Horn was taken aback, a wave of panic washing over his face.
His thoughts were simple, and Vickery III guessing them wasn't hard, but what he hadn't expected was Vickery III's severe tone.
"I dare not! Your son dares not!" Horn immediately nodded in agreement.
"You don't 'dare not', you dare too much, and moreover, you're very foolish!" Vickery III said coldly.
Horn trembled, unsure of what to say.
Vickery III narrowed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought.
After a lengthy pause, Vickery III spoke, "I will assign you an advisor. When you go to the front lines, follow his orders in everything. We'll discuss the rest after the war is over."
"But..." Horn lifted his head, instinctively speaking out.
Could the great humiliation he received from Leo just be left at that?
"Shut up!" Vickery III interrupted him, his voice icy cold.
He glared at Horn, his gaze warning him not to further provoke his ire.
Horn shuddered and dared not speak further, only nodding in agreement.
"Get out!" Vickery III spat out the word.
...
Jacques, Leo sat in his office.
On the desk lay a travelogue written by a great minstrel.
The fireplace opposite crackled with flames, bringing a warm ambiance to the room.
Leo gently rubbed his fingers, looking out at the ice-covered streets, deep in thought.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Lilith walked in.
She handed a letter to Leo, then said, "It's from Frett."
"Frett?" Leo raised an eyebrow slightly.
He took the letter, reading its contents.
Frett mentioned two things.
The first was about Rain visiting his territory, not only bringing food and some ironclad beasts, but also expressing an intention to collaborate with Leo.
The second matter was about a task Leo had entrusted to him.
He had ordered Frett to keep a close eye on old Neil, to prevent him from acting out during his absence.
Fortunately, there were no anomalies; old Neil probably wasn't ready to make his move yet.
"Shh... shh..." Leo took out a piece of parchment and began to write.
He didn't reject Rain's goodwill, instructing Frett to accept the gifts Rain had brought, and moreover, to send the surplus food and ironclad beasts to Jacques.
Regarding old Neil, Leo simply asked Frett to continue monitoring him.
Having finished the letter, Leo placed it in an envelope and handed it to Lilith.
"I'm the sheriff now, can't you get someone else to handle these tedious matters?" Lilith said with a hint of impatience.
"I wouldn't trust anyone else to do it," Leo replied with a smile, shaking his head.
Lilith rolled her eyes at him and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Leo suddenly called out to Lilith.
With a smile, he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Lilith's soft waist, and slowly lowered his head.
Lilith bit her lower lip, her eyes conveying a sense of disgust.
"You know, my favorite thing is your defiant attitude," Leo noted Lilith's gaze and a teasing smile played on his lips. Then, he suddenly leaned down.
"Um!" Lilith let out a soft cry.
Instinctively trying to struggle, Leo held her shoulders firmly, tasting the soft and sweet flavor with a certain roughness.
Next, he pressed her against the desk, tearing off her clothes.
"Ah!" Suddenly, a cry of surprise came from outside the door.
Hearing this, both Leo and Lilith froze.
Leo instinctively turned around and saw Princess Elena standing at the door.
Lilith also turned, and her face flushed red the moment she saw Elena.
Glaring fiercely at Leo, feeling ashamed, Lilith straightened her clothes.
"I'm sorry, it seems I've interrupted you?" Elena bowed slightly, her cheeks tinged with red, apologizing.
She turned to leave the room.
"No, we weren't doing anything, I was just helping her straighten her clothes," Leo said with a laugh, somewhat shamelessly.
"Princess Elena, you can speak directly to him if you have anything," Lilith said coldly.
She stepped forward, leaving the room first.
Elena stood at the door, hesitating.
A few seconds later, she turned slowly to face Leo.
Leo still wore a smile. He raised his hand, gesturing for Elena to sit down.
After taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Elena walked over and sat down in front of Leo.
"I've already told you, you can leave anytime you want," Leo said lightly.
Elena looked at Leo, her pink pupils flickering slightly.
After a moment, she seemed to make up her mind, looking at Leo and saying, "I don't plan on leaving."
"Hmm?" Leo raised an eyebrow slightly.
He hadn't expected Elena to choose not to leave.
But what did she intend to do by staying here?
"I just don't know how to face my family. Have you ever felt... hatred towards your own relatives?" Elena seemed somewhat lost as she spoke.
Hearing this, Leo's mouth twitched, a strange smile appearing on his face.
When it came to hating one's own kin, perhaps few in the world had more right to speak than he did.
"If you stay, what do you plan to do? To be honest, your identity..." Leo began with a smile, leaving his sentence unfinished.
However, Elena understood his implication.
War had broken out between the Blueyard Kingdom and Lionara, inevitably involving many innocents.
In such circumstances, the people of Lionara naturally harbored great animosity towards those from Blueyard Kingdom, especially when she was not only from Blueyard Kingdom but also the princess and the catalyst of this war.
"I know, and that's why I chose to stay. I want to atone," Elena lowered her head, her face expressing sorrow.
"Atonement?" Leo was momentarily taken aback, then smiled.
He shook his head and said softly,
"The mistake isn't yours, it's this world's. What do you have to atone for? I just think staying here might not be the best option for you."
Elena looked at Leo, somewhat dazed.
She hadn't expected him to say something like that, which warmed her heart.
However, his next words cooled it again.
"So, are you asking me to leave?" Elena bit her lower lip and asked.
"No," Leo shook his head instinctively. He rubbed his nose, unsure of how to respond.
To be honest, in his view, the best outcome would be for Elena to return to the Blueyard Kingdom, as it would eliminate their excuse to continue the war.
If she stayed here, he really didn't know how to arrange things for her.
He had some sympathy, but not much, and he was not a person who liked trouble.
"I've read many books, I can tell fortunes, and I am a magus, I also..." Elena stretched out her finger, trying to convince Leo.
"Wait a minute! You're a magus?!" Leo's eyes lit up, suddenly standing up.
The moment he knew Elena was a magus, all his concerns were thrown to the back of his mind!
You see, maguses are scarce resources throughout the continent, and any basic magus is worth being treated as a distinguished guest by a major noble.
If Elena was a magus, then all the previous concerns were insignificant!
"Ah, I... I am," Elena nodded carefully, startled by Leo's reaction.
"Are you a basic magus, or...?" Leo asked with a smile, his face beaming.
"I'm an intermediate magus, but I specialize more in healing magic," Elena replied softly.
"Whack!" Leo slapped his hand on the table.
Healing magic, that was even rarer!
You know, every magus has a natural affinity for a certain type of magic and elemental power when they awaken their magical talents.
The most common are affinities for the elements of wind, fire, water, and earth. He himself had awakened to the element of fire.
To learn healing magic and awaken to the element of wood was very rare, and Elena was an intermediate magus!
"To be honest, I can deeply relate to the issue of lacking familial affection with one's kin!"
"I am in an adversarial relationship with that old man... the King of Lionara. I utterly despise him, so I understand you!"
"There's absolutely no need for you to return to the Blueyard Kingdom, no need to throw yourself back into a life worse than death!"
"You can stay here, and I will persuade everyone to accept you! You will find true love here!"
Leo gesticulated passionately.