"I've already reached my limit…"
After Renner left, Leon continued dealing with many influential people, but he felt his patience had finally run out.
Even Sylphine couldn't choose a companion who could keep entertaining him while also acting as a shield. After all, there were only a handful of truly exceptional and special individuals.
"Your Highness Leon, would you dance with me?"
"Your Highness, my daughter and wife have long wished to meet you. I wonder if you might be free this evening…"
"Prince Leon, I am an envoy from the Far East. There is a beautiful princess in our country."
As the invitations poured in from those around him, Leon's eyes gradually grew empty. The wine glass in his hand already had a few cracks in it.
"So annoying…"
Leon raised a hand to cover his mouth. He had accidentally let his emotions slip.
It had been over four hours since the banquet began, and Leon had lost count of how many people had approached him. But to be honest, at this point, he would rather grab a mace and find a monster's lair to vent his frustration.
[Don't these people ever stop?]
They were like flies buzzing in his ears.
If possible, Leon wanted to ask them where they got their sense of superiority from. How could people who inherited their status through the achievements of their ancestors dare to approach him like this?
Could they look in the mirror and see what kind of person they really were?
Could they think before they spoke?
They were nothing more than a bunch of stupid pigs thinking they could walk alongside a lion.
"Your Highness, please be patient."
Euphilia walked up to Leon and held his hand, trying to calm his irritation.
"I've worked hard long enough, haven't I? This is almost enough, right? Can I leave first?"
Leon's expression twisted slightly.
He gave a somewhat anti-social smile as he held the silver-haired girl's hands and rubbed them vigorously.
That soft hand felt so pleasant to the touch. Normally, he would treat it like the finest porcelain, playing with it carefully.
But at this moment, Leon's movements were a bit rough.
Rather than deal with these bothersome people, he felt he'd rather fight dragons or battle the Diablos cult.
"While I understand your feelings, please wait a little longer. You are the main figure of this celebration banquet. There's no reason for you to leave so suddenly…"
"As long as there's a reason, I can leave, right?" Leon narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
Euphilia was taken aback for a moment, a bad premonition welling up inside her.
"Your Highness, what are you going to do?"
"I'm just going to create a reason."
Leon picked up the wine glass from the table and tilted it toward himself.
Dark red wine spilled onto his clothes.
Although his suit was black, the golden trim and the blue cape on his right shoulder made the stains stand out clearly.
"My apologies, I accidentally spilled wine on myself. I'll go change my clothes first. Please excuse me."
"Your Highness?!"
Before anyone could say another word, Leon left the palace.
The moment he stepped outside, he felt an illusionary sense of freedom.
"Wow~ Leon-chan really was bored out of his mind."
"Honestly, I was worried he'd lose his temper and knock everyone unconscious."
"By the way, is he coming back?"
"Yes… but it won't be him who comes back."
The girls familiar with him whispered among themselves. Leon's current mood had been like a ticking time bomb, now successfully defused. Everyone felt relieved.
Incidentally, their beauty had undoubtedly become the highlight of the banquet, but no one dared to approach them.
Since they had arrived with Leon, everyone had already assumed they were part of the prince's harem.
Who would dare to make a move on the future king's harem? Don't they value their lives? Or would someone like to be skinned alive by General Esdeath?
At that moment, outside the main hall—
"C.C., I'll leave this to you."
Leon took a spare suit from his storage and handed it to the green-haired witch before him.
C.C. was already an expert at impersonating him. Let alone outsiders—even the king and queen sometimes failed to tell them apart.
However—
"I don't want to."
The green-haired witch bluntly refused.
"But this suit isn't even tight."
"No, but what if I'm exposed? These people are high-ranking nobles, right?"
C.C. broke into a cold sweat. If her disguise failed, it would definitely provoke the displeasure of these powerful figures, and Leon's reputation would surely suffer.
"It's fine. Just don't get exposed. And if you do, I'll use Geass to erase their memories."
Leon gave her a thumbs-up with a deadpan expression.
C.C. couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, thinking he must really be irritated this time.
Anyone familiar with him knew he disliked using Geass to twist people's hearts.
Even so, the witch remained unwilling.
C.C. made it clear that Leon wasn't the only one who hated dealing with these nobles—she didn't want to become the target of adoration for those princesses and noble daughters either.
In response, Leon silently raised one finger.
"Unlimited pizza for a month."
"...Not interested."
C.C. hesitated for a moment but still refused.
Leon then raised five fingers.
"Five new pizza flavors."
"I–I still refuse."
C.C. clenched her teeth and turned away. At that moment, she felt as if she had just lost a hundred million gold coins.
Leon licked his lips, crossed his arms over his chest, and scowled.
"Tsk! Then how about I let you be on top tonight?"
"Deal!"
Leon rolled his eyes.
Ha~ This woman.
Since it was just the two of them, there was nothing to worry about. C.C. took Leon's clothes and changed right in front of him, then put the voice-changing necklace around her neck.
After donning the slime mask, she skillfully transformed into Leon's face. Finally, she added height to her shoes and made sure her chest was tightly bound.
"Perfect, as always."
"That's because I've mastered cross-dressing as you—something no one else could manage."
C.C. checked herself carefully, making sure there were no flaws, then nodded in satisfaction.
Now, as long as she had the necessary props, she could perfectly transform into Leon in just thirty seconds.
She could be considered an expert in disguising herself as him.
"Speaking of which, you're really cruel."
"What do you mean?" Leon raised an eyebrow.
C.C. pointed at the wine stain on his black suit.
"The queen worked so hard to sew that outfit for you, and you just spilled wine on it like it was nothing. How sad she must be."
"You shouldn't worry about that."
Leon waved a hand over the black suit, removing all traces of the wine. It was precise magical control, cleaning every fiber of the garment.
"Sylphine has cared for me a lot lately, but it's crossed a certain line. Her affection for me has surpassed what she feels for my father or Anis."
Leon patted the freshly cleaned suit.
"Even though I feel guilty, I have to make her sad—otherwise, sooner or later, she'll cross the forbidden line."
Sylphine was now excessively devoted to him. Though she believed it to be maternal love, Leon knew she was not his mother.
If this feeling continued to grow, it would become dangerous. So, he stained the clothes she gave him to make her feel sad, as a reminder.
"You really are a sinful man…"
C.C. crossed her arms over her chest and spoke with a subtle expression.
(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."