Chapter 205
If someone tries to take you from me—I'll take you away from them. I won't give you up, no matter who they are.
The forceful words were so unlike the usual Leo that Leticia was completely overwhelmed.
Faced with such a straightforward proposal, Leticia lowered her head.
If Leo was proposing to protect her by making her a member of the Imperial royal family, Leticia could have expected that. Leo was kind. It would not have been strange for him to try to protect her that way. She had at least understood that much.
But she had never expected him to propose because he loved her.
Feeling more embarrassed than ever before, Leticia could do nothing but lower her head.
Realizing that this was embarrassment, Leticia felt her face turn red.
Most of all, she was ashamed that she was so happy she nearly answered on the spot. It was thoughtless and frivolous in the extreme.
Leo would never call it a burden, but accepting his proposal would cause him a tremendous amount of trouble.
She mustn't accept. She couldn't accept.
With that resolve, Leticia raised her head.
But her eyes met Leo's earnest gaze, and Leticia immediately lowered her head again.
She couldn't look at him directly. Her face grew redder and redder, and she could feel it beginning to burn.
She was beginning to feel short of breath as well. At this rate, she would faint.
Just as Leticia was thinking that, Leo spoke.
"I won't ask you for an answer right away. The festival has two days left. Could you give me your answer before we leave the Imperial Capital?"
"Y-yes..."
The voice was so faint and feeble that Leticia was astonished to hear it come from herself.
What would delaying accomplish? If she was going to refuse him, she should do it now.
One voice inside her scolded her for hesitating, while another was relieved, saying, I'm saved. What a relief. I had no idea what to do.
This had never happened to her before. As a result, Leticia was in a mild panic.
Being proposed to wasn't a first for her.
Ever since she had taken up the Holy Staff and fought across battlefields, countless men had proposed to Leticia.
Soldiers had been drawn to the sight of her raising her staff on the battlefield. Nobles had wanted the fame that came with the Saint. Others had been comrades who had fought alongside her from the very beginning.
They all praised Leticia's beauty, affirmed the way she lived, and told her that they wanted to stay by her side.
But Leo was the only one who had said he wanted her by his side. He was also the only one who had said he would take her away.
Part of her thought, So what? It was easy to dismiss such things as mere words.
Even so, she couldn't bring herself to reject him. It was because Leo hadn't needed her as a Saint.
In this situation, the title of Saint could only be a shackle. Even so, Leo had proposed to her. That made her unbearably happy.
"I know this has come as a shock, but I meant every word. I'll accept whatever answer you give me. Please don't worry."
"Yes... Thank you."
"Then I'll escort you to your room."
As he said that, Leo casually held out his hand.
Leticia reached for it, then hesitated.
Holding hands, which had felt so casual until a moment ago, suddenly seemed incredibly embarrassing.
Seeing Leticia frozen with her hand raised, Leo gave a wry smile and gently took her hand.
"!?"
"It's dark, so please watch your step."
"Y-yes... Prince Leonart."
She could only answer in a voice so faint it seemed about to disappear from embarrassment.
She had never been so shaken by another person's words.
As he led Leticia by the hand, Leo suddenly spoke.
"Leo."
"Yes...?"
"Could you call me Leo? Not that many people do."
"Um..."
"I'd like you to call me that."
There was something forceful about his smile.
Thinking that, Leticia looked away and nodded.
It was such a small thing, but Leo smiled in satisfaction and continued escorting her.
Soon, Leticia's room came into view. A blond female knight was standing in front of it.
"Welcome back, Leticia-sama."
"Catherine... I'm sorry I kept you waiting."
"Not at all. Please don't worry about it."
The female knight called Catherine bowed as she spoke.
Leticia introduced Catherine to Leo.
"L-Leo... Um, I think you've met a few times, but this is Catherine, who serves as my captain of the guard."
"A pleasure, Catherine."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After that brief exchange, Leo released Leticia's hand.
Then he spoke with a bright smile.
"Good night, Leticia. I'll come to pick you up again tomorrow."
"Y-yes..."
Leticia continued watching Leo's retreating back as he walked away.
Beside her, Catherine gave a wry smile.
"Have you given him your answer?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"Wasn't it a proposal?"
"H-how did you know!?"
"I could tell just by looking. You haven't answered yet, have you?"
"...I've asked him to wait."
"The decision is yours, Leticia-sama, but if you want to ensure your safety, it's not a bad offer. However..."
"However?"
"You may make every woman in the Empire your enemy."
"Uuugh... He's far too good for me..."
"Are you sure? I think you make a good match."
Laughing like that, Catherine opened the door to the room.
When Leticia entered, Orihime's barrier sprang into effect.
"Then good night, Leticia-sama."
"Yes. Good night, Catherine."
And so Leticia fell asleep.
■■■
Late at night.
When everyone in the castle had fallen asleep,
a knock came from Leticia's room.
Woken by the sound, Leticia rubbed her eyes and asked,
"Who is it...?"
"It's me."
"L-Leo!?"
She never imagined he would visit at this hour.
Thinking about what that might mean, Leticia's face flushed.
But that thought vanished at once.
"There's something I need to tell you. Could you open the door?"
His tone was serious.
It was easy to tell that something had happened.
Cursing herself for her shameless imagination, Leticia got out of bed and went to the door.
Then she opened it.
"Thank you. I'm sorry for coming at this late hour."
"No... Did something happen?"
"Yes."
Leo quietly entered the room, warily scanning the surroundings, and closed the door.
Thinking it must be related to the assassination, Leticia lowered her eyes.
"An assassin...?"
"Yes. I'm relieved to see you're safe. It doesn't seem as though there's anyone else in the room, either."
"Yes, there are only you and me here."
"I see."
As he spoke, Leo took a small gem from his pocket.
When he cracked it open, purple smoke billowed out.
"W-what is that!?"
"Don't worry. You'll only fall asleep."
"Fall asleep!?"
Leticia immediately covered her mouth and nose, but she had already inhaled the smoke.
An overwhelming drowsiness suddenly assailed her.
Her vision warped, and her feet became unsteady. Staggering, Leticia nevertheless made her way toward the bed.
Her Holy Staff was there.
But Leo seized Leticia's hand and dragged her back into the smoke.
"As expected of Saint-sama. I modified it so that it only affects human women, but an ordinary person should have fallen asleep instantly. Your mental fortitude is impressive."
"You're... not Leo...?"
"Who knows? It doesn't matter to you. You're going to die here."
"Illusion..."
Leticia cursed her own carelessness.
She had never expected someone to disguise themselves as Leo. The fact that she could not properly look at his face after the proposal had also kept her from noticing right away. She would have had to carefully observe the distinctive wrongness of an illusion to realize it.
Feeling a heavier drowsiness than any she had ever experienced, Leticia bit her lip.
She bit down hard enough to draw blood, and the pain brought her a moment of clarity. Fighting off the drowsiness with that pain, Leticia crawled toward the Holy Staff.
But when she was only a little way from it, her body stopped moving.
"Le...o..."
That was her last whisper before Leticia fell asleep.
The person who had taken Leo's form looked down at Leticia and muttered,
"You did nothing wrong. The Kingdom is to blame."
With that, the intruder drew the sword at their waist.
■■■
The following morning.
Leo was on his way to Leticia's room.
The festival was being held today as well. He thought about how to make sure she enjoyed herself and where he should take her.
His footsteps were light as he did so.
But when he saw a large number of imperial guards outside Leticia's room, he stopped in his tracks.
"...Leticia..."
Calling her name, Leo immediately broke into a run.
The imperial guards tried to stop him, but he broke past them and reached the door.
Elna was there.
"Leo..."
"Step aside, Elna."
"I'm telling you this for your own good... Go back to your room."
"Move!!"
Enraged, Leo tried to enter the room.
But Elna stopped him.
A quiet voice addressed them both.
"Let him in. He has the right to see."
"Al!?"
"Brother..."
Hearing Al's words, Elna's hand restraining Leo loosened for an instant.
At that moment, Leo entered the room.
The Emperor and Chancellor were inside, along with Erich and Gordon.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the wall.
"Ah... Ah, no..."
There—Leticia had been pinned to the wall by a sword.
An enormous amount of blood had spread throughout the room, and anyone could see that she was dead.
Something inside Leo came crashing down.
"Aaaah... uuu... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Leo's anguished scream echoed throughout the room and the castle.
Clutching his head, Leo continued screaming.
This couldn't be happening. It was only a bad dream, he told himself.
Gordon hurled his words at Leo.
"You go insane over seeing a corpse? You must be used to seeing them. This one's nothing."
Hearing those words, Leo's mind went blank for an instant.
Then he raised his head. Gordon and Erich were in his field of vision.
Slowly, Leo's hand reached for his sword.
"You twooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!"
"Elna."
"Guh..."
Leo tried to attack Erich and Gordon, but Elna knocked him unconscious with a blow.
Al, who had given the order, let out a deep sigh and issued another order.
"Lock him in the room."
"Al..."
Elna's expression fell for an instant, but Al met her gaze, and she quietly nodded and carried the unconscious Leo away.
Al then turned his gaze to Leticia's corpse.
While he examined the body, a report was brought to the Emperor.
"The sword used in the murder belongs to the captain of the guard. We have no idea where the captain has gone."
"What do the gatekeepers say?"
"We've assembled everyone who was on guard duty and are questioning them, but so far, no one has left the castle during the night."
"Seal off the castle. Once the festival begins, someone could use the commotion to escape. Find them without fail."
Upon receiving the Emperor's order, the Chancellor bowed respectfully.
As he listened to the report, Al did not take his eyes off Leticia's corpse.