Beneath the Surface
Aria turned to leave, her silver hair swaying gently with the movement. Leon's gaze followed her, but then something caught his attention—a faint, discolored line peeking out from the neckline of her maid uniform.
"Wait," he said abruptly, his voice sharper than intended.
Aria froze mid-step, her body stiffening as though bracing for a blow. She slowly turned to face him, her expression blank, eyes devoid of the faint warmth she'd shown earlier.
"What is that on your neck?" Leon asked, his brows furrowing.
She blinked, her fingers twitching toward her collar instinctively. "It's nothing, Milord."
"Let me see," Leon insisted, stepping closer.
Her lips parted as if to argue, but then she simply lowered her gaze, the faintest tremor running through her frame. Without a word, she began unbuttoning her dress.
Leon frowned. "What are you doing?"
"You said you wanted to see, Milord," she replied, her voice hollow.
"No, I meant—" He stopped himself, his words faltering as realization struck. Aria wasn't arguing. She wasn't hesitating. She was complying like a machine, as though this was something she had done before.
The sight of her standing there, her fingers trembling as she undid the buttons of her uniform, sent a pang of guilt slicing through Leon's chest. This was wrong.
"Stop," he said, but she didn't.
With a practiced motion, she slipped the top half of her dress off her shoulders, revealing the pale skin of her back.
Leon's breath hitched.
Her back was a canvas of pain, marred by scars that crisscrossed like cruel, jagged lines. Some were old, faded to a dull white, while others were raw and angry, the fresh marks of a whip still healing.
His stomach churned.
"Who did this to you?" he asked, his voice shaking with barely suppressed anger.
"It doesn't matter," Aria replied, her tone eerily detached. She stood motionless, her arms hanging limply at her sides, as though she had accepted this as her lot in life.
Leon clenched his fists. The guilt he felt was overwhelming. He might not have been the one to inflict those wounds, but in this world, he was still Leon Alaric—the man responsible for her suffering.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
She didn't respond. She didn't move.
And then, something unexpected happened.
A soft chime echoed in his ears, and a translucent blue screen appeared in front of him:
[System Activation]
Do you want to heal this individual?
[Yes] / [No]
Leon stared at the screen in disbelief. "What the—"
The system's glow seemed to pulse faintly, awaiting his input. Without thinking, he reached out and pressed [Yes].
Another prompt appeared:
Place your hand on the injured area.
He hesitated, then took a deep breath and stepped closer to Aria. "I'm going to touch your back," he said softly, his voice tinged with both hesitation and resolve.
Aria didn't respond. She didn't even flinch as he placed his hand gently on her scarred skin.
Warmth surged from his palm, a soothing light spreading across her back. Leon felt it too—a gentle heat, comforting and strange. The scars on her back began to fade, the angry red marks dissolving as though erased by an unseen hand.
Aria gasped softly, her body tensing for a moment before relaxing completely.
"It's… it's gone," she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief. She turned her head slightly, as if trying to see what was happening.
Leon withdrew his hand, his own heart racing. The scars were gone, replaced by smooth, unblemished skin.
Aria turned to face him, her sapphire eyes wide with a mix of confusion and awe. "Milord… what did you do?"
"I don't know," Leon admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But… are you okay? Does it hurt?"
She shook her head slowly, her hand touching her back as if to confirm it was real. "It doesn't hurt. It… it feels warm."
Leon exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Relief washed over him, but it was quickly replaced by determination.
"Aria," he said, meeting her gaze. "I don't know what kind of life you've had under this roof, but I swear to you, it's going to change. No one will ever hurt you again. Not while I'm here."
Her lips parted slightly, as though she wanted to say something, but no words came out. Instead, she simply nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.
For the first time, Leon saw something other than fear in her expression—hope.
And in that moment, he made a silent vow. No matter what it took, no matter how difficult the road ahead, he would protect her. He would change her fate.
Because if there was one thing he was certain of, it was this: he wasn't the old Leon. He was something new, someone better. And he wasn't going to let this world break her.