The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 57: Fifty-six

"Understood." Jannah nodded her head to the knight and turned to Marco, "I’ll leave the people to you, Lucienta, and Arthur. I’ll talk to Merlot immediately regarding these women and children."

"Leave it to me, my lady." Marco lowered his head, placing his palm on his chest to show his respect.

"Let’s go, Jeriel." Jannah called out to her little sister and raised the reins, being careful so the leopard cub in her arms wouldn’t fall, but her hands froze mid-air when someone called out to her.

"Countess Rafelon." Duke Eulicies guided his horse to stand beside of the Countess’s stallion.

"Yes?" Jannah blinked, not expecting for the Duke to stop her.

"Please allow me to come with you." The Duke uttered a quiet request, a pleading look crossing his eyes as he tightened his hold on the leopard cub in his arms, trying to muster more courage.

Although, it seems like he wasn’t the only one who wants to come with her.

"Please allow me to serve you as well, my lady." Kirie guided her horse to go to the other side of Duke Eulicies’s horse.

Jannah bit her tongue, the unexpected turn of the event made her feel under the pressure.

Well, would you look at that? Jeriel whistled teasingly through their link, not helping Jannah out of her predicament.

As the two waits for her response, their demeanors were very different.

One was clearly begging, his beautiful purple eyes pleading and his voice slightly trembling while the other one was more composed, speaking in a respectful tone of a servant.

Despite their differences, they both had one thing in common: they want to come with her.

She felt caught between their requests, feeling guilt and concern for the begging nobleman while she felt both oddly affection and worry for the servant.

Jannah looked away from them, considering their request to join her, she couldn’t help, but wonder what their motives are. She knows that she can trust both of them, but would Merlot say anything to them being present?

Ah, to hell with what Merlot will say. Jannah cussed in her mind, looking back to the waiting people.

"Sure. Although, I don’t know if you two will be any help to me.. Make sure to not cause any trouble, okay?" Jannah’s eyebrows creased, voice dripping with uncertainty and confusion as she gripped the reins in her hands.

"I would never cause trouble for you." Duke Eulicies said, his expression brightening up with his eyes going wide in excitement.

"I will never misbehave and will be in my best manners, my lady." Kirie assured her with a big, soft smile.

She looked between Kirie and Duke Eulicies momentarily, examining their oddly happy faces, before she slammed the reins, urging her stallion forward wordlessly.

I still don’t like him, but he looked like he was kicked by his lover when he was asking you. It was a lovely sight, sis. Jeriel was laughing manically through their mental link while she’s chasing after her big sister, navigating through the almost empty street of the town.

Oh, shut up. Jannah hissed halfheartedly to their mental link, feeling bad for the Duke because Jeriel seems like she’s enjoying his misery.

"Meorrawww!" As if the mother leopard could read the minds of the sisters, she let out a loud yowl, running in between of the horses to keep up with them.

The leopard’s noises made the sisters smile at each other. Despite the short distance, the attempts of her little sister and the leopard to lighten the atmosphere, the ride to the town hall was wrought with tension for reason.

Kirie’s horse gallops behind her, to the right which was right behind Jeriel, her stance slightly unstable, while the Duke’s horse were a few paces behind Jannah’s stallion, feeling his gaze fixed on her back.

The air was thick with unspoken words and unsaid motives. She couldn’t help, but wonder what would happen once the two had the guts to say what they want to say.

That would be a story for another time. For now, the horses skidded into a stop as they reach the town’s hall.

Jannah could see from her peripheral vision that the Duke scrambled to get off his horse and runs towards her. He placed the leopard cub gently on the ground before he held out his hands to her.

The cub was quick to run to his mother, mewling quietly and rubbed his head on her chin, making her lick his forehead.

"Let me be useful to you." Duke Eulicies gave her a small, awkward smile.

"Thank you?" Jannah could only utter the words as she grabbed his hand, getting off the horse with quick and graceful movement, still have the leopard settled comfortably in her arms.

I guess that’s one point for him. Jeriel commented, making Jannah look at her with a raised eyebrow. She saw her little sister hugging the leopard cub while watching them from the door.

Due to her being distracted, she didn’t manage to pull her hand away from Duke Eulicies’s hand, making him bite the inside of his lower lip to keep his composure.

Only when Kirie grabbed Jannah’s wrist without a word, but gently, did she pull her hand away from the Duke and from the maid.

"Let’s go inside." Jannah looked away from them, walking stiffly towards her little sister who looked like she’s holding back her laugh behind her closed hand.

The mother leopard let out a quiet chuff to her cub, signalling for him to follow her towards the Countess.

Jannah looked at the mother and son before sending a halfheartedly glare on her little sister’s way as she slammed the door open, just in time to see the person inside the lobby jumps out of fright.

"Dear heavens!" Clara let out a startled yelp, stopping in her tracks as she place a hand on her chest, her eyes wide in shock and fright, whisking her head to look at the newcomer.

"Oh, dear! Jannah!" Clara’s previous startled expression was quickly replaced with a cheerful one, "You’re finally here! Finally! Come, come! Oh! Is that Jeriel with you? Goodness!"

"Well, someone seems excited to see us." Jeriel giggled and walked past Jannah, meeting the Marquess halfway.

However, Clara stopped when she saw the leopards on the Rafelon sisters’ arms.

"What are you two holding?!" A terrified shriek escaped her pink lips, alarming the people on the second floor.

Jannah watched the two blue dots on the map move out of the office on the second floor and rush their bums towards the staircase in an amazing speed. She looked away from the system’s map and glued her gaze to the staircase.

"Clara! My dear!" Merlot came rushing down, his face drained of its color, "What’s wrong?! What happened—"

"Hey, Merlot." Jannah had promptly cut him off as she raised a hand to wave at him, "It feels like it’s been awhile since I last saw you and your wife."

"Jannah!" Merlot’s eyes are wide, "Oh, goodness! I’m so glad that you’re finally here! And Jeriel’s here, too! Great! Let us not waste any time and discuss about what to do with the people I locked in the cell."

Jeriel and Jannah raised an eyebrow at each other, nodding their heads at Merlot.

"If you say so—"

"No!" Clara’s outburst made them look at her, "Can you please tell me why you two are holding baby predators in your arms?! What if their mother comes here to take them?!"

Voicing out her worries, a crestfallen and terrified expression settled in her face.

"Their mother? Oh, you don’t have to worry about her. She’s right over there with her other cub." Jannah smiled at her and nudged her head towards the door where the Duke and Kirie are standing with the mother leopard sitting in front of them.

Clara’s face turned pale and she didn’t waste any time to run behind Merlot to hide, "Why are you two carrying a predator’s baby and carried the predator here herself?!"

"Relax." Jannah chuckled out and stepped forward, "She won’t hurt anyone. If she wanted to then she would have devoured me or my people a long time ago."

She decided not to tell Clara that she only met the leopard the other night because of the system. She knew that she can trust them, but she’s not ready to tell them the things she told her little sister.

Not yet at least.

"She does have a point." Duke Eulicies spoke up to back Jannah’s statement which made the married couple look at him, "I’ve been with her since her departure from the capital and the leopard hasn’t tried to do anything to harm her, or us, or any of our people."

"Duke? Duke Zacharias?" Merlot asked, mouth agape at the sight of one of the Dukes of the Starlian Kingdom right in front of him, vouching for his dearest friend.

"It’s true, Marques Ebonics." Kirie also decided to speak up, "The leopard hasn’t made any move that indicates she wants to harm us."

"Is it really friendly..?" Clara sniffled, almost peeing her skirt at the sight of the large predator stalking behind Jannah with slitted eyes that seem to warn her to not make any move, "Because from the looks of it right now.. She doesn’t seem friendly."

Jannah’s face scrunched up before she taps her thigh, not liking how Clara is acting towards her lovely companion.

"Come here, girl." She called for the mother leopard, an obvious upset look on her face.