"I don't know anything about the Empress. There will always be rumors — I don't have the time to check which one is true and which one is false. To be honest, I couldn't care less. She can be good, she can be evil…but she'll always be Rosie to me."
-Sebastian Verde; About Rosanna Castus; Secret route
***
Leo couldn't take his eyes off that letter.
He'd always known that Sebastian Verde would find his way toward Rosanna one way or another, as he had in their previous lives. He'd known since he'd bumped into her on their way to the exams. He'd known it since his mistress found Rosanna among the sea of faces in Humilitas Hall, since Damian himself had her captured by his guards…along with everything else.
Leo had hoped it'd take longer, at the very least.
"Popular, aren't we?" He drawled, keeping his voice even. For all he knew, whatever that paper in Rosanna's hands could have been a simple confession letter...or their death sentence.
Both options didn't really differed much from each other. In all their lives, anything that had to do with Sebastian Verde had death stamped all over it. Even if the boy like to pretend that he was a dork, or that he was socially inept, Leo knew what he was capable of.
After all, Leo understood it best. Standing behind someone who's never going to look your way? Protecting them from the shadows? He'd done the same thing for Viola for years.
He half expected Rosanna to throw a joke back — perhaps even joke about Leo asking her about popularity, of all people. Something about being loved by everyone and being too good for detention.
He didn't know how since when he'd gotten used to her self-centered quips until Rosanna simply ignored Leo's comment and continued to stare at the letter as if she too, was just as scared of what lay inside. The expression on her face was too conflicted to be a mask, and when she looked at Leo, it was like she could see another person in there — a stranger wearing the face of Rosanna Castus.
"Is there something wrong?" Leo asked, unable to keep the concern out of his voice. He stepped inside the room and began walking towards Rosanna, who backed away in turn.
"N-nothing," she stuttered out. He pretended not to notice the way she tucked the letter behind her, as if afraid Leo might snatch it away.
It was Leo's turn to let out a nervous laugh — something that he could be embarrassed about once he was within the safety of his quarters later. But right now was about that letter, which was beginning to seriously worry Leo.
"It's a confession, isn't it?" He joked, hoping Rosanna would pick up on it. Confessions were workable. But secrets? Unforgivable.
He'd spent more than twenty lifetimes trying to unravel every nook and cranny of their world. Everything he knew, he'd paid with blood. More secrets would only mean more blood spilling.
"I-I don't see how this is any of your concern," she said. A gust of wind blew in Leo's direction when she moved past him. "You said Miss Viola is looking for me, right? We shouldn't keep her waiting."
Even her voice was different. Uneven.
Leo frowned but found himself in no position to disagree. "…right."
He would find out what that letter contained, one way or another.
***
One of the few good things about Cyrilla Academy was that it offered a lot of space for leisure.
From the sprawling gardens, mammoth halls, and gilded verandas — it was like the whole Academy was built for sons and daughters of nobility to spend their time wasting away, forever lost in their chatter and games. And waste away these nobles did — which was how someone like Rosanna easily rose to the top.
For these people, getting into the Academy was already an achievement. They didn't need to worry about work or status that comes after; their family already backed them for that. Only those who hoped to turn their lives around fought for the top spots, and nobles lie their mistress, who had something to prove.
As a servant, Leo didn't care about any of those things. As long as he could stay by his lady's side, he told himself, he would be fine even if the world never really knew who he was.
But today, Leo discovered that he had been missing out. Terribly.
His lady picked one of the spots near their dorms, a secluded pavilion within their Headmaster's rose garden that looked way too run-down to be noticed, but decent enough for those who want to enjoy the silence. Leo had prepared them tea and biscuits that he made himself, much to the staff's dismay, as if he would ever pass up a chance to serve his lady anything.
"This is good," Rosanna said, munching on a scone. "Where did you get this?"
The only downside was that he had to serve them to this little devil, too. Rosanna sat across from his mistress, eating all the food and leaving none for Viola. He'd tried to discreetly push the plates towards his lady but somehow ended up in that person's side, disappearing one by one.
"You should ask Leo. He's the one who prepared all this!" his lady smiled, seemingly content to have Rosanna eat all the food that was meant for her.
Rosanna turned her wide, innocent eyes at him.
Fuck no.
"It's just from the cafeteria," he said, albeit reluctantly. Great. Now he couldn't even take credit for his goods. Biscuits and tea that he made, specifically for HIS LADY, and not some food-stealing busybody who can probably get the staff to bake her a whole three-tiered cake if she wanted to.
"They don't serve anything like this," Rosanna said, licking her spoon. "I asked the lunch lady and she wouldn't even give me a cookie."
Leo glared at her. "Maybe you didn't ask hard enough."
Rosanna turned to Viola. "Can I have more? Please?"
Leo stood there, hands behind his back, as his lady — the so-called Ice Princess — poured Rosanna Castus some tea and gave her more biscuits right off her plate. "Of course, Rosanna! It's my pleasure."
Leo glared at the two of them, unsure whether he should be pleased or offended at this development. Lifetimes of pain, heartache, and tragedy — and for what? To be smoothed over by some tea and pastries?
The offending part must have won, as Rosanna finally buckled under the pressure of his death glares with a pointed cough. As she should.
"Maybe Leo could join us?" She told Viola, pointing at the empty seat. "He looks, um, hungry?"
She gestured towards the empty set next to her, and if Leo had the capacity for higher thought, he might've considered that the little devil was inviting him to sit.
"Oh, you're right!" Viola got up from her seat and began ushering Leo next to her.
He barely registered his lady helping him sit down, reversing their positions. In the blink of an eye, there was a napkin on his lap, a plate in front of him, and a cup of tea poured by Viola herself at the side.
"W-what—"
"Starting today, you are officially part of the tea time trio," her lady announced, as though she were knighting Leo. She held up her teacup for a toast, while both Rosanna and Leo looked at each other, wearing matching looks of confusion.
Rosanna was the first to clear her throat. "U-um, what exactly is a tea time trio?"
Viola looked at them with a slightly incredulous expression, as if this was common knowledge. "A trio for tea time. Both the liquid and drama alike."
Leo did his best to keep his expression neutral. "No offense, my lady, but don't you and I already have that? As your butler, I'm sure I never missed out on serving any tea…" He made sure to emphasize that last part because Leo is nothing if not efficient. Sure, not all of his knowledge was imparted to his mistress, but Leo had lifetimes worth of tea.
What else did his lady need that required Rosanna's presence at THEIR table? They could do just fine as a "duo". It's always been that way, so why—
"—It's a trio because you two are my closest friends, of course!" Viola said, effectively cutting off his thoughts. "I would add His Royal Highness here, but considering how this meeting is about him—"
Somewhere around them, Rosanna choked on her cookie. "Excuse me? Why do we need to talk about that guy—"
"Friends?!" Leo squawked. He loved being his lady's friend, but the way she said it…didn't sit right with Leo. On one hand, being a "friend" got him a seat. On the other hand, being a friend mean that he gets to hear about his lady's love interest, which is, frankly, not him.
Truly, this was a dilemma.
"Viola," Rosanna started, after wiping off her mouth. "I adore you, but you did not just send for me to hear you gushing about your crush—"
It was Viola's turn to choke. "He-he's not—"
"Please, my lady," Leo sighed dejectedly, unable to even look at Viola's blushing face. He stabbed his pastry with a fork, hoping it would magically manifest on Damian's face. "Denying only makes it worse."
"Plus, you're already engaged."
He hated those words. As if he needed any more reminder that his lady led a different life than his.
'You could've had it all, a voice chimed in his head. 'If only you had enough guts to fight for it.'
'I certainly did.'
Blue eyes peeked from the corners of his memory. Cold. Mocking.
He didn't even notice that Rosanna was staring at him, until those same blue eyes met his, dragging him back to the present. This one didn't have the ruthlessness of the empress yet. This time, her gaze was simply searching, as if she knew just how much Leo hated the idea of his lady marrying the Crown Prince.
He looked away.
"You two don't understand," Viola murmured, painfully oblivious to the entire exchange. Just like how she was with Leo's feelings. She fiddled with her fingers, showing the first signs of distress that Leo had seen from her in a long time. "The Academy will be holding the annual midyear festival soon. There will be competitions and exhibits open for outsiders. But most importantly…"
Rosanna sucked in a breath. "…the Empress is coming over. Damian's mother."
Viola whipped towards Rosanna. "How did you know?"
Rosanna's face had gone eerily blank, and it reminded Leo too much of a cuplrit that was too quick to clean after their mess. Effective, but guilty nonetheless.
As if to prove his point, Rosanna stuttered out: "I-well, it makes sense, doesn't it? The Crown Prince is here."
Leo's blood went cold at that.
But Viola seemed to buy it, nodding solemnly at Rosanna's words. "But the whole school doesn't know that. Even our arrangement was secret, so I'm concerned why the Empress is coming…if not, you know—"
"—to make an announcement," Leo finished, feeling the truth of it seeping into his bones. "Of course. We need to prepare for this. You know how she is."
Empress Nathalia's visit to Cyrilla was a fixed event in Leo's many lifetimes, and not in a good way. Coincidentally, that day also marked a historic point in the empire of Calix — first, the introduction of their Crown Prince, and subsequently, the death of the reigning emperor.
(Of course, the Empress would remain silent about the emperor's death for quite some time, not wanting to overshadow her son's spotlight. But the truth would get out eventually. This would cause trouble on Damian's part — and by extension, Viola's. Always, always dragging his lady down with his messes.
Good thing that Leo knows better now.)
Viola simply stared at him. "I don't. This is my first time seeing her in person."
Clang!
Leo's spoon slipped out of his grasp.
"That's right," he cleared his throat. "I-um.." He made a rather undignified grab at the utensil, only to find that it was farther away than it looked.
Fuck.
He straightened up, pretending that the last few seconds didn't happen. "I-I mean, I'll be sure to do everything I can to help. I always am." He smiled at his lady, hoping she could at least be assured by his sincerity. He doesn't mention how he still thought that his lady was better off staying far away from the Imperial family.
"Besides," Rosanna chimed in, "What's there not to love? Whatever the Empress thinks, it's not like you're going to marry her."
Leo begged to differ — in their past lives, the Empress controlled most of the empire's functions and held more power than the Crown Prince and the emperor himself. That woman was a force to be reckoned with — she was willing to do whatever it takes to cling to her power, even if it meant killing people.
The only person who matched her cruelty was sitting across from him, unaware of it. Sure, she had these strange braids all over her hair and cookie crumbs on her face. But there was no doubt about it.
If his lady stood any chance of surviving the Empress, they would need this little devil by their side.
Keep your friends and your enemies closer — so Her Majesty liked to say. Leo was beginning to see the wisdom behind those words now.
"She's right," Leo relented. "We wouldn't let the empress do anything to you, my lady."