Help! I Became A Guy In A BL Novel!
Chapter 204: One Of Them

Chapter 204: One Of Them

After seeing how he had been unnecessarily cruel, Leon decided to apologise.

A flush of embarrassment spread across Leon’s face. He opened his mouth to apologise, but the words caught in his throat.

Riven turned to him, holding out the chess set with a small, tentative smile.

"I saw you looking at this earlier," he said softly. "Thought you might like it."

Leon took the set, his fingers brushing against Riven’s. He looked up, meeting Riven’s gaze.

"Thank you," he murmured, his earlier anger dissipating.

His pride wouldn’t allow him to say sorry. He could not! The only thing he could do was do something for Riven to show that he was sorry, but he could not outright say it.

They stood in silence for a moment, the noise of the market fading around them. Leon realised that, despite their differences and frequent clashes, Riven had been paying attention, had noticed something he liked and gone out of his way to get it for him.

Riven knew his thoughts, he knew the characters of the story that well. He knew that Leon was hesitating.

"You know, saying sorry will not kill you." Riven shook his head and kept walking towards the palace. It was not too far from here, and he had increased his stamina, so he was doing absolutely all right.

Leon froze mid-step. He felt ashamed, very ashamed. Was he so easy to read? It was odd, Riven seemed to know a lot of things, things about him, things that he would not reveal to others.

"I’m sorry for what I said," Leon added, his voice sincere. "I shouldn’t have taken my frustration out on you."

Riven’s smile widened, the hurt in his eyes replaced by warmth. "It’s okay," he replied. "I know you didn’t mean it."

Leon felt lighter after that, no longer with a guilty conscience. He had a logic, a very illogical logic, but he felt as if he had done something wrong and didn’t apologise, the person would get angry at him and start insulting him. He felt better about the thing he did and would stay strong and not apologise.

A very toxic kind of behaviour indeed. Riven did none of that, he stayed quiet and showed how wronged he was, and that was something Leon could not bear.

They continued their walk through the market, the tension between them eased. Leon carried the chess set carefully, a reminder of the unexpected kindness that had emerged amidst their usual bickering.

As they exited the market, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the path ahead. Leon glanced at Riven, a newfound appreciation in his gaze.

"Thank you," he said again, the words carrying more weight this time. He just wanted to break the silence, it felt odd seeing Riven so quiet. It felt slightly unnerving.

Leon returned to the palace, his mind still reeling from the stark contrast between the opulence he had always known and the poverty he had just witnessed. As they approached the grand entrance, he turned to Riven.

"Riven," he began hesitantly, "Could you do me a favor? Please take the chess set to my room. Thank you."

Riven blinked, surprised by Leon’s polite request. He nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Of course."

Riven thought to himself, I swear I read about a sheltered prince witnessed the horrors of life, then gave up his title, status and life of comfort to become a monk... Leon would not do that- would he?! I still haven’t topped him yet!

Leon offered a brief smile before turning and hurrying towards his mother’s study. The corridors of the palace, once familiar and comforting, now felt suffocating. He needed answers.

He reached the ornate doors of the Dowager Queen’s study and pushed them open without ceremony. Inside, his mother looked up from a stack of documents, her expression a mix of surprise and concern.

Her first question was easily, ’What happened to your hair?’ But seeing her son come in with unsuppressed energy and a troubled expression on his face, she decided to not comment on his hair, for it was not important. Funny, but not important.

"Leon?" she asked, noting the urgency in his demeanor. "Is everything alright?"

Leon stepped into the room, his gaze intense. "Mother, when was the last time you stepped outside the palace?"

The Dowager Queen frowned, taken aback by the question. "That’s an odd question."

Leon shook his head. "No, it’s not. Please, just answer me."

She leaned back in her chair, thoughtful. "I suppose... The last time was when I was pregnant with you. After your father’s death, I had to take on both his duties and mine. There was simply no time."

Leon paced the room, his anger simmering. "Our officials have been hiding this from us, painting a picture of prosperity while our people suffer. This kingdom has enough wealth to ensure no one lives in such conditions."

"Leon what are you talking about?" His mother could not understand what her son spoke of, who was hiding what?

Leon nodded, determination in his eyes. "I won’t stand by while our people suffer. We need to make changes, and we need to start now."

The Dowager Queen placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand that you are feeling anger, just tell me what happened."

Leon took a deep breath to calm himself. He used to be the king, and those officials had blinded him too. When he visited the wolf clan, he thought it was a good idea to move with an entourage but no, that idea was planted by the officials. They decided his path, they made sure he avoided all the places that would break the illusion he was under.

He thought he was at least smart, capable, an intelligent king who had made decisions that made his kingdom richer. He only made those corrupt officials rich, not the people.

He did not even care if the tariffs would cause a problem, he was all about his ego. But seeing the reality, even he could tell that these people would have suffered the most. He hated to admit, but he was one of them.