"ME"

"Oof…"

Leonel stumbled backward and almost fell over before catching himself. Or rather, he thought he caught himself before a sneaky foot hit the back of his heel and he was sent tumbling over.

He didn't have the chance to give Nilrem a glare before he hit the ground. However, the beauty in his arms didn't seem to care in the slightest.

Aina didn't say anything, and her sobs were mostly silent, but Leonel didn't need to hear them to feel them. She hugged him so tightly that he thought he might suffocate, but he really couldn't bring himself to say anything about it. He could only hold her waist and rub her back, slowly controlling his own emotions. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

He wasn't the only one who had lost people, and his death would have hit Aina no less than what Leonel was experiencing right now.

All things considered, he didn't really care very much about how he, himself, was feeling. He had already decided to be the bedrock that would hold up the skies, so that was what he would be… especially for his own wife.

"Don't you three know that it's rude to stare?" Nilrem asked the three gentlemen that had come to block Leonel's path.

Well, it was hard to look at them like gentlemen at all. That was because, due to how fast Aina had blown by them, they had mostly ended up sprawled on the ground.

They had only barely managed to pick themselves up and were already sporting ugly expressions when Nilrem spoke.

Looking at the man who was sneaking glances at Leonel and Aina as though he was enjoying the show as well, they couldn't help but feel incomparably aggrieved on the inside. But they still didn't dare to say anything to this man.

Instead, they all politely greeted him, storing away their dissatisfaction in the depths of their hearts.

"Senior, I'm Alric Fawkes. Pleased to meet you. I hope you'll forgive me for my earlier rudeness."

"I'm Cian Fawkes, please accept my apologies."

"I'm Mund Fawkes…"

Nilrem hardly gave them a glance. He had met these three before, and he had the memory of an expert, let alone the fact he was also a Savant of Dream Force. He only needed to hear their names once to remember them.

They were a trio of half-brothers born around the same time to the current Third Imperial Prince of the Empire. This was the third-born male heir to Gervaise, who was obviously born two males later than the only uncle Leonel had had any interaction with until now… well, the only uncle of the Fawkes family line.

As for his Uncle Montez, he still wasn't sure where he was.

Not only did he know their names, he knew their exact lineage and their relation to the throne. But these three insisted on introducing themselves every single time they appeared as though they were afraid that he wouldn't remember.

It seems that they couldn't take a hint. It wasn't that he didn't remember, it was that he couldn't be bothered to exchange pleasantries with them.

Eventually, at some point, Leonel and Aina stopped being all lovey-dovey. Well, it seemed like that was the case for Leonel, but Aina still practically wanted to bury herself into his embrace, pressing herself against the side of his body and holding onto his arm as though it was dear life.

She looked up at his side profile as though checking and double-checking to ensure that this was real and not just another dream. She didn't even spare Nilrem a glance, let alone the three little princes.

Finally, it was Leonel that seemed to have to deal with them.

"Who are you?" Leonel asked as though he hadn't heard their earlier introductions.

The three frowned and looked at Leonel all at once. They sized him up, but whether it was from his clothing to his strength, nothing seemed up to par. Even until now, Leonel was still wearing his silk robes and boxers as though he hadn't been frequenting the most important areas of the Empire.

"You are Leonel Morales?"

They seemed to emphasize Leonel's last name as though to draw a clear line.

They weren't the only ones who disdained Leonel's choice in last name. Even those born from Imperial Princesses still took on the Fawkes family name. It was an enormous shame that the strongest of the Imperial Princesses had actually taken on the name of another… a dead man at that.

Leonel could practically read their minds, but since they didn't speak the words aloud, his expression didn't change, nor did he show any anger.

"Are you here to waste my time with worthless questions?"

"No." Alric said plainly. "We didn't come here to waste time with you at all. Commander Aina deserted her post and came here. We were only on our way to reprimand her when we saw you."

"Alright, you've been seen. You can go now."

Alric's gaze flashed with a malevolent light.

"It seems that you are very new to the Fawkes and how we do things. Here, we work only on what can be done and what you've done lately. Right now, you are as useless as—"

"Finished?" Leonel asked, still feeling bored.

However, Alric didn't seem to care as he continued. "No. As your cousin, I'll advise you that there are some things that are better left to a clean break. The sooner you cut them off, the better. Or else it will only lead to further heartache in the future.

"The Fawkes shouldn't allow the useless to reproduce with geniuses. You are wasting her prime years, and if you waste her womb as well, there'll be a place for you in the blasphemers of the bloodline."

"Oh? And who would be better?"

"Me."

All three of them spoke at the same time and then glared toward one another. They were nothing if not confident.

Leonel nodded slowly, meeting each one of their gazes.

"Kill them."

Before they could be surprised, Aina had already moved.