Leonor woke up with a yawn, stretching both her arms and legs while her eyes were still half-awake.

Edmund turned and looked at the girl. Sleeping for five hours since early morning seemed to be enough for her.

She got up and sat on the bed, her expression blank and her eyes still sleepy, her black hair looking messy.

"Edmund?" she whispered softly.

"I’m here."

Leonor turned and saw Edmund. The man was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, already dressed in his noble attire, busy reading the documents in his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Reading the citizens’ reports. They’re still worried about the serial murder threat in the city," Edmund answered.

"But I already stopped killing people," Leonor replied.

"That’s true, but I still haven’t announced the culprit to the public. Besides, I’m still curious about the other four victims."

"If they weren’t caused by you, then I’m worried there’s another culprit," Edmund replied.

Leonor stayed silent, sitting on her knees and occasionally wiping her watery eyes every time she yawned. Edmund smiled faintly.

Even though Leonor looked innocent from her appearance, her mind and heart belonged to a half-demon with an aggressive and brutal nature, someone with very little empathy.

Still, Edmund had to raise and take care of her.

If he had to compare her to something, Leonor was like a wild beast that only relied on instinct.

But even a wild beast could be tamed if it was raised properly.

"Wouldn’t that be easy?"

"What do you mean?" Edmund asked.

"You have half of my power. You can use your eyes to track them down," Leonor replied.

"Do you want me to help you, Edmund?"

Edmund smiled lightly and placed the documents back on the table while still looking at Leonor’s face, "That would help me a lot."

Leonor nodded in agreement, got off the bed, and stretched again.

Her eyes were completely refreshed now, while the glass jar filled with cookies was left lying on the bed.

"Let’s go—"

"Leonor!" Edmund said firmly, startling her.

"What?"

"The first lesson to become the kind of woman I like is to always clean up after using something," Edmund said.

"Huh?!" Leonor exclaimed in shock.

"Why are you so confident like that?"

Edmund chuckled softly, stood up from the sofa, and walked toward Leonor.

He raised his hand and gently rubbed the girl’s messy hair.

"So, would you rather have me hate you?" Edmund asked.

"No, that’s not what I mean."

The man walked toward the balcony, opened the door, and pulled the curtains aside, "Out there, many women dream of becoming my wife. But I’m very selective when it comes to choosing a partner."

"Only women who fit my standards are suitable to become my wife," he continued.

Leonor fell silent for a moment, staring sharply at Edmund with clenched fists, "Fine then!"

With a lazy expression, she walked toward Edmund’s bed and picked up the scattered cookies, placing them back into the glass jar.

She also straightened the bedsheet and tidied the pillows and blanket neatly.

Edmund turned and watched what Leonor was doing. Even though she was somewhat forced into it, she still did the task properly.

The bed became clean and tidy again, the pillows and blanket neatly arranged, and the glass jar filled with cookies was placed back on the table.

"There!" Leonor complained.

Edmund nodded and walked toward Leonor while fixing her hair. He picked up a comb and combed Leonor’s black hair neatly.

"A woman is valued by her appearance. People will look down on you if you look sloppy," Edmund explained.

"I don’t care. I can kill them!"

"That’s terrifying," Edmund joked while continuing to comb Leonor’s hair.

After she looked completely neat, he invited Leonor to go to the dining room.

It was not lunchtime yet, but because Leonor had fallen asleep earlier, she missed breakfast.

Edmund did not mind it much. He could eat again while also teaching Leonor noble table manners.

The two of them left Edmund’s room and arrived at the dining room.

He asked the maids to prepare food for Leonor, and they obediently nodded, already understanding what needed to be done.

"What are we doing?" Leonor asked.

"Eating," Edmund answered, "You’ve only eaten cookies. You’ll like real food."

"What’s that like?"

Edmund paused for a moment, "Probably meat and soup, along with bread and jam."

One of the maids approached and poured wine into Edmund’s glass.

Edmund accepted it and slowly took a sip. Leonor watched what Edmund was doing, and the aroma of the wine reached her nose.

"I want that!" Leonor demanded.

"No, Leonor. This is for adults."

"I want it!"

Edmund sighed, turned his head, and whispered something to the servant beside him.

The maid understood and nodded, knowing what Edmund meant.

"The servants will give you something," Edmund answered, and Leonor nodded slowly.

Not long after, the main dishes arrived in the form of three plates. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The main plate contained potatoes, broccoli, and eggs. The second plate had smoked meat with honey seasoning. And the third bowl contained warm vegetable soup.

It was Leonor’s first time seeing food served like that. It smelled delicious, unlike the cookies.

She raised her hand and tried to grab the food, but Edmund stopped her.

"Use the fork like this," Edmund said while demonstrating it in front of Leonor.

"Ah, what a hassle!"

Leonor reluctantly picked up the fork and gripped it tightly. She stabbed the fork into a potato and looked back at Edmund.

Edmund immediately ate the potato, and Leonor followed him. Her eyes widened instantly as she felt the soft, salty, and savory texture of the potato.

The servants around the dining table smiled faintly, finding Leonor’s innocence amusing.

"This... tastes better than cookies," Leonor said with her mouth full of food.

"Second lesson, don’t talk while your mouth is full. Chew and swallow first, then you can speak."

"Mhm," Leonor murmured softly.

She quickly finished the potatoes, broccoli, and eggs before moving on to the smoked meat.

She looked at Edmund again, curious about what he was about to show her.

Edmund held two different utensils in his hands, a knife and a fork.

Eating the smoked meat was not as easy as eating potatoes.

Leonor struggled when trying to cut the meat with the knife, to the point that the meat slipped from the fork and flew off the table.

"It fell."

The girl hurriedly tried to pick it up, but Edmund immediately stopped her.

"That’s... dirty."

Edmund stood up and walked toward Leonor, giving his own smoked meat to her instead.

With Edmund helping her, Leonor finally managed to cut the smoked meat and taste it.

The strong aroma of lamb, the sweet and sour flavor of the honey seasoning, and the soft texture left Leonor amazed.

Slowly but surely, Leonor started getting used to it. She began finishing the smoked meat by herself.

Edmund was impressed. The girl might be aggressive, but she was always interested in new things.

There were still many things Edmund needed to teach her about etiquette and the basic knowledge of life.

Maybe it would take a long time, but Edmund was certain that if Leonor could learn everything, she could become the most elegant, beautiful, and powerful woman in the entire Archie Territory.

This will definitely take a long time, but I’m sure the result will be worth it.

Leonor finished her smoked meat and turned to Edmund with sauce all over her mouth. "I want more."

Edmund reached into his pocket and took out a handkerchief, wiping the meat sauce from Leonor’s mouth, "Of course."