"Nothing much has changed," said Layla, strolling beside Leon as he guided her to her room.

Leon kept on walking.

His mother had instructed him to take the twins to their rooms before joining them in the main hall. Leon didn't mind following the request, since he wanted to know more about the twins anyway.

Ren, for some reason, didn't like being near him, so he went to Rowan's side instead.

'I guess he's his favorite.'

Leon found it ridiculous. Both of their personalities were shit to begin with, so they were perfect for each other.

On the other hand, Layla was different. She was not the quiet type. When she first greeted him, he had expected her to be an extreme introvert.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

Layla walked with both hands behind her back, taking in every painting in the corridor.

Looking at her, Leon wondered.

'I think she's more lively than Alice…'

Their eyes met.

"Hm?" Layla's eyes widened slightly. "What is it?"

"Oh… no, nothing." Leon shook his head.

Layla stepped a little closer, leaning just enough to peek at his expression as if it were something she needed to confirm herself.

"You really changed. What happened?"

Leon exhaled quietly. "Nothing happened."

Layla did not seem convinced.

She tilted her head slightly, walking beside him with her usual calm stride. "You are acting like someone who just had their heart broken."

Leon paused for a moment before continuing down the hallway.

"Do not tell me the Third Princess rejected you again," Layla added, her tone was casual but her curiosity intense.

Leon did not look at her. "That is none of your concern."

Layla straightened, lifting her chin a little.

"So she rejected you."

Leon stopped himself from clicking his tongue. "I said it is none of your concern."

"So she did, huh."

Layla nodded once, accepting the response without argument. Her expression softened as she walked beside him.

"She was not good for you anyway. You would have spent your life dealing with trouble that was not yours."

Leon glanced at her.

Layla kept her gaze ahead. Her voice carried none of the teasing from earlier.

"You have always been the type who ends up taking care of others. Someone like her would have only taken advantage of that."

'The hell is she saying?' Leon thought that she was up to something, but her next phrase changed it.

"I never understood why you liked her in the first place," she added.

Leon raised a brow. "Oh? And why is that?"

Layla didn't look at him. "She always looked at you as if you were something she had to tolerate. And…."

"And?"

Layla sighed then finished her statement.

"..,and I didn't like it."

Leon didn't respond.

Layla continued.

"There are people who enjoy being chased. They feel more important that way, and that princess was one of them. But you are not someone who should be doing the chasing."

Leon let out a faint breath. "You speak like you know me very well."

Layla finally looked at him. A pleasant smile formed on her face.

"Of course I know. We grew up in the same house for years. I paid attention to you."

"..."

Leon did not know how to respond to that, so he stayed quiet.

Layla added softly, "You deserved someone who would hold your hand without you needing to reach first."

"Is that so?"

"Yes." Layla replied without hesitation.

They reached the turn leading to her room.

Leon stopped and gestured ahead. "Here."

Layla did not move immediately. She looked at him once more before reaching for the door handle.

"Do not let that rejection stay with you longer than it needs to," she said. "It would be a waste."

Leon narrowed his gaze slightly.

"You talk as if you dislike her."

Layla's expression didn't change, she kept on smiling. "I do."

Leon blinked.

"Any reason?"

Layla paused, then shrugged lightly, she raised her tiny head in a thinking position.

"Hmmm…. Let's see…, well for the starters, she never deserved to be liked by you in the first place."

Leon watched her for a moment, there was something that bothered him.

"You say as if you were bothered by all of this," he said.

Layla paused. Her fingers tightened slightly on the door handle before she loosened them again.

"…Maybe I was," she replied quietly. "You looked lonely."

Leon didn't see her face.

Before she entered, she turned at him once more. "And one more thing..."

Her golden eyes were softer than before. There was a faint shine in them, like light caught in still water. She did not try to hide it.

"Next time you like someone… choose better."

Bam—!

Then she closed the door behind her and went inside.

Leon remained in the hallway for a few seconds, staring at the closed door at his face, processing whatever that was.

'What the hell kind of lecture was that?!'

He blinked once, then sighed.

Leon rubbed the back of his neck once and finally turned away, heading toward the main hall where the duke and others were seated.

They will be discussing the upcoming events, and his mother had strictly told all of her children to be present there.

— — —

Inside the room, the moment the lock clicked into place, Layla let out a long breath she had been holding.

She rested her back against the door and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the floor.

Her hands came up to cover her face.

Her chest felt tight.

"That was embarrassing," she whispered to herself.

She lowered her hands and stared at the empty room in front of her.

Her golden eyes were slightly glossy, but there were no tears, just a strange warmth she was familiar with.

She remembered Leon's face from years ago.

Those warm eyes which always remained tired no matter how much he suffered, and that gentle smile only she noticed.

They were gone now.

The Leon she met today seemed like someone who no longer cried at all.

"I am hopeless," she whispered.

She leaned her head back against the door, clenched her chest feeling the rapid rhythm of her heartbeat and closed her eyes.

"…Idiot."

.

.

[A/N: No, it's not incest, stop asking me that! also, 2 more chapters if we cross 500 PS, in 24 hours!]

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