Vigilance and Attachment
After Leo and his group departed, only silence lingered in the lounge.
“Hah.”
The king who remained fiddled with the gold ring on his finger and let out a hollow laugh. He, the monarch of a nation, had been dismissed by a mere commoner girl.
The warmth in his expression vanished, replaced by a cold, ruthless face. Fury burned in his eyes.
“It's been a long time since someone dared to treat me with such contempt.”
“...”
“...”
Felix and Mandelia held their breath, careful not to provoke the king's ire. The atmosphere was as tense as thin ice.
Mandelia shared the king's displeasure at Elizabeth's attitude but wasn't as enraged as he was.
“Everyone around her calls her a genius, a genius, so she doesn't know her place. Thinks she's the center of the world, that commoner girl.”
Siegfried cherished the power he had inherited from birth more than anything. It was absolute—something only he could rule and protect.
That was why he had killed Maximilian and branded him a murderer. The man had been too dangerous. A parasite who threatened to steal his power simply by existing...
Siegfried was the kind of man who would do anything for power.
And nearly as important to him as power were his pride and the dignity of kingship.
Elizabeth had trampled on that precious pride.
The king had never forgiven those who challenged his pride.
“...So what will you do?”
Felix asked cautiously.
“I don't like her personally, but her value is immense. No, beyond immense—unique and irreplaceable. I acknowledge that.”
“Then...”
The king stroked his chin and continued in a calm tone.
“She never had a choice to begin with. Born a citizen of this nation, she belongs to me by right. She needs to learn the price of forgetting her station.”
What a king of a nation could do transcended human imagination. He could torment and crush the Leo family in thousands, tens of thousands of ways.
At least he had some patience, which was a small mercy.
“I'll give them one chance. Head steward. Tell her father to marry his daughter to the prince. Phrase it politely as you see fit. You have some rapport with him, don't you? And if that father has any brains, he won't reject a match with the royal family.”
In the king's view, this marriage benefited both sides. The royals would gain bloodline talent and bolster commoner support—rare for royals to wed commoners. For the Leo family, it was a leap beyond their station, linking them to royalty itself. The power imbalance was vast, but for commoners, even that was a boon. Becoming the prince's father-in-law? Rejecting it would be idiotic.
The daughter might be young and naive, but the father is different.
Meanwhile, Felix hesitated, unable to answer easily.
“Felix.”
The king fixed him with narrowed eyes.
“I heard Leo Valentine once saved our distant relative from being run over by a carriage.”
“...Yes, that's true.”
“I believe my head steward knows how to separate public duty from private feelings.”
It was a clear warning—a kingly pressure to keep personal sentiments out of it.
“Yes, I shall obey your command.”
Felix bowed his head.
Leo, Hildegard, and Elizabeth arrived at their reserved restaurant. Under soft lighting, steaming dishes were artfully arranged on the pristine table.
“Wonder if we've pissed off the king.”
The medium-rare steak sliced tenderly. He said it like a joke, but his eyes were serious as he ate and turned to his daughter.
“Sweetie, why'd you turn him down? If it was someone the king was introducing, it'd be some high noble.”
“Just didn't like it. I'm going to marry the man I love.”
Elizabeth replied flatly. Her gaze fixed on one person alone: Leo.
Hildegard, who had been quietly listening to the father-daughter exchange, spoke softly.
“His Majesty isn't so petty as to hold a grudge over such a thing. He'll surely respect Eli's wishes.”
She sat across from Leo, her tone brimming with conviction. After the Maximilian tragedy, the king had shown leniency to the Quirehultain family. Surely he wouldn't scheme over a mere marriage refusal.
“Who knows.”
Elizabeth, pressed close to Leo's side, said meaningfully.
“You can't be sure, right?”
She drew out the words, glancing at Hildegard.
Hildegard quietly met Elizabeth's eyes. Elizabeth didn't look away.
Gold and blue crossed in silence.
Hildegard averted her gaze first. She had no desire for pointless staring contests with Elizabeth.
Through the demon of memory, Elizabeth had learned the truth. The king who turned a great hero—worthy of endless praise—into a monstrous killer and had him slain. Whether he held a grudge or not, he was undeniably dangerous.
For the record, Elizabeth hadn't told a soul. Not Leo, nor Hildegard, the victim's granddaughter.
They wouldn't believe her anyway, and there was no gain in speaking up. Even if Leo miraculously did, it would only deepen his love for Hildegard.
Not gonna let that happen.
Stab.
She speared a chunk of meat with her fork, cradling it with her other hand, and gently fed it to Leo.
“Ahh~”
“Quit feeding Dad all the time. Eat some yourself.”
“Watching Dad eat fills me up.”
“Aigoo, when are you gonna grow up.”
“I'm already all grown up.”
Elizabeth pressed against Leo, flashing a sly, foxy smile.
Leo gave in with a helpless look and opened his mouth for the bite.
“Is what I gave you tasty?”
“Yeah.”
“Ah, sauce on your lip.”
Steak sauce dotted Leo's lips. Elizabeth reached out with her index finger, slowly and teasingly wiping it away.
Then, looking at him, she sucked it clean.
“Gross.”
“Not gross~”
Elizabeth beamed coquettishly at his words.
“...”
Hildegard lifted a piece of meat on her fork but couldn't bring herself to feed it to him. That was meant for Leo.
But Elizabeth had beaten her to it, ruining the timing.
It happened several more times. She watched for openings, but Elizabeth always moved first.
“Stick out your chin.”
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, “Ahh~” opening for more food, and even—deliberately or not—spilling his water glass on his clothes.
“Oh no! Sorry. I'll clean it right up.”
And dabbing at it with a handkerchief.
By then, even the oblivious Hildegard sensed the mood. Elizabeth was intentionally blocking her.
This wasn't the first time. These awkward interruptions had repeated for three years now.
Even on what looked like dates, Elizabeth always wedged herself in. Hildegard wanted to chalk it up to coincidence, but the timing was always too perfect.
And now again.
As dinner ended and they exchanged farewells.
Leo waved brightly.
“See ya, Hildegard.”
As he waved and walked away, Elizabeth clung naturally to his arm. She leaned her head on his shoulder, then turned slightly to glance back at Hildegard.
And—
She smirked.
A triumphant smile, like a victor gloating.
Then she turned back, nestling into Leo as if nothing happened.
“...”
Elizabeth's demeanor seemed almost like...
A woman seducing the man she loved.
Impossible, but the thought crossed Hildegard's mind.
Absurd. What am I thinking...
A daughter seducing her dad?
“Get a grip, Hildegard von Quirehultain.”
Even thinking it was rude. She shook her head.
But she couldn't shake off all the unease.
A residence in central Lenz. It boasted sky-high property values.
The kind of house Elizabeth had dreamed of as a child.
A two-story mansion with a garden and even a small pond—like something out of a painting.
No matter how hard Leo worked and saved, he couldn't afford a capital mansion like this.
Whose money, then? Elizabeth's.
She had racked up thousands, sometimes tens of millions, in prize money from contests and competitions.
Nobles who spotted her potential offered sponsorships too.
But Elizabeth refused noble patronage. Nothing in the world was free. They'd demand something eventually.
Leo agreed.
Instead, she accepted support from the Ehenwalt Bar Association.
Topping the bar exam at eighteen—an unprecedented feat since the association's founding.
It rocked the legal world, and they backed her as a symbol.
The funds amassed were staggering—even Leo was shocked.
But he never touched a penny. It was for her future, and buying a house with his daughter's money sat wrong with him.
After her tearful pleading, he relented on one condition: title in Elizabeth's name.
Under continental law, eighteen was adulthood, so it worked.
Truth be told, she wanted to gift it to him, but she followed his wish.
The name didn't matter—as long as they lived together.
Night fell in Leo's bedroom.
“We have plenty of rooms—why always sleep in Dad's?”
“I sleep better with Dad.”
Elizabeth whispered, face buried in his arm. In slightly sheer nightclothes, her provocative figure pressed against him.
The house had two floors and many rooms, but she shared his bed.
Thud.
She draped her thigh over his stomach. Toned, pale, alluring.
But Leo's face showed no reaction as he pushed her leg away.
“Hey, heavy.”
“Rude to call a lady heavy.”
With a pouty whine, she hugged him tight, trapping him against her chest and stroking his hair.
Leo frowned, feeling suffocated, and gently nudged her back.
“Am I your doll?”
“Yeah.”
She answered playfully, trying to cling again.
But he pushed her away once more.
“Enough playing. Bedtime.”
“Okay.”
Elizabeth pouted regretfully.
“Magic tonight too?”
She wiggled her finger. Ethereal white mana shimmered in the air.
Leo paused, then nodded quietly.
“...Yeah, please.”
Leo often suffered nightmares. Childhood traumas, tangled feelings for Elizabeth, the empire's pursuit. Guilt he couldn't confess to anyone haunted his dreams.
Elizabeth, who had watched it all, once said quietly when her magic grew proficient:
Sleep magic—I'll cast it. You deserve peaceful rest.
Miraculously, under her spell, he never had a nightmare.
Since then, every night he slept to her magic.
Elizabeth sat up demurely. Gazing warmly, she pillowed his head on her lap.
She stroked his hair.
Swish, swish.
Her delicate jade-like hand swept over his eyes after a few strokes.
“Sleep tight...”
In that moment, deep, warm peace enveloped his mind.
Elizabeth smiled tenderly down at him as Leo lost consciousness.