BGFV Chapter 161

Chapter 161

“Tia, are you really okay? Nothing happened while you were gone?”

“Of course, I’m fine. I didn’t forget my promise. I came back right on time, didn’t I?”

Hestia entered the room with Leonhard and began chatting about everything they hadn’t said during her absence.

In truth, she had arrived earlier than planned to surprise everyone.

‘Who would have thought Leon would be the first to greet me?’

The surprise was ruined, but seeing Leonhard welcome her so warmly made all her fatigue melt away.

“Yeah! You came back two days early. I’ve been counting the days since you left. I’m so glad nothing happened to you. You don’t know how much Uncle and I worried.”

Even while sitting on the sofa, Leonhard kept clinging to Hestia.

Finding him so adorable, she laughed softly.

“Did you really worry about me that much?”

“Of course! I thought about you every single day! Without you, the castle feels way too big… Tia, couldn’t you just keep living with me from now on?”

Leonhard mumbled the last words under his breath.

The adults probably wanted to hide it, but he already knew.

Hestia wouldn’t stay here forever—sooner or later she would leave.

‘If I know she’ll go anyway, then…’

At the very least, he wanted her to know how much he loved her, even if it came out as a childish complaint.

But ironically, he didn’t want to see her troubled face, so he shut his eyes tightly.

“…What if I said yes?”

The unexpected answer made Leonhard’s eyes fly open.

When he lifted his head, Hestia was smiling gently as she patted his hair.

“Tia… did you just say you’d live with me?”

“Wasn’t that the meaning of your question? Or did I misunderstand?”

“N-no, you’re right! I just didn’t think you’d actually say yes…”

Seeing Leonhard so flustered for once, Hestia gave a bittersweet smile.

“When all this is settled, and peace comes back, then let’s really live together.”

Leonhard’s face brightened at once. Then suddenly realizing something, he jumped up.

“Wait—Tia! With Uncle…!”

Instead of answering, Hestia pressed a finger to her lips with a playful smile.

“I’d like to tell him myself later. Until then, shall we keep it a secret between us?”

“Yes! Yes! I’ll keep it a secret! And if there’s anything I can do to help, just tell me!”

Instead of replying, Hestia cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead lightly.

“I love you, Leon. I want you to know that the person I want to live with includes you too.”

Leonhard rubbed the spot where her lips had touched. For a moment he looked dazed, then broke into a wide, silly grin.

“Hehe, I love you so, so much too, Tia.”

Like a puppy melting in the sun, Leonhard smiled with pure happiness.

Hestia stroked his hair fondly.

‘If I’d known this would make him so happy, I should’ve said it earlier.’

Until now, she had worried too much about how her actions might affect others. But now that she had decided she truly belonged by their side, her heart felt lighter.

“Tia!”

At that moment, Luciard rushed in, breathing hard, worry written all over his face.

Hestia felt her chest tickle at the sight of his concern.

“I was shocked to hear you were back. If you left earlier, you should’ve told me.”

“I thought sending a letter or coming down myself would take about the same time. So… you don’t mind that I came early, do you?”

“Of course not. You’ve worked hard. I’m just relieved nothing happened to you.”

Luciard quickly checked her condition, sighing with relief when he saw she was fine.

Now that Hestia had realized her feelings, everything he did made her blush.

As she turned her gaze away awkwardly, her eyes met Leonhard’s.

He was grinning mischievously, clearly itching to spill the secret.

Before she could worry too much, Leonhard suddenly pushed Luciard to sit right beside her, pressing him so close their shoulders touched.

“Leon?”

Both of them looked at him in surprise.

With a satisfied look, Leonhard dashed out of the room.

“Oh, I forgot something! I’ll be back later!”

His laughter echoed down the hallway.

The two left behind stared at each other in awkward silence.

Realizing how close they were sitting, they quickly pulled apart.

“Ahem. S-sorry… Leon pushed me suddenly.”

“It’s fine. Leon does things like that all the time.”

An uneasy air lingered for a moment.

Especially for Hestia, who was meeting Luciard for the first time since realizing her feelings—it was even harder to act naturally.

“How was the north? Did His Majesty return safely?”

“What? Oh—yes. When I came down, His Majesty came too.”

Thanks to his question, the tension broke and Hestia could speak more comfortably.

The more they talked, the more she realized her nerves were easing—and that talking with him was genuinely fun.

‘It’s nothing special we’re discussing, but I feel happy.’

She had a strange sense that she could spend her whole life with Luciard, finding joy even in small, ordinary conversations.

‘I’m really caught, aren’t I?’

Everything about him seemed endearing—the way he listened to her, the little things he said, and the way he kept looking at her so warmly.

Denying her feelings for him in the name of duty or the future suddenly felt foolish.

She had worked so hard for everyone’s safety. Maybe now she was allowed to pursue her own happiness.

“Tia?”

His voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Ah, sorry. What were we talking about?”

“Nothing important. If you’re tired, you can rest. You worked hard in the north and the trip back must’ve been rough.”

His hand brushed gently against her cheek, and she instinctively leaned into his warm palm.

“No, I like talking with you like this.”

Luciard’s ears turned red.

“Then… that’s good.”

As her eyes opened again to look at him, he nervously pulled his hand away.

“R-right. Soon we’ll be able to distribute the new medicine across the whole empire. Thanks to the massive amount of Ruberu Count Humphrey had, mass production is possible.”

“Really? How much are we talking about?”

Happy for the change of subject, Luciard explained.

“Enough for everyone in the empire, with plenty left over. Until now, we had trouble because we couldn’t reach the Blaze Mercenaries to get Ruberu. But thanks to Humphrey, we’re secure.”

“Is that so? Then it’s good he cooperated. Otherwise, who knows what would’ve happened.”

“Exactly. Right now he’s stabilizing Valeron, and with his support, things are already improving. Later, he may even meet with the mastermind behind this.”

“So you still don’t know who that is?”

“Not yet. He promised to tell us once he’s certain.”

Hestia thought of the Florence family.

Until now she had avoided facing them, but she knew she couldn’t ignore it anymore.

“…I think I already know who’s behind all this.”

Luciard froze. “What? Really?”

“Yes, but it’s only my suspicion. I can’t say with complete certainty. Still, if you trust me, I’ll tell you…”

“Tia.”

Before she could finish, his warm hand covered hers.

“I have no reason not to trust you. Even if it’s just a suspicion, I want to hear your thoughts.”

His unconditional faith made her nose sting with emotion.

Because of it, she could finally open up to him.

Of course, she didn’t mention her rebirth. She simply added details around the truths she already knew.

“…That’s my reasoning.”

Luciard’s face grew grave.

“It makes sense… Hearing it this way, it really does seem like only the Florence family could pull off something this daring. But why? What would they gain from it?”

“Why else? To take the throne.”

“You mean… they’re plotting rebellion?”

Hestia nodded. Luciard’s face went pale.

“Do you remember the commotion at the assembly hall, when they tried to tie us and Count Oklin to His Majesty to drag him down?”

“Of course.”

“And do you remember who was leading the agitation then?”

“Agitation…?”

He thought hard but couldn’t recall—too many people had been shouting that day.

“If I’m right, the instigators were all families close to Florence. Even those who had praised the refugee policy at first turned out to be the ones shouting against it later.”

“So they raised His Majesty up on purpose, only to drag him down later?”

“To destroy the nobles’ trust in him. That’s why, Luciard, I… want to help His Majesty.”

“…You mean we should join the emperor’s faction?”

“Yes. If things keep going this way, the empire will be thrown into chaos. And when that happens, we won’t escape it either. But I believe the emperor is someone who truly cares for his people.”

Though she had decided to help Sylvester wholeheartedly, she also knew she needed Winstone’s power to do so. She couldn’t make such a huge decision alone.

“…Are you sure you’re okay with joining the emperor’s faction?” she asked carefully.

“Did you forget? I always wanted to. Honestly, I’m surprised you brought it up first. You usually didn’t like getting too close to His Majesty.”

“That’s because…”

Embarrassed, she hesitated, wondering if he had noticed how she’d been avoiding Sylvester.

“If you hadn’t said it, maybe I would have. So don’t feel pressured.”

Realizing how much he was considering her feelings, Hestia gave him a faint smile.

“…Thank you.”

“But before we do anything, we should make sure.”

“Make sure of what?”

“The mastermind. I don’t doubt you, but we can’t move forward based only on our guesses. And if Florence really is plotting rebellion, His Majesty must know.”

“I agree. Let’s contact Count Humphrey first, and confirm whether the person we suspect is the same as the one behind it all.”

Having decided, they immediately sent their fastest messenger toward Valeron.