♦Chapter 115.5: Conditions and Inevitable Outcomes♦
[]Third Person's POV []
As the vassals lavishly blabbered about the affairs to be handled with utmost care among themselves, the person on the throne simply watched over their figures with boredom seen in his eyes.
The ruler was very thankful. Thankful that there was enough distance between the nobles and his feet, keeping his inner thoughts unrevealed.
Since he was a child, Leonard never had any particular interest in anything around this broad world. After having experienced of the education given to his duties as the first prince of the Empire back in the day, people labeled him as a genius from his intelligence which frequently outrivaled even the most excellent teachers during the era.
His expectations were betrayed at that moment. For once, he assumed that there would be difficulties to be encountered even for someone such as himself which would make his work productive and more worth awhile. However, that difficulty, itself, was found on the gap between the talented and the average.
Thus, when he got winded of the confirmation of a younger sibling within his mother's womb, he loosened his grip on the sword and ended his ties with his instructor in terms of the subject. Because, if he also excelled in swordsmanship, there was nothing else to be left behind if ever his sibling came to be a male.
Nobles scorn over the slightest weakness of an individual of the same society.
Only a sigh of relief could be done as soon as the young Leonard was informed of each and every step that his younger brother took as he aged.
Things went smoothly, seeing no conflicts entrusted to useless jealousy has been made. He favored the second prince for his commendable abilities and neutral attitude toward himself.
Peace remained alongside the balance in people's praises despite the rusty smell of blood beyond the Empire's walls.
While as cruel as it may seem to another's point of view, Leonard saw the war as an opportunity, regardless of the sacrifices and grief it shouldered on many.
The throne, the crown, and the scepter in everyone's ideals. The curiosity that he harbored toward those common desires led him to make an effort over claiming the throne. And such thoughts didn't waver even if the weight of his ambition resulted him to sprinkle the drool of a snake into his own failure of a father's rich yearning.
After that, the tranquility and great influence of the first prince's reign gained the good side of the citizen, but... In the end, things went back to square since the passing of his Empress, leaving him to depend on the amusing tactics of the rats, hiding their stench from the range of his vision.
'The rebels lurking among the aristocrats, huh...' The emperor thought, taking into account the reeking insecurities of his subjects ever since the publicity of the executed Marquis of Aubetré's treachery.
He stopped walking in the middle of the hallway, being reminded of his son's response to his warning.
"Your Majesty?", the imperial guard that followed the monarch's steps from behind set his gaze upon the person's presence in a puzzled manner.
"Head of the knights of the Central Division, Philip Hugh. Would it have been better if I hadn't told the Crowned Prince of my knowledge?"
Whilst blessed with outstanding competence, in the end, Leonard was but another father who cared a lot for his own child. The proof was as clear as day, as his conflicted feelings regarding his decision was written all over his stern-looking expression on the surface.
Having witnessed this scenery, the guard addressed of the last name Hugh, couldn't help but grin behind his master's back with beaming eyes that could shed some tears any sooner. He felt like he was struck by luck at the same moment for being outside of the range of the emperor's view, right now.
"I believe, what Your Majesty did was fair enough. Although this might not seem too convincing coming from someone such as myself-"
"It's better to have the awareness of a potential problem more than having to learn about it with a taste of devastation and betrayal later on.", the man added to his reply, looking away to hint that he could spout such nonsense from his personal experience.
The effectiveness of that last statement mostly came from the person's tone, thus, it resonated greatly within the ruler's thoughts. After a brief silence, Leonard moved his lips.
"Yeah... I thought so too.", he smiled, tagged along with his speech, made up of loose formalities.
From there, the location changes into an office piled with mountains of work on top of each and every single desk present. The hard work poured onto the papers could be seen through the dark circles below the eyes of the monarch's aides. No one could even be bothered of paying attention to Leonard's arrival at the scene, with their focuses locked on their own duties.
That just proved how busy it was at the Imperial Palace, every day. Hence, as per usual, he turned a blind eye to this impudence as he directly sat on his own post.
"Hm?"
Ten seconds hadn't even passed since he rested his bottom, and yet he already got his vision absorbed on a particular letter, sealed with a familiar crest to his interest.
''She' sure is a shameless one.', the man thought, smirking at the sight of the opened letter which consisted of only one, simple sentence;
-Tell me where you sent the previous duchess of Shevaria!
While picturing the lady, herself, speaking of such words through her own lips, he was rather impressed than offended, considering that no one could be as brazen as her when it came to someone like him, the emperor.
Not to mention, to be so straightforward at asking for confidential information despite her minor assistance during their deal-
"What courage...", he sighed in a very low volume, being reminded of a special someone who crossed the River of Styx far before he could do, due to the similarity.
"......"
In a blink of an eye, the bitterness on his stare dispersed, attaching back the smiley expression on his face as he immediately wrote a reply for the letter. However, unfortunately for the receiver, the written statement stated as such;
"'As long as you keep getting along with the Crowned Prince'?!"
"May hell be upon you!!!", a certain lady whose hair was colored in mint green, added to her yelling.
Thereafter, the black-haired young man on her side who likewise wiped off his sweat from the training, opened his mouth after hearing out her loud complaints.
"But at the very end, His Majesty will still agree, right? Does milady wish to waste this chance?"
"Everything could've been fine as long as it didn't involve 'that bastard'(Noah)."
"Well... I get your point in that issue......", he passively averted his gaze from the other person.
It was then that a middle-aged man joined in the middle of their discussion with some sort of odd-looking sack rested on his right shoulder.
"Hey, hey. Don't ya just openly curse and insult the Emperor and the future sun in front of me. Even if 'tis old geezer already quit his job, he's still a former knight, y'know?"
"Is it that big of an issue to the point that you'd admit that you're an old geezer?", Melissa asked, mostly to make fun of her combat mentor, Holger's interruption.
"That-... Hah, nevermind."
Surprisingly, the person called it quits today when he would usually fight back to prolong the slightest argument between him and the lass.
The lady kept her eyes open to stare at Holger's profile for a brief moment, noticing this change. Nonetheless, it seemed like there wasn't a need to be concerned about the matter, seeing how the reason was to be revealed from the way he gently dropped the sack he brought, onto the ground and crouched to open it up.
"Mentor, that-", before Aiden could completely utter his phrase, a sheathed sword, heavier than those used in their practices has been thrown in his grasp.
"Here's yours, lass.", a separate, thinner sword has been thrown from the middle-aged man's direction, and landed right on top of Melissa's hands.
The wind blew gently from the west to the young lady and her little bodyguard's perspective.
As the fallen orangey leaves slipped through their fluttering hairs as though nature also lamented for the saddening event which was about to occur, the young lady embraced the sword designed to her familiarity, while the person next to her side slowly began to notice what this was about after confirming their Mentor's demeanor.
The silence didn't last long for the man before their eyes began to speak in a matter of time.
"Good riddance for two, pesky, lil' brats! Don't ya mistakenly visit 'tis old man's place from tomorrow.", he turned his back on his students with arms crossed as Melissa smiled at this sentimental view.
Aiden stood abruptly afterward, verbalizing a question despite having the awareness of its answer heretofore.
"Mentor...! Is it...... really...?", he couldn't bring up the final word to be spoken.
"What? Don't be such a wimpy lad! Ain't ya a man?"
"Says the person who cowardly hides his tears from us.", the lady whose irises dyed in pink, fooled around to enlighten the bluish atmosphere.
"Shaddup!!", her mentor instantly replied in spite of the use of a childish manner of speech.
In a second, Melissa stood up and eventually lowered her head to the person's back, close to a ninety-degree angle, and with the sword in her grasp pressed onto her knees.
"Thank you for your guidance."
"Thank you...!", the black-haired juvenile added, quickly fixing his posture similarly to the lady that he served.
"Hmph!"
Giving the two a stubborn-like reply, Holger began to walk father from the area to leave them there with a final advice, preventing them from getting ahead of themselves just because of this congratulatory graduation event.
"Be sure to practice your swings in every single damned day...!", he waved at their way using the back of his left palm, without even allowing them both to see his face for their parting, and for the last time at the very end.
The farewells have been settled, and the afternoon close to the same time has made its way to the lady and her bodyguard, the next day.
Melissa drowned herself once more into the world of the romance-themed novels that she favored, in order to waste her time over her long period of probation. Since yesterday became the last reason for her to take the risk of sneaking out of the mansion, there was nothing left for her to do other than satisfying her boredom this way.
But then, someone suddenly yet gently opened the door with their head peeking from behind for a bit.
"Umm... Lady Melissa?"
"Hm? What's wrong?", she responded at ease despite the fact that knocks weren't heard before Aiden could show his face.
The juvenile thoroughly entered and shut the entrance before he could state his business to the other person.
"I just thought if it would be fine to visit Mentor's place today... or something?", he fiddled his fingers, asking for permission.
He was expecting to obtain a 'yes' from the person that he conversed with, knowing her personality. However, things turned out differently than the outcome that he's assumed.
Melissa closed the book with a tender touch, and smiled at the bodyguard with an apologetic expression.
"Even if we went, since the place won't be open, no one will be there."
"Eh? Why would that be...?"
Relying on the flashbacks of when she executed the same action somewhere in her memories, she answered like she was in the middle of appreciating, and accepting a distant recollection.
"Mentor... he became a traveler.", she softly murmured to the young man's ears from afar.