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Leo’s Affection [Part 3]

Translated by: ME

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*****

「...!?」

Leo’s eyes instinctively darted around at the casual ease with which Lola had revealed his identity. Aside from his guards—who were using concealment magic to remain inconspicuous—there wasn't a soul in sight.

「My apologies... Was I being careless, Lord Leo? I didn't sense any mana signatures other than those of your guards...」

As Lola’s shoulders slumped and she lowered her face in a display of waning confidence, Leo spoke up hurriedly.

「No, it’s fine... I mean, I don't mind. But how did you notice?」

"Leo" was closer to his true self, but being addressed as "Your Highness" by someone outside his family almost made him slip back into a formal tone, so he corrected himself.

「Was there something wrong with my acting?」

When he probed for the reason she had noticed, she lowered her brows and offered a modest smile.

(Beautiful.)

Her movements were so refined, yet he hadn't truly taken note of it until he made a conscious effort.

「No, Lord Leo.」

「Just Leo is fine. Right now, I'm the son of a Baron, and you're the daughter of a Count.」

Though slightly nervous, he smirked and tried to sound playful. A flash of amusement crossed Lola’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a troubled, apologetic look.

「But...」

「If you’ve seen through me, then surely you understand? If you treat me with too much formality here, it’ll be a bit of a problem for me.」

Even if he was dropping hints, he couldn't afford to be publicly exposed as the Crown Prince. His disguise was meant for those who had the sense to notice without making it a public affair.

「I suppose so... Understood, Leo.」

Lola’s cheeks flushed slightly—perhaps she had never called a man by his name without a title before—and Leo felt a pang in his chest.

(She's adorable.)

「The reason I noticed might be a bit... unfair.」

「Unfair?」

「Yes, well... your transformation magic doesn't work on me...」

The moment she said it, the surrounding guards stirred. It was a sign of caution. Leo casually signaled the guards—who were emitting a presence bordering on bloodlust—to stand down and urged Lola to continue.

「By 'doesn't work,' do you mean you can see my true form?」

「That is correct. Um, this may be insolent of me...」

「It's fine. The school regulations specify that standard etiquette is waived, remember?」

「I am aware. However, I believe your personal feelings are a different matter... It is likely because... my mana is stronger than yours...」

Leo understood as Lola shrank her shoulders for some reason. This magic didn't work on Eides, either. He hadn't worried about it much since those with gold and silver eyes boasted mana levels second only to those with violet eyes, but he knew that magic meant to deceive superiors could sometimes be seen through.

In this era, Eides was the only one officially recognized as having violet eyes.

「I see... Is it because of your violet eyes?」

This time, it was Lola whose eyes widened slightly.

「How...?」

「Hmm?」

「How did you know my eyes were violet...?」

Leo tilted his head slightly at her words.

「I saw them the other day when we passed each other in the corridor. But there aren't many with eyes like yours. And yet, I haven't heard so much as a rumor... I’d expect people to be making a fuss over them.」

「The Ernest family doesn't really socialize with relatives, and I rarely went outside... Also, the color of my eyes was likely hidden intentionally by some sort of magic cast by my late mother.」

Hearing that they appeared blue to most people, Leo nodded.

「I see. So that's why.」

「Perhaps the effect is fading... Aside from you, Lord Leo, Wellmy is the only one who has ever called my eyes violet.」

「Your sister?」

(I would have expected her of all people to make a scene.)

Looking at the two of them, there was no doubt that they were treated with a massive disparity within their home. It seemed unlikely that a girl with such high pride wouldn't be bothered by her "inferior" sister possessing such a rare trait. Wellmy's vermilion eyes were also special, and he had questions about that too... but for now, his focus was on Lola.

「Is it the opposite, then? Are you shunned by your family and your sister because of those eyes?」

Lola lowered her eyes sadly. Seeing the same expression she had worn in the corridor, Leo shook his head.

「Forgive me. That was a lapse in manners. I overstepped.」

「No... it’s just, my eyes have nothing to do with my family’s treatment... and I don't believe Wellmy looks down on me.」

「What?」

That went beyond merely being surprising.

「But she's with your fiancé... No, I'm sorry.」

It was no use. For some reason, he desperately wanted to know about her and kept overstepping. As Leo knit his brows and covered his mouth, Lola kept her sad expression but allowed a small smile to touch her lips.

「There are... circumstances. Please, do not misunderstand Wellmy...」

Leo gave a perfunctory nod at Lola’s words.

(I need to investigate this.)

A gaunt, unhealthy-looking Lola and a pampered, glamorous Wellmy. There was definitely something wrong. Leo could feel himself being drawn to Lola after just this brief interaction.

(If there is something happening, I want to help, even if only a little.)

With that thought, he offered Lola a smile.

「Will I see you here again tomorrow?」

He wanted to know more about her. He wasn't sure if he was hiding that feeling well.

「...Yes, I’d be delighted. I... don't have any friends.」

When she said that with a faint blush, Leo instinctively looked away.

(Too cute.)

It was the first time he had ever felt this way about a young lady.

***

「And since then, as I began meeting with Lola, I heard all sorts of things. About lectures, magic, family relationships... talking to her was so much fun, but the more I saw of her charm, the more my resentment toward the Ernests grew. Honestly, I can't tell you how many times I thought about crushing them...」

「You’ve certainly fallen hard. It seems spring has finally come for my little brother who supposedly had no interest in women.」

「I don't want to hear that from you.」

Unlike Leo, who at least maintained a pleasant facade, Eides was so uninterested in women that he was flat-out called a misanthrope.

「I simply have no interest in dullards. I like intelligent women.」

「...Is Wellmy intelligent?」

「She must be. If you were in her position, how else could you have protected your sister? It seems to me that Wellmy is always making the best move possible with the hand she's been dealt.」

Her treatment at home. The matter with her fiancé’s house. Her behavior toward her sister at the academy.

「...I still think she could rely on others a bit more.」

「And who can she trust? Surely you don't think that you—Lola aside—were someone Wellmy could rely on?」

Leo was at a loss for words.

「...If she realized I was the Crown Prince, there must have been a way to rely on me, right?」

「Did you ever do anything to make Wellmy think you were 'reliable,' or express such an intention?」

「...I didn't.」

「Then there’s your answer. Only a fool reveals their hand to someone they can't identify as a friend or foe. In that regard, it seems I was the one chosen by Wellmy. Quite an honor.」

Eides let out a low chuckle, and then his gaze toward Leo softened.

「Wellmy might not see it, but you did something for Lola, didn't you? Let's hear it.」

It seemed his elder "brother" saw through everything. Leo scratched his temple and began to list his actions.

「Whenever Lola tried to interact with someone, either Irvine or Wellmy would interfere. Looking into it, the people Wellmy interfered with were all problematic in some way, so it was likely her way of vetting them.」

Lola was brilliant, but perhaps because of her circumstances, she had a tendency to shrink back when pushed around. He had once caught a noble lady trying to force her homework on Lola and had removed her from the scene.

「First was the food. She couldn't go to the cafeteria during lunch. Wellmy had apparently ordered her to stay away from Irvine, and because of that, her lunch was just a single piece of bread brought from home.」

Apparently, when she had gone to the cafeteria once, Irvine had found her and forced her to sit with them before she could get food. He then spent the entire time comparing her to Wellmy, preventing her from eating. Wellmy had likely kept Lola away for that reason as well.

「So, I provided the meals. My food has to be tasted for poison anyway, so I always ate in a private room. I invited her there.」

It was a right he had won after arguing with his guards, the administrators, and eventually having a direct row with his father, but he hadn't told Lola any of that. Even so, she had a small appetite due to her years of living that way, but she had become much healthier compared to when they first met.

As for why she dressed so poorly, Leo understood that she couldn't exactly dress up and stand out. Furthermore, the magic her mother had apparently cast was starting to wear off. If the fact that her eyes were violet was discovered by anyone other than Wellmy or Leo, it would cause an uproar, so he had actually identified the magic and recast it.

「And I created a secret salon. That school has several independent hidden passages and secret rooms for royalty to escape. I renovated one that leads to the library and invited only those I could trust.」

First was Lady Carla, whom Wellmy had chosen. From there, a lady from a certain Ducal house, a girl chosen as a Saint, a few other noble children, and even Leo's younger sister, the First Princess, who had enrolled later. Aside from his sister, they were all people who had seen through Leo's identity and approached him with discretion and etiquette.

He had even vetted them with Wellmy, in a way. Lola had said that if Wellmy kept someone away, they were likely trustworthy. He wasn't sure how much Wellmy had realized, but if she still considered him a "coward," then his actions must have gone unnoticed by her.

Inside that salon, Lola was able to dress up and gradually began to show a bright smile. Near the end, her polished hair and skin were so radiant that they couldn't possibly look drab, so he had even developed a 'magic to make hair look dull'—an advancement of her mother’s magic, which had an effect similar to Leo's transformation ring.

He had kept everything strictly hidden for the sake of Lola, who had pleaded, 『It would trouble Wellmy』 and 『I want to save her from that house, too.』

Leo didn't want to save Wellmy. He wanted to save Lola.

With that thought, Leo continued.

「There’s a move to annul Irvine and Lola’s engagement before the graduation party. Wellmy reportedly told Lola that she would be the one getting engaged to him instead.」

「Hoh. So, is your beloved going to have her engagement publicly broken at the graduation party?」

「Likely. And Lola says she’ll go along with it. ...Even though she’ll be the one getting hurt.」

But if Lola told him that she had to bear that pain because Wellmy was sacrificing herself to save her, Leo had no choice but to back down. If Lola cared that much for Wellmy, then he had to save her as well. Since he had sworn to "save" her, he had to save everything she held dear.

Even if that wasn't the case...

Just like him, Wellmy—who was protecting Lola—wasn't an enemy, but a comrade.

He wouldn't believe Wellmy's true nature was what Lola claimed until he saw it with his own eyes. He was almost certain of it... but she was also his rival for Lola’s affection, and her blatant hostility toward him was a bit frustrating.

He would cede the spotlight of being Lola’s savior. He didn't need to be the one she was most grateful to. That right belonged to Wellmy, who had been protecting her far longer, since they were children.

「I’ll play the shadow until the very end.」

「Lola might want you to be the one to save her, you know?」

At Eides’s mocking grin, Leo offered a confident smile for the first time.

「When it comes to Lola, I think I understand her better than you do, Eides.」

「Oh?」

「She’s already starting to return my feelings. So, I’ll gladly leave the flashy credit to you and Wellmy.」

Cutting his words there, Leo turned his back on Eides to head toward Minister of Justice Kilrain.

「---As long as I have Lola’s love, that’s enough for me.」

*****

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