Chapter 14 — The Boy Called Leo
Chapter 14 — The Boy Called Leo
Translation: Godtl
"It's seriously childish... Are you really the same age as us? Sometimes I seriously doubt it."
"...."
Lelia trembled at Griffith's words. Honestly, it hit a nerve.
Unlike these kids, she was seven years old.
But thanks to her memories from her past life, she was capable of adult thinking, so she believed she was incomparably more mature than these brats... yet to hear such words!
Lelia sighed deeply, and when Oscar lay down on the bed, she covered him with the blanket. Like an older sister.
"Good night, Oscar."
"Aren't you going to say goodnight to us?"
"Leader, is it okay to discriminate like that?"
"It's not like discrimination is anything new."
Lelia casually bid goodnight to the grumbling kids and left the room.
Then she entered her own room right next door and climbed onto her bed.
Seeing the white rabbit doll, a smile naturally formed on her face.
Even though they whined about it being childish, seeing that they all placed their dolls by their bedsides, children were still children after all.
Lelia hugged the doll tightly and fell asleep in an instant.
It was dawn. Outside the window, heavy rain was pouring down, and lightning flashed.
"Leo! Leo!"
Lelia jumped up in surprise at the sensation of someone shaking her awake. Rubbing her eyes, she saw Romeo with a flustered face.
"W-what. What's wrong?"
"Oscar is having another episode. We tried to call a priest but...."
At those words, Lelia shot up from her bed.
Calling priests every time Oscar had an episode was impractical. If it happened repeatedly, they would suspect Oscar was possessed by a demon.
Lelia grabbed an envelope from the table and ran to the next room.
The children, awakened from sleep, had turned on the light and were watching Oscar in panic.
"Oscar!"
Lelia approached him—hugging his knees and trembling violently—and quickly checked his pupils.
"Oscar, it's okay. Don't listen to any sounds."
Just like before, Lelia held Oscar's cheeks and gently patted them to calm him down.
"Mmh... mmmhhh...."
Whether he was seeing a hallucination, Oscar looked into empty space in fear, and tears fell endlessly from his red eyes.
Lelia held Oscar's face and fixed his gaze on her.
"It's okay here. Is it because of the rain? It's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Lelia continued to whisper. Very slowly, Oscar's pupils began to return to normal.
"It's okay, you did well."
She breathed a sigh of relief, then brought the envelope she had brought to Oscar's nose and had him breathe slowly.
He was calming down much faster than before.
"Huu... r-rain... th-thunder sounds..."
"Are you scared of the thunder?"
At Lelia's question, Oscar nodded.
"When, when it rains... father..."
It seemed that on the day that terrified Oscar, it had also rained.
"There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just raining. Nothing will happen."
Saying that, Lelia took the doll lying on the bed and gave it to him to hold.
'I didn't think it would work from the start, but....'
Oscar took the doll Lelia handed him and hugged it.
"From now on, whenever you're scared and afraid, look at this one and talk to it. Like you're having a conversation with me."
"...Okay."
Lelia had Oscar lie down on the bed and covered him with the blanket.
Turning her head, she saw children with pale faces.
Romeo had seen it once before, but the other children seemed to be seeing it for the first time today.
"Isn't that guy possessed by a demon?"
As Kalix spoke with a twisted face, Lelia whipped her head around.
Oscar seemed familiar with those words, merely blinking his eyes.
Lelia went to Kalix, grabbed his cheek with her hand, stretched it out, and pinched hard.
"Aaaah!"
"Watch your mouth! What demon?!"
Griffith grabbed Lelia's arm to stop her and asked.
"Then do you know why he's like that?"
"...Hoo."
Lelia sighed deeply. Outside the window, the rain was still falling.
That night, Lelia ended up bringing her own doll and took one spot on Romeo's bed.
And with eyes wide open, she stayed up all night talking with the four children.
Strictly speaking, Lelia was mostly talking to herself. It was advice and counsel as an adult.
"Did you understand what I said? It's just trauma. You guys must have at least one thing you're afraid of too."
Romeo nodded especially vigorously.
Oscar also blinked and listened attentively, and Kalix and Griffith were quiet without much rebuttal.
"What are you most afraid of?"
Griffith asked Lelia.
"I... hmm."
If she said she was afraid of being hungry, they would think it strange. Lelia thought for a moment and answered.
"I, I'm afraid of the empire's people going hungry. That's what scares me the most."
"What kind of bullshit... you really want to be a goooood emperor."
Kalix frowned and criticized.
"Is that what being a crown prince is like? Definitely different."
However, Griffith had a rather unexpected reaction.
"Then what are you guys afraid of?"
"I, I'm f-father...."
Oscar answered first to Lelia's question. Next was Romeo.
"I'm... demons?"
Lelia looked at Griffith, who was next in turn.
"...I don't have any."
Even if she did, it seemed like she wouldn't say it. Lelia looked at Kalix next to her.
"Would I have anything to fear? I'm someone who fought off wolves that my uncle sent to kill me."
You... try learning a little fear in life....
Lelia looked at him with a sour expression and shook her head.
"I, I know... what C-Kalix is afraid of...."
Oscar, who had been quiet, slowly raised one hand and spoke.
"What? What is this bastard saying?"
Kalix frowned even as he was flustered. Lelia, as if she couldn't miss this moment, asked.
"What is it?"
"He's afraid of t-talking to w-women... L-last time, some g-girl tried to talk to him... a-and he ran away!"
"Hey, that's not true!"
Kalix shot up and tried to lunge at Oscar. Romeo and Griffith quickly grabbed each of his arms to stop him.
Lelia laughed holding her belly in that situation.
After that, the five children shared various stories about likes, dislikes, and other things. It was time to get to know each other a little better.
Until morning came, the room was filled with the children's chattering voices.
Outside the window was still dark and raining, but no one paid attention to the sound of rain or thunder.
Lelia had simply created this time to comfort the frightened Oscar.
But for the four children, it was a night they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
Years later, even before a battle where they might lose their lives, it was a night precious enough that they could recall this time and laugh calmly.
It was an earnest and precious night that would remain in their memories for a long time.
Children grow up quickly day by day.
The five children also grew up surprisingly fast every day, and as they spent that time together, they became more familiar and closer to each other.
Thus, two years passed.
It was a day when about half a year remained before returning to their home country.
"Um, Crown Prince Leo Your Highness."
"Ah, Lady Julia."
"Um... c-could you accept this?"
What the girl with braids on both sides of her head shyly handed over was a letter envelope.
"Thank you, I'll treasure it."
The pretty boy called Leo smiled faintly and then turned around.
"Kyaa!"
"Crown Prince Leo is truly so kind."
"I'm going to write another letter too!"
The recent trend among the girls from various nations staying at the temple was writing letters to 'Crown Prince Leo.'
Even though no replies came back, the girls wrote letters enthusiastically.
Because at least instead of a reply, they could receive a kind smile and gentle greeting.
As soon as the boy called Leo turned the corner, he sighed "Hah..." Having smiled to the point of twitching at the corners of his mouth, his cheeks were sore.
He should have gotten used to it by now, but it was still difficult.
Lelia rubbed her sore cheeks and headed to her room.
Upon returning to the room, she saw a pile of letter envelopes on the table. Lelia added the letter she had just received on top of them.
Just then, the door burst open.
"You said you were going to the library, did you go and come back?"
The first to enter was Kalix. Behind him, Griffith, Romeo, and Oscar filed in one after another.
It seemed they had come after sword training and a shower. Their hair was wet at the ends.
Lelia looked at them with a complicated expression.
'They're big.'
They've all grown big.
The children who hadn't been much different in height from Lelia had all grown more than a span taller than her.
'Everyone except me!'
Lelia clenched her fists and trembled.
'Weren't girls supposed to be taller at this age?'
No matter what, the three-year age difference seemed impossible to ignore.
Currently, the official age of Crown Prince Leo, whom Lelia was disguised as, was twelve years old. The same went for the four children Lelia was close with.
However, Lelia's real age was nine.
That didn't mean Lelia hadn't grown. While eating well and living well here, she had grown much more than before.
It's just that those children had grown even more.
Even Oscar, who used to be smaller than Lelia, had surpassed her height.
'My pride is hurt.'
And at some point, the frequency of them calling her 'Boss' had decreased.
Even when they occasionally called her that, it somehow didn't feel sincere. It felt like they were teasing her.
'Is it because they've all gotten taller than me...'
So angry... Lelia narrowed her eyes and glared at them resentfully.
"Don't tell me you're crying again?"
Romeo asked with a mischievous smile.
"I'm not crying!"
Lelia shouted and then walked past them toward her bedroom.
Actually, because of what happened recently, she felt a bit uncomfortable dealing with those guys.
'Why did I do that.'
Lelia flopped onto the bed and clutched her head. And she recalled what happened a while ago.
Over the past two years, the bond between the five children had grown deeper and more solid.
Now they could naturally call each other 'friends' without anyone feeling any hesitation.