Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

Chapter 286: Chapter: 285 Knight in shining armour.[3]

"You haven’t met him, have you? He is like the best! I tell you, he is such an amazing man!"

Sylviana’s cheerful voice echoed softly through the marble corridor as she walked a step behind Leon.

One sentence flowed into another without pause, each carrying the same excitement she had been unable to suppress ever since hearing that the caravan had returned from the Thorne Family Estate.

Though she appeared timid and reserved before most people, often speaking only when absolutely necessary, Leon had never been included among those people.

He had been brought into the palace when they were still children, becoming her personal shadow long before either of them truly understood the responsibilities waiting for them in the future.

They had grown up together beneath the same palace roof, learning, training, laughing, and being scolded together more times than either of them could remember.

To Sylviana, Leon had never simply been her knight.

He had always been the one person before whom she could speak freely without worrying about noble etiquette or saying the wrong thing. Around him, she could simply be herself.

"..."

Yet the silence that answered her enthusiasm remained unchanged.

Leon continued walking at the same steady pace, his polished armor producing a calm rhythm against the marble floor while his eyes stayed fixed ahead.

His expression remained composed as always, betraying neither interest nor annoyance. If he had heard her words, he gave no sign of it.

It had not always been like this.

Ever since Sylviana had returned from the Royal Arcane Academy several years ago, something within Leon had quietly changed.

The warm conversations they used to share had gradually disappeared until they became little more than distant memories.

Whenever he spoke now, his replies were polite, brief, and only when necessary.

Every word was chosen with the precision expected from the Empire’s finest knight, leaving no room for unnecessary conversation.

He fulfilled every duty flawlessly, protecting her without hesitation and standing beside her whenever she needed him, yet the distance between them had only continued to grow.

Sylviana slowly stopped talking.

The excitement that had brightened her face moments earlier faded little by little as the familiar silence settled between them once again.

There would be no reply. There never was anymore.

Although she had long since grown accustomed to it, a small ache still formed inside her heart each time Leon quietly ended another conversation before it could truly begin.

It was not anger she felt, nor resentment. It was simply loss.

She missed the friend who used to smile beside her, the boy who had once spoken to her naturally instead of addressing her as though an invisible wall separated them.

’What happened...?’

The question surfaced once more, just as it had countless times over the past four or five years.

She could never understand it.

Before she had left for the academy, they had laughed together like ordinary friends despite the difference in their stations.

Yet after her return, Leon had become someone entirely different. More disciplined.

More distant. More serious than anyone she had ever known.

No matter how many times she tried to draw him into conversation, the result was always the same.

Eventually, even she found herself becoming quieter around him, slipping back into the timid, shy girl everyone else knew.

Unable to suppress the question any longer, Sylviana looked toward his broad back and spoke in a hesitant voice.

"Leon... did something happen?"

It was the very same question she had asked countless times before.

And, just like every other time, Leon answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Nothing, Your Highness."

His calm voice remained respectful, neither cold nor warm, simply stating the answer he had repeated for years.

Sylviana lowered her eyes and gently bit her lower lip.

She truly did not understand.

Had she unknowingly done something wrong? Had she hurt him somehow without realizing it?

She had spent years searching her memories, replaying countless conversations inside her head, yet she could never find the answer.

"D-Did... I do someth..."

Before she could finish speaking, Leon suddenly came to a stop.

"We are here, Princess."

His quiet voice interrupted her as the massive doors before them slowly swung open.

Beyond them stretched the Empire’s magnificent throne hall.

An enormous crimson carpet extended from the entrance all the way to the imperial throne, its rich color standing in striking contrast against the polished golden marble flooring that reflected the light pouring down from countless enchanted chandeliers suspended high above.

Towering pillars decorated with intricate carvings lined both sides of the vast chamber, while rows of finely crafted seats rested upon the golden floor.

Occupying them were the Empire’s highest-ranking nobles, military commanders, royal advisors, ministers, and countless influential officials, every one of them dressed in luxurious robes befitting their status.

The atmosphere carried a solemn weight that made even ordinary breathing feel louder than it should.

Leon stepped inside without hesitation.

His gaze swept across the hall before settling upon the man seated upon the magnificent throne at its very end.

The Emperor of the Fairyborn Empire.

Seth Fairyborn.

He possessed an average build, yet nothing about him appeared ordinary.

His short raven-black hair had only begun showing the faintest traces of silver, while his masculine features remained stern enough to captivate anyone.

Seated upon the imperial throne, he radiated unquestionable authority, the kind earned through decades of ruling one of the greatest empires upon the continent.

Without delay, Leon walked forward before dropping to one knee.

"I have brought the Princess, Your Majesty."

As he knelt, the corner of his vision briefly caught sight of Sir Isaac standing beside the throne.

Leon acknowledged his presence only for an instant before returning his complete attention to the Emperor.

Seth gave a single nod.

"You may stand, Leon."

His rough voice echoed calmly throughout the hall before his gaze shifted toward the daughter standing nervously behind the knight.

The moment he looked at Sylviana, his fingers slowly tightened around the armrests of the throne.

He still could not understand it.

He did not know what that bastard had done to steal his daughter’s heart so completely.

What he did know was that he utterly despised the thought of marrying his only daughter to a man who already had four wives.

Long ago, he had envisioned an entirely different future.

Leon had always been his first choice.

The young knight was talented beyond his years, utterly loyal to the Empire, and cherished Sylviana with a sincerity anyone with eyes could recognize.

Seth had intended for the two of them to marry, inherit the throne together, and continue the Fairyborn bloodline after his death.

Instead...

Everything had fallen apart...his daughter had chosen someone else.

She had disappointed him.

Yet despite every ounce of his anger, she remained his only child. He could not simply abandon her, nor could he bring himself to completely crush her wishes.

Against every instinct telling him otherwise, he had accepted her decision.

But once she marries...

She will no longer belong to this Empire.

’Even if my bloodline ends with me, I will never allow those bastards to inherit my throne.’

’To me...She is already dead.’

The Emperor’s expression grew even colder before he turned away from his daughter altogether.

"Sir Isaac," he said evenly, "tell her what has happened."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Isaac bowed respectfully before stepping forward and facing Sylviana.

She stood quietly with both hands clasped before her, her eyes fixed upon the floor beneath the crushing pressure of her father’s icy gaze.

Even after all these years, she still lacked the courage to meet his eyes whenever he looked at her like that.

"Your Highness," Isaac began gently, "the marriage has been postponed. We returned with great difficulty."

Sylviana waited silently.

She wanted to ask countless questions, but standing before her father stole every bit of courage she possessed.

’Postponed...?’

’What did he mean?’

’And what difficulties had they encountered?’

Before she could gather the strength to speak, Isaac continued.

"The Thorne Family is now facing a grave crisis."

His voice grew noticeably heavier.

"Every sibling has begun fighting one another for the position of Patriarch..."

He paused for only a moment.

"...because the Patriarch of the Thorne Family, Cian Thorne..." Isaac’s expression darkened.

"...was killed."

The entire throne room seemed to fall into complete silence.

"...by a Zlycon."

*****

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