After taking their meal, Leon got back to the Capital while Eli visited the Silver Dew Elves and the farming land before going back to the capital.
The Imperial Palace was slowly rebuilding and but not so with the welfare of the Imperial Family.
Emperor Valentin had now recovered from his injuries but he was still staying in his bed as instructed by the Imperial doctors. Antoine and Kazimir were also in the same condition.
And so there was nothing who could do the temporary administration but Leon, who was also injured but was able to recover faster than the other three.
But since he had already shown his might during the war, the news of him being a revered open path and S-class mage had already spread throughout the entire Empire and most possibly even outside the borders.
This made the people not surprised that he was the only one standing after the intense war. There were also some noble families who were already thinking of supporting him in the race to the throne.
However, to Leon, thinking about the race to the throne was something that is not even a priority. The Empire needs to recover and devise a means to protect itself from the sinister plots of Lord Raven.
They must also ensure to understand the connection of the sinister organization, The Spectre to Lord Raven and disseminate the information to the nearby territories in order to warn them.
Moreover, they still had to settle the trial for the judgment of all the traitors of the Seirende Empire and finally get justice for all those who have fallen victims to the Vesala's schemes.
Leon's first destination was Emperor Valentin's chambers. Even with everything falling on his shoulders, he still did not neglect to check how his father was doing and if he had anything he needed at the moment.
As he walked to his father's bed-chamber, he was greeted by the respectful greetings of every palace servant and knight around the castle, even the attending noblemen and their vassals expressed their reverence as he walked around the vicinity.
It was something that he had never experienced before revealing himself, but Leon did not mind. He was neither feeling ecstatic nor aggrieved, for his thoughts were full of thinking about how he would manage to stabilize what he can until his father and brothers recover.
When he was about to enter the door, the butler told him that Antoine, First Queen Lucia, and his mother, the Second Queen Tehila were all inside the bed-chamber.
Taken aback he was about to refuse to go inside as he worried that they might be discussing something important. But the butler told him that he could join inside because Emperor Valentin was also expecting him to come.
As he stepped inside he saw the serious faces of the four people inside. There was an awkward atmosphere in the room, it was as if all of them had met each other for the first time.
Antoine was shocked to see Leon, but after a brief second, he looked away, feeling a little bit evasive from Leon's stare.
Lucia and Tehila were rather calm but Emperor Valentin wore a serious expression on his face.
After Leon recited his greetings, he directly asked everyone what the matter was, "Is there any problem that was happening?"
"It's like this… the Great Doctor has been taking care of the First Prince Kazimir and he has already passed the critical stage of the damage done by the clashing of the Vesala and Seirende blood…" Queen Tehila answered her son's question with Emperor Valentin's permission.
"However, as the First Prince Kazimir was yet to recover from his initial condition prior to the fight, the Great Doctor found out that his mental condition was not recovering really well… he had already woken up but was still unresponsive even when Princess Consort Arielle and their son Monti called out to him…" Queen Tehila explained everything, there was utter worry in his sight.
"It was like he lost his spirit and became an empty vessel… We are now helpless on how we will deal on this matter as the First Prince was part of the family." She continued.
As Queen Tehila told this, Emperor Valentin displayed a troubled and worried expression along with Antoine. The three looked at First Queen Lucia as if they had something to ask from her.
First Queen Lucia returned their gaze and replied calmly, "There's no need to worry… as I have said before, he will get back on his feet."
Although the three heaved a sigh of relief, they were still helpless to think of a way how to help Kazimir recover. Lucia's premonition was something that they could not depend on in terms of the timing of when that particular future would be. Also, what the future would depend on how they decided to do in the present.
Leon was unable to understand First Queen Lucia's words nor the fact that the three listened to her words, but he did not take it to heart.
For he has always known that First Queen Lucia has some secret she does not reveal to just anyone.
–
He remembered when he was a child, he was yet to understand why Antoine suddenly became angry at him. Day by day, he would sneak into First Queen Lucia's garden in order to see Antoine and try to apologize for whatever wrongdoings he did that made him mad, but to no avail.
One day, Queen Lucia saw him patiently waiting in the garden, looking at the window where Antoine was staying. In the middle of the day, when the heat was at its peak, Leon just stood there in the garden like a lost puppy waiting for his master to come out.
Lucia immediately went over to the spot he was standing and patted his head while saying, "Please forgive your brother… Maybe in the future, he will still be unable to treat you the same way as he usually did, but will you be the kind one and understand him?"
"What did I do wrong, Your Highness? Tell me so that I can apologize…" The young Leon asked in tears.
Lucia did not reply and only took a handkerchief to wipe away the aggrieved tears on young Leon's face. "You have not done anything to hurt him… it's just that he somehow turned like this and he started to avoid everyone, including you and me… But do you love your older brother?"
"I do… Your Highness… he is the brother who was kind to me…" the young Leon replied.
"I do too…" Lucia's eyes were filled with emotions and heartbreak, "So even if we don't understand, we will just wait for him to come around even if it takes us years to do so…"
"Why… it takes so long?" Leon tilted his head and asked innocently.
"I also don't know… I tried to ask him why he was acting like this but he does not want to talk." Lucia felt like she was losing her mind because she was now talking about her problems with a little child. But Leon could feel that she wanted to say something but chose to do otherwise.
"So can you forgive him for not seeing you? Will you now be angry at him?" Lucia asked Leon, looking at him with worry in her eyes.
"I won't… because he is my brother," Leon replied.
"Even if you get stronger than him and anyone else in the future? You won't take revenge over his actions?" Lucia asked once again.
"How can I be stronger than anyone here, Young Highness… I am just a low-level mage…" Leon shamefully lowered his head and answered embarrassedly.
"In the future… maybe you will… if you work hard… perhaps…" Lucia answered.
"Well…" the young Leon thought for a moment. His brother's mother was always so kind, so she might have been saying these things to cheer him up.
Since the First Queen was also sad because his big brother was also not talking to her, Leon thought that he should reply to her politely, even if she knew that what she was telling about his power growing in the future was not really possible.
"Then.. even if I become stronger in the future, I will not take revenge on my big brother Antoine and even my eldest brother!" Leon declared with his eyes full of innocence and determination.
"For Father… the Emperor told me that they are my brothers, they are my family."
"He said, we cannot choose who our family would be… so even if they do something bad towards me, I must take time to ask my heart to forgive them."
"He said that a Seirende does not reject the bond of blood, so even if the Elder Brother and Big Brother are angry at me, I will not hurt them. Because I will be hurting my family!"
–
Back at the present, Leon stood up and looked at them. With calm eyes and a steady tone he announced, "Then I shall try to check if I could do something about him…"
Just as he was about to turn towards the exit, he heard Antoine's voice saying,
"I-i'll go with you…"
