Just as Mulan had said, Leo's physical injuries were only superficial, but he had also suffered mental torment during that time. For many people, wounds to both body and mind might become scars that never healed, but Mulan believed the children of the Jonester Family possessed strong willpower.
At least, Mulan believed that was true of Leo Jonester. This was no optimistic guess; he could sense that his older brother had grown stronger at a spiritual level.
Even at the dinner table, after Old Buck had made the brothers a late-night meal, Leo could recount the torment he had suffered among the pirates with a bitter expression. He knew what his family could bear, and he knew what he himself could bear.
"Those bastards actually wanted to turn me into a plaything for noblewomen. I'm a noble of the Empire!"
Old Buck spoke with a mixture of sympathy and amusement.
"Young Master Leo, it's exactly as you say. That's why your wounds aren't actually very deep. They were afraid of damaging you, too."
Eating his potato and meat stew, Mulan spoke ominously from beside him.
"Exactly. Grandpa Buck, you have no idea. Leo here was selectively defiant when they tortured him. He knew very well when to bend and when to stand firm."
"What? What's that supposed to mean? After everything I suffered, you still think I wasn't defiant enough?"
Faced with Leo's angry glare, and remembering what Leo had just said about tricking him into eating mosquitoes, Mulan finally stopped holding back.
"Leo, while you were there, did you give in whenever your training partner was pretty, then swear you'd rather die whenever she was ugly?"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough."
Leo couldn't help coughing. How did Mulan know about that? It was true that, at first, he hadn't quite