Leonardo and Dion returned to Le Chantier Palace after their visit to the Imperial Army headquarters. Leonardo was dealing with some governmental affairs in his office when Dion suddenly spoke up.
“You seem to be in an unusually good mood today, Your Highness.”
Leonardo’s pen stopped moving at the observation. He looked up at Dion. “Is it that obvious?”
“Yes. You’re smiling,” Dion said teasingly, pointing to his own mouth. Leonardo’s eyebrows furrowed. Then he remembered his earlier encounter with Westalia and his face smoothed over again.
She was as lovely as always today, he thought. When he’d heard Westalia was going to the army headquarters, he’d obtained the list she needed and rushed over to give it to her. He’d even gone as far as to lie to her saying he’d just dropped by on official business. He’d keep the truth under wraps, knowing she might get worked up if she was aware that he’d taken time out of his busy schedule just for her.
But how wonderful it had been to see a woman who was usually so composed blushing madly for him. It made Leonardo want to tease her even more. She always put on a brave face, as was necessary to become empress, but in truth, she was an ordinary girl. Leonardo hoped he was the only one who knew that about her.
“I never thought I’d see the day when a workaholic—that is, someone as passionate about his work as you—would shirk his duties for the sake of a woman. Is Lady Westalia really that charming?”
“Yes, she is. But never you mind that.” Leonardo was the only one who needed to know about her charms. It would be unbearable if other men found out about her charms and lured her away from him.
“Hmm, I haven’t had much of a chance to speak with her, but since you’re so interested in her, I think I ought to get to know her better,” Dion said.
Leonardo was silent, but he glared at the other man. Dion shrunk back.
“Goodness, you’re scary! Never mind then. I wouldn’t mess with someone my boss liked, anyway.”
Dion had quite the reputation among the social elite, and there were always various rumors flying about in regards to his involvement with various women. Leonardo trusted him as a subordinate but certainly not as a man. But Leonardo knew he didn’t have anything to worry about. Westalia was much too preoccupied with him to ever take Dion seriously.
Leonardo let out a small laugh, as though he truly wasn’t that bothered, and Dion sighed in exasperation.
“You have another date with her in two weeks, don’t you? You have too much work to do to be acting so carefree,” Dion said.
“It’s not a date; it’s a visit,” Leonardo said. Westalia would probably scold him for being so laid-back. His desk was piled with documents he hadn’t read through yet. “Anyway, I’ll take care of it, don’t worry,” Leonardo said. “In the meantime, I’d like you to look after Elizabeth.”
“The Reyn girl? The one you don’t like?”
“Who else would I be talking about?”
“Why this sudden change? Not that I mind doing it, but...”
Elizabeth had tried to court Leonardo on a few occasions. Leonardo subconsciously disliked her because of her shared blood with Tiberio, and he’d just assumed that she’d been trying to get with him to satisfy her own ambitions. It was true that Elizabeth had once tried to sabotage Westalia with a dirty trick, but there were still reasons to sympathize with the woman. After all that he’d heard from Westalia, Leonardo had come to understand that Elizabeth had just been a puppet of her father’s. Her love for him had been genuine.
“Anyway, that’s an order,” Leonardo said.
“As you wish, Your Highness,” Dion said, with a reverent bow of his head.
Leonardo’s gaze fell once again to the documents in his hand. They were letters that Dion had confiscated from Tiberio’s office when he’d infiltrated the Reyn residence. They revealed the truth about the Marquis of Lanchester’s corruption case from five years ago. Gasparo had been accused of bribery and had had everything from his title to his property confiscated, and in the end, he and his wife had taken their own lives. In reality, however, he’d been framed by Tiberio.
What did Tiberio have against the Marquis of Lanchester that would make him go to such great lengths? Leonardo wondered. The depths of the Reyn family’s shadiness were impressive. People who tried to strike back at Tiberio often died mysteriously or went missing, but the imperial knights always turned a blind eye to him.
The letter Leonardo was currently looking at had been sent to Tiberio from one of the top brass of the army—someone who had accepted a bribe. In the letter, the official said that he had pinned his crimes on Gasparo and he himself had now left the army and was living a life of luxury. The letter summed up that he had escaped the charges because he had followed Tiberio’s instructions.
Come to think of it, Gasparo’s daughter went missing too, didn’t she? Leonardo thought. He planned to release the letter to the public at the appropriate time, and if Gasparo was posthumously exonerated of the crimes, then his family would get their lands and title back. So, it would be ideal if Leonardo could locate the daughter.
“Dion, I have one more favor to ask of you. I need you to find the whereabouts of the missing daughter of the Marquis of Lanchester.”
“Oh, you mean Paige?”
Leonardo blinked, surprised. The image of the woman who looked like a man, and who bore an intense grudge against him, flashed across Leonardo’s mind. “What?”
“Paige Lanchester? I heard from Miss Elizabeth that Paige is actually the daughter of Deputy Commander Gasparo.”
“I see. So that’s why she’s so strong...” It was only at that moment that Leonardo was able to piece together where her physical strength came from. Somehow an evil woman who’d been sent to the executioner’s block due to a conspiracy and a knight who’d lost her parents to a conspiracy had crossed each other’s paths. Fate was a strange thing indeed.
“Well then, I will share this letter with Westalia,” Leonardo said. Westalia was soon to expose the truth about Elizabeth Pink and confront the Reyn family. He was sure she’d put this letter to good use.