HHLP Chapter 15

Chapter 15. Please Wait

 

Ladish stood tall in the yard, glaring into the small cabin.

‘That woman. How dare she lie about His Highness’s whereabouts!’

When he questioned her for claiming she hadn’t seen the blond man, she calmly looked at him and said,

‘You mean the one with blond hair and blue eyes?’

‘Yes! Blond hair and blue eyes. That unmistakably means His Highness…’

‘Leon’s hair isn’t just yellow. It’s honey-gold.’

‘W-What?’

‘And his eyes aren’t just blue. They’re bluer than the river, bluer than the sky.’

To Ar, who was facing unknown strangers in a den of young wolves, there was not a shred of intention to honestly tell them where her mate was.

Unaware of her thoughts, Ladish was left speechless by her shamelessly confident, nonsensical logic.

As he stood there, mouth agape, she looked at him with pity and turned her head away.

‘You don’t know anything about Leon.’

That sentence ignited something inside Ladish.

‘That woman!’

Who had served Prince Leonhardt faithfully since childhood? Who was bound to him by blood?

Who was his most loyal subject and beloved cousin if not Ladish Flabeo Lavere? That woman had picked the wrong opponent.

‘Maybe she has somehow enchanted His Highness and is receiving his favor now…’

He bit back tears as he recalled the memory inside the cabin.

 

***

 

He had been horrified to see His Highness dressed in something like a rag and immediately ordered a servant to bring proper clothes, then helped him change.

Even after so long, Leon accepted his help naturally, as he always had.

Though the prince’s composure hadn’t changed, Ladish had forgotten one important thing…

The prince had been doing things in the forest that had left marks on his body.

“Y-Your Highness…”

“Hmm?”

“Th-This mark…?”

Ladish, trembling, pointed at the back of the prince’s neck in disbelief.

“What are you talking ab—Ah.”

Leon sheepishly covered the back of his neck. A vivid mark left by his mate was there—bite marks perfectly aligned with her teeth.

Leon gently touched the mark, smiling fondly as he remembered that moment.

Ladish was devastated. Memories of carrying his cousin as a baby flashed before his eyes. Struck with grief, he cried out in despair.

“Don’t tell me that commoner woman…!”

“Watch your mouth, Marquis Flabeo.”

Hearing himself referred to as ‘Marquis’ by his beloved cousin, Ladish was hit with another wave of shock.

His Highness was looking at him with a cold gaze he had never seen before.

“She is my savior. She’ll soon be granted a title worthy of someone who saved a royal life.”

“Your Highness…”

“Even if that weren’t the case, she’s not someone you can treat carelessly.”

The prince looked around the room to make sure everyone heard his words.

“Let that be clear to all of you. Adjust your behavior accordingly.”

 

***

 

Ladish still burned with rage whenever he thought back on it.

‘Marquis Flabeo? Marquis?’

He could still vividly recall the angelic face that had once called his name so sweetly, yet His Highness had changed after such a short time apart.

‘And what’s with this ‘savior’ nonsense?!’

Ladish knew well the power of the magical artifacts the late queen had left to her children.

Of course he did—those relics had once been stored in the Lavere family’s vault. The family records detailed their incredible power in full.

For His Highness to be in danger even with those at hand, the entire mountain surrounding their territory would’ve had to collapse.

Even amidst the lies and schemes of the palace, His Highness had always given his relatives a genuine smile. Yet now he had lied even to Ladish!

‘This is all that mangy cat’s fault!’

And so, Ladish couldn’t stop throwing resentful glances at the small cabin, where that hateful woman had taken the prince alone.

 

***

 

Inside the warm cabin, as usual, Leon sat on the bed holding Ar’s hand. There wasn’t a bench big enough for two, so they had no choice but to share the edge of the bed.

Then, Leon spoke seriously.

“Ar. The truth is, my full name is ‘Leonhardt Dominie Beneficium Solii Fortis,’ and I am the second prince of this kingdom.”

“Leon… what?”

“Leonhardt Dominie Beneficium Solii Fortis.”

“…Leonhardt, what?”

They went through that exchange several more times. Ar struggled to memorize the long name Leon repeated, but it just wouldn’t stick. Eventually, she pouted and asked,

“Can I just call you Leon?”

Smiling at her adorableness, Leon gently pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.

“To you, I’ll always be Leon. But to others, that won’t be enough.”

Then, softly stroking her fingers one by one, he said in a low voice,

“And one day, that name will be yours too. So you’d better remember it.”

In the Kingdom of Fortis, spouses share middle names after marriage, symbolizing their shared noble status. Later, their children’s middle names are decided based on their inherited title and territory.

Of course, Ar didn’t understand what Leon meant, but since he had kissed her, she thought he might kiss her more if she memorized it. So she kept trying to repeat the long name.

And yes, Leon kissed her lips each time she murmured it.

After playing around with his lover for a while, Leon came back to his senses.

Time was running out. He needed to tell her properly before he left. Cupping her cheek, he said,

“Ar. There’s something I have to say.”

“Tell me.”

She tilted her head, smiled as always, and interlocked her fingers with his.

“I’ll always listen to you.”

Leon felt as if his heart had been caught again. But that warmth quickly turned heavy with the weight of his next words.

“I have to return to the palace.”

She looked at him as if wondering what the problem was. Leon continued, hoping she wouldn’t misunderstand.

“But I must go alone. We can’t go together. Ar, you have to stay here.”

Even before she asked why, he rushed to explain to avoid any misunderstanding.

“My sister and I are children of the queen, but His Majesty has another son.”

The black-haired king of Fortis had a daughter and a second son with his noble queen, and a first son with a lowly dancer whose origins were unknown. He especially favored that first son, who shared his black hair.

“His Majesty isn’t fond of my sister and me.”

That was putting it mildly.

Back when the previous king was alive and the current king had not yet ascended the throne, the heir apparent had been none other than Princess Tenepra, beloved by the people for her extraordinary heritage and abilities.

After the previous king acknowledged the current king, born of a dancer, as his firstborn, Tenepra left to become queen of a foreign land. Yet the new king felt insecure about the throne he’d gained. His half-blood lineage was always a source of weakness.

Perhaps because of that, he cherished his black-haired first son, who shared his circumstances. He disregarded his noble-born queen and showed no affection to her children, the first princess and second prince.

In fact, he was so suspicious of the first princess seeking the throne that he delayed naming a crown prince and insulted her publicly.

The queen, who should have been the princess’s strength, was murdered.

At the time, Leon had not even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony and was still a child, so he hadn’t been told many details. But it was said that the princess, who had just come of age, had been present when it happened.

Perhaps it was because she had seen her mother collapse right before her eyes. Since then, the princess quietly bowed her head and obeyed the king’s commands.

The king was displeased by even that, but there was nothing more he could do.

The culprit behind the poisoning was quickly caught and executed, but everyone quietly understood who the real mastermind was, even if they never said it aloud.

The king openly disliked the queen’s children. However, even he couldn’t go against the law of succession that had allowed his own half-blooded self to take the throne.

If he challenged that principle, he would shake the very foundation of his own legitimacy. So he chose a more roundabout method.

The young princess was frequently placed in danger. Leon, her younger brother, never faced threats to his life due to his lower place in the line of succession compared to his older siblings, but he was often used to insult the princess indirectly by targeting her family.

Because of that, Leon experienced accidents no normal royal would usually go through.

The queen’s heirlooms and the loyal retainers who protected him had always kept him safe—until now. But there was no telling if they could protect those around him as well.

More than anything, Leon didn’t want to take Ar to the dangerous royal court.

Even as a prince of the kingdom, he had no desire to inherit the throne. Leon had no intention of sitting on a throne soaked in his sister’s blood.

The crown of this kingdom would belong to his sister. As long as nothing happened to her.

But he couldn’t ignore the worst-case scenario. The king’s jealousy toward the exceptionally gifted princess was well known.

There was only one way for him to pass the throne to his favored first prince. That would only be possible if the princess, whom he so despised, disappeared.

The siblings had already faced several threats to their lives. Unless the line of succession was solidified, such incidents would likely continue.

Leon couldn’t expose Ar to such danger.

Especially since the court was a cold and ruthless place. In a society built on bloodline supremacy, Ar would be targeted mercilessly.

Leon knew how the nobles talked about his half-brother: The black-haired prince born of a lowly dancer. A half-blood, just like his father. They bowed in front of him, but behind his back, they scorned him.

And that was a prince beloved by the king.

Leon couldn’t imagine what they would do to Ar, who had no such protection. Just the thought of her being humiliated in his absence made his blood run cold.

No one is allowed to treat her that way.

Once everything was settled. Once the dangers were gone and he was in a position to protect her…

Then, and only then…!

He would ask to place his name beneath hers.

Leon didn’t tell her everything about the court’s darkness. Part of it was not to worry her and part of it was a young man’s pride, not wanting to show weakness.

More than anything, he didn’t want her to feel any sense of obligation if something happened to him.

He explained vaguely that there was a matter his sister had to finish at the palace, and he needed to go help her. That he had to visit the capital for a while.

And then Leon hesitated for a long time over whether to say the final words.

Would leaving a promise behind become a shackle to her? Or would leaving without any promise make her anxious?

Even the prince, praised for his wisdom, had agonized over the answer for days, and still couldn’t find it.

So, in the end, he let his heart speak on its own.

“Once everything is over… I will come back to you, without fail. Will you wait for me?”

The way he stammered—he had picked up her habit. Whether it was because of that or nerves, Leon couldn’t speak smoothly as he usually did.

But Ar, unlike the stiff and nervous Leon, smiled as always and answered naturally,

“Of course.”

That simple, firm reply melted the weight that had clumped inside Leon’s chest.

She was someone who could grasp his heart with just a word.

Gently massaging his cold, tense fingers, she pulled him toward her and placed a light kiss on his hand. The warmth of that kiss instantly raised Leon’s chilled temperature.

“I told you. I’ll do anything you ask.”

Those words gave him the strength to stand. Letting go of his hesitation about parting, afraid it would be the last, Leon could finally move forward.

We’ll see each other again.

If there truly was such a thing as fate, then surely they would.

Him being by her side was the most natural state of all. Separation was just a brief fracture. Everything would return to where it belonged.

Trusting in that, Leon began to share the thoughts he had prepared for her while he’d be away.