[Black Clover characters' belongs to Yūki Tabata]

[I'm also on AO3 with the same username]

CHAPTER 5

Study Partner

Fuegoleon P.O.V.

Leopold started spitting fire as he sneezed, causing my grandmother and I to breathe a sigh of relief.

My little brother had inherited the family's magical power, which was amazing. With Mereoleona shunning her responsibilities I couldn't take care of everything myself forever, so Leopold would be a big help when he got older, but for now he still refused to make fireballs with his hands.

- No, you can't touch that - I warned Leo as he climbed onto my shoulder in an attempt to distract me as trying to reach for my grimoire.

He looked at me with his eyes that looked more like two turquoise stones, using all his cute childish energy to make me change my mind.

- No - I repeated.

Leo sneezed again, almost burning my face, but I was quick enough to block him with my shirt sleeve. The fabric got a little burnt, but it didn't matter, it wouldn't be the first time. And Leo's firepower still wasn't high enough.

- I hope you grow a little more soon - I started to grumble - Leona is almost my height and you're still so short... And why is your hair so pointy?

Leo didn't seem to mind what I said, as he was soon running across the palace courtyard, chasing ants. I sighed again, but this time disappointed in myself for saying those things to him.

I think I was only annoyed after I received a letter from one of the Silva family's servants. Apparently Nozel had time to write me a note before he left saying that Corinna had secretly gone to visit him at night, and I hadn't slept properly ever since, always waking up in the middle of the night imagining that Corinna would do the same to me, that she would show up and we'd end up sharing secrets and moments together.

But of course that never happened.

And now I was afraid to face Corinna, because I knew I would end up asking her why she didn't come to see me... And that would be inappropriate; after all, she would end up marrying Nozel someday, wouldn't she? I had nothing to do with it.

Suddenly my attention shifted from Leo, who was still staring intently at an anthill that had formed near the plants in the yard, to a man in a green robe, with a clover shape on the back. He was leaving the castle surrounded by other important people who according to grandma I needed to learn their names and faces if I ever wanted to be the Magic Emperor.

Corinna's father looked serious, and some of the men who followed him were magic knights. Did they come to talk to the king? Had something bad happened?

- She's in the library.

- What? - I almost jumped with fright when I heard Mrs. Theresa's voice next to me.

We didn't have magical training today, that's why I came out with Leo to get some sunlight on the patio.

- Miss Corinna - she said.

- Oh. - I felt my throat close up at once. Did everyone in the castle already know about my feelings? - Am I that transparent?

Mrs. Theresa smiled slightly, which was rare for someone who was always with her knight robes, ready to fight at any time. Some wrinkles were already forming at the corner of her face, but she still looked fierce.

- Go ahead, I'll take Leopold inside.

- Thank you! - I replied in a hurry, running without even thinking properly as I took the best shortcuts to reach the library almost bumping into a few servants and a few nobles who came to speak to the king in their daily need for flattery.

I slowed down when I arrived at the royal library, a place that only the noble families who lived in the castle could use, apart from a few exceptions, as in the case of the Alstroemeria family.

I took a deep breath before entering and walked around the corners of the great hall, filled with shelves and books, hoping to see Corinna before she found me with her unique sense of perception. And I did, after a while of checking every possible section and wondering why we had so many books.

Corinna was in the back of the library walking as she held a book in front of her face, which made her bump into one of the shelves. Without stopping to read, she continued her way to a table with twenty other open books.

She was wearing a dress the same dark greenish color as her father's robe, with a white lace collar beneath the black pearl necklace. Her hair was neatly combed back in a ponytail, so I figured her father must have asked her to dress formally to come to the castle.

"We were really getting older," I thought, "now Corinna can't dress like she wants all the time, especially here."

She sat gracefully in one of the velvet chairs, still too intent on the book in front of her to notice my presence. I approached slowly, careful not to drop any rare copies as I crept along the shelves, clearing space between the books so I could catch a glimpse of Corinna without her noticing.

As I took some books out of the way I noticed that I had never been to that section before. And from the dust gathering between them that meant they weren't popular books.

- I see you Leon - Corinna's voice didn't take me by surprise, and she didn't even look up to face me - I recognize you by the steps.

- I don't think I'm sneaky enough - I replied, immediately grabbing a book to pretend I wasn't here for her. - May I sit with you?

Corinna nodded, so I went out from behind the bookshelf and settled into a chair opposite her, placing the open book on the table, standing upright so that it served as a small barrier between her and my gaze. So I leaned my head and arms on the table and sidled a little to the left so I could see Corinna better.

She looked like a different girl today, not just because she was wearing formal clothes and kept her hair up, but because of her tired expression. There was a slight unease in the way Corinna was carrying herself that morning.

That's when I noticed what she was reading.

- Since when do you study curses? - I asked. Corinna looked at me hesitantly, and for the first time I didn't feel good looking into her brown eyes.

- It's just to distract me - she replied, closing the book instantly.

She put her hand to her neck, to the pearl necklace we'd taken from the tower. Corinna tugged at him for a moment, but then she seemed to give up.

- Do you want me to take it off for you?

- What? - Corinna asked, she didn't even seem to hear me - No, I'm fine, it's a good memory.

I nodded in silence. Her gaze softened a little at those words.

"A good memory"… A memory of Nozel or me?

Corinna started to close the other books on the table. I don't think her father brought her here to distract herself with curses, but my mind started playing tricks on me, and I smiled without meaning to, because the color of her dress along with the naturally greenish color of her hair made her look like a vegetable.

- What? - Corinna asked, I realized I wasn't holding back my smile.

- Nothing - I replied - I'm just imagining things.

I would probably die of embarrassment in my room after that, but Corinna smiled, for real this time, because I knew when her smiles were real or not, so I must not have sounded too bad.

- C'mon - I held out my hand to Corinna - let's go for a walk.

- But my father... - She hesitated again, and Corinna never hesitated when it came to adventure.

- He left the castle, but he should be back soon - I said - let's take the opportunity and get out of here.

Still no answer.

- Want to see the throne?

This time I made it, for her eyes lit up like two bonfires in winter.

XXX

One of the perks of living in the castle for so long was that you ended up learning some secrets, and Nozel and I ended up uncovering those secrets together, for example, learning the secret routes the king's women used to escape the eyes of nobles when they came to visit him.

The path was dark and cramped, and it smelled of perfume and hair creams, but Corinna ran ahead of me, holding back a giggle every time we ended up running into some noble in an awkward situation.

- They always sound so... Ridiculous! - She whispered.

- It's because they need attention to survive - I replied - all the time.

Corinna laughed again, but this time too loudly, for the nobles on the next wall looked startled. I took her hand and led the way; we didn't need ghost rumors in the castle.

- We may be laughing at them now - she said, and I noticed some melancholy in her voice - but maybe we will become like that in the future.

- I won't be that way, and surely you won't either.

- You have a lot of faith in me, Leon.

- Of course I do, you're my best friend.

- You're my best friend too - Corinna said - you and Nozel.

Luckily we got to see the king's throne before I could bother being compared to Nozel all the time. The secret door was behind a curtain, and I had to open it carefully so we wouldn't be caught by the creaking wood, but luckily the hall was empty now, so I only had to drag the curtain a little so Corinna had a better view.

The hall was huge, with a staircase leading up to the throne so that the king was higher than everyone else. Behind the throne was a golden clover leaf, and gleaming gold columns that contrasted with the purple color of the walls.

- I like that - Corinna said - the vibrant colors.

- I think it's a bit too much.

- Maybe because you're already used to this kind of thing... Of course this shouldn't be impressive for someone who will soon be in the Crimson Lion squad, with your embroidered cloak and red hair shooting flames across the capital!

I rolled my eyes as Corinna laughed at me, but she wasn't wrong. Soon everyone would be looking at me.

Everyone but her, I think.

Corinna's laughter seemed to alert the guards, who entered the hall looking for intruders, their spears pointed into the void.

Even though we were considered a threat, Corinna was still smiling, so I had to cover her mouth with my hand to stifle her laughter.

- Let's wait a bit and get out of here - I whispered, only then realizing that we were too close to each other.

I could feel Corinna's heartbeat echoing through my body, but in a normal rhythm, unlike my heart, which seemed to want to leave my chest as I felt in the soft scent of wildflowers she wore. But Corinna didn't seem to care.

Because I was just her best friend.

That seemed to be enough.