NOVGO.NET Chapter 766 Day of Announcement [4]
A pitch black darkness.
One that felt entirely suffocating, dragging him deeper and deeper into it.
That was how Leon felt.
Regardless of how much he tried to fight the darkness, it clung to him, dragging him deeper and deeper into the depths of the abyss beneath.
He struggled his best, but his efforts were in vain.
The darkness won, and his world turned black.
His eyes fluttered open, and the darkness receded, giving way to the harsh brilliance of the chandelier above.
A sharp pain lingered in his mind as his face scrunched up.
His memories were foggy, and he struggled to properly understand what had happened. Until—
“You’re awake.”
A certain voice broke him out of his thoughts. Lifting his head, Leon’s gaze fell on Julien, and in that moment, as if everything came crashing down on his mind, the memories of what had happened moments before passing out surfaced in his mind.
“A-ah!”
He nearly began shouting, only for him to be stopped by Julien as he pushed his chest down on the bed.
“I know what you’re trying to say. There’s no need to say anything more.”
But—!
“I know. Don’t worry.”
Julien smiled. His face was calm, seemingly unbothered by the entire situation.
“Did you forget who I am…2”
His sudden words caused Leon’s eyes to widen. That’s right, he’s… The sudden recollection was all he needed to finally calm down as Julien breathed a sigh of relief and looked for a seat to sit down.
After a moment of silence, Julien began speaking: “There’s no need to worry about people listening in. I’ve told the people to give us some time to talk.”
As Julien spoke, his face retained a smile. It was a smile of self-assurance. One that wanted to say, “Everything is going to be okay, but Leon was all too familiar with that smile. He had known Julien long enough to understand it.
His heart sank.
“I can see from your face that you don’t believe me at all.”
“No, I believe you.”
“About…2”
“That nobody is around.”
“Ah, s0 what about the “Don’t worry” part?”
“Oh, that. I don’t believe you at all.”
“…Figured.”
Julien clicked his tongue, sitting back on the chair while shaking his head and mumbling things like, “What am I supposed to do at this point? Can’t even take my words for things.”
Despite Julien’s best attempt at lighting up the mood, Leon’s face remained serious. “Now is not the time for jokes.”
He could still recall the palpable sensation that he had felt not too long ago. It clung to his mind, threatening to consume it even now. He didn’t understand what it was, but it was the first time he had ever experienced something like this.
A dread so powerful that it almost felt like it was impossible to escape.
Regardless of where he went…
it was impossible.
“Julien. We need to quickly leave this place. No, we need to look for the Chancellor. Or maybe someone strong. I don’t know. We need to escape as soon as possible. I don’t know if you used your powers or not, but I—”
“Stop.”
Julien stopped Leon mid-speech.
Leon’s face fell, and just as he was about to argue, his eyes landed on the smile that lingered on Julien’s face.
That smile…
Leon’s heart sank completely.
it was the first time he had ever seen that smile from Julien. It was one of both acceptance and resignation.
“No, but—”
“I’m not going to die.”
Julien started, the smile lingering on his face.
“I can promise you that. This won’t be the same as last time. I’m not going to die.” “You’re not…2”
Leon could see it from Julien’s face that he wasn’t lying.
In that case…
“I’m not going to die.”
Julien reassured once more. Leon could see from his face that Julien wasn’t lying, and that was all he needed to feel a sigh of relief.
“If you’re not going to die, then..2″
Julien just smiled.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he took something out of his ring. A long black sword that made Leon’s eyes jump up in surprise. He had seen the sword before and couldn’t help but feel that it was even better than the one he currently had.
“This is…2″
“For you.”
Julien handed the sword to Leo.
The action caused Leon’s face to change, his eyes widening as he looked at Julien. “Wait, what?”
He wasn’t stupid. He could tell the value of the sword at a glance. It was beyond anything he had ever had.
Why was he..2
“Just take it. You’ll need it. No…”
Julien stopped, his eyes flickering as he looked at Leon.
“I’ll need it.”
“Wha… Wh—”
“Just take it.”
Julien shoved the sword to the still stunned Leon.
“Like I said, I’m not going to die. However, there will be a lot of things that I’ll need you to do in the meantime.”
“Me..2”
Leon looked at Julien with a blank look, his gaze falling on the sword in his grasp. And it was then that Julien’s face turned extremely serious. So serious that for a moment, it left Leon flustered.
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. This will probably be the only time that I’ll ever get to tell you, so pay close attention. You’re the only person who can get me out of this situation, and this is also the reason why I’m giving you the sword.”
Leon swallowed nervously, his face changing between a mix of confusion and worry. In the end, he forced out a word.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Julien nodded, letting out a small breath before explaining to him his plan and situation. As he did, Leon’s face gradually grew paler and paler.
Until–
His entire face was completely white as he looked at Julien in both shock and horror.
As his lips parted, no words came out of his mouth.
Julien stared at the sight before patting him on the shoulder.
“I’ll be counting on you, Leon. You’re the only one that I can trust.”
And with such words, Julien turned around and left, leaving the room in a state of complete and utter silence.
Within that silence, Leon remained still
Not one word or sound escaped his lips as he blankly stared at the door.
ox
Coming out of Leon’s room, I looked at the guards around me before nodding.
“I’m done. He should be leaving soon. Thank you.”
After thanking them, I headed towards my own room. It wasn’t anything fancy. Just a small room on the second floor of the estate, just tall enough to give me a view of the area beneath.
The sun had already dipped, and the sky had turned dark.
Bright lights light up the surroundings as people walked in and out of the estate. Large carriages parked outside the venue, and people of all nobiliies entered the estate. I could tell with just one look at how massive the entire event was.
It’s almost like every important figure of every Empire is coming.”
it was funny to think about.
So many people coming for an engagement announcement…
“I wonder what kind of faces they will make when they find out who the fiancé is.”
Would it look like they had eaten shit?
That seemed like the most likely case. Just the thought made me want to laugh as I lowered my head to stare at my arm. Right where a four-leaf clover tattoo appeared. The moment I stared at it, the smile faded from my face.
First Leaf, Emotion Wheel.
Second Leaf, Past Emotion.
Third Leaf, Leap back in time.
Fourth Leaf, Leap forward in time.
I was quite familiar with the first three leaves. I had used them several times in the past. The only one that remained an enigma to me was the Fourth Leaf. I had only used it once before, and in that time, I found myself traveling to the future.
“Thinking about it, that future is none other than the one that I saw in the vision not too long ago.
I laughed when thinking about it.
How many times was it now? That I’d seen that very same scenario..?
I had lost count by now.
By now, I understood the weight of that moment. That wasn’t just a turning point, but also the start of something.
Everything.
“H-ho.”
Taking a deep breath, I turned around, and when I did, I paused.
Behind me stood a man in a pristine white sult, the cut accentuating his white hair and striking features. His gaze swept over me from head to toe before Orson gave a slow, satisfied nod.
“Not bad. Looks like you’re ready for today.”
lam”
I was more than ready.
But at the same time, I felt a little nervous.
“It’s good that you’re ready. Today is going to be a very important day. Not just for you, but for the Empire. My simple announcement can completely shift the tide of the battle for the throne.”
Although father-in-law spoke lightly, I could feel the solemnness in his gaze and words. indeed, the moment the announcement was made, the world would understand where the Rosenberg Household stood.
As someone who belonged to Aoife’s faction, it would only be natural that people would think the Rosenberg Household would ally itself with her.
And they weren’t wrong..
But…
“There will be a lot of eyes on you once all of this happens. And many of those eyes aren’t going to be nice to you. I’m just here to ask if you’re ready for the backlash that you’re going to receive.”
“Ready…?”
I nearly laughed. I wasn’t ready at all. But not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t care about such a trivial thing at the moment.
Not when the inevitable was going to happen.
The only thing I could do at the moment was enjoy the little time that I had left.
“Hmm. Why am I speaking like I’m going to die? I’m not going to die. It’s more like the opposite. But I’m just worried about what comes next.’
I sighed.
A real mess was waiting for me.
“Well, it looks like you’re more or less ready. That makes me feel relieved.”
Feeling a pat over my shoulder, I raised my head to look at Orson as he turned to face the window to stare at the people beneath. After a simple glance, he excused himself. “Go out when you’re ready. The event will start in about thirty minutes. Once it begins, you’ll know what to do. In the meantime, get some rest. I’l handle the rest.”
“I understand.”
Thanking the Duke, I lowered my head.
By the time I raised my head again, he was gone. I didn’t mind this and instead felt more relieved.
“..I guess I finally understand where Delilah got her habit from. Hmm. Now that I think about it, where is she?”
I wanted to go to her immediately. There was quite a bit that I wanted to talk to her about, but I held back.
“Not yet,” I mumbled, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. “I’ll do it after the event is over and we have time for ourselves.”
If I had been hesitant to tell her the truth in the past, that was no longer the case.
I had already made up my mind.
I was going to tell her everything, even if she didn’t like it.
This was because…
“H-haa.”
My breath shook, and a bitter smile formed across my face as I sat down and covered my face.
“I’m… doing it because I have no choice but to.”
++Ba… Thump! Ba… Thumpts+
My heart thumped in my mind. (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)