"Sorry, could you repeat that again?"
"As you wish, milady." Niles lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. "Lord Leo sent me to apologise in his stead. He's unable to partake in your studies this afternoon. I believe he's still… indisposed."
Gripping the history book tighter to her chest, Corrin let her gaze drop in dismay.
When Leo never showed up for lunch, she had instantly felt that something was wrong, but had forced herself to believe the excuse Odin offered the family—that his liege was merely tired from studying all night. This was common for Leo, especially when he got too absorbed in learning a new spell or in reading a new book, and that was why she had simply brushed it off.
But her instincts had been right, after all. Leo would never skip their study session unless something serious had happened.
"This is our special time together, Corrin." He murmured as he caressed her cheek. "I know Father and the others might disapprove of our relationship when the time comes, but right here, right now, it's just us and no one else."
Taking a deep breath, she raised her head and faced Niles, who, in turn, was observing her with an unfathomable expression. "Please tell me, did something happen to him?"
The retainer raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean, milady?"
"Niles, you know exactly what I mean. Why is Leo acting so strange? You're his constant companion; surely, you must have seen or heard something."
Then a thought struck her. What if—? What if it was because of the kiss?
Shaken by the idea, Corrin placed the book on the table beside her, her heart suddenly beating very fast.
She thought that she had made some progress last night. Leo had appeared as though he liked what happened—his response to her kiss was nothing short of enthusiastic—but perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps he was repulsed by her brazenness. He did leave the room in the middle of things.
Niles must have sensed the direction Corrin's thoughts were taking because he promptly spoke up, his tone considerably gentler than before. "Milady, believe me when I say that Prince Leo is not feigning his sickness. He really looked ill, I assure you."
"How could he be ill? I was with him the whole day yesterday and he seemed fine."
Niles hesitated, clearly debating on whether to say something or not. Running a hand through his pale hair, he eventually sighed in resignation. "Look, Lady Corrin, this puts me in a tough position. I don't make a habit of meddling in other people's affairs, but since this concerns Prince Leo's health, I'm willing to make an exception."
"You won't have to take responsibility for anything, Niles. I will. I promise. Now, please, just tell me what you know." Corrin implored.
"Okay, then." Niles walked closer to her, leaned over and whispered to her ear. Corrin would have recoiled at the sudden intrusion of her personal space if she wasn't so desperate to unearth the truth. "I think Lady Camilla has something to do with all of this. Lord Leo was fine until he had breakfast with her early this morning. He went here in the library to get some work done after that, but rushed back to his room after just a few minutes. He looked really feverish."
Corrin gasped.
What if Big Sister made a mistake and ended up making Leo sick? Oh, this is all my fault.
"Thank you, Niles, but I have to go now." Corrin didn't even wait for an answer. She was already manoeuvring around the wooden desk and the bookshelves by the time Niles was able to process what she said.
After opening the door leading to the hallway, she hiked her dress above the knees and broke into a run, guilt and concern spurring her even faster to Leo's room down the chamber. She didn't even care about modesty. If he was sick because of her, the least she could do was nurse him back to health. She couldn't just stand by and let him suffer.
"Lady Corrin—!"
"Sorry, Felicia!" Corrin managed to avoid a collision with her friend at the last minute. Giving Felicia one last glance to make sure she was okay, she continued her jog to Leo's room. She was panting by the time she had reached the door to his bedchamber.
"Leo! Leo, please open the door." Corrin exclaimed, in between breaths, knocking loud enough to make sure that he could hear her. "I need to see you. Please."
There was a shuffling sound, then a muffled reply. "I'm sick, Corrin. I need to rest. You should go back to the library." The voice sounded close—Leo was just behind the door.
Corrin tried to turn the knob, only to find it locked. Drat. "I won't leave until I talk to you, Leo. I—I need to apologise. You see, it's my fault that you're sick."
"What? Don't be ridiculous." Now that she thought about it, Leo sounded strange, like he was having trouble breathing.
Gods. What did Camilla do to him? "No, I'm not being ridiculous. Please, just hear me out." Lowering her voice, Corrin pressed closer to the gap in the door frame, all the while looking over her shoulder to make sure that she was alone in the hallway. "I talked to Camilla yesterday afternoon, when we were having tea. I, er, asked for her advice. About us."
"About us?"
Corrin sighed. "Yes, about us. Please, could you just open the door so we could talk about this? In private?"
A few seconds of silence passed, and she was about to give up when the door suddenly opened, surprising her with what it revealed.
It was Leo like she had never seen before. His blond hair was terribly disheveled and several tendrils were sticking out in places, as though he had ruffled it repeatedly with his hand. He wasn't wearing his usual elaborate ensemble, and was, instead, dressed in a simple white linen shirt and breeches—both of which were heavily wrinkled and askew, giving the impression that he had haphazardly thrown them on.
But what really startled Corrin was the look on Leo's face. His eyes were wild and faintly red in corners. His nostrils flared with every shallow breath he took, his cheeks tainted a deep crimson colour. He looked like a man who was battling an intense fever.
"Oh, Leo," Corrin started to reach for him, but he quickly spun away, hastily moving a few steps from where she was standing.
Hurt by his rejection, she proceeded to close the door behind her.
"Don't lock it." Leo commanded gruffly, his back still turned. "Go ahead, and tell me what you wanted to say."
Why was he so harsh? Was he truly angry with her? Eyes misting, Corrin struggled to keep her voice steady. "I told Camilla that I"—Deep breaths, Corrin. You can do it.—"I told her that I was having problems moving our relationship forward. Then she said that she was going to help me, that she had a plan."
She pressed her back against the door, her body suddenly needing the support. "I thought she was just going to help me become prettier, or more attractive; I didn't know it would turn out this way, Leo, I swear. I don't know what happened, but I'm sure that Camilla simply made a mistake. Neither of us would want you to get sick. And—and yes, you have every right to be angry, but I just wanted to be closer to you. I hope you'll understand that."
"You're wrong, Corrin." He replied hoarsely.
"I'm… wrong?"
"Yes, you're wrong. I'm not angry, and I don't think any of this is your fault."
"Then why won't you at least look at me? If you're really not angry—"
"Because I've been hexed and drugged, and it's taking all my willpower not to strip you naked right now and pound myself into you."
Corrin swallowed. She had never heard him speak like this. "What—what kind of spell? And… drugged?"
"A truth spell, something to loosen the tongue. I assume this is Camilla's way of saying that I should be honest with you about my feelings." Chuckling sardonically, Leo slowly turned, his intense violet eyes travelling greedily along her body, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in their wake. "And I suspect the tea I drank for breakfast was laden with aphrodisiacs."
Corrin understood it now. The wildness in his eyes, the shortness of his breath, the flush in his cheeks—this wasn't the look of a sick person. This was the look of a wild beast ready to consume its prey.
"Go back now, Corrin. Because I swear, once I get hold of you, I'll keep on making love to you until we're both unable to walk."
Warmth suffused her cheeks, and her heart raced uncontrollably at his words. Were these Leo's true feelings? Thoughts that he had kept hidden inside all these years?
And it was then that Corrin decided.
The prey wanted to be consumed.
Turning the lock with a click, Corrin then unlaced her dress from behind, her trembling fingers making quick work of its stays. It was just a simple frock and within seconds, it slid off her body, leaving her only in her chemise.
"Then make love to me, Leo. Make love to me now."
