Leon spent the next day inside his room without making contact with anyone other than Ren. His plan was to act like he was recovering from his allergic reaction, so people outside of the palace would hear news of the incident.
Leon's plan that he shared with Ren just before eating the peach slice was although improvised, well thought out.
He had a lifetime of experience in handling schemers and drawing up advanced war tactics to outsmart his opponents on the battlefield. So coming up with his current plan just from seeing an ingredient on his plate was child's play.
So what was the plan?
Simple really, Leon needed a way to relieve the pressure the Empress had on him, in and around the palace. He needed a way to see his sister and converse with her and check on her situation. And after spending the rest of yesterday thinking more deeply, Leon was starting to wonder if he truly wanted anything to do with the Maxwell capital.
The Maxwell Dynasty was a vast empire. With the capital centring the empire there were towns and cities in the north, east, south and west. However, mainly in the north, south and west was where the nobles had their portion of the empire's land divided.
Such as Duke's and Duchess, marquess', earls, viscounts and barons. Divided by rank of nobility and deeds performed in their lifetime, some nobles had more land than others.
Leon just wanted to live comfortably with the people he cared for and although he was willing to wrestle the devil to achieve that he didn't necessarily want to make his life harder than it needed to be.
And after much thought, he came to the conclusion that battling for the throne would be the worst method to succeeding with his plans.
[I just want a carefree life, with nobody pointing their sword at me 24/7. Maybe in a faraway mansion that has fields of green and flowers of red, yellow and purple. A place for my horses and other different animals. A friendly city centre with kind and humble people.] Lost in thought Leon plunged deeper into his dreamworld.
[To watch my older sister smile at her freedom while she tucks into the finest delicacies. Ahhh how that would be nice!]
[With such a dream, I really do have my work cut out for me...] Leon giggled to himself lightly as he began to picture the house he would build.
He didn't know if he was acting more childish being in his younger self's body considering in his past life he had to reach a whopping age of 29. But to be honest, he didn't care too much. He spent more than half of his life always miserable and without hope for it to improve. He lived solely for answers and now being able to dream of happiness once more, so what if he had some childish thoughts.
Getting back to the plan...
Step number one was already pretty much complete. Using the disguise of 'neglect' Leon planned to force the Empress's hand into backing off from him for some time. To do this, he needed to spread rumours of his living circumstances so the nobles would begin to raise questions.
Spreading rumours was the easy part and by Leon's calculations, he should already be the talk of the capital.
How?
Easy... The maids and servants in the palace. Information in the game of nobility was a crucial element to every schemer vying for a chance to increase their influence. Whether it was for a higher rank or more money, maybe even a chance to marry someone they had fallen in love with. Nobles could be treacherous.
Whatever the reasons for the nobles spying on him, Leon didn't care. [They do say that if you play with fire for long enough, you're bound to burn your hand at least once or twice.]
[Except I'm not just going to burn your hand, I'm going to burn your entire house down!] Leon smiled mercilessly.
Snapping out his thoughts he called out for Ren. "Ren, I need you!"
"Master Leon." Butler Ren promptly entered Leon's room.
"I need to go into the city without people knowing, can you make this happen?" Leon was speaking with utmost seriousness which of course Ren didn't miss.
Seeing that Leon wasn't joking, Ren just nodded gently.
"Good, make the arrangements. I'm sure you have brought along the money as I asked?" Leon multitasked while talking, putting on his suited vest and buttoning it in the centre.
"Of course Master Leon!"
"However, it would be best to go disguised or at least hidden. The last thing we would want to do is have someone recongnise the youngest prince outside."
[He really is quick on the uptake...] Leon smiled. "Not to worry, we will pull a cloak over our heads and move stealthily."
"We?" Butler Ren questioned.
"Well, I do suppose you're coming along with me Ren?" Tilting his head to his right, Leon notioned like that was obvious.
"I see... It would be my pleasure to accompany you!" Ren replied with a bright smile.
"Alright... Alright... Were not going on a date you know!"
*****
Before long Leon and Ren had snuck out of the palace walls and after hitching a local carriage service. They were just minutes away from the business district of the capital.
Leon hadn't told Ren what he planned to do while outside of the palace but Ren didn't bother prying into it.
Even if the youngest prince just wanted to go out gambling, Ren wouldn't speak a word of it. All he had to do was protect him with utmost care and diligence.
"Ren your not going to ask where we are going?"
Ren locked eyes with Leon and shook his head, "Not at all, even if I know the destination. My task remains the same..."
"Well just in case you are still curious. We're here to purchase some attire for the banquet. After hearing your warning of the crown prince. I think it's best if I pay heed to it."
"Although, turning up to the banquet like a commoner would be funny as I'm sure the nobles would love that too. For the next stage of my plans, I need the attention of my father."
Hearing the ending of Leon's small speech, Ren was immediately brimming with curiosity. This was the first time that the young master had openly called him 'Father'.
Normally he was stubborn with his emotions, as any child in his situation would be. And after not receiving his father's attention or love. He normally didn't recognize the king as his father.
"The young master needs the attention of the king?"
"Don't get the wrong Idea, Ren. I will never treat that man as a 'father' figure. But he is my father at the end of the day whether I like it or not. So I may as well put down my needless emotions and expectations since they will never be reciprocated."
Ren couldn't help but become saddened by the word 'reciprocated'. He knew all too well what kind of man the King was before the loss of Leon's mother. It just so happened that he shut himself off from the world after the pain of losing his most loved person.
"Anyways, I need something from my father, that only he can grant. So it would be best if I use the opportunity of the banquet to do that. In an environment where he is pressured by the many high ranking nobles, I'm sure he will be a bit more lenient in his decisions."
"I see..." Nodding his head, Ren to agreed with the young master's thought process.
Knock* Knock*
The carriage driver pounded from the driver's seat, alerting Leon and Ren that they had reached their destination.
"We're here, get out!" The fat middle-aged old man shouted from the front horse.
Pulling his cloak over his head once more, Leon muttered to himself while opening the carriage door and stepping out, "It seems we have arrived!"
Leon was greeted with the smell of muddy streets and a lingering whiff of fuels burning in the area. The sound of laughing and conversing as many people entered the busy shops.
It was just after midday and it was yet to get dark, so business was booming indeed.
The place Leon had come to was a relatively small shop that didn't have any customers. It was barren compared to the other shops on the street. A testament to how business was for them. Still seeing this, Leon just smiled and entered the shop.
Clinck* Clinck*
The doorbell ranged, sounding out across the entire store, alerting the shop owner immediately.
"Customers?" The shop owner whispered to herself as her silent eyes, filled with stress sprung into action.