[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 106 - 23: Breaking Off These Chains [2]

Chapter 106: Chapter 23: Breaking Off These Chains [2]

Leon’s heart dropped to his stomach, and he felt like he was about to puke.

"Oh my god!" Mari’s voice drifted into his ears the next moment. "Agnes! You gave me a fright!"

"What are you girls doing here? The head maid is looking for you!" The voice which apparently belonged to Agnes exclaimed.

"Oh! We’re coming! I just found what I was looking for over here!" There was a jingling sound the next moment as Mari seemingly grabbed the keys from the crate that was near Leon. "Let’s go, Betty!"

"Seriously! It’s an urgent situation right now, and yet you just—"

"Okay, okay, I’m sorry!"

There was a resounding click, the rapid shuffling of footsteps...

...and then silence.

Leon didn’t dare move from his position until he was certain that the girls were really gone. The room was bathed in darkness now that the door was closed, so he had to conjure an ice sphere that floated in the air, glowing a bright, pale blue.

That was close, he thought, his heartbeat finally settling into a regular rhythm. I thought for sure that she had noticed me there...

Now that they’re gone and the door is locked, I can go through this window right here.

Leon approached the curtains and pushed them to the right, revealing a small, closed window. Upon inspection, it appeared that he could still crawl out of the opening either head first or rear first.

I need something solid to land on at a close distance, Leon thought as he slid the cover to the side. First, he gazed down below to see if there were any guards stationed nearby.

One... Three... Five... His brow furrowed. There are six of them, but they’re far away from this particular spot.

Even though they weren’t patrolling here at the moment, he still had to be quiet and sneaky.

Except that he was bad at those two things.

...If I don’t do this right, this might be my last day on Celisthea.

He analyzed the high drop from this floor and tried to calm his breathing. There was no way that he was going to jump from here directly.

He flexed his fingers and reached out the window, concentrating his magic. The next moment, ice crystals crept along the edge of the window, thickening until the texture became solid and smooth.

With a grunt of effort, he willed them to expand outward, curving into a frozen slide down to the courtyard below just a few inches from the ground.

Oh holy deities. Cold sweat broke out on Leon’s forehead. He glanced back in the direction of the guards to see if they had seen anything.

From a distance, they seemed to be standing together in a line as another soldier spoke to them. It was probably a captain. They nodded briskly and then marched off, leaving the area empty.

That’s a sign for me to do this right now.

He took another deep breath and swung one leg over the sill, his body already shaking from the height. He had never done this before. This was as reckless as he had ever been!

Being confined to the castle walls most of the time and only going outside for royal duties and special events, Leon hadn’t seen much of what was out there. Even after the attacks, he was not allowed to go with his father to visit those whose homes had been destroyed.

Leon had a hunch that the Duke didn’t want to risk anyone finding out about his identity, no matter how small the possibility.

Just slide down naturally, he told himself. It’ll be fine. You won’t crash.

Awkwardly, he slid his legs out first, then the rest of his body. He figured he could grab the ledge with both hands before they grabbed the edges of the slide the next moment. That way, he wouldn’t tumble down carelessly.

To put it simply, it was a mistake.

His feet slipped out from under him and he slid backwards, picking up momentum as he went further down.

Crap!

Someone save me!

Flailing his arms, he desperately tried to straighten himself, but the slippery slope provided no traction.

In a blur of motion, Leon shot off the end of the makeshift slide and flipped upside down onto the soft grass. He landed hard on his back, groaning in pain as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

Talk about a smooth landing! Damn it.

I hope no one saw that, he groaned. And I hope that I didn’t accidentally scream out loud.

He rolled to his knees, panting and disoriented. Maybe he should have created a staircase instead.

A fucking idiot, that’s what I am.

At that moment, he heard footsteps from a distance.

The guards! They were coming back!

Leon silently shattered the ice slide into millions of tiny pieces before he hurriedly picked himself up from the ground. He was still a little dizzy from the descent, but he had to move right now or he might get caught.

He ducked behind a nearby pillar and scanned the moonlit courtyard with bated breath. The soldiers were back, their armored boots crunching on the gravel paths. There was a constant noise coming from inside the castle, but it was muffled. The rest he could hear was the sound of footsteps and voices from afar, probably captains barking orders.

I need to find an opening somehow.

Slipping through shadowy archways, he managed to work his way across the courtyard without anyone noticing him. A few guards roamed the garden paths with grim, distracted expressions on their faces, and they were all facing the opposite direction, fortunately.

As Leon approached the back wall, there were two soldiers standing guard at the stables and the carriage house, the latter’s doors open to reveal the one he was aiming for.

But aside from the guards, there was one servant that he recognized.

A woman named Mirona.

He watched her wipe down the carriage and then pick up the bucket of water from the ground. She turned and began heading his way.

Leon took a step back to blend into the shadows of the nearby trees. As she started to walk past him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

She opened her mouth to scream, but when she saw who he was, she immediately closed it.

"Shh," Leon told her, looking out to see if any of the guards noticed anything. Thankfully, they seemed oblivious. "Please... I need your help."

‏‏‎ ‎

* * *

‏‏‎ ‎

When Leon was young, Mirona was the one who gave him the kindness and compassion that he had desperately needed. He was terribly lonely during those times, especially after he was forced to return to the duchy and leave his friendship with Evan, Elyana, and Mathias behind.

Back then, Mirona was the one who made it a little more bearable.

When he was eight years old and scraped his knee, he was afraid to tell his father. At that time, the Duke was so busy that whenever Leon tried to ask him to play with him, the Duke reprimanded him harshly. Since then, Leon had been careful not to disturb him, especially during one of Stormhaven’s busiest seasons.

He also hated going to the clinic. It smelled bad and he was too shy to talk to strangers, which included the gruff doctor there.

Mirona was the one who gently cleaned his wound and comforted him when he was sad and on the verge of tears. She never scolded him for crying or told him to "man up". Instead, she showed him kindness, and that was what he liked most about her.

Over the years, Leon interacted with Mirona a lot, much more than the other servants. Whenever he was depressed, she would sneak him his favorite snacks to cheer him up. Whenever he would vent to her, she would listen patiently and offer emotional support. Sometimes she even gave him presents for his birthday, if she could afford them.

He loved her a lot. She was like a big sister and mother to him.

She was also someone who secretly knew his identity.

That he was an Otherworlder Guardian.

"You’re going to grow up to become a very fine man," Mirona told him one night as she helped tuck him into bed. He refused to go to sleep if she wasn’t there to wish him good night, so the Duke reluctantly agreed to call for her. "And do you know how fine young men are like? They’re not only honest with themselves, but also compassionate towards others."

Leon looked up at her innocently. "So I’m not like that?"

Mirona smiled and shook her head. "You’re getting there. But right now, you’re like a small bud. You have not found your true resolve yet."

"My... resolve?" Leon said, tasting the word on his tongue as though it were a foreign term.

She nodded. "Your strength lies in embracing who you are. However, you’re still unsure and filled with fear."

She reached out and patted him affectionately on the head.

"Your courage will only blossom when you are true to yourself. If you remain fearful and closed off, you will never get anywhere. Remember this. Let your heart be your guide. No matter what anyone else says, your empathy is your greatest weapon."

Right now, as Leon looked into Mirona’s kind eyes, he realized that when she recognized him, there was no longer any surprise or fear in her expression. He did not yet explain why he needed her help, but she looked at him as if she already knew, as if she had already gotten wind of the decision he had made in his heart.

A heavy lump rose in his throat, but there was no time for that now.

"What do you need me to do, Your Grace?" she asked softly.

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