Leona was completely caught off guard.
She had expected Julius to at least listen.
To hear her out, to understand that everything she had said about Luca wasn't just her personal change of heart, but an attempt to reach him too.
To make him see that Luca wasn't an enemy, that he had value, that he mattered to their people.
But Julius...he didn't even seem to care.
Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
"But why, Julius?" She asked, her tone almost pleading. "Didn't you hear a single thing I just said?"
"He was sent by the Goddess herself to help us. My Mother sacrificed her life, along with the other clan leaders for him!"
"And now, after everything, you're saying we should just...throw him away?"
"How does that make any sense?!"
Her hands balled into fists as she took a step forward.
"I-I mean, you've seen it yourself—how much he's done for us in just two days. The way he's been helping the villagers, the way he's brought hope back into their eyes."
