"During this time, she's been very kind to me—but it's gone beyond normal care. I should help her hit the brakes, otherwise she's heading toward a bad ending."
Leon said this with a calm expression.
Humans are creatures who find excuses for their actions.
Recently, Sylphine had been using maternal love as an excuse for feelings toward him that went far beyond that of a mother.
Even this suit she had sewn by hand was a gift of that affection. Not long ago, she had almost traveled to the Kingdom of Midgar under the guise of diplomacy just to see him.
She hadn't done such a thing for the king—or even for her own children.
[Her feelings for me began as guilt and a sense of debt… At least at first, that was true. But after we reconciled, she gradually lost control.]
Leon remembered the day he made peace with Sylphine—or rather, the day Sylphine apologized to him.
Because he had forgiven her, she no longer avoided him.
But after that, Sylphine became more and more biased toward Leon, more indulgent, more doting.
Now, it had gone somewhat out of control.
Others couldn't see it, but Leon himself could—and so could C.C., who had once possessed the power to be loved.
"Sylphine's maternal love has gone bad."
"Well, in that woman's eyes, you're no longer just the child left behind by her beloved sister." Sylphine, too, had been eroded by Leon's charm—though only in its very early stages.
But those thoughts had to be cut off.
So Leon chose to stain her hand-sewn clothes with red wine, as both a reminder and a signal of distance.
"You really are a sinner."
"I'll go and apologize to her later. I hope she can fulfill her duties and act normally. Otherwise…" Leon sighed.
Otherwise, he'd have no choice but to do something cruel—something that would make Sylphine hate him.
He sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"Alright, it's time for you to head back in, C.C."
"I don't care if I get recognized."
"It doesn't matter. Either way, I'll handle it. With the Geass you gave me, at worst I can make them all lose their memories."
"It's almost time."
The green-haired witch stepped closer, peering carefully into Leon's violet eyes, and spoke seriously.
Although Leon rarely used his Geass, the two had signed a contract ten years ago, and he had almost accumulated enough uses for… something.
The Geass sigil in Leon's left eye had been glowing brighter, and at the same time, its binding force of "absolute obedience" had grown stronger.
Its restrictions were weakening.
But the number of targets it could affect had increased.
In the past, Leon could only use Geass on humans.
Now, it could even work on certain monsters.
"I think the time is near. No matter. I'll prepare a contingency plan."
Leon touched his left eye as he spoke.
After all, the absolute conditions for activation still required direct eye contact with the target and for them to clearly see the Geass crest in his own eye.
In that case, all he had to do was make a pair of special contact lenses. With his current technical skill, that was child's play.
"Be careful. Geass is by no means a blessing, but a curse. One wrong step could cause irreversible consequences," C.C. warned.
For example, in a fit of madness, he could give someone an order to kill themselves without realizing it…
"I'll take your advice, but there's no need to worry. After all, I have you by my side." Leon shrugged and smiled.
"Hmph—That's right." C.C. was startled for a moment, then smiled back.
Indeed.
As long as she remained by his side, she would never let him cause a tragedy with that power.
This was her mission as the one who had given Leon the power of Geass.
"Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you, C.C.—do you have any other contractors besides me?" Leon asked curiously.
"Yes."
"Really? Tell me their name, appearance, and where they live now."
"Your killing intent is written all over your face." C.C. stared at the clearly jealous Leon in disbelief.
Bestowing Geass wasn't easy. The probability of failure was extremely high.
Only one contractor before this prince was still alive.
The witch thought for a moment, recalling that twenty years ago she had given Geass to someone who had also awakened the ability to hear the voice of the heart.
But just as she was about to continue speaking, she noticed Leon's extremely displeased expression.
"So, what's your relationship with this person?"
"Ah? You're jealous."
"Don't be ridiculous. How could I… Tsk! Well, it's certainly unpleasant."
"Hmph! There's no need to worry about that, Leon."
C.C. lifted her arms and wrapped them around Leon's neck.
She stood on tiptoe and offered her red lips.
Leon didn't hold back—he pulled the witch into his arms, kissing her possessively.
"Everything about me belongs to you alone, Leon. You even took the first time I'd saved for a thousand years…"
C.C. buried her face in Leon's chest.
This man was her true love.
This man knew her real name.
This man would be her end.
This was the fate she had finally found after searching for thousands of years.
"So rest assured—I'm a witch who belongs only to you. In the past, present, and future."
Leon felt his heartbeat quicken slightly.
The witch seemed surprised by this as well.
"Oh? You're feeling shy this time?"
"Witch Without a Path, I'm just letting you have the upper hand for a moment."
"And what do you intend to do?"
With his cheeks slightly flushed, Leon wrapped his arms around the witch's waist in mild dissatisfaction, pressed his mouth to her ear, and spoke in a voice only she could hear.
"Thank you for always being by my side. I love you, Sissi."
C.C.'s whole body trembled as if struck by lightning.
Unexpectedly, he had spoken words of both gratitude and confession in a gentle tone—and he'd even called her by her true name.
"Kuh—! Leon, you're so cunning…!"
"Haha, it's so nice to see you blush."
Seeing C.C.'s ears turn red, Leon felt a sense of accomplishment, but the witch refused to admit defeat.
"Hmph! I saw you blushing just now."
"No way. That never happened."
"Haaah?! You can't lie to me!"
"Ha?! Are you saying I'm lying?"
Leon refused to admit it, and C.C. raised her brows in protest.
The two began bickering in the hallway.
If anyone saw them, they would never believe it—one was a prince who had performed countless shocking feats, and the other was a witch who had lived for nearly a thousand years and seen all the world's suffering.
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."