The dim light of the fireplace flickered, making a soft crackling sound of the charcoal. The warm glow filled the room where the two of them sat facing each other.

Layla had gone quiet after saying those words.

"I despise those Lunovars."

She looked straight at Leon with an expression that was so intense that it made her appear evil. The anger behind her words was clear, and Leon understood that well enough.

Something had happened in the past to Leon that made her feel this strongly.

Leon recalled she mentioned the king doing something she could not forgive.

'Exactly what happened? What did the king do?' Leon ran few possible scenarios in his head, but the old Leon was

Leon could not ask her directly.

He was Leon now, so asking about something that happened to him would only seem strange. He needed to keep his expression calm.

He never gained a single memory about this particular event. Flashes of the old Leon appeared sometimes, but not everything. Some parts were missing. This one included.

So he changed the question.

"Layla, I have been meaning to ask for a long time now," he said slowly. "You seem really affected by that day. Why does it bother you so much?"

But her reaction was unexpected.

"Huh? What did you say?"

Layla's eyes widened slightly. Her lips pressed together before she spoke again.

"Of course it bothers me, Leon."

She placed her hand near her chest as if steadying herself. "You never showed it upfront, but I know it must have been frustrating for you. I could tell you were different after that day. I just know… The Leon I cared about… you changed."

'Huh? What day?' Leon thought.

She was referring to something the king did to the old Leon that changed his personality or maybe him altogether.

'So Leon had a different personality before this?'

In Rebirth of the Fivefold Calamity, Leon Valentine was only a minor third-rate villain with almost no backstory. His past was never included in the story. So Leon being treated badly by the king, this must have been an off-screen event the game never showed.

'Then the king was behind this… that's interesting..'

But he needed to figure it out without exposing himself.

Leon looked at Layla again. Her hands were loosely clasped together, and she kept her eyes lowered for a moment. She seemed unsure if she should continue speaking or not.

Leon let out a slow breath and leaned slightly forward.

"Layla," he called her gently.

"Mhm." She responded quietly. From her tone she seemed embarrassed now.

'Must be because she said all that…' He sighed, 'this girl, seriously. I can't even make myself be hard on her.'

Maybe it was because of their past bonding that Leon thought this way. If Leon were to be honest, it actually made him feel a little flattered, knowing that the old Leon had someone this close to him.

Layla lifted her eyes hesitantly, as if worried she had gone too far with her words. But before she could speak freely, Leon interrupted.

"You do not have to shrink back like that," Leon said. His tone stayed calm as ever, the same way an older brother would talk to a younger sibling. "I am listening."

Layla blinked, almost surprised. "You… are not angry?"

"Why would I be?" Leon asked casually. "You are only saying what you feel. That is not something to hide."

Layla tightened her fingers slightly. Her eyes softened by a small margin. "I just thought you would be annoyed by me. You never liked being told what to feel."

Leon held back a twitch at that line.

'Yeah, you got one correct.'

He maintained his expression, not letting anything slip.

"Human change, they adapt to changes shaping their own personality. But… I am still me," Leon said simply. "Maybe not exactly how I used to act before, but I am still me, trust. If something bothers you, you can always tell me. I will listen, like I used to before."

Layla's shoulders loosened a little.

"Hm, You say it so easily now."

Leon nodded lightly. "That is because we were close once. I did not forget that."

Leon made his words sound a little silliness.

Her eyes widened slightly. A small relief appeared on her face, so subtle that most people would miss it.

Leon watched her reaction carefully. He needed to lead the conversation in a way that made her open up without noticing he was digging for information.

He leaned back just a bit.

"Layla, I want to understand something. You said I changed after that day. In what way?"

Layla shifted uncomfortably. "It felt like your smile disappeared suddenly. And you stopped talking like you used to. You started avoiding everyone, you even avoided me!"

'That makes sense,' Leon thought.

A psychological shock could change someone's personality drastically. And old Leon must have gone through something similar, that shut him down completely.

Layla continued.

"And whenever the king's name came up, you always looked away. You never said anything after that, that's… that's how I knew that he was behind your sudden change."

Leon listened quietly.

The more she spoke, the more he thought about the king.

He was going to meet him tonight. So, if the king was truly the reason behind Leon's change in the past, then seeing him now would be interesting.

The king might react differently. Maybe he would try to probe him, or maybe he would show a reaction after seeing the current Leon.

Either way, both would be interesting to witness.

Leon leaned back slightly. He rested his head for a moment and looked up.

A small grin formed on his lips. 'Veronica thinks everything is moving exactly the way she arranged. She certainly did prepare the pieces well. I have to give her that. But…'

Leon sat up again. He shifted his gaze toward the fireplace as he thought.

'Among her several pieces, I exist.'

Leon planned to make changes to her strategy. If it shifts the story even more, then so be it. He will just receive more Fate Points.

He had questions that needed answers. And if things went the way Veronica planned, both he and Eula would benefit from tonight's meeting. She protected both of them. She even gave the Twilight Order room to breathe. The Authority would be busy handling the Tiara incident, and their attention would be on national security now, not on the Order.

'This can turn a bit nasty.' He thought.

Leon nodded to himself. With a light breath, he rose from his seat.

"You are going already?" Layla asked, looking up at him.

Leon gave her a calm and confident smile.

"Yes. That bastard Aster of a king called me to his council tonight."

Layla's eyes widened. She did not expect him to say the king's name so openly or with such sharpness and disrespect. The Leon she knew would never have said that.

Leon turned, ready to leave. He walked toward the door, Layla stood up slightly as if she wanted to call out to him again, but she stopped.

Her eyes fell on his back, on his posture. There was no fear or no hesitation in him. His black coat fluttered lightly with his movements, and the faint shine of Moonblade's white surface reflected near his side.

For Layla, he looked completely different from the boy who once avoided everything. He walked like someone who already knew what he needed to do. Someone who was prepared for whatever came next.

She felt a strange weight from him, a quiet pressure, as if scared on his behalf. She didn't try to stop or ask what he was up to, because she somehow sensed that it would only waste time.

Leon now looked completely different from the boy who once avoided every problem placed in front of him.

Layla watched him leave, and a soft breath escaped her lips as she whispered to herself, almost without realizing it, "He really did change."

But…

She then smiled, clenching his chest. "He didn't push me away."

She could not hide her smile, to the degree she had to hide it using her own hands. When she closed her eyes, an old memory surfaced on its own.

A small version of Leon, quietly holding her hand and pulling her along the hallways whenever she hesitated.

Back then, he had looked cool in her eyes.

Now, he looked even cooler.

He was the first friend she ever made. He was the first brother who genuinely cared for her.

Layla giggled softly at the thought. "Be safe," she whispered to the empty doorway.

— — —

Leon walked upstairs toward his room to get changed. After putting on the suit his mother prepared, he headed outside the estate toward the carriage area.

Several carriages were lined up already, with their lanterns glowing faintly in the night.

"Where is Father?" Leon looked around but could not find him. "Mother as well?"

Neither of them was present.

A maid came rushing toward him from the side. Leon turned his gaze to her.

"What happened?"

The maid stopped in front of him, catching her breath before speaking. "The Duke said for you to go ahead, young master. Something urgent came up. He will join you later tonight."

Leon blinked once.

'The hell?'

.

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[A/N: Sorry, the 2 promised bonus chapter will be released tomorrow. Got stuck in an urgent matter. thanks for reading!]

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