Chapter 1536 - 218 - An Upcoming Storm (5)
Lucielle’s POV
I was standing together with Elise on top of one of the taller buildings overlooking the town.
To be honest, I had absolutely no idea why this meeting had to happen on a rooftop like this, but I supposed conversations with this kind of weight somehow felt more appropriate when they took place high above everything else. Maybe it was because nobody could casually interrupt us up here, or maybe it was simply because the quiet atmosphere made serious discussions easier. Whatever the reason was, this place somehow suited the mood perfectly, and I couldn’t really complain about that.
A gentle breeze drifted across the rooftop, carrying cool air between us while the city stretched out beneath our feet. The streets looked surprisingly peaceful from up here, almost making it difficult to believe that the world was slowly preparing itself for another conflict.
Then, without even giving me a moment to prepare myself, Elise broke the silence.
"Did you have sex with Leon?"
That question caught me completely off guard.
Out of everything she could have possibly asked, that was somehow the very first thing that came out of her mouth. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t dance around the topic, and didn’t even bother easing into the conversation. She simply asked it as if she were discussing today’s weather.
More importantly, where had she even gotten an idea like that in the first place?
"Don’t tell me... Leon told you?" I asked while looking directly at her.
She slowly shook her head.
"No. He didn’t tell me anything at all," she answered calmly. "Still, he met with you earlier today, so I figured something must have happened. Besides, your aura feels a little different than it did before."
She could actually tell something like that?
Thinking about it for another moment, I supposed she probably could.
Even then, I couldn’t help finding it a little surprising. Back when I was the one raising her, she rarely showed much emotion, and reading other people’s subtle changes wasn’t something she openly demonstrated very often. Seeing her calmly make an observation like this felt strangely fascinating. It was one of those little moments that quietly reminded me how much she had changed over the years.
"I did," I admitted honestly after a brief pause.
Trying to deny it would have accomplished absolutely nothing anyway.
She had already noticed the difference before asking the question, and lying would only make the conversation drag on for longer than necessary. Besides, judging from the look in her eyes, she already seemed convinced before I even opened my mouth. Any attempt to dodge the subject would have been painfully obvious.
To my surprise, Elise didn’t look angry after hearing my answer.
Her expression barely changed at all.
If anything, she looked as though she had already expected that response from the very beginning.
She quietly let out a small sigh before speaking again.
"I honestly thought Leon wouldn’t be able to pull it off," she said. "Looks like I underestimated him after all. He must’ve done a pretty impressive job convincing you if you accepted him that easily."
"Well... I guess he did," I replied with a small smile.
For some reason, I suddenly became very aware of my own heartbeat.
It was beating just a little faster than usual.
That feeling caught me by surprise.
Never had I imagined I would experience something like this myself.
Life certainly had a funny habit of surprising people when they least expected it. Just when I thought I understood myself completely, something would come along and prove me wrong without even trying.
At the end of the day, though, I was still a woman.
Feeling Leon’s warmth against my skin, having him hold me close, and sharing that kind of intimacy with him...
Looking back on it now, I had enjoyed those moments much more than I originally expected I would.
The realization left me feeling slightly embarrassed, although I wasn’t exactly unhappy about it either.
"Leon already seems to have made up his mind about fighting Satania and the other Sins," Elise said while looking toward the distant horizon.
I quietly followed her gaze before answering only with silence.
Coming to that conclusion was honestly the most natural thing in the world.
Leon had never been someone who hid his intentions particularly well. Once he made up his mind about something important, his resolve practically showed itself without him needing to say much at all. That was simply the kind of person he was.
More than anything, it seemed he had already decided that protecting the people he loved on the Human Continent was worth risking everything for.
"Protecting the people you love, huh..." I quietly muttered to myself while staring into the distance.
It really was a beautiful idea.
People naturally admired stories like that.
Someone standing against overwhelming odds simply because they wanted to protect those precious to them was the kind of story that touched people’s hearts almost effortlessly. It wasn’t complicated, yet somehow it always carried incredible emotional weight.
Even someone like me could understand why.
Even someone who had spent more years than she could count without truly having anyone to love could still appreciate how meaningful that kind of devotion really was.
Perhaps that was why Leon’s determination felt strangely inspiring.
Perhaps that was why I found myself admiring him more than I expected.
Unfortunately...
Protecting the people I loved had never been something I successfully managed to do.
Mother died without me being able to save her.
Satania and the others killed her using the very power Mother herself had once entrusted to them.
Meanwhile, I could do absolutely nothing except stand there and watch everything unfold right before my eyes.
That memory had never truly disappeared.
Time had dulled the pain a little, but it had never erased it completely.
Sometimes it still came back without warning, reminding me just how powerless I had once been.
"If only I could’ve been as brave as him... then maybe..." I quietly whispered before letting the rest of the sentence disappear into the wind.
Those words never reached a proper conclusion.
Perhaps they didn’t need one.
What happened to Mother belonged to the distant past now.
Many years had already passed since that terrible day.
Still, the feeling left behind by those memories refused to disappear so easily.
Now another situation that felt painfully similar was slowly unfolding before us.
Leon was preparing himself to fight those six.
Everything pointed toward that outcome becoming unavoidable.
Watching him walk toward that battle brought back emotions I thought had already faded with time.
Part of me wanted to believe things would turn out differently this time.
Another part of me feared history was preparing to repeat itself all over again.
For the first time in a very long while, I genuinely hoped the future would prove my fears completely wrong.