And then, just as quickly as it appeared, the intensity faded.

In contrast to his charming attitude towards Elyana, Leon simply nodded and looked away, as if Ardyn's presence was suddenly insignificant. As if he hadn't been staring at him so intensely just now.

How odd, Ardyn thought.

Was it because he was a Guardian? Or was it because he was a royal but belonged to the lower class?

The other nobles showed no interest in him, but Leon and the Duke seemed to have a similar particular reaction, as if they had just been presented with a laboratory specimen.

He should remember to ask Evan more about this later. He had a feeling that it would be important for him to know more about the Duke's background including the royal family's relationship with Leon.

Ardyn shifted awkwardly in place, not knowing what move to do next.

"We shall be going now, Your Grace," Elyana said smoothly, successfully dispelling the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

The Duke rested his right hand over his heart while his left hand held the hilt of his sword — holy crap, that was probably a real sword, wasn't it? — and then he bowed his head low. "I once again give you my sincerest congratulations, Your Highness."

Elyana responded to him with a smile, and then she started speaking to Leon again. Ardyn decided to tune out their conversation at this point, relieved that he no longer needed to do anything. All these formal conversations just reminded him of all the history books and historical dramas that he used to watch back in his world, and those often bored him to death.

So he looked around instead, still dazzled by his surroundings. The feeling was similar to all those school proms and party nights, but on a much larger scale. But this was different, because of course, he barely knew anybody here, and he also had to be careful about his reputation. He couldn't blow his cover or incriminate Evan and the other Guardians in any way. It was a matter of life and death, apparently.

Still, homesickness aside… I don't think I can ever get used to living in a place like this, he thought. I wonder how Evan and Elyana do it.

Having to please all these nobles and be calm, rational, and responsible for so many things all the time? That sounds exhausting and suffocating as hell.

Ardyn was eventually pulled out of his thoughts when he saw a hand waving in front of his face.

It was Elyana, gazing at him with a puzzled look in her eyes.

"Is something the matter?" she asked. "You looked like you were in a daze."

Ardyn glanced back and saw Leon and the Duke already walking away.

"Who is he?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Who? Duke Hartengrove?"

"Hartengrove?" he repeated.

"Yes. That's his last name."

"Oh. I meant the other one. His son. What's his name again?"

"Ah, you mean Leon?" Elyana smiled, her eyes misting over as though she were in the middle of recalling nostalgic memories. "He's a childhood friend of ours. If he seemed cold earlier, please don't mind it. He doesn't make it obvious, but he's actually quite shy."

"Shy?" Ardyn thought back to those piercing eyes. It was like the man knew something he didn't. But there was no way that his cover got blown this easily, right?

"By any chance, is he also a Guardian?" he asked curiously.

Maybe he could read minds or something. It doesn't hurt to try.

Elyana shook her head. "He's not a Guardian, but he is proficient when it comes to combat. The art of swordfighting, specifically. I remember when he used to live here in the castle. He was such a crybaby." She giggled. "He was so cute that Evan and I just wanted to protect him at all costs."

"Oh. I see…" Ardyn sighed, feeling somewhat disappointed that Leon didn't turn out to be a mind-reader.

I should really reign in my imagination sometimes…

"Those were the days," Elyana continued on as they strolled through the crowd. The buffet table now had new dishes prepared, so a lot of people were eager to try the delicacies. This gave them a moment of peace since almost all the nobles had already offered their congratulations and were now preoccupied with other things.

Ardyn listened intently without interrupting. I guess I don't need to ask Evan about this at all, he thought.

"He would sneak out of his lessons to meet with us. I remember he was so interested in the outside world," she continued on. "He was also very fascinated by our magic when we showed it to him. He said he wanted to do it, too."

Her smile dropped a little.

"But of course, our secret meetings made the Duke feel displeased," she said quietly. "Leon kept skipping classes to play with us. He didn't want to become responsible for anything. He hated the training that his father gave him as a daily routine. The Duke would often rebuke him for having no ambition."

"But... he was a child back then, right?" Ardyn asked, bewildered.

"Yes. But Duke Hartengrove had high expectations for him. We could all sense it." Elyana smiled sadly. "Leon is the Duke's only son, so a lot of pressure was placed on his shoulders. Even until now, I can tell that he has become very restrained."

"Oh." Ardyn imagined a pitiful-looking younger version of Leon running around, playing with kids his age, and then subjected to lessons and training the moment he returned home. "That sounds really sad."

"It is." Elyana nodded. "Duke Hartengrove didn't voice out his thoughts about our friendship with Leon, but he soon came to a breaking point."

Ardyn peered at her closely. "What happened?"

She sighed. "One day, he took Leon away from the castle and trained him in the duchy instead. He really disapproved of Leon getting 'distracted' by things that weren't a part of his royal duties."

"Damn."

"We never saw him again after that, except of course for traditional celebratory events in which they're required to come to the city to attend." Elyana sighed. "The Duke might seem calm and polite, but he has never really liked me and Evan since the beginning. Overall, it's just complicated."

Hmm, Ardyn thought, an idea slowly forming in his head. "Do you think that the Duke… doesn't like Guardians?"