Blind Love
After Leonhardt left, I sat roughly at the back of the Academy, lost in thought. I had somewhat expected him to cause trouble. Of course, if things had gone as I predicted, Leonhardt should have targeted me, not Silvia. ……He cherished Silvia terribly. In the original novel, Leonhardt valued Silvia more than his own life. Because that aspect of his personality was etched in my mind, I never expected him to lay a hand on her. Even if I had anticipated it, there was nothing I could do. No matter how rotten, he was still royalty. I couldn't lightly touch or dispose of him just for being arrogant and rude. The current situation was the same. Even if I proved that Leonhardt had tormented Silvia, there was no justification to touch him. After all, Silvia was a commoner, and Leonhardt was royalty.
Should I ask for help? From whom? The only people who could hold Leonhardt's leash were Achillea and Cain. At least with Cain, it was possible because Leonhardt had done something wrong. But it would take too long for him to return. As for Achillea, I didn't think she would readily help Silvia. After all, she had no connection with Silvia to begin with.
What should I do. Various methods came to mind, but none appealed to me. After sitting and pondering for a long time, I roughly ran my hand through my hair and let out a deep breath. Thinking wasn't my style. In the end, I had no choice but to confront it head-on with my body.
Silvia clutched her trembling hands and let out a steady breath. Her head was spinning. She was so confused she couldn't tell if what she had just seen and heard was real. It was to the point where she wondered if this was some mischievous prank by the students in the opposite class trying to deceive her. That Leonhardt had ordered the kids in the class to torment her. That Felice had noticed and stopped it. At the same time, that he had made some kind of decision. Silvia's mind, having heard and seen it all, was in complete chaos.
Why? Why on earth…? Even if they were friends, was there a reason to go this far? She wanted to ask someone, but she didn't have the presence of mind. She looked at Felice, who was lost in thought a little distance away. Come to think of it, Felice had always been different from others. He didn't force his emotions on others. That made Silvia feel comfortable. Even after being rejected in his confession, he didn't resent her; instead, he comforted her. That's why being with him was enjoyable. Knowing she might be misunderstood, she prepared lunch boxes for him, smiled at him, and spent time with him. Normally, she would have been afraid of being misunderstood and the following stares, so she wouldn't have acted that way, but when it came to things involving Felice, she didn't care much about that. Even Silvia herself didn't know why she had acted that way. That's why she couldn't understand why Felice was acting like this either. But what was important was that Felice had made some kind of decision. At the same time, that it was for her sake. And Silvia had no intention of just watching it happen.
Silvia walked aimlessly through the Academy grounds. She walked, and walked, and walked some more. Even when the bell signaling the start of class rang, Silvia didn't stop. Of course, she wasn't moving without any thought.
……He'll show up. Leonhardt had said he wanted her to be isolated. That meant he believed that if she became isolated from those around her, she would definitely seek him out. In the end, it meant Leonhardt had done all this to obtain her. Silvia could roughly guess why he had targeted her instead of Felice.
Because Felice is strong. No matter how much those around him tried to suppress Felice, he wasn't someone who would break easily. Unlike the other kids his age, he was mentally strong. Since he thought there was no way to break Felice no matter how hard he tried, he must have decided it would be better to target Silvia instead. Leonhardt's thinking was partially correct. Silvia was sensitive to the gazes of those around her. At the same time, she was someone with a fragile heart who broke easily. But Leonhardt's thinking was only half right. Silvia wasn't soft enough to stand by and watch someone touch her precious friend.
Step, step. Strength naturally entered Silvia's steps. Without realizing it, she was growing angry. How long had she been wandering aimlessly? "……Silvia." A low, hoarse voice echoed in her ears. It was much changed, but it was a voice she remembered. Silvia bit her lower lip firmly and turned her head toward the direction the voice came from.
"Leonhardt!!" She could no longer think of Leonhardt as a friend like before. A real friend wouldn't do something like this to her. That's why the voice that came out of Silvia's mouth was neither affectionate nor soft like usual. But Leonhardt merely smiled emptily, as if even that voice pleased him. Silvia looked into Leonhardt's eyes and unconsciously took a step back. There were no blue eyes overflowing with his usual self. There was only Leonhardt with dull, faded, hollow eyes that couldn't even focus properly.
"It's been a while…." "……." Silvia had organized in her head what she would say when she met Leonhardt, but the moment she heard his voice, she couldn't recall any of those thoughts. A low, unpleasant metallic sound, cracking and creaking, echoed. It was a part that showed how much he had let his body deteriorate.
"It's been… too long." Thud. When his powerless, staggering steps took one step toward Silvia, she shuddered without realizing it. A chill ran down her spine so cold it made her skin crawl. Those were not the eyes a normal human could possess.
"Why…… Why did you do it?" But Silvia had to ask. Even with a trembling, weak voice, she had to ask Leonhardt. "……It was for you." Leonhardt answered Silvia's question like that. Hearing that voice, Silvia couldn't help but let out a low breath without realizing it.
"Because you are mine. You shouldn't be by that idiot's side." "……." "You'll become the crown princess, Silvia." "You are." With each step Leonhardt took toward Silvia, muttering like a machine with vacant eyes, Silvia took a step back in the same manner. "……You're insane." He was insane. The Leonhardt before her eyes was not in his right mind. Why? For what reason? Simply because he couldn't ascend to the position of crown prince? ……No. It was because of Silvia Versh. Because he couldn't have her, he had gone mad like that. That's why Silvia couldn't understand it. What was she to him? What on earth was she, that he would go mad just because he couldn't have her? She couldn't understand. Come to think of it, it had been that way from the beginning. It was strange that the Empire's prince, someone who believed without a doubt that he would become the crown prince, was so obsessed with her. It was also strange that the Academy's high-nosed nobles clung to her like this, and above all, that she received so many confessions just from her face alone. It didn't make sense that they attached meaning to her every smile, every touch, every greeting, and tried to possess her. Silvia looked at Leonhardt. She looked, and looked again, but she still couldn't understand him. Even receiving Silvia's cold gaze, Leonhardt merely smiled creepily as if even that felt good, and slowly walked toward her.
……I don't know. Silvia stopped thinking any further. Everything was too burdensome for her. She just wanted to run away. But the more she did, the clearer one person's face rose in her mind. Someone who had been just like the others at first, but later showed steps that were so different from everyone else. ……Felice. It was when she quietly called his name in her heart. "……You are." A refined, beautiful soprano voice rang out. It wasn't the voice of the person Silvia had hoped for. That voice was cold and chilling. "It seems you're wrong after all… Leon." Leonhardt's head snapped to the side, and he looked at Silvia from beside her. Radiantly shining silver hair. At the same time, cold and dignified red eyes. The girl who had obtained everything with her own hands… was looking at her foolish younger brother who had nothing and hadn't made the slightest effort. "……Achillea!!" Achillea let out a deep sigh as she looked at Leonhardt crying out her name. "I'd prefer it if you didn't call me by my name." At that voice, as if looking at something pitiful, Leonhardt ground his teeth. Achillea, paying no mind to the anger rising from him, slowly continued speaking. "It seems you are." "……." "At your limit." Both as royalty. And as her own blood relative.