera was seeing.

"Mom?"

"Leon, go take a shower. I'll handle the guest. I've…been expecting them for a while now…"

Seeing the tense mood emanating from his mom, Leon speculated that the guest was probably someone related to her work. After all, he recognized the tense unease that appeared on the faces of his past life's subordinates who were prepared to meet an intimidating figure of the underworld.

"Ah, is that so? I'll give you two some space then"

Beaming a smile to his mother to reassure her that he understood, Leon began making his way to the shower in order to clean himself up. He didn't want to make a bad impression on his mother's acquaintance with an unseemly appearance.

𝙎𝙃𝙃𝙃𝙃𝙃...

As the showerhead began to pour steaming hot water on his body, Leon began to think more heavily about the customs of this world.

From his mother's reaction to going outside their home, it would seem that it was extremely dangerous for naive men to venture out beyond the safety of their abodes.

Though he could understand that it might cause some problems if he unintentionally caused some societal snafu due to his other world's sensibilities, he didn't believe that he would be so easy to be taken advantage of.

"After all, I'm intimately familiar with how criminals operate"

And if push came to shove, he could probably employ all the low-handed techniques he remembered to either escape or buy some time for help to arrive.

In the worst-case scenario, he would probably be assaulted…and it didn't seem so bad for that to happen to Leon, but he quickly threw out such thoughts that were unbecoming of a righteous person living a kind life.

"I have to think what kind of effects that would have on Mom. She would probably blame herself for any harm to befall me. I don't want anything to undo the amount of progress I made with her so far"

Concluding that line of thinking, Leon turned off the shower then proceeded to dry and dress himself in some homely attire. A breathable plain white shirt, and some gray sweatpants. A fit that maximized comfortability above all else.

'But mom seemed to be flustered when she saw me wear gray sweatpants. I wonder why?'

Wondering about such idle thoughts, he suddenly realized that he had become thirsty after spending time in the steamy shower.

Just below in the living room, the young man could make out the sounds of his mother conversing with someone.

From the little he knew of this world, men were generally not easily presented among women. But given the fact that his mother allowed the person downstairs into their home, Leon thought that the person was safe enough to know of his presence in the house.

"I really want to learn about the customs of this world already. Though I want to become a more patient person, I have to admit it's getting a bit annoying to walk on eggshells regarding anything beyond the mansion"

Deciding that it was probably alright to go downstairs to get himself a cup of water, he began to make his way the kitchen, not knowing that he would meet someone whose fate was deeply intertwined with his.

…

..

.

'Beautiful…'

That was the only word that came to Leon's mind as he set his eyes on the white-haired woman who was talking with his mother.

Her hair was as pure as snow, and her eyes were like a boundless sky had been trapped behind them. A true beauty in every sense of the word.

Her delicate features seemed to be eastern European in origin, and most striking of all, she was wearing what seemed to be a maid attire.

'She seems so young as well. I wonder what business such a person has with Mom?'

As Leon thought this, he began to scrutinize more thoroughly the person he was looking at. But the two women who were conversing eventually felt his presence.

"L-Leon?!"

The first to comment on his arrival was his mother who began to blush profusely. Stuttering her words while her eyes examined the freshly bathed appearance of her son.

With his hair slightly damp, the aroma of his soap and shampoo wafting through her nose, and the glistening remnant droplets of water that stuck to his skin.

The mother of the young man in question began to panic as his appearance was now open to more than just her eyes alone.

"Anastasia-"

"This humble maid greets Young Master Leon!"

But before Ada could get out a single word, the young snow-white maid greeted Leon with a well-performed bow and a resounding voice. Something which elicited confusion from the young man she had just greeted.

"Eh? Maid?"

"Yes! This humble maid's name is Anastasia Romanov! Though it has yet to be confirmed, I would wish to serve you. Young Master Leon appears to be parched and in need of refreshments?"

Rising from her deep bow, the snow-white maid's eyes seemed to examine Leon with frightening detail as she quickly surmised that he was going down to get himself a drink.

"Yeah, but you don't have to-"

"Understood"

But before he could tell her that he could get a drink by himself, the maid had already begun to make swift haste for the kitchen. Somehow guessing which cup was his correctly, before delicately pouring water.

After confirming that she had filled the cup to the optimal height, the maid began to swiftly make her way to Leon's location. Presenting his mug with outstretched hands as she bowed her head.

"Please refresh yourself with this, Young Master Leon"

Presented with his cup full of water, Leon was bewildered by what had quickly transpired. Looking at his mother, Ada was still left in shock with no words to say.

But for the young man, looking upon the maid who bowed to him in servitude awoke some memories of his past life.

Memories of the female attendants and housekeepers who used to maintain his house of sin and depravity on a daily basis.

They would fulfill his needs without question, and though they performed their duties as if it were their life's passion, their eyes were hollow and devoid of life.

"..."

Leon always wondered then why they seemed to move like dolls, but at the end of his last life, he realized why. It was because he treated them like objects and not like human beings.

Deprived of their dignity as human people, they were no better than machines moving upon his instructions.

And with the maid in front of him, he could tell that such a sad life awaited her if she were to serve such a heartless person.

Wanting to avert such a cruel fate for the young girl who had yet to experience all the throes of life, Leon began to awaken his voice, wishing to utter words that he believed could've prevented what had become of his past life's attendants.

"Thank you"

A simple utterance of thanks coupled with a gentle smile that came from the heart.. An acknowledgment of a person's appreciation for another's action.

It was something he had never heard someone utter to him from his personal meddling in another's affairs, and it was also something he never gave to any other person due to his arrogance and hubris.

Leon didn't know if it had the effect he intended it to have, but he sincerely wished that he could be better to the people who helped him in this life compared to the last. No matter how small the act was.

"..."

But, it would seem that rather than expecting a response that was below what he wanted, he had unintentionally caused something far greater than he had anticipated.

𝙁𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙊...

As the snow-white maid raised her head to take a small glimpse of the face of the man who had thanked her so earnestly, she immediately went down on one knee as she exposed her back to Leon. Something that a trained maid such as herself wouldn't do other most circumstances.

"Young Master Leon, please, please, accept this lowly maid into your service! I swear upon my name of Anastasia Romanov to serve as your sword and shield against all foes who may wish ill upon you!"

Seeing the fervent display of servitude coming from the maid, Leon was once again sent back into a dizzying mood of confusion. Unable to take any more actions amidst the chaos of what was happening, he simply turned to his mother whose jaw was hanging in shock.

"Mom, can you please explain what's going on here?"

…

..

.

"So in summary, you hired a personal maid for me?"

"T-That's right, Leon"

With Leon sitting on one sofa in the living room, and Ada and Anastasia sitting together on the sofa across from him, there was a tense atmosphere as the young man tried his best to wrap his head around what was going on.

Though he was fifteen years old, he began to sigh like the old man he was in his past life as he eventually got around to understanding what had just happened to him,

"And, Miss Anastasia will be responsible for caring for my needs and protecting me if I ever want to go outside?"

"Yes, that is correct, Young Master Leon"

Turning his head to the maid who called herself Anastasia, Leo's eyes began to examine her with great detail. Not in terms of her attractiveness, but her strength as a fighter, something he was used to doing among the heathen-filled streets of the underworld.

To his surprise, there was an immense aura of killing intent hovering around Anastasia that she tried very hard to hide. Something he would've expected from a trained assassin.

With this information, he was able to confirm a suspicion he had been having regarding his body. That would be the fact that men are somehow naturally weaker than women.

'I knew something was up when I began exercising. My body felt too abnormally weak, even considering the old lifestyle I used to lead before remembering my past'

It unnerved him a bit to know that he had less agency if the need to defend himself came, but he didn't want to enter too many physical altercations in this life, so it was something he was able to eventually accept.

"𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩…"

Seeing Leon sigh like a tired office worker, Ada and Anastasia felt a tang of guilt in their hearts., feeling that they were responsible for painting such a complexion on a precious man.

"Leon…"

Ada wanted to ask for her son's forgiveness, but before she could do so, she was once again cut off by Anastasia.

"Madame Ada, it would seem that my presence here has only caused unrest. I would like to formally apologize before seeing myself off"

With her blue eyes that were once glimmering with life now being empty like stagnant water, Anastasia felt her heart grow cold as she realized she had been too caught up in her dreams and made a horrible first impression upon the young master she wished to serve.

She had lived a life of quiet efficiency for so long that she didn't know what it was like to be filled with so much happiness and excitement.

But though she was wrecked with regret and sadness, the youngest child of the Romanov line still understood to maintain an air of professionalism rather than further trouble her clients with the aching of her heart.

However, just as she was resolved to let go of her dream, Leon's voice cut through her melancholy with a clear tone. Like a sword cleaving away at the darkness that loomed over her.

"Hey, I didn't say that I didn't want you to serve me, Miss Anastasia"

Turning her head to the figure of a lightly smiling Leon, Anastasia grew quiet as the aching of her heart began to subside. Hope filling where despair threatened to rest.

"I was just a bit overwhelmed. Anyone would be if someone asked to serve you after you came back from a shower, right?"

Letting out a light chuckle, the young man continued to remove the misconceptions both Anastasia and Ada held regarding his previous behavior.

"I would actually be happy if you would take care of me. I really want to explore the outside world, and it would put me and my mom at ease if someone as capable as Miss Anastasia was there to protect us"

Seeing him express such genuine happiness at their actions, the two women felt their hearts begin to quicken as the received his overflowing kind words.

For Ada and Anastasia, their only knowledge and experience with men were usually cold and apprehensive, so seeing a man take their brash actions so kindly, was an experience that ran through their senses like lightning.

"Thank you, Mom, for worrying so much about me…and if it would be alright Miss Anastasia. Please stay by my side as my protector"

With the final words of Leon striking at their heart like a professional boxer's knockout punch, both Ada and Anastasia began to have tears well up in the corners of their eyes, causing the young man to grow concerned at what unintended consequences his actions had once more.

"Mom?! Miss Anastasia?!"

"𝘏𝘪𝘤…𝘏𝘪𝘤…my son is the best…𝘏𝘪𝘤…𝘏𝘪𝘤…my son is the best in the world…"

"𝘏𝘪𝘤…𝘏𝘪𝘤…Madame Ada, please use this handkerchief…𝘏𝘪𝘤…𝘏𝘪𝘤…I…I…can handle a mere couple of…tears…UWAAAA"

Seeing that he had made the two women begin to cry, though he did not know what caused such a response, he did his best to apologize and comfort them both, which only led to an increased outpouring of tears and wailing.

'What the hell is wrong with this world?!'

With the anger and frustration of 『Wild Hunt』in the midst of it all, Leon was reminded once again why it was so hard to live a life of kindness, regardless of what kind of reality the person was in.