Leo never cared much for being liked.
He worked hard and wanted recognition and approval from those closest to him-from his siblings, and admittedly at one point, from his parents-but he never wanted anything more than that. To be liked by people in general, by the unknowing masses who only knew him by either name or face-it didn't seem to hold any sort of value to him. He had learned long ago that whatever he might have done, or haven't, there would always be someone who simply wouldn't like him. There had been men and women who hurled insults at him, or had tried to knife him in the back, just because. Leo then concluded that it would make no sense to try to please everyone, that it mattered little how the people actually thought of him.
I'm not well-liked, Leo thought.A lot of people say I'm a cold-blooded tyrant in the making. Or that I'm a child. Or hardly know my name because I'm not Xander.
Charlotte, on the other hand, was flowery, always acting amicable, trying to please everyone. Could she really stand to be with someone who everyone either loved or hated? What would people say to her, and about her, if she went out with him?
"This is not like you at all, Leo."
The voice snapped Leo from his thoughts, and he looked up, seeing Corrin with a crease between her brows. "W-What do you mean?"
"Checkmate," Corrin said, moving over a chess piece on the board before them. Leo blinked, and stared down at the chess board, as if he'd only realized it existed despite having started this game with his sister for a good few minutes already. "It's not like you to be so thoughtlessly easy to defeat, is everything alright?"
There was a moment of silence, but then Leo eventually decided to spill. "Sister… do you think I could ever be… likeable?"
Corrin looked confused, looking lost in thought for a moment. "What's this about? You are fairly 'likeable', Leo. Everyone is always singing praises about how talented and smart you are-"
"Not that sort of like," Leo interrupted, sounding frustrated. "Everyone only likes me for that. Because I'm a genius, a talented mage… But I'm not sure I could be liked as… a person."
Corrin only stared, looking puzzled out of her wits. It was truly not like Leo to care about being liked. Leo noticed the look on her face, and then sighed, his cheeks turning a shade of red from embarrassment. Here he was, sitting before Corrin-the one royal that was the epitome of "well-liked" in this army. The concept of being disliked must be so foreign to her.
I am acting like a child. I hardly ever cared if people liked me before. But now that I want Charlotte to like me, I…
"Forget it," Leo said. "I've said too much-"
"I think there will always be people who will like you, or dislike you," Corrin suddenly said. "Everyone has their set opinions or misconceptions about someone… especially about us royalty. But, Leo, if you're concerned about being liked for who you are… I guess the first step is to show people who you really are? I don't think you're really fond of reaching out and opening up."
"Because it's mostly a pain to have to go through all of that," Leo mumbled to himself.
Corrin, however, heard it and giggled. "Typical Leo," she said. "But for you to think of being liked… I wonder what brought that on?"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Charlotte. Is it… really wise to keep doing this?"
Charlotte side-eyed Benny, who had been giving her a little concerned glare. She pressed up the pale pink dress against herself, looking at it from a tiny mirror placed in a corner of the barracks chamber. "Keep doing what, Benny?" she asked.
"...You… keep accepting gifts from all these men…"
"Benny, when ever is it a bad idea to keep accepting gifts?" she said. Benny had already half-anticipated this response. "I can't just turn down free things!"
"But… there's already someone… who genuinely likes you."
A face flashed in Charlotte's mind-blonde and handsome, with his trademark black headband-but then she whisked the thought away. He… certainly favored her, that much was kind of obvious. Charlotte usually easily pegged men who liked her, and used it to her advantage. But, putting a certainty to the thought that Leo liked her? She hesitated to do that.
She turned to Benny with innocent eyes. "Oh, dear! And who ever might that be…?"
"Charlotte… you're not dumb." And that was all the response Benny ever gave her.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Leo thought of all the many ways he could get Charlotte to like him.
He'd observed how the men and women in their army went about these things-giving each other gifts, attention, time and flirtation with touch and words. He doubted each of these things. If he lavished her with compliments, weren't words just empty? If he brought her gifts and favor, wasn't he, in effect, buying her affection?
And yet there he was, in the town market, trying to browse another trinket or dress, and imagining it on Charlotte's form. He'd joked with himself that this was actually a service to the army; getting Charlotte to wear something else other than her usually scandalous wardrobe would certainly help to keep people from being… distracted.
He'd been thinking of her a little too much, Leo admitted to himself. When he saw a dress or jewel, he wondered how it would look on her. When he ate food and drink, he wondered if she'd ever tried them. When he saw books that caught his interest, he wondered if Charlotte ever read (though he highly doubted that). So when he caught the faintest sight of a massive white hairbow from the crowd, Leo thought that he'd perhaps been hallucinating.
He blinked a few more times, and narrowed down his vision. There was an unmistakeable blonde in a white daydress, with a massive white hairbow in her hair. It was Charlotte, obviously being ogled by a man in the middle of town. It was a sight he'd hoped he would never have to see again.
He was long aware that Charlotte was liked by many men, and often had one (or two) trying to woo her in town whenever they stopped over. She used to have more soldiers in the camps going after her, too, but eventually they all stopped-rumors about a prince of Nohr growing fond of her probably making them wary of their actions. But the civilians among the commonfolk were not aware of such things, and so men would approach Charlotte then, like bees to a flower.
He could not hear their exchange from his distance-but he knew enough to know that this was far from a friendly exchange. The man was all smiles at Charlotte, his eyes locked firmly on her. Charlotte giggled and smiled-that same practiced smile he remembered seeing on her face when Iago once hit on her. She played with her hair, nodding and giggle at everything the man said, casually putting a hand to his arm here and there. She could be unbothered by the man or actually want to wipe the floor with his face, but no one would even know.
Leo knew one thing, though. He wanted to wipe the floor with that man's face, much like how he felt with Iago a while back.
Without much thinking, Leo's feet dragged him towards Charlotte and the man, and he then spouted the first words that came to mind.
"Oh, there you are, my silly little wife," he said, putting a firm hand onto her shoulder, "I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Charlotte jerked from the sudden physical contact, surprised to suddenly find Leo there. And then he goes around saying such things! Wife?! "H-Huh? My lord, what are y-?"
"I hope she hasn't been a bother at all, sir," Leo said, to the man in Charlotte's company. He stood in between them, effectively blocking the man and Charlotte from each other. "She does have a habit of wandering around and being lost."
The man narrowed his eyes at Leo, as if searching for something. Leo held his breath, worried the man might challenge him at a fight, but he looked the sort that was civil enough-just a common man attracted to a pretty maiden. He stared at Leo a while longer, as if unable to put his finger something.
"Leo, whatever are you talking about?" Charlotte said, her voice still sounding sweet, but Leo knew that she was no-doubt going to do some questioning later.
"Leo!" the townsman exclaimed, looking like he'd hit the jackpot. "I thought you looked awfully familiar… didn't they say the Nohrian prince Leo was blonde, with a fondness for this black headband…? I didn't know he was married…"
Leo swore under his breath. This was bad. Soon enough, another odd rumor about him was going to start circulating, thanks to another lie he said in outburst. "You're… probably mistaking me for someone else, I apologize," he quickly said. And then he held onto Charlotte's hand, and pulled her away.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"What the hell was that all about?!"
Leo sighed. He had pulled Charlotte away from town wordlessly, quietly dragging her along by the hand this entire time. Finally, she was having none of it. She pulled her hand away from his, and crossed her arms to herself, pouting at him.
Leo scratched the back of his head, stalling as he tried to find the right words. "That was… uh…"
"You intend to start another rumor that we're married or something?" Charlotte asked. "I mean, I'm honored, Prince Leo, but you could, you know, at least warn me?"
Leo only gave a groan. "You… looked like you needed help, that's all. It seemed that guy was getting a little too close to you."
"He was a friendly man offering a drink from his inn nearby," Charlotte explained. "I wasn't in trouble or anything of that sort, thank you."
Leo was quiet. He replayed the scene he witnessed in his mind. The man conversing with Charlotte, her giggling, that fiddling with her hair, the way she reached out to touch him-
She was flirting with him.
"Oh." Leo said, as the realization hit him. "Oh, goodness gracious then, I am so sorry." he said, but there was no tone of apology in his voice. "I'm sorry I got in the way of your attempt to wrangle a drink out of some poor man, huh? I am so sorry."
"What's your problem?" Charlotte said, raising his voice a little. It conflicted her to see Leo acting like this. It was obvious to her that he was… jealous. But at the same time… "What, I can't talk to other men now? Last I checked, I wasn't committed to anyone, so it's not like it's a crime…"
I'm not committed to anyone. The words stung Leo a bit, but he knew it was true. He'd shown favor to Charlotte, but there had been little that he said to try to convey what they meant. They gave each other gifts and had a few flirtatious exchanges, but he'd never yet tried to tell her what it meant to him.
Leo let out a deep sigh. "...I don't like it when other men look at you."
The words were loaded with possible meanings, and Charlotte's breath hitched. "Lord Leo...? Why is that?"
...Because I want you to only look at me. "...Because it's easy to see their interest in you is superficial," he said, instead. "I'm certain that you can do better than men who only like you for your looks."
Charlotte looked disappointed. "...But what else do I have," she said, as she wandered away from him slightly. They had been on the path back to camp, at a quiet road that overlooked the town they'd just come from.
"You're strong and strong-willed, with a good heart for your family," Leo quickly said, not liking seeing her so… downcast. "It's not unlikely that you steal a few hearts."
"Someone who likes me for my heart, hmm?" Charlotte said, as she wandered a little off the trail, leaning against a tree. Behind her, the sun was setting. "I wonder where that man could be..."
Right here in front of you. "Well… there's your colleague, Benny," Leo said, looking off into the distance, almost afraid to make eye contact. "He seems to embrace the real you."
"Hmmm? Benny and I are just friends," Charlotte said, pouting a little. "He tells me he's growing fond of someone and it's totally not me."
Leo felt relief wash over him, as if a thorn had been pulled from his side. He decided to play this game further, offering her another name so he could test her opinion. "Well, how about my brother? He may have come on hard at you at times, but he only acts like that for people he likes."
"Ooh, you really think so?!" Charlotte gave a gasp, her face lighting up. "The crown prince of Nohr likes me?! Oh, how far I've come! I wonder, will I get to be queen, then?"
His game has backfired on him, and Leo bit back a scowl as he felt like Charlotte had just wrenched his heart out and stepped all over it. "...Queen Charlotte of Nohr," he found himself saying, letting the words roll around in his mouth, as if he'd been trying to decide if he liked it.
"It may be more than what you bargained for," he said. "Being royalty has quite the weight attached to it. Sometimes even I wish I had an ordinary life."
Charlotte chuckled. "And what would someone like you do for a living, as an ordinary man? Without your retainers and servants to do your bidding?"
The questioned sparked Leo's imagination, and Charlotte saw him smile for the first time that day. "Hah! Do you underestimate me?" Leo turned to her with challenging smirk. "I'm a smart man. I'll find something to do. And honestly, while I love them, Niles and Odin shadowing me and worrying about me for every little thing can be a little grating at times. But don't tell them I said that."
Charlotte laughed, imagining the dejected faces on Leo's retainers. Leo laughed, too, and when the laughter died down, he stared off into the view of the town, continuing his narrative. "It doesn't have to be anything extravagant... A life where people don't butt into what I'm doing and don't judge me for every single thing would be nice. I wouldn't have servanrs and retainers obeying my every whim, but perhaps I would have friends who helped me because they wanted to. I envy the thought of kind parents and a warm, happy family to come home to..."
There was a disarming softness in his voice as he spoke that, looking off into the distance, as if he might come into tears the next moment. This wasn't the cold, calculating prince of Nohr-it was as if he was someone else, as if he'd shed his own mask. Charlotte felt some sort of urge to protect it.
"...It's nice to know a little about the real you, Lord Leo."
Leo was a little startled by her words. The real Leo. All this time, he'd been worried about the possibility of Charlotte only liking him for his status and money, but he'd never stopped to consider that he hasn't really shown her much of his… true self.
"…The real me," Leo repeated the words, chuckling a bit. He'd been hardened by the royal courts of Nohr, and would never otherwise tell anyone those silly little things he had wanted out of life. He always thought anyone who heard them would laugh at his face, and tell him he was stupid.
She was smiling at him softly, though. Furthermore, she reached out and put a hand over his. "I hope you find that happiness."
He did not brush her hand away, and instead held tightly onto it, entwining her fingers in his.
"...Maybe we should find it together," Leo said, barely a whisper.
Maybe it would all work out perfectly in the end, Leo thought. He could fulfill her dreams of being with a rich, noble man, one that accepted her for how she is, to boot. It may look completely unfair to him, but Charlotte would fulfill his own dreams too. He envied her family-growing up, having parents who loved him was all he ever wanted. Charlotte would no doubt treat her own partner and kids with the same love, despite how superficial she pretended to be.
He had he things she wanted and she had the things he wanted. Logically-since Leo was a man of logic-he knew this would work out. Emotionally, he couldn't care less if it did or didn't.
I love her.
"Did you say something, Lord Leo...?" Charlotte asked, and Leo realized his last statement was probably not loud enough. Charlotte was staring at him with those pretty blue eyes, as if searching him for an answer.
He held onto her hand tighter, and said it again. "I think we should find it together."
chapter end.
a/n: MASSIVE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED THIS STORY. I think we'll be coming to the conclusion at the next chapter already, thanks to everyone for sticking around! please review, let me know what you wanna see at the ending!