The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 58: Fifty-seven

The mother leopard perks up, her eyes brightening up at the order Jannah gave her. She strutted proudly towards the noble lady and rubbed her head on her thigh, purring loud and proud.

"See?" Jannah rubbed the leopard’s head, "She’s friendly and wouldn’t hurt anyone unless I said so."

"Does it really—"

"She." Jeriel corrected the way Merlot addresses the leopard, cutting him off with a sharp tone, "She’s a girl, a mother, and a companion to my big sister. Get it right, my dear friend."

"Okay, okay." Merlot raised his hands in the air as he glanced over his shoulder to check on his wife and cleared his throat, "Does she really follow Jannah’s command? She wouldn’t hurt anyone inside this town?"

Jannah frowned at him, making her offended feeling evident.

"It’s not like I don’t trust you. I just need to know, okay? Please tell me if she wouldn’t harm anyone." Merlot was quick to plead his case to not make Jannah upset further, silently sending a distress signal to her and gesturing to the woman behind him.

I think he wants you to repeat what you say and put emphasis on it to lessen Clara’s fear. Jeriel squinted her eyes at him, clearly upset that he wants to make Jannah prove it to them even though she doesn’t have to.

Hearing what Jeriel said, Jannah caressed the mother leopard’s head once more before ordering, "Walk around Merlot, girl."

If she’s being honest, she’s not entirely sure if the leopard will follow her every order. The system only told her that she earned her as a companion, but she haven’t tried anything to test if the leopard can be truly trusted.

Not that I’m doubting her. Jannah thought, watching as Merlot flinched when he heard what Jannah had said.

The mother leopard perked her head up, tail whisking left to right as she pull her body away from Jannah’s leg. She let out a quiet chuff, almost as silent as a baby mouse.

She gave Jannah one last look before stalking over Merlot with predatory gaze, her slitted eyes watching him like a hawk, rendering him frozen in place.

The leopard moved in a wide circle around the the married couple, her eyes never leaving him or his wife for a moment.

She padded silently as she walked around them, her paws making not a sound on the smooth floorboards beneath her. She seemed more curious than predatory because Jannah had given her an odd order.

So, all she’s doing now is trying her best to understand the married couple and their behavior for her master’s convenience. If not, why else would her human ask for her to walk around them?

Jannah observed the way the mother leopard size up her friends, the predator’s posture was relaxed and calm, seemingly just walking around them because that was what she was told.

Looks like she really does follow your orders. Jeriel mused, tilting her head in mild amusement as she watches the frightened expressions of their friends.

Looks like it. Jannah agreed wholeheartedly, coming into terms of accepting and trusting the companion that the system has given her.

The sisters kept their gaze on the leopard just in case things go south. They watched as the leopard’s gaze followed the married couple, watching as they kept still in the open space, perhaps searching for signs of weakness or vulnerability in her potential prey.

However, she kept still, holding herself back, her instincts telling her to wait, to observe, to understand— to follow.

She stopped stalking the couple and settled herself in front of them, sitting quite comfortably, the curiosity and excitement evident by the whipping of her tail.

Jannah smiled softly, witnessing enough terror from her friends’ faces.

"Is that enough? Can we go inside the office now to talk about the people you locked up?" As she speak, she slowly made her way to the couple, waiting for them to say their response.

"Duke Zacharias, please carry the baby." Jannah called over her shoulders and tapped the mother leopard on the head, "That’s enough now, let’s go up."

Duke Eulicies didn’t have to be told twice. He walked towards the leopard cub and scooped him off the floor to settle the cub in his arms.

"Meoraw!" The leopard mewl loudly, rubbing her forehead on Jannah’s hand.

"Merlot? Clara?" Jannah called the couple’s name to snap them out of their dreamland, "She really wouldn’t hurt you. I think I’ve proven that enough, yes?"

Merlot snapped his gaze on her, nodding his head frantically as he grabs his wife, "You’re right. Those men— the ones we locked up. Right!"

Jannah raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to lead the way to the second floor.

Once he did, both him and his wife were stumbling and scrambling to get on the second floor, not looking back to see if their friends are following them.

Ha! The looks on their faces! Jeriel is back with her maniacal laugh. Her laughter echoed in the back of Jannah’s mind as she hold herself back from laughing physically.

Jannah could let out a sigh, already of hearing her little sister diss everyone around them. Is she usually like this? Laughing at everyone?

The four of them reached the second floor with the mother leopard trailing behind Jannah. They went inside the office, Duke Eulicies closed the door after the three ladies walked inside.

Jannah sat in front of Merlot and his wife, who still look quite shaken up, while Jeriel made herself comfortable beside her.

The two of them placed the cubs on their lap and the cub on the Duke’s arms was placed on Jannah’s lap, making him feel greatly envious of their spot right now.

He stood directly behind Jannah while Kirie stood beside him, two steps away from him and one step forward, closer to her master.

Merlot and Clara shot them a confused glance, wondering why they’re so close to their friend and why was their friend okay with the close proximity— which is not even that close, but friends, right?

"About those people you locked up.. Why?" Jannah spoke up first, breaking the awkward and heavy silence.

The previous look of anxiety on the Marquess’s face disappeared the moment Jannah asked the question and that caused Clara to frown.

She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, "The Baron from Rye didn’t let us through his town so we didn’t force it. Mainly because they were saying something about giving up our things and that they were suspicious."

"Suspicious? How so?" Jeriel urged Clara to reveal more details, there might be something more sinister about the Baron of the previous town.

"That man— no, I wouldn’t dare call him a man. The things he suggested and admitted are way beyond of what a human should do. He’s a monster." Merlot changed his tone and hissed the words out, as if he was disgusted and furious.

"What did he do?" Jannah’s face was straight, not showing any reaction, but encouraging him to say more about the Baron.

"He came knocking on our gates with a few of his men two days ago. He had the courage to tell me that the women in this town are better off locked up in the basement with the children as emergency rations for men." Merlot raised his voice slowly as he retold everything the Baron had said to him.

"He was looking down on the mother of their children." Clara sniffled, tears running down her cheeks as she recall the horrifying details the Baron had told them, "He was saying those things with a smile on his face, convincing my husband on doing the same horrible things to the gentle souls of this town."

"How many men are there?" Jannah didn’t have to ask for further details, already knowing what she needed to do.

"Seven, including the Baron." Merlot forced out of himself, a strained look on his face as his frown deepens, "There’s a young woman locked on a separate cell that came after them."

The request of the beautiful little girl flashed in her mind, reminding her of what she said to assure her.

"That might be the little girl’s mother." Jannah hummed out, a small smile erupting in her face as she caress the cubs’ chins, "Hopefully."

"This is no smiling matter, Jannah." Clara narrowed her eyes towards her friend.

"It’s okay." Duke Eulicies assured Marquess Ebonics with a gruff voice, dripping with authority, not liking the tone she used to the woman sitting in front of him, "You wouldn’t say anything about her smiling if you saw what she did to the men of the previous town."

"What did you do, Jannah?" Clara’s lips twitched downwards.

"Oh, I simply—" Jannah stopped talking when she felt a hand grab her shoulder, making her look to her right, staring at her little sister.

"I think that would be too much for you to hear, Clara. Isn’t that right, brother Merlot?" Jeriel smiled at Merlot, shooting him a look and signalling him to make Clara stop from prying further.

The man took a second before he could get and recognize the signal, but when he did, he laughed obnoxiously which alarmed everyone in the room.

"Haha! I see! You must have done something amazing for the Duke to assure us like this!" Merlot looked at Duke Eulicies, silently asking his help. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The Duke, however, looked away from him and looked down to admire the woman sitting in front of him instead.

A silent rejection to his plea.