44 Leo comes up with the perfect plan. (2/2)

(O3O)/ – I’m sleep deprived!!!

(-.-) – And probably dying.

(O-O) – Coffee….

(OwO) – But here’s the chapter∼♥

(O3O)/ – Enjoy!!!

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Balthazar, the Emperor of the Golden Sword, was a seasoned warrior who witnessed many battlefields, and Alexia, his wife, was one of the most cunning women of the Empire.

Likewise, Klaus, the Ruthless General, was also a seasoned warrior, feared as a demon in the battlefield, and Emilia, his wife, was one of the most influential people of the Empire.

The four of them were known for being calm and collected all the time… however, they couldn’t hide their surprised faces when they saw Leonora drinking the tea that Alexia had offered her.

“Thank you, for the, tea….”

Even though she knew that her fate had been sealed the moment she drank the tea, Leonora said that with a smile on her face, which left the Empress even more surprised.

“Leonora… why…?” – Said Alexia, as she stared at the little girl in utter shock.

“Why? Because you, have a, great taste, Your Majesty. Stolz tea, has a very, rich aroma, and a, beautiful color.” – Said Leonora, with an even bigger smile plastered on her face.

Leonora was so calm and composed, despite all the odds against her, that Alexia didn’t know what to say. The Empress just stood there, dumbfounded, as she, and everyone else, watched the little girl place the tea cup back on the table, before walking towards the still stunned prince.

Once in front of him, Leonora then grabbed Albert’s right hand and stared straight into his blue eyes with a smile.

Because of the sealing bracelet that the prince was wearing, anyone who touched him would have their magic power drained from them… however, Leonora wasn’t scared of doing that. She just kept holding his hand like there was nothing wrong with that.

“You don’t, have to worry, about anything, Albert-sama–”

“Huh…?” (Albert)

“–Even if, you lose, your status, of prince, and your, magic power, everything will, be alright–”

The four adults were so impressed by the little girl’s powerful statements, that they even forgot to breathe. They were watching something memorable. That was the birth of a new couple. So they continued listening without making a sound.

“–After all, when this, is all over, you will, be free….” – Said Leonora, with a smile, as she gently squeezed Albert’s right hand.

Well, to tell the truth, Leo was the one who would be free from all of this, but he couldn’t exactly say that out loud.

(Ahahahaha! Thanks to that bracelet, now you’re just a normal guy, Albert! So let me use you to regain my sweet freedom!)

Leo was so happy to see that everything was going according to his plan, that he even started celebrating his successful escape before it even happened. Moreover, it was all thanks to that beautiful golden bracelet, so he couldn’t help but hold the prince’s right hand with affection.

However, nothing good lasted long.

“N-no, I… I can’t let you be punished because of me! Y-you have to reconsider this, Leonora!”

Although Albert was still a bit stunned because of everything that happened, he didn’t want to see his beloved suffering because of him, so he desperately tried to change her mind… but it was to no avail, after all, Leo had already set his mind onto his new objective.

“No… I don’t, need to, reconsider anything, Albert-sama. This is, what I want.”

“But if we’re both exiled, then I won’t be able to protect you, nor give you anything you want*! That’s why I wanted you to return the coin! I don’t want to force you to live that kind of life again!”

(*Tl/n: That part can also mean, I won’t be able to give you a good life, but since the second meaning was better, context wise, I decided to use it.)

“Eh…?”

After hearing that, Leo realized that he misunderstood the prince’s intentions. Albert never wanted to use the gold coin as an investment for his new life, he just wanted to spare Leo from being exiled as well. However, that wasn’t all. Apparently, Albert wanted to gift him even more presents, which only showed how much of a good guy he truly was.

(What the hell? So he really was a good guy. I’m sorry for doubting you, Albert, but I really can’t back down now. I promise I’ll do my best to convince Hannah to let you stay with us, so please, forgive me for not letting you protect me…)

Ever since he enrolled in the academy, Leo received many things from Albert. He received a lot of beautiful flowers, high class foods, expensive sweets… and his gold coin. Leo would never be able to repay Albert for all of that, so he decided to thank the prince for all the gifts, and the things he did for him, specially that time on the lake.

“What are, you saying, Albert-sama? I already received, many gifts, from you. Not to, mention that, you even, saved my life, remember? You, protected me. So, isn’t that, enough? Besides, I have, all I need, here with me, see?” – Said Leo, with a smile, as he showed the gold coin that was hanging around his neck to Albert.

As a matter of fact, the gold coin hanging around Leo’s neck was the most expensive gift that Albert ever gave him, so he wanted to remind the prince that he didn’t need anything more than that–

“But this is all my fault! I can’t let you pay for something you didn’t do, Leonora! I created that magic crest, so I should take responsibility for my actions alone!”

–However, not even that wasn’t enough to convince him.

Well, Leo had many soul siblings back in the orphanage, so he could understand why Albert was doing that, after all, taking the fall for a friend was something very noble to do. But in this case, that was just a bother to Leo, since he wanted to be exiled, so he decided to imitate Hannah and scold the prince for being such a pain.

“You’re just, 17 years old, Albert-sama! You’re just, a student! There is, nothing wrong, with what, you did! You just, tried to help, the people, of this country! Why is that, so wrong!? If you, ask me, your parents, are the ones, who should, be punished, for not, doing anything! Now, stop with, that attitude, or I’ll scold, you again!”

To insinuate that the Emperor and the Empress were at fault for not helping their own people, was something very serious to do, but the little girl said it anyway, which surprised everyone, including Balthazar, who did his best to not burst out laughing. However, it seemed that Leonora wasn’t over yet, so they just continued listening.

“Everything, will be okay, Albert-sama. You don’t, have to worry, about anything, after all, from now on, I’ll always, be by, your side–”

Leo obviously meant that he would stay by the prince’s side as his big brother, but his mind was so fried by thinking about all the money that he would make when he became a commoner again, that he didn’t even realize his words had a double meaning.

(Well, I don’t think we’ll be able to divorce right away. They will be suspicious of us if we split right away, so I’ll help him find a high paying job, while we wait for the right time to do that. Hmm, Albert is an intelligent guy, so working as a tutor for a rich kid wouldn’t be a problem for him… but he’s also really strong, so being a farmer would probably suit him better…? Not to mention that the income is stable… hmm… yeah, let’s go with that!)

If Leena were here, she’d probably scream: “Someone, please, shut that idiot’s mouth before he digs his own grave!” However, since there was no one here to stop him from doing that, Leo continued digging deeper and deeper.

“–But, if you’re really, that worried, about not, being able to, give me, anything I want, then I could, teach you, how to, plant wheat, when we, become commoners, you know?” – Said Leo, as he stared deeply into the prince’s azure eyes with a playful grin.

To someone else, that proposal would’ve probably passed as a joke, since there wasn’t an ounce of romantic connotation in those words… but to Albert, they meant a lot.

(She’s willing to go that far… just for me…?)

After realizing that, the prince felt his heart rate increasing. It was like the world around him, who was once black and white, had regained it’s brilliance.

Bianca wasn’t the only one worried about not being good enough to stay by Leonora’s side. Albert was experiencing those same conflicted emotions.

Most nobles only saw the royal family as a lot of spares for the position of Emperor, or Empress.

All that was required of the young Princes and Princesses, was that they had to live while pleasing everyone around them. They didn’t need a distinguished personality… they just needed to nod and smile, until they eventually ascended the throne.

Albert realized that at an early age, so he did his best to play the role of Perfect Prince. He never whished for anything, he never did anything that he really wanted to do and he always did his best to please everyone… that is, until she appeared. Wanting to help her, and the people she cherished, no matter what happened, was the first time Albert ever felt those kinds of emotions… but, at the same time, it would probably be his last, since he would soon lose his status of prince.

However, rather than being afraid of losing his position, Albert was more afraid of not being able to protect her because of that. In fact, he was so afraid of not being able to protect her, that he even tried to make her forsake him… but she didn’t do that. On the contrary, she told him that everything would be okay even if he lost his status of prince, and that she’d always stay by his side.

(Really… I’m such an idiot for not noticing how much she cared about me…) – Thought Albert, as he felt his weak body regaining it’s strength.

Albert knew that playing his role was of extreme importance, after all, if he ceased to be the Perfect Prince that everyone loved, his value as a person would significantly drop, so he continued playing that role, while secretly whishing for someone to acknowledge him, not his façade… and that’s exactly what Leonora did.

Thanks to that, now the prince wasn’t feeling as helpless anymore. Albert was so happy about what she said, that he felt like he could do anything, even create a miracle, as long as she was by his side.

However, Leo wasn’t over yet.

“Hmm, Albert-sama—?”

Since Albert would soon become his little brother, Leo decided that now was the best time to start treating him a bit more casually, after all, he would probably feel excluded if everyone continued treating him like a prince forever. Not to mention that this was the best way to show him how the hierarchy of the orphanage worked—

(Even if he’s two years older, and a former prince, I can’t just give him the title of Big Brother! That’s why, from now on, you’ll be Al-Bo, my cute little brother!) (Tl/n: That Bo at the end means Boy, and it’s a cute way of showing how close you are to a much younger, male friend.)
—So, Leo decided to give him a nickname.

“—Calling you, Albert-sama, all the time, seems a, bit distant… so, how about, I call you, Al-… from now on? ……Ah!”

‘So, how about I call you Al-Bo from now on?’ – Is what Leo wanted to say, but because of the spell that Leena casted on him, now he couldn’t say the word “Bo.”

Well, Leo wasn’t really bothered by that though. He just felt a minor discomfort, since Albert’s nickname was left incomplete. However, to the four adults who were watching it from the side, that was a big surprise, since he looked like a maiden who had fallen deeply in love and was trying to get even closer to her loved one by using the short version of his name.

Needless to say, but that had a huge impact on Albert. The prince had never experienced that much happiness at once, so his feelings reached the bursting point. In other words, he was overwhelmed by Leonora’s cuteness.

However, Albert wasn’t the only one who had reached the bursting point.

*Crack!*

As soon as he heard that noise, Leo looked down, towards the source of that sound… and then, he saw something really shocking–

(Aaaaaaaaah!!!!!!)

–The golden bracelet, that was supposed to seal Albert’s magic power, had cracks all over it.

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