Endless World: The Rise of Leonard Lawson-Chapter 228: After The Rain, Only Shadows Remain

Still standing near the railing at the balcony, Leonard calmly wiped away his tears with a handkerchief.

They said a man shouldn’t cry easily, but there were exceptions.

This kind of tears and self-reflection was necessary to keep him humane and not some kind of cold robot.

Lately, he had been distinctively cold and authoritative. He reflected and reckoned this was probably an emotion manipulated by Seth.

And no, it wasn’t the kind that wanted to harm him. Instead, it was the kind that wanted to shape him into a qualified Crown Prince.

"I know he meant well, but I really do not appreciate my emotions being played like a toy," Leonard murmured.

He took a deep breath and turned to the side. He spotted Curtis standing by the corner, motionless.

As soon as his eyes locked on, Curtis swiftly lowered his head. Needless to say, he dared not glance at the current state Leonard was in.

A Crown Prince who was silently tearing up...

If it wasn’t for the guaranteed loyalty, Curtis reckoned that anyone else would have been silenced.

After all, a crying Crown Prince would be seen as a weakness and an opening to undermine him.

"You can leave, Curtis. This place is heavily guarded. I wish to be alone." Leonard commanded. He naturally understood what kind of thinking was going through Curtis’s mind.

’I was also in the same state in my old world when I faced my father,’ He sneered inwardly, finding it hilarious.

Had he stopped playing by the rules and been a bit bolder, then things could have changed differently.

Alas, there was no such thing as regret. What was done was already set in stone.

The only thing one could attempt to mend the past was through present and future actions.

Too much lingering on past actions would do more harm than good. But occasionally, it was nice to have a reflection to remind them how they got to their current point.

Shortly after Curtis excused himself, another person came forward.

"She has left..."

Leonard didn’t even need to turn around to realize it was Mirelle who had approached him.

As for who had left, it was quite obvious.

"Do you regret letting Claudia go?" He calmly asked. "The world outside is dangerous, and given her repeated failures, plus her contribution to taking down a fellow assassin. Her life would only be more difficult."

"I have done all I can to repay the debt I owe her." Mirelle walked closer to the railing and commented.

"You have indulged me in my selfish decision. As your magic tutor, I am ashamed to have repeatedly disappointed you."

"So you know that I am quite dissatisfied with you, huh?"

Leonard chuckled softly. Indeed, there was no way she could be that ignorant and naive like Ellie with her past war experience.

It was just that she was overwhelmed with guilt. A person who was filled with guilt needed to release that sort of emotion to continue to move forward.

"So... will you still approve of me as your magic tutor?" Mirelle turned to him and asked softly.

"Probation." Leonard kept his gaze on the night sky. Although he understood where she was coming from, he couldn’t afford this kind of behavior once he returned to the capital.

In Velastra, he could be lenient somewhat because his nobility was the highest here. But in the capital, his Crown Prince status was full of treacherous and thorny vines.

Just because one had reached the Crown Prince status. Without physically sitting on the throne and being acknowledged by the majority in the royal court, he was still just a prince.

And it wasn’t just any prince.

It was a prince who had to face attacks from all sorts of directions.

Just one tiny little mistake could escalate into a major one that would implicate multiple lives. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

This kind of game was not something you could win just because you have a bigger fist. It was the kind of game that required brain over brawn, and how many people you could win over.

’A probational period, eh.’ Mirelle pursed her lips and realized the situation. She raised her chin to glance at the stars in the night.

After a heavy rain poured throughout the day and night, it finally stopped.

Now, the stars were dazzling next to the moon.

"You can continue to stay here if you want. I have reflected enough." Leonard calmly said and exited the balcony. There was no longer a trace of sorrow that could be detected in his face. Instead, it was filled with indifference.

As his silhouette disappeared, Mirelle sighed deeply.

"Reflected enough, huh. When have I not reflected every night? The screaming and pleading sound during the war." Mirelle clenched her fist tightly.

Despite achieving a high progress in her magic training, she still found herself very helpless.

Amidst her dazedness, another person entered the balcony.

"Gazing at the stars without me?" Caroline mused and extended a drink for her.

"I wasn’t just gazing." Mirelle accepted the drink and smiled bitterly.

"The Crown Prince was here, according to Curtis, so I took the chance to see if I could mend the mistake."

Caroline nodded and placed her arms on the railing.

"You didn’t need to do that. The information I extracted from Redflow’s corpse, alongside an improvement in the Restoration Potion, is enough to help you make amends." She explained. Without her connection, Leonard wouldn’t have been able to bridge them together in a working cooperation.

"How could that be the same?" Mirelle shook her head gently.

"The mistake I made pierced through the trust we have established. If I really used our connection as leverage, then from there on, we really would become strangers. I’ve seen the Crown Prince’s actions in cleansing Velastra."

Having said that, Mirelle cast some mana sparkles toward the air.

The mana sparkles quickly illuminated certain places. These particular places were rather dark, with little to no people’s presence.

"Do you see those places? Those were initially brothel areas, with many women who were forced to serve. Whether it was rainy or nice weather, it was always bustling and filled with activity. And now, it’s quiet." Mirelle smiled faintly.

The brothels were removed and replaced with proper restaurants owned by the tragic women. The business hours were listed clearly, and nobody dared to make a scene, given the strict enforcement there to prevent harassment.