Chapter 81: Leon’s “First” time at the academy

I wanted everything to stop.

The colours that danced across the sky.

The wind.

The noise.

The world.

Everything.

Because right now there was only him.

Leon stood in front of me beneath the fading colours while his hand rested against my waist.

Then he kissed me.

The colours above us faded into the background.

The cold winter air vanished.

For those few moments there was only Leon.

Only us.

I wrapped my arms around him tighter while my heart threatened to burst from my chest.

I didn’t want the moment to end.

I wanted to stay here forever.

But eventually—

The kiss slowly parted.

I stared at him.

Then slowly raised my fingers to my lips.

My heart was going insane.

I had kissed Leon before.

Many times.

But this one felt different.

Everything felt different.

I couldn’t stop looking into his eyes.

Meanwhile Leon stood there looking slightly awkward.

One hand moved behind his head.

"...Does this make up for the prank yesterday?"

I immediately nodded.

Enthusiastically.

The question was ridiculous.

Of course it made up for it.

Leon laughed quietly before letting out a yawn.

Then he rubbed one eye.

"Can we go home now?"

I smiled.

"Okay."

The two of us returned home shortly afterward.

And unlike Leon—

I couldn’t sleep.

Not even slightly.

Not just because it had only been four days ago since it last slept.

Mostly because my heart wouldn’t calm down.

Every time I closed my eyes—

I saw the explosions.

The colours.

Leon.

The kiss.

Again.

And again.

And again.

I pressed both hands against my chest.

My heartbeat sounded so loud that I became genuinely worried it would wake him.

Leon slept peacefully beside me.

Completely unaware of the chaos in my heart he had created.

Meanwhile I spent the entire night staring at him.

Then eventually the darkness faded.

Morning sunlight slowly crept through the windows.

And Leon’s eyes finally opened.

***************************************

I slowly woke up to the familiar feeling of being watched.

Again.

The moment my eyes opened I found Lillith staring directly at me.

The second she realized I was awake, her entire face lit up.

"Good morning, darling."

I blinked.

Then smiled slightly.

"Darling?"

Her smile somehow became even wider.

I immediately became concerned.

"...That’s the new name?"

"Yes."

Then she leaned closer.

"Darrrrrrling."

She rubbed her nose against mine.

I sighed.

"Lillith."

"Darling."

"We’re starting the day with this?"

"Yes Darling."

I rubbed my forehead.

This was going to be a long morning.

Eventually I pushed myself upright.

"You should get ready."

Lillith frowned immediately.

"Why darling?"

"The academy."

"I want to stay with my darling."

"You have classes."

She pouted dramatically.

I remained completely unmoved.

Mostly because I had years of experience dealing with her nonsense.

Eventually she crossed her arms.

"Fine."

Then she pointed at me.

"But only because you’re my darling."

"...How many times are you going to say that today?"

"As many times as I want, darling."

Every single time she said the word, she somehow looked happier.

And somehow more childish.

A while later the the was ready and the carriage was in front of her.

Lillith climbed inside before immediately leaning back out the window.

"Bye darling!"

Several nearby Nightbane knights visibly twitched.

One nearly dropped his sword in disbelief.

The carriage departed shortly afterward.

I stood there watching it disappear down the road.

Then sighed.

This was probably going to become a problem.

A very large problem.

Lillith Nightbane was the future ruler of one of the most powerful territories in the kingdom.

Meanwhile I was the son of a border baron.

The political implications alone made my head hurt.

I really needed to convince her to tone it down.

Preferably before she gave an entire speech introducing me as darling to a room full of nobles.

Knowing Lillith—

That was probably already on her schedule.

A few hours later I gathered the workers, wagons, and construction materials before departing for the academy myself.

The rear entrance stood in stark contrast to the rest of the institution.

The academy itself was enormous.

Grand white stone walls.

Towering spires.

Decorated windows.

Intricate carvings.

Everything practically screamed wealth.

The rear entrance however was much simpler.

A modest gate nestled between several large trees.

Practical.

Unremarkable.

Exactly the kind of entrance designed for deliveries and maintenance crews.

A knight stood guard beside it.

His armor looked immaculate.

A decorated sword rested at his side.

The man immediately noticed our approach.

His eyes swept across the workers.

Then landed on me.

Probably because I looked slightly cleaner than everyone else.

I stepped forward and handed him the letter.

The knight read it quickly.

Then smiled.

"Ah."

He handed it back.

"You’re the people building the greenhouse thing."

"That’s us."

"I hope this thing works."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

The knight laughed.

"The botany teacher becomes distressed every winter."

Then he opened the gate.

The path beyond stretched toward the academy grounds.

Walking through it felt strange.

The academy looked even larger from the inside.

Stone walkways connected multiple buildings.

Gardens filled entire courtyards.

Training grounds occupied huge sections of the campus.

Students moved between classes wearing academy uniforms.

The place looked less like a school and more like a small city.

I had technically been here before.

Though the circumstances were questionable.

Specifically invisible.

And dragged here by Lillith.

Which I didn’t count.

Eventually we met the botonay teacher.

The green haired women approached and immediately approached.

"Who’s in charge?"

I stepped forward.

Her expression shifted slightly.

Apparently she expected someone older.

"I was told the Valamere Corporation sent experts."

"They did."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"...You’re the expert?"

"Unfortunately."

The botonay teacher laughed.

Then asked how the greenhouse actually worked.

So I brought her toward the wagon carrying the steam engine.

The women stared at the machine.

Then stared at me.

Then back at the machine.

I spent several minutes explaining boilers, pipes, heated water circulation, and temperature regulation.

She understood none of it.

But she seemed interested.

Eventually she nodded.

"I’ll trust you."

That was probably wise.

Or incredibly foolish.

Time would tell.

Eventually she led us toward the construction site.

The chosen location sat near several academy buildings.

Multiple classroom windows overlooked the area.

Students would easily be able to see the greenhouse once it was completed.

I glanced upward toward the buildings.

Part of me wondered whether Lillith was watching from one of those windows.

Then I immediately dismissed the thought.

If she saw me—

She’d probably jump through the glass.

******************************

I felt sad watching darling disappear into the distance.

Very sad.

Tragically sad.

The academy remained exactly as terrible as I remembered.

The classes were boring.

The lectures were boring.

The homework was boring.

Only Leon’s promise prevented me from freezing the entire place.

I looked down at my ring finger.

Still empty.

Still naked.

Which was unacceptable.

Soon I said to myself.

The thought immediately improved my mood.

By the time class started I was sitting beside the window as usual.

Smiling.

Daydreaming.

Thinking about darling.

My darling.

Clara sat beside me.

After a few moments she looked over with a concerned smile.

"You seem happy."

"I am."

"Did everything go well?"

I turned toward her immediately.

"Darling showed me the best thing ever."

Clara blinked.

"The best thing?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"He painted the sky for me."

She looked completely confused.

But still smiled.

"I’m happy for you."

"I was very happy."

"What happened exactly?"

So I immediately began explaining.

The explosions.

The colours.

The evening and the kiss.

Everything.

"I’m glad things worked out."

I nodded proudly.

"They did."

Then Clara smiled.

"I’m happy for you and your darling."

I immediately pointed at her.

"No."

"What?"

"Only I can call him darling."

Clara laughed.

"Sorry."

The two of us spent the rest of the lesson talking.

The teacher ignored us completely.

A decision motivated entirely by self-preservation.

Before long the lesson ended.

Much faster than usual.

Mostly because I had been distracted.

Then lunchtime arrived.

Clara and I headed towards the cafeteria to get our lunch.

"Have you heard about the new construction project?"

I blinked.

"No."

"Everyone’s talking about it."

That got my attention slightly.

"What is it?"

"No idea."

"Then why are they talking about it?"

Clara pointed toward a distant section of campus.

"Apparently it looks strange."

I didn’t care.

Not even slightly.

Clara however immediately grabbed my arm.

"Let’s go look."

A while later we arrived.

A large crowd of students had already gathered.

Everyone stood around an outer perimeter discussing theories.

The moment they noticed me—

The crowd split apart.

Instantly.

People moved aside without a word.

Nobody wanted to be near me.

Which was convenient.

Clara and I walked through the opening.

Then stopped.

My eyes widened.

The construction site stretched before us.

Steel framework.

Workers.

Materials.

Tools.

And standing high above everyone else—

Leon my darling.

He sat atop one of the upper supports while directing workers below.

I froze.

For exactly half a second.

Then happiness exploded through my chest.

I immediately rushed forward.

Clara grabbed for me.

"Lillith wait—"

Too slow.

I vaulted over the perimeter barrier.

Several workers looked over.

Students gasped.

And with practically the entire academy watching—

I waved both arms excitedly.

"DARLING!"

Every head turned toward Leon and me.

Every student froze.

And somewhere behind me—

I could physically feel Clara realizing that the entire academy was about to learn exactly who darling was.

********************

I sighed.

Of course this happened.

One moment I was standing atop the steel framework directing workers.

The next—

The entire academy knew my existence.

I had spent most of the morning overseeing construction.

The scaffolding had gone up first.

Once that was secure, we started assembling the steel frame piece by piece.

Large support beams got lifted into position using ropes, pulleys, and an unhealthy amount of shouting.

The greenhouse itself was beginning to take shape.

At least from a distance.

Right now it mostly resembled a giant metal skeleton sticking out of the academy grounds.

The students seemed fascinated by it.

At first only a few watched.

Then more arrived.

Then even more.

Eventually half the academy appeared to be standing around the perimeter debating what exactly we were building.

I tried ignoring them.

Mostly successfully.

Then I heard it.

"DARLING!"

My soul immediately recognized the voice.

Before I even turned around, I already knew.

Lillith.

I slowly looked down.

Sure enough—

Lillith stood below the scaffolding waving both arms enthusiastically.

"DARLING!"

Several students physically flinched.

I sighed.

Then a black blur launched upward.

A moment later—

CRASH.

I found myself on the ground.

Again.

Lillith had tackled me directly off the lower platform and was now hugging me tightly.

Her face looked incredibly happy.

"What are you doing here?"

I blinked.

"...Working."

"No."

She pointed accusingly.

"At the academy."

"Oh."

I adjusted myself slightly.

"The greenhouse request came from the academy."

That seemed to surprise her.

"Really?"

"Really."

Then I finally looked around.

Every single student was staring.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

The entire academy had gone silent.

All eyes remained fixed on the future heir of House Nightbane currently clinging to a random worker covered in construction dust.

Wonderful.

"Lillith."

"Mhm?"

"Please get off me."

She frowned.

"But I just found you."

"I have work."

Her grip tightened slightly.

Then eventually she sighed dramatically.

"Fine."

The word sounded like physical pain.

After releasing me, she immediately asked:

"When are you taking a break?"

I looked toward the construction site.

The floor piping was nearly complete.

The scaffolding was finished.

The workers had been pushing hard all morning.

"...Soon."

"How soon?"

I glanced around.

Then raised my voice.

"Break time!"

The reaction was immediate.

Workers practically collapsed where they stood.

Several sat down against unfinished sections of framework.

Others grabbed lunches from nearby wagons.

Meanwhile Lillith immediately locked both arms around one of mine.

Students around us visibly trembled.

I could practically hear the questions racing through their minds.

Who is he?

Why is Lady Nightbane acting like this?

How is he still alive?

Lillith looked completely oblivious.

"Come eat lunch with me and Clara."

"Sure."

The three of us eventually reached their usual isolated lunch spot.

A shaded section beneath several trees overlooking part of the academy grounds.

Clara followed us from the original construction site.

The moment she saw me she smiled.

"Hi Leon."

"Hello Clara."

Then we sat down.

I pulled out a sandwich I had prepared earlier.

Meanwhile Clara and Lillith unpacked plates of pasta from the cafeteria.

For several minutes the three of us simply ate.

It was surprisingly peaceful.

Then Clara looked toward me and made quotation marks with her fingers while asking.

"How’s your ’first’ time at the academy like"

"Better than expected?"

"That’s good."

"I couldn’t see much exactly before as I was held hostage by Lillith."

Lillith immediately looked offended.

"Because you tried to run away!."

"You forcefully dragged me into the campus."

"Because I missed you!"

"I literally would of seen you a couple hours later."

Clara laughed quietly.

Then I reached into one of my pockets and pulled out a small metal container.

After opening it, I shook some red powder onto my sandwich.

Clara tilted her head.

"What’s that?"

"Chili powder."

Before I could explain further—

Lillith pointed dramatically.

"It’s Poison."

"It isn’t poison."

"It almost killed me."

I stared at her.

"You stole my food."

"It was still attempted murder."

Clara looked between us.

"What happened?"

"Lillith grabbed a spoonful of a spicy curry I made using this and shoved it into her own mouth."

"I trusted him."

"You physically intercepted the spoon by grabbing my hand."

"I was hungry."

Clara immediately nodded.

"That sounds like your fault."

Lillith looked betrayed.

The betrayal lasted approximately three seconds before she resumed eating.

Clara then eyed me with curiosity and she then asked what it was that I had been building.

"It’s a greenhouse"

"What exactly is a greenhouse?"

I opened my mouth.

Then Lillith answered first.

"It’s a building that gets really warm."

I looked at Lillith and smiled before patting her head.

"That’s correct."

She looked proud and was very much enjoying it.

Clara nodded.

Then looked toward Lillith.

"How does it work?"

Lillith immediately pointed at me.

"No idea ask him."

"That was fast."

"I stopped listening after warm building."

Fair enough.

So I explained instead.

"The glass lets sunlight inside."

Clara nodded.

"The heat gets trapped."

More nodding.

"Then the steam system helps regulate temperature during winter."

Clara looked interested.

"What steam system?"

I pointed toward the large wagon parked near the construction site in the distance.

"The engine."

Her gaze followed my finger.

"The giant metal thing?"

"Yes."

"How does that move water?"

I paused.

Then started explaining.

"Pressure."

Blank stare.

"The boiler heats water."

Blank stare.

"Steam expands."

Blank stare.

"The pressure pushes mechanisms."

Blank stare.

I continued trying.

Pistons.

Valves.

Pumps.

Pressure differentials.

Mechanical motion.

By the end of it Clara somehow looked even more confused.

Lillith looked completely lost.

Finally Clara slowly nodded.

"I understood none of that."

"Same."

Lillith raised her hand.

"I understood warm building."

"That was the part before the explanation."

"Exactly."

I sighed.

Sometimes I forgot that what seemed obvious to me sounded completely insane to everyone else.

Meanwhile, the passing academy, students continued staring toward our little lunch group.

Particularly toward Lillith.

And the fact she had spent the entire conversation holding onto my arm.

I had a feeling the academy rumor mill was about to experience a very productive afternoon.