After dinner, Leone returned to his room, firmly shutting the door behind him.
Once he was fully certain that no one could disturb his privacy, he imdiately crouched down and covered his face.
"I can’t believe I said that!" Leone felt so embarrassed when he recalled his declaration. He had called Yuni his woman.
He deliberately made it up to have a good reason to execute Ragan. After all, he tried to touch the wife of a chieftain.
The Barbarians looked down on such actions, and those who did so would be punishable by death.
Varus’ and Ragan’s deaths were in accordance to the Barbarian Laws, so Leone and the Aslan Tribe had the moral high ground.
But just as what Ronan had said, even if Leone was in the right, the middle-ranked tribes would not allow their reputation to be tarnished. None of them wanted to beco the laughingstock of the high-ranking tribes.
There was no doubt they would find an excuse to wage war against Leone and his people, erasing them from the face of the Borderlands.
"What’s there to be embarrassed about, Master?" Daedalus asked in a teasing tone while hovering above Leone’s head. "You just protected your woman, that’s all. There’s nothing to be ashad about, no?"
"Ugh..." Leone continued to cover his beet-red face with both hands. He didn’t know what Yuni was thinking after she heard his declaration. "She probably hates right now."
"Hate you?" Daedalus shook its body. "Why would she hate you? Not only did you stand up for her people, you also stood up for her. You even killed the bastard who is most likely the culprit behind the middle-ranked tribes’ stance against you in the first place."
The grimoire found it very amusing. Leone was more worried about Yuni hating him than the combined wrath of the middle-ranked tribes.
If the young lady knew about this, she would probably think that Leone had his priorities in reverse!
"Leone, a wise man once said that all is fair in love and war," Daedalus said. "Plus, one shouldn’t try to understand a woman’s heart. More often than not, when they say no, what they an is actually yes. And when they say Yes, more often they really an yes."
Leone could only blink in response. He genuinely couldn’t understand what the grimoire was talking about. "...That doesn’t make any sense."
"It makes perfect sense," Daedalus replied confidently. "You’re just inexperienced."
Leone slowly lowered his hands, his face still flushed. "I am not inexperienced."
"You declared a woman yours in public, and it made you feel so embarrassed that you are now hiding in your room like a child who did sothing wrong," Daedalus said flatly. "That is the very definition of inexperienced."
Leone opened his mouth to argue, but no words ca out. After a few seconds, he shut it again and looked away.
"...That’s different."
"Oh? Please enlighten ."
"I had no choice," Leone replied. "If I didn’t say that, Ragan’s death would’ve been questioned, and we would’ve lost the moral high ground."
"Or so you say. But even without that moral high ground, you would have done the sa thing," Daedalus stated. "Tell the truth. The reason why you killed Varus and Ragan is because you saw them in your vision right?"
Once again, Leone found himself unable to say anything because it was the truth.
"I knew it." Daedalus landed in front of Leone. "I sensed your anger the mont you laid your eyes on Varus. No. It wasn’t just anger. It was pure hatred.
"The two of us might not have been together for a very long ti, but that was the first ti I’ve sensed great hatred coming from you. I guess he’s the cause of Yuni’s death in your vision, is he not?"
"Yuni... she... she chose to kill herself so Varus couldn’t have his way with her," Leone replied while clenching his fists.
"His death is justified, then." Daedalus scoffed. "Since that’s the case, don’t think too deeply into it anymore. Yuni is a sensible young lady. I’m sure she understands that you did that because you lik—err... care for her very much."
Leone pretended that he didn’t hear the last part of Daedalus’ words. He simply remained in place, wondering what his parents would have said if they had witnessed the incident that happened earlier that day.
————
Inside Ulric’s ho...
The Chieftain of the Alborin Tribe looked at his daughter with a smug look on his face.
"W-What are you looking at?" Yuni asked, glaring at her own father.
"Nothing," Ulric replied with a smile. "I’m just glad that our Great Chieftain is manly enough to protect his wom—err... protect his people."
Yuni lowered her gaze as she resud her task, sharpening an arrowhead with a whetstone.
The chieftain watched his daughter before drinking the mug of ad in his hand.
"Yuni, what do you think about Leone?" Ulric asked after he finished drinking his ad.
The young lady ignored the question and took another arrowhead to sharpen.
"Kael hasn’t given up in trying to convince Leone to make his granddaughter, Aria, our Great Chieftain’s companion. I’m not telling you this because I’m worried it will happen.
"I’m telling you this because Leone is an outstanding young man. I have a feeling that sooner or later, he will make a na for himself. And not only among the low-ranked and middle-ranked tribes.
"It is highly likely that the high-ranking tribes would like to form a partnership with him... and I’m sure you know as well as I do that the easiest way to do that is through marriage.
"If a high-ranking chieftain offered him their daughters’ hand to forge an alliance, Leone might be hard pressed to reject such an offer."
Yuni paused her work as if she had heard sothing very unpleasant.
Still, she believed that Leone should have the right to choose who he wanted to marry. She didn’t want him to marry soone based on convenience.
"Father..."
"Yes, Yuni?"
"Stop talking."
Ulric smirked and decided to stop teasing his daughter. He was certain that Yuni had beco more aware of their Great Chieftain’s character as of late.
Leone wasn’t perfect.
By all ans, aside from his good looks, he was imperfect.
But the imperfection he didn’t hide from people carried a charm of its own.
He didn’t hide his fears.
He didn’t hide his insecurities.
He didn’t hide the fact that he was once weaker than a squirrel.
That was why whenever Leone looked soone in the face, baring everything including his own weakness, people couldn’t help but be amazed, thinking they couldn’t do the sa thing.
People hated showing others their weakness.
It made them feel vulnerable.
Yet Leone openly showed those things through his words and actions.
So whenever he actually said sothing profound or did sothing that no one expected, it made him stand out.
Because of that, Yuni rembered her conversation with Leone from what felt like a lifeti ago.
————
"So you’re planning to live your life pretending to be an idiot?" Yuni asked, feeling a little anger rising up her chest.
"Pretending?" Leone placed a hand on his chest as if offended. "Yuni, that hurts. I’m not pretending."
"You really are an idiot, then." Yuni glared.
Leone laughed. "See? Even you agree with the statent. But you see, there’s another advantage to being an idiot."
"What kind of advantage do you get for being an idiot?" Yuni was only an inch away from smacking the hell out of the young man.
"If an idiot like manages to build sothing great..." Leone replied calmly. "Then that ans anyone can do it."
————
Back then, the young lady couldn’t help but be awed by his words. She saw the strength within his vulnerabilities, as well as the promise of a future that he would build with his own hands.
"You really are an idiot," Yuni muttered as a tinge of red crept over her face.
Ulric saw the change on his daughter’s face and chuckled deep inside his heart.
Sotis, love could bloom in unexpected places.
Even in a land where strength ruled above all else.
Even in a world where doing the right thing ant death.
There would always be those who chose to stand and fight for those whom they held sacred.
And Leone, in Ulric’s opinion, was that kind of man.
User Comments
0 comments from readers