Leon changed his mind. He was leaving this place.
He got up and turned around not bothered to see or trace for clues anymore.
He needed to get out of here before this poisonous girl infected him. Something like this only happened when he was around her and it always infiltrated his senses.
He didn't know why. Perhaps he was beginning to let his guard down? Or he was just getting himself easily distracted by things like this these days?
Whatever it was, he knew it wasn't normal and it was affecting him. He had never been the type to simp over a woman before including the courtesans that were brought to the palace for the elite's satisfaction.
Those women had even worn more revealing and body-hugging clothing, to begin with. They were solely in the palace to seduce the men, ready to strip at any point for them but he always found a way to control himself and keep his disinterest in them intact. He had grown to learn control like his father after he had married his mother and it had been his very useful weapon against this unhealthful gender. It was something he had always been proud of and never let his fellow nobles bring him down for it.
But here he was after these years of self-control, suddenly falling for a naive servant that he had only seen naked once...just once! Lord...was she a trap sent to him by the enemies?!
The image of her bare body kept showcasing itself eagerly in his memory, not even giving him the chance to think clearly and he would be lying if he said it didn't affect him.
It affected him...like never before and now it was turning a cause for concern.
The annoying thing was that she wasn't even trying! She was just being a normal female. An unladylike one at that.
He reached his quarters and entered his private chambers, closing the door with a creaking sound. The room had already been lit with torches and candles everywhere, giving it a surreal panorama as the light mixed with the golden colours of the room along with the paintings, amidst the darkness of the night.
He took off the black coat he had worn, dumping it on the shelf close to his bed, now leaving only the white long-sleeved inner shirt he put on before the coat. He entered the washroom in the chamber that was also dimly lit with torches and a chandelier in the middle of the top ceiling, producing more light than the others.
He went to stand in front of the mirror whose edges were made of ornate ceramic design. It was placed just above the grandeur sink with a valve sticking out just before it.
Leon sighed inwardly as more memories of something flashed in his head again.
It was the night he had changed the maid's dress for her. After he had removed her clothes, he carried her bare body into the washroom to clean up the dried blood on her body. Now that he thought about it, he acknowledged just how ridiculous his actions were.
Why wouldn't he be plagued by these images when he had done something so frivolous? It was all his fault for letting his guard down! And now he would pay dearly for it, he thought.
Staring at his reflection in the mirror again, he turned the knob of the valve to let water flow out of it into the sink. Then slowly, he bent his head into the sink before splashing water on his face and his long black hair repeatedly, all the while trying to wash off any memory of the girl.
When he was done, he raised his head and gazed at his reflection in the mirror again. This time, his hair had turned damp, soaked with the cold water that was still dripping profusely to the floor.
He picked a towel that was hung on the cabinet of the vanity, just below the sink and pressed it on his moist hair, massaging it continuously before he stopped.
He left the washroom with his now damp hair and a wet shirt that was soaked with water, revealing his muscular body and taut chest which was slightly lean. His well-defined muscles and veins popped out from the transparency of his shirt, openly uncovering just how handsome he looked at the moment.
It was almost like he had been sculpted and carved to an epitome before being made alive, thanks to his everyday training and fight section with Matthew.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the chamber and opened it, sighting the pale crescent moon that shone like a silvery claw in the night sky and his face turned rigid like something else had hit him like a realization.
It was already Saturday and his coronation would be the next day.
Right...he would be King by tomorrow, wearing the crown of a Vlamunda's ruler.
A majesty that his people would look up to for survival, for hope and defence.
He would be sworn into the position where one order from him could change the fate and lives of the people in the Kingdom and he couldn't be more ashamed of himself. Instead of thinking of what lay ahead, he was occupying his mind with a certain maid...one who didn't even spare him a thought herself.
He suddenly began to pant and hyperventilate as he ran his fingers through his curly raven hair before getting up abruptly and picking up his sword that was just beside his bed.
This might be a test of temptation from the gods of Vlamunda to confuse and frustrate him but he would not give them that pleasure. Right...he would not fall for this trap! Never! There was war out there for him to prepare for. His coronation was also taking place the following day. There was no way he would just sit and wallow in these inviting yet obscene thoughts of his.
He needed to get these thoughts out of his head and there was only one way he could do that, he said to himself and he immediately opened the door leading out of his chamber before stepping out of it with his sword still handy.
After a minute, he reached the podium where he and Matthew always trained but found no one there.
He pinched his brows and sighed, a bit annoyed. Of course, what had he expected? That Matthew would keep training while he had left? The man loved glamour and would not spare a moment out of it if he had the opportunity to enjoy one.
He turned around again, passing through the long and captivating bower of the castle, heading to somewhere he guessed the latter would be by now.
'There you are!" he shouted in his head when he spotted Matthew sitting inside the gazebo that had some torches lit around it and the curtains that were at the edges pushed open for him to get a view.
Matthew sat with one of his legs crossed on the plush couch and his left hand outstretched on the backrest of the sofa.
A lady sat close to him, wearing a long dress with openings at the front, the corset worn tightly to push up her cleavage and push out her bosom. Her hair was run-down in a simple and elegant knot as she continued to smile at his jokes while playing with his blonde curly hair.
The annoyed prince hissed in bewilderment at the sight of the scenery. Was this right-hand man of his serious?
Matthew only kept whispering something to her ear, making her blush every time and lowering her head down in shyness as she kept twirling the strand of his hair that was within her reach.
Suddenly, Leon saw him pull his hand that was on the girl's shoulder downward, gently tracing his fingers on her back and running his hands through her spine which made her whine excitedly.
His hands mischievously went lower to her bottom and he pressed it sensually, erupting a whimper from her as she drew her head back in pleasure at the arousal.
Leon could only chuckle at the stupid and mindless way the courtesan was behaving. It was like she had no self-respect and her moan was loud, amusing him.
This friend of his was indeed a womanizer...and to some extent, it did make him wonder if he could sway a woman like this.
Oh, Leon, focus! That was not what mattered! He needed to clear his head and that was what he would do!
Coming into sight as he walked closer to the two, Matthew immediately noticed his presence and Leon saw his friend's smile falter as he dropped the goblet on the small table in front of him. Then he uncrossed his legs and whispered something to the lean girl in his arms.
The girl immediately veered her head to see him coming from the opposite direction and her eyes widened with fright.
He recognized her. She had been the fair girl he chased out of Matthew's room that morning with a bow.
It made sense that she was frightened to see him.
When he was already standing just a few seconds away from the gazebo, he saw her stand up immediately, walking away from there and giving him a quick bow before she turned to the contrasting path and ran through the lane, picking the hem of her dress.
When her retreating figure was out of sight, he returned his head to look at Matthew.
"Had a wonderful rest, didn't you?" Matthew teased him with one of his brows raised and a smirk playing on his face, causing Leon's eyes to darken.