Chapter 47: Suite Breakfast
"Come in," Leo said.
His voice was flat and steady.
The door handle turned from the outside.
The heavy wooden door swung open with a quiet click.
Celestia Raine stepped across the threshold.
She wore her tailored dark-blue Academy tunic with silver trim, her slim waist cinched by a dark leather corset.
Her long sapphire hair was tied in a neat half-braid, falling over her right shoulder.
She took one step into the room and stopped dead in her tracks.
Her golden-amber eyes widened.
On the large leather sofa near the hearth, Elara Snowveil was still sitting directly in Leo’s lap.
Elara’s pale-blue silk nightgown had ridden high up her smooth, porcelain thighs.
Her slender arms were wrapped around Leo’s neck, her silver hair spilling over his chest.
Right below Leo’s jawline, a bright red crescent bite mark stood out clearly against his skin.
Celestia’s pale cheeks flushed with a sudden, warm pink.
A faint, knowing smile touched the corner of her lips.
"Good morning, Elara," Celestia said, her voice smooth and refined. "I see you made sure he didn’t forget you."
Elara did not flinch.
She did not scramble off Leo’s lap in shame.
Instead, she turned her head slightly, her cool ice-blue eyes meeting Celestia’s gaze with quiet pride.
"He was gone all night," Elara said, her voice calm and possessive. "The bed was cold. I had to warm him up."
"Shut the door, Celestia," Leo commanded.
"Right away, Lord Leo," Celestia murmured.
She turned and pushed the heavy door shut, turning the lock with a sharp click.
In her hands, Celestia carried a covered silver tray from the elite dining hall.
She walked across the dark wooden floor and set the tray down on the wide balcony table.
The morning breeze drifted through the open glass doors, carrying the crisp scent of autumn leaves into the warm room.
"I brought food," Celestia said, pulling off the silver lid. "Fresh wheat rolls, sliced roast beef, white cheese, and spiced herbal tea."
Leo stood up from the sofa.
He lifted Elara easily in his arms, carrying her over to the balcony table and setting her down on the cushioned wooden chair beside him.
Elara smoothed down the hem of her silk nightgown, pulling her bare legs close to Leo’s knee.
Celestia took the seat directly across from them.
She poured dark, steaming tea into three white ceramic cups.
As she handed a cup to Leo, Celestia’s golden eyes lingered on the open collar of his dark shirt.
Her nose twitched slightly.
Beneath the fresh scent of Elara’s mint frost mana, a faint, sweet aroma still clung to Leo’s skin.
Temple incense.
White floral lilies.
The distinct, sacred trace of Saintess Seraphina’s holy light.
Celestia leaned back in her chair, lifting her teacup with elegant fingers.
"The entire upper campus is talking about you, Leo," Celestia said, taking a slow sip.
"What are they saying?" Leo asked, cutting a slice of roast beef with a small silver knife.
"The archive guards found the corpses in Sector Three," Celestia replied. "Two full-grown Abyssal Void Hounds. Skulls crushed to pieces. Floor tiles shattered. The rumors say the Tyrant of House Vance killed them with his bare hands."
"They were weak beasts," Leo said bluntly, taking a bite of the meat. "Barely fourth rank."
"Even so, regular third-year cadets would have died in five seconds," Celestia pointed out.
Her golden eyes shone with deep, quiet admiration.
She had felt Leo’s terrifying physical power firsthand on the cold stone altar of Floor 12.
She knew better than anyone what his heavy hands were capable of.
"There is more," Celestia added, setting her cup down on the saucer. "The Church has mobilized."
Elara’s teacup paused midway to her lips.
Her ice-blue eyes hardened.
"The Church?" Elara asked, her tone dropping into a cold chill.
"Grand Inquisitor Ethaniel Graves arrived thirty minutes ago," Celestia said. "He brought twelve high-ranking templars with him in white plate armor. They entered the Headmaster’s Spire and demanded a full report on the vault breach."
Leo chewed his food calmly, his expression completely blank.
"Let them ask," Leo said.
"Ethaniel is not a normal priest, Leo," Celestia warned, leaning forward across the table. "He is the Blind Ascetic. He carries the ancient Scale of Sins. He believes any contact with dark miasma stains the soul forever. He is calling a mandatory assembly in the main courtyard for the fourth bell."
"Why the fourth bell?" Elara asked, her brow furrowing.
"He wants to inspect everyone who was near the lower archives," Celestia said.
Celestia looked straight into Leo’s dark eyes.
"He wants to inspect Saintess Seraphina."
Silence settled over the balcony table for three seconds.
The morning wind rustled the white curtains.
Elara reached out under the table, her cold, delicate fingers resting on Leo’s thigh.
"Seraphina spent twelve hours locked alone in the dark with you, Leo," Elara murmured, her voice carrying a sharp edge of curiosity. "Did anything happen down there?"
Leo looked at Elara with an unreadable gaze.
"I fixed the vault. She followed orders," Leo said.
Elara stared at his face for a moment, looking for any hesitation.
She found none.
A small, proud smile returned to her lips as she leaned her head against Leo’s arm.
"Good," Elara whispered. "I don’t care about the Saintess. But if that blind Inquisitor tries to blame you for the monsters, House Snowveil will not stay silent."
"Neither will House Raine," Celestia said firmly, her golden eyes flashing with sharp resolve. "I have already instructed my family’s attendants to monitor the Church’s movements."
Leo took a slow drink of his hot tea, feeling the warmth spread through his chest.
Having two high-ranking noble heiresses backing him openly made political maneuvers simple.
The heavy bronze bell in the Academy’s central clocktower struck four deep, resonating chimes.
The sound rolled across the stone roofs of the campus, echoing through the courtyard trees.
The fourth bell had arrived.
Leo set his empty cup down on the table with a soft clack.
He pushed his chair back and stood up.
He reached for his dark leather coat hanging on the wooden stand, slipping his arms through the sleeves and fastening the silver buttons down the front.
He buckled his sword belt around his waist, the heavy scabbard settling against his left hip.
Celestia stood up, smoothing the front of her uniform.
Elara rose from her chair, stepping in front of Leo.
Her cool hands reached up, straightening the collar of his coat to cover the red bite mark on his neck.
"Come back to me after the assembly, Leo," Elara whispered softly, looking up into his dark eyes.
"I will," Leo said.
He turned toward the heavy oak door.
"Let us go see what the blind man wants," Leo said.