Part Eight Continued

The next morning, we returned to the palace early, and Nico brought me a hot cup of tea.

"Sounds like you had a rough night." I gratefully sipped at the tea, and then looked up at Nico.

"Have you seen Leo?" Nico glanced towards the window.

"I saw him going out again carrying a bouquet of flowers. He's probably gone to the cemetery."

"Huh?" I caught my breath at Nico's casual words. "Nico, what do you know about it?" Nico gave a small, sad smile as he continued to gaze out the window. Then at last he turned to look back at me.

"Didn't you know Maya? Apparently Leo and Alyn's parents got caught up in some sort of plot and died."

"Oh!" (What does he mean by 'plot?')

"I don't really know all the details, but someone burned their house down. I heard they never caught who did it." Nico sighed, and his gaze turned distant. "That may be another skeleton we end up finding." (Wait, does he mean—I know we shouldn't be hiding any part of our investigation from Leo. And yet—) I put down my cup of tea and looked at Nico.

"Nico, do you think we'd be able to figure out who did it?" Nico gave me a broad smile.

"Of course."

After I spoke with Nico, I sat down at the desk in the office.

"Maya?" As I was looking over some documents, Leo poked his head into the room.

"Ahh, Leo—"

"What are you looking at?" Leo came closer and peered over my shoulder at the documents in my hand. "Hang on these are—" They were the documents on various nobles that Giles had given me previously.

"After what you said about me not having any support, I figured I should think a little harder about finding a prince consort." (All I've been doing is worrying him and everyone else. The least I could do is take the idea of finding a prince consort seriously.) I sighed as I stared down at the documents. "I don't think I'll really know what they're like until I meet them, but—I need to give it a try."

"I suppose so." Leo smiled at me, and then sighed softly. It felt awkward to be asking him about the nobles, and I couldn't meet his gaze. But he gave me good advice, and his attitude was the same as it ever was. We talked for a short while, and then Leo turned towards the door. "See you later, Maya. Let me know if you're having any trouble."

"Okay." He shut the door behind him as he left, and I sighed. (Of course he won't try and stop me. I knew that. He told me as much when we talked about the rumor about us.) I frowned to myself, and then forced my gaze back to the documents. (I can't just sit here moping over this non-stop. I should be trying harder to find someone who seems suitable.) I focused on the documents as best as I could. But it was difficult to put Leo out of my mind entirely.

By the time I returned to my chamber, it was dark outside. (I didn't realize it was so late.) As I hurried towards my chamber—

"Huh?" I noticed a dim light further down the corridor, and I raised my head. The door to Leo's office was open just a fraction. I could see light coming from Leo's office, and I knocked on the door quietly. "Leo?" (Is he really still working at this hour?) I waited but there was no answer. (Don't tell me he's—) I had an uneasy feeling so I opened the door. Leo was curled up on the sofa asleep. (I was right—he's having a nightmare again.) His face was scrunched up in pain, and I rushed to his side.

"Nnngggh—" His forehead was drenched with sweat, and he groaned loudly as I knelt down next to him.

"Leo!" (I've never seen him this bad before. I shook his shoulder gently as I continued to call his name. "Leo? Leo!"

"Gah!" Leo slowly opened his eyes at last. "Ahh—" He raised his head a little and stared at me, his eyes slowly focusing. "Why are you—" He stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then gave me a bitter smile. "I never wanted you to see me looking this awful." I couldn't think of a response for that—it was the last thing on my mind. I stared down at him, and finally spoke in a small voice.

"Leo, there is something, isn't there? Some reason you can't sleep." (These aren't just ordinary nightmares. He must have experienced something awful—something terrifying.) Leo stared up at me, his gaze pensive. Then he slowly reached out and traced his fingers along my cheek. "Ahh—" Unconsciously I leaned into his touch just a little, and Leo narrowed his eyes.

"Maya, you should leave. I'm not sure where this will lead if you stay." I stared at him with wide eyes. (Does he mean—) I trembled a little at the thought. I hadn't forgot what happened a few days earlier. Leo stared at me, as if waiting for his words to sink in. Then he gave me a sudden wry smile. "I'm a mess right now—I can't promise I can be kind." He laid back against the sofa, and pulled his hand away from my cheek, covering his eyes with it instead. "Please Maya—please just leave and don't ask me anything." I stared down at him, my mind awhirl. The silence in the room was heavy and tense. But I reached out slowly, and gently placed my hand on his arm.

"Leo—" (I get it—he's saying that because he cares about me. He doesn't want to hurt me. But I'm not afraid.) I could feel his arm trembling under my touch. Then he lowered his arm until I could see his face, and our eyes met. "I'm here for you." My voice was only a whisper, but it echoed loudly in the quiet room. (I can't just leave him here all alone. Not when there's something I can do to help him.) I shifted closer to the sofa, and wrapped my arms around him. "I'm here for you, Leo." Leo raised his head slowly, his eyes wide. He reached one hand up and slipped it around behind my head.

"You really are an idiot, Maya."

"I know." He twined his fingers gently in my hair, pulling me closer to him, and then his lips pressed against mine in a warm kiss. Leo's fingers slid down the nape of my neck as he kissed me deeply again and again. I moaned softly as our mouths moved together. He pulled me closer, my body pressing awkwardly against him, and I grabbed hold of his arms. I could feel his lips curving into a smile, and then he kissed me again. His kisses were so intense I couldn't think straight. My whole body was trembling, and Leo caught me around the waist, holding me tight. "Ahh—" He turned me around and pushed me down onto the floor, his body pressed against mine. He gazed down at me, our faces close, and then buried his face in my shoulder, his voice a soft murmur.

"Don't you want to ask me anything else?"

"Huh?" I wrapped my arms tightly around him, and sighed as I replied softly. "There's so many things I want to know and ask." I closed my eyes tightly, and tightened my grip on him. "But I'll wait until you're ready to tell me." Leo raised his head, and even with my eyes shut I could feel the weight of his gaze as he stared down at me. Then he lowered his head again and bit my neck gently. "Ohhh—" His fingers found the catches holding my dress shut, and he pulled at them roughly. His hands found my bare skin at last, and my body quivered at the sensation, when suddenly—(Ahh!) I heard the sound of tapping against the window. I opened my eyes and saw the shape of a bird sitting at the window. "Sebastian—" Leo stared at the window, his expression confused and a little dazed. I pushed against Leo's chest, and hurriedly sat up. But as I got to my feet, Leo stood up as well. He wrapped his arms around me from behind. "L-Leo—we have to let Sebastian in—" Leo leaned close and whispered in my ear, his breath warm against my skin. "Don't worry, if he can't get in here, he'll just go back there."

"There?" Leo's voice was husky as he replied.

"Yeah—the mansion." I looked back towards the window, but I couldn't see Sebastian there anymore.

"Ahh—" Leo's arms were warm and strong as they held me tight and his lips pressed against the back of my neck. "L-Leo—" I caught my hands against the desk to steady myself and a pile of documents fell to the floor with a soft rustle.

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