Leon was so absorbed in reading the memoirs, as well as analysing the records Eli's captor had left.
The deeper he read through the memoir, the colder his expression became.
God knows how hard he tried to control himself not to tear these records and burn them all. This madman, Doctor Willard was really obsessed with getting the asani's ability.
He couldn't imagine the pain and despair Eli was feeling that time. He wished he could have discovered her sooner.
Maybe her agony could be shortened or even eliminated... She would not have suffered through the hands of this gruesome man.
An image flashed on his mind.
The image of Eli gently smiling the night they talked so seriously under the moonlight.
"I wonder how she is.." He gently uttered to himself. Rubbing his exhausted eyes, he decided to pause first and check into her condition.
It would also be advantageous for him to stop first and digest what he had read.
Closing the journal in his hands, he started to move and place the records back into the bookshelf with magic.
"Finally, you seem to have remembered that you are still a human.." The familiar elder's voice said with a relieved tone as he slowly walked towards Leon.
"Esteemed guardian!" Leon acknowledged the elder and gave a respectful bow.
"Didn't you know that you have been burying yourself deep into these memoirs for a week?!" Elder Leprechaun said with a hint of reprimand.
Leon was surprised. He never knew that he would be so absorbed with the memoirs that he forgot to even take a sip of water. Only then he realized that his throat was already parched and dry.
"Ah, I seem to have forgotten the time. Great Elder, thank you for your guidance and concern, I'll go back first and come back on another day." Leon replied politely.
"Hmm..hmm, I have been watching you from time to time. The look you had on your face was a look of fervent obsession…" Elder Leprechaun nodded as he commented,
"Young one, whoever you are doing this for, always have clarity in mind…" The elder solemnly said as he clasped his aged hands behind his back.
"Let your mind be sober to discern the difference between determination and obsession. It is only then that you will know, you are on the right path in reaching your goals.
Without damaging yourself and those around you."
Leon silently looked at his retreating figure as he heard the elders' last words of wisdom.
"Determination or obsession?" With a confused mind he said out loud. He wanted to know what's the difference between the two. For as far as he knows, these words are almost interchangeable.
However, the presence of Elder Leprechaun wasn't there in the library anymore. Without a choice, he decided to leave the archive for the mean time and take care of his body.
Stepping out of the spectral doors, Leon realized that it was already noon, as the heat of the sun had already penetrated on the glass roof of the secret chamber garden.
"My son! Thank goodness you finally came out!" Leon heard a worried voice coming near him in a rush.
Queen Tehila was adorably pouting when she finally reached her son's arms and dragged him to the gazebo. While doing that, she couldn't help but nag in anger and frustration,
"Son, why do you have to stay there for seven days straight? Didn't you know how to sleep and eat? Do you want to let me die of worry?!"
"Mother…" Leon was embarrassed as he helplessly scratched his head.
He was already almost thirty, a dignified prince of the empire with the vicious reputation as the Barbaric Blood Prince, yet he remained powerless towards the angry tone of his mother queen.
If the aristocrats would be able to witness this, they would surely spread rumors that he was a prince with no backbone!
Cough cough!
An old voice butted in, trying to calm down his beloved, "My dear, calm down, he was already here. Come sit here, so that we can finally eat…"
"Hmm! It was all because of you! My son really took after your workaholic habit! Look at your eyes! Both of you! They were so dark that it would resemble that rare species of Panda.."
Queen Tehila reprimanded the father and son, with fuming a face.
"If not for me insisting that you take a break and have lunch with me you would have forgotten to eat the whole day again.." She looked towards Emperor Valentin who was guilty scratching his grey hair in helplessness.
He looked aggrievedly towards Leon, with an accusing expression saying, 'This is your fault, now your mother is angry at me too!'
Leon just gave his accusing father a shrug.
Now that his Queen Mother had diverted her attention to his poor Father Emperor, he tried to minimize his presence and mana flow, trying to blend in the garden as how he would do in the battlefield during a chase.
He sneakily started to eat the food on the table while his Queen Mother was nagging his Father Emperor continuously.
"..I am telling you! If you repeat this again, I will escape with my future daughter in law in Silvertown and not see you again!" He heard his Queen Mother declare sulkily.
"My Love… My only Star.. I won't do it again... Please do not leave me and escape with our future daughter in law..."
The Great Emperor Valentin, sweated profusely as he nervously coaxed his beloved.
"Hmf!" Queen Tehila crossed her arms and turned her head away from the pleading crystal blue eyes of Emperor Valentin.
"Why not? It's good to get to know my future daughter in law! I'll help her with her pregnancy.. You won't see me around to nag at you.."
Hearing the conversation, Leon decided to break his camouflage and seriously commented, "That's a good idea too. Mother will teach Eli the things about motherhood...
She is young and only saw the world for four years.. I'm sure that dear mother could help her a lot more than I could help in her struggles in pregnancy..."
"Ohh~~~ Why did I not think of that! Oh my, that really made sense! Both of you come and finish your meals fast! I'm gonna prepare and go to Silvertown today!"
Queen Tehila, who was fuming in anger just seconds ago, suddenly became cheerful as imaginary flowers appeared around her again.
"Leon, My Queen.. You didn't even hear my opinion…" Emperor Valentin couldn't help but massage his twitching forehead of being helpless about where the conversation was going.
"I didn't decide for Mother, I just commented about her idea." Leon shrugged, washing his hands away from the matter and let the old couple talk it out.
While he let the two continue to lovingly discuss the matter, Leon couldn't help but wander his mind as he blankly stared at how the couple interacted.
Suddenly, the image of his Mother Queen and Father Emperor bickering was slowly replaced by his and Eli's image.
!!!
'What is this!' Leon was startled as he gently rubbed his eyes in shock.
'Ah, I must be seeing things because of exhaustion…' He concluded.
Looking again towards the old couple, he couldn't help but admit that the image he just saw wasn't bad.
It was actually beautiful.
!!!
'What am I thinking!?' Leon said in alarm.
He had long conceded to the fact that he will treat Eli as a friend. Not like how his Queen Mother and Emperor Father treat each other.
"Ah, I must really be exhausted… Mother, Father, I'll go ahead and rest for a while." Leon politely bowed towards his parents and saw himself out.
"Ah my dearest son! Tell my future daughter in law to get ready! Your father and I will be sneaking a visit soon!~~~" Queen Tehila cheerfully declared.
"Oh, so Mother had finally compromised with Father? It's the first time I heard that Mother gave in.." Leon said with surprise in his crystal blue eyes.
"Oh.. This.." Emperor Valentine meekly replied in embarrassment.
"Who compromised?! He was going with me to drop me off at my future daughter in law's house! Then he will obediently go back to the empire and be a workaholic!"
Queen Tehila declared proudly, raising her chin up with dignity.
--
After bidding goodbye to his parents, Leon went straight to his room to freshen up and prepare to sleep.
But before he laid to let his body rest, he saw a red glimmer at his bedside table. It was a pendant necklace similar to the one he gifted to Eli, only that the design is manlier.
Smiling, he gently scooped the pendant and uttered "To Eli.."
The red gem then twinkled beautifully for a few seconds.
Within these few seconds, Leon was feeling a bit nervous. 'Will she answer?'
He could feel his palms sweating and his heart pound hard on his chest.
Ten seconds passed, Twenty.. Thirty…
Leon felt sadness in his heart. 'It seemed that I had expected too much..'
He thought that Eli was still uncomfortable in talking with him casually like this.
Just as he was about to loosen his grasp of the stone and leave it on the bedside, he heard the familiar female voice on the other side of the communication stone,
"Leon? Hello?"
It was Eli's voice, it wasn't sweet. She was even talking in her signature businesswoman tone.
Yet to Leon's ears, it was the sweetest voice he ever heard.
He couldn't help but smile as he felt that his fatigue was slowly being washed away by just knowing the fact that Eli answered his call.
With a nervous yet hoarse voice, he gently replied,
"Eli.. It is me, Leon..."
