Leon's body froze at Eli's reminder.
He stared blankly at Eli, who was already realizing what kind of situation they were actually in just a few moments ago.
Like a scared cat, she trembled and tried to find a hole to bury herself into.
Seeing her act flustered and nervous, Leon found it cute and amusing at the same time.
Letting out a helpless chuckle, he lifted Eli up and placed her on the resting area.
Lightly brushing her hair, Leon looked straight in her eyes and held her hand to give her a light kiss. He then told her with an apologetic tone, "I can't really wait for us to marry. I think I overestimated my self-control. I'm sorry…"
Eli couldn't look straight at Leon's eyes.
It's not like this was the first time they kissed like that, but she was truly surprised at how her body reacted that moment when Leon's hand reached underneath her clothes.
She was deeply scared by the fact that she almost lost her cool and became excited instead.
Fortunately, the last bit of her rationality made her pause and remind Leon of their current situation. Thankfully, Leon also stopped and listened to her plea.
Leon didn't mind that Eli was still unable to respond to him affirmatively. It was his fault for startling her like that.
He reproached himself in his heart, didn't he commit to respecting her dignity until they marry? The situation earlier was so close for him, really close.
But then, he acknowledges the fact that they both deserve to be free in love with each other. That is why the earlier they solve the issue in the capital, the sooner they can truly be a real couple, a real family with Little Han.
"Shall we go out then and report to the High Priest? Maybe let yourself be refreshed for a while?" He asked her again, trying to dispel the ambiguous mood around them.
"Yes, we must do that right away." Eli felt relieved in her heart when she saw that Leon didn't show any sign of being disappointed over the fact that she stopped their momentum earlier.
Leon stood up and held out his hands, his crystal blue eyes looking at Eli with the same gentle look that he only gives to her and Little Han.
Eli took his hands and walked alongside him, going out to the training grounds after being in seclusion for they didn't know how long.
When they stepped out on the training grounds, the first person they saw was Julian, who initially had a sleepy look until he saw that they finally went out.
The young temple servant and the secret spy from the roaming blades widened his eyes and tearfully expressed his elation about the appearance of the couple.
"Mas- Your Highness Third Prince, Great Inventor, Lady Eli! Congratulations on finishing your seclusion!" He welcomed them with hope and relief in his eyes.
His reaction made Leon pause and confused. The way Julian looked at them was that of relief not due to the fact of coming out safe, but the relief of looking at their savior and hope.
Leon's eyes flashed slightly, his gut was saying that whatever happened outside was not good news. But with Eli by his side, he stayed calm and looked meaningfully at Julian signaling not to divulge something with Eli around.
Because Julian had long been under Leon's side, he immediately understood what his master meant. As such, he continued to act as happy as he was and didn't show any signs of being worried.
"We have been waiting for you to successfully end your training. Lady Eli, please come with me. I'll guide you to your quarters so that you can refresh yourself." He bowed and looked at Eli without leaking out any suspicious actions.
"Go on, I'll have to refresh myself too. But I might not see you after that because I need to catch up with Teacher and Father Emperor." Leon also convinced Eli to go with Julian.
Eli nodded and didn't mind the fact that she might not see Leon after this. She knows that Leon suddenly left his post and he needed to catch up the most. She was supposed to train without seeing Leon and Little Han after all, so she was already mentally prepared for this kind of situation.
She stepped forward to get closer to Leon and tiptoed, giving a light peck on his cheek, "Take care and be safe.."
Leon was surprised by her public display of affection. His eyes flickered with amazement, but his heart was extremely satisfied, "Yes I will.."
He held her hand and kissed it gently, before gesturing for Julian to guide her to the quarters.
Julian, who was forcefully fed with dog food, stared stupidly at the two before stiffly leading Eli away. He was so shocked that he walked like a mechanical robot with busted circuits.
Eli let out a chuckle, "Are you surprised by that? I'm sorry for startling you."
While they were walking, she engaged in a light conversation with the young temple servant. Julian was a sunny and playful young man inside, but due to the required conduct for temple servants like him, he would still uphold the reserved demeanor forcefully.
But seeing her and Leon act affectionately before parting with each other seemed to have made the young temple servant break his character. That's why Eli couldn't help but chuckle and apologize because of that.
"Ah, Mada- Milady, you do not have to apologize. I really don't mind!" Julian was scared out of his wits upon hearing his Madam's apology.
He scolded himself for not being strong enough in hiding his astonishment about seeing such a different side of his Master.
Eli let out another chuckle, she was completely satisfied to see that the awkwardness between them was already dispelled.
As they walked along the stone corridor, she asked, "How long have we been in seclusion?"
Although taken aback, Julian still answered Eli calmly, "Milady and His Highness Third Prince has been in seclusion for five days."
"That long?!" Eli was surprised upon knowing the duration of their seclusion. She really was surprised to know that the seemingly brief moment they spent in opening and stabilizing the paths went as long as five days!
"Yes… The High Priest, himself, became worried about the duration. Thankfully, General Farauld testified that the process of training was within expectation as he witnessed it before with His Highness." Julian explained.
"I see…" Eli expressed her understanding, it was good that they didn't cause a commotion for suddenly disappearing like that without any warning.
"By the way, how's the capital these days?" She continued to ask, not noticing the struggle on Julian's face upon hearing the question.
"I apologize Milady, but I am not really privy to matters outside the capital. But General Farauld and the rest continued to busy themselves over their roles during these days." Julian gave a vague answer, attempting to trick Eli into thinking that everything was as normally hectic as they trained five days ago.
"I see, probably they were still stressing out over the investigations. Too bad, the High Priest had already officially pulled me out of the team to start my training…" Julian's answer seemed to have achieved the desired effect as he saw that Eli didn't suspect anything from his answer.
His heart felt guilty for hiding the real situation from his Madam.
But just like what Leon had signaled earlier, General Farauld, the High Priest, and the rest of the investigation team unanimously decided to hide the actual situation from Eli until she had reached a certain point of her training.
As such, Eli had no way to know, that the entire Capital was already filled with dread and gloom over the bizarre murder incidents that have been appearing for four days now.
Leon, on the other hand, went straight to the High Priest's study, hoping that there are people he could converse with in order to know the situation outside.
From Julian's initial reaction, he knew that there was something bad that happened during their days in seclusion. That's why without even changing his clothes or taking a sip of water, he rushed straight to the office to gather some information.
Luckily, when he reached the room, he saw the High Priest, his Father Emperor, and General Farauld, all with gloomy faces and dark looks discussing the situation.
"Pardon for intruding rudely.." Only when Leon saw their faces did he realize that his panic got the best of him, ignoring the fact that he had barged into the High Priest's office without properly announcing himself.
"You're finally here.. Come and sit, I know why you are here. This timing is really perfect, we'll tell you about the situation." The High Priest didn't mind Leon's actions and instead beckoned him to sit.
They were men anyways and in their situation, no amount of decorum nor etiquette could solve the problem they were facing.
