Chapter 30 Silhouette (4)
The Queen Dowager and Empress Dowager realized something was amiss and feared Leonidas would cause further trouble. This was a grand ball held to find the most suitable wife for him. If he misbehaved, the image of the Imperial family would be tarnished.
"Prince Lucien, where is your sister?"
"I don't know, Mother!"
"Order some guards to search for her. She must remain here until the event is over!" the Emperor ordered four guards.
"Go ahead, Your Majesty!"
The four guards immediately rushed to find the main character of the ball. It was not uncommon for the crown prince to run away from a ball. He did so almost every time a ball was held in the palace.
It was very difficult to control Leonidas; he always acted as he pleased, leaving everyone uncontrollable. The Queen Dowager, who had suspected something from the start, decided to take action. She knew her grandson had a romantic interest in Princess Sheerkan Varadkhar, and she couldn't allow that to happen.
He went to the rose garden behind the palace, where a large maze adorned the grounds. There was no one there. However, the quietness of the place made it even more suspicious.
She decided to search for Leonidas in the labyrinth after having a strong feeling that the heir to the throne had committed a major scandal.
After walking 80 meters through the labyrinth, the Queen Mother could hear the sounds of a couple making love. Her heart pounded, unable to bear the thought of knowing that the couple making love in the middle of the labyrinth were her grandson and a woman from the slave clan she hated most.
But her greatest fears proved true: she saw Leonidas, half-naked, making passionate advances with a young woman who had just moments before been dancing at the party.
The young woman realized she was standing near them and her expression was one of panic.
"Your Majesty?"
Leonidas stopped, realizing that someone had caught them red-handed. But instead of being afraid, he got off Disha and looked back. He saw his grandmother glaring at him with such fury that her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Grandmother?"
"You slave slut...!" The Queen Mother immediately approached Dishar, grabbed her hair, and slapped her hard.
"Grandmother, stop...!" Leonidas immediately grabbed his grandmother's arm tightly. He didn't want anyone trying to hurt his woman.
"You bastard! Who do you think you are, daring to do this to my granddaughter...?"
"What are you saying, Grandmother?"
"Leonidas, have you no shame? You're making love to this slave prostitute in a place like this while everyone is looking for you? You're truly outrageous...!"
"I'm doing it with the woman I love, what's wrong?"
"You idiot...! What kind of love are you talking about? She's a slave, how could you love a slave like her?"
"Who are you calling a slave? I'm going to marry her!"
"What? Marry? You want to marry this slave? Leonidas, wake up! You must be under her spell!"
"What's going on here?"
It seemed like the problem was about to escalate as Emperor Alexander and the Empress stood behind the Empress Dowager. It would be easy for the Emperor to track his son's whereabouts simply by smelling his scent, even from a considerable distance.
In contrast to the Empress, who looked utterly shocked by the scene she witnessed, the Emperor acted cool and calm, as if nothing serious had happened.
Leonidas turned to Disha, who was behind him, and tried to cover her half-naked body.
"Put on my shirt, okay? I'll protect you!" he said softly. A frightened Disha could only nod slowly as Leonidas helped her cover herself with his clothes, while he was left wearing only his trousers and no top.
Disha wanted to cry, so scared that she kept holding Leonidas's arm. She couldn't imagine what would happen if her family found out about this.
As fear gripped her, Leonidas held her hand tightly and whispered softly,
"Everything will be fine. I don't care if the whole world is against our relationship, I will still choose you. Only you."
Leonidas held her hand tightly as if he would never let go. Disha still vividly remembered their meeting and how they were told not to touch each other because Leonidas was the great crown prince, while she was just a girl from a clan known as a slave clan.
But today they proved that the difference in status between them wasn't a big deal. She didn't know why she didn't want Leonidas to let go of her hand. She didn't know why she still wanted to be with him, even though sometimes there was something inside her that made her want to leave him.
Disha and Leonidas walked hand in hand through the garden to the palace, where dozens of invited guests stared at them with confused looks. Leonidas looked so calm because, for him, being together with Disha wasn't something forbidden.
He loved Disha and was determined to bring their relationship to a sacred marriage. He didn't want them to hide as if what they were doing was a mistake they shouldn't make.
The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress entered the private room with Leonidas and a still very frightened Disha. He knew that he and his family would be in big trouble and all of this happened because of his fault.
"Get your hands off my granddaughter! You damned slave...!" the Empress Dowager shouted, forcibly pulling Disha away from Leonidas. But Leonidas immediately hugged Disha before she fell to the floor.
"Stop it, Grandmother...! How many times do I have to tell you to stop hurting her?" Leonidas was growing increasingly furious at his grandmother's harsh actions.
"What do you see in this girl, Leonidas? We've already found the most suitable bride to be your bride!" the Empress said. She felt disappointed, but at the same time, she also felt sorry for Disha, as she was her cousin's daughter. Although she hadn't expected Leonidas to choose her as his wife.
"I want to marry Disha, I love her!" Leonidas declared firmly. His shocking statement shocked the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Empress Dowager.
As far as they knew, Leonidas had a hard time committing to a woman, and he had never wanted to get close to a woman. Hearing that he suddenly wanted to marry a woman was almost unbelievable.
"What are you saying, Leonidas? How can you even remember marrying a slave like her? Stop spouting such nonsense!" The Queen Mother felt like she was losing control of her emotions. She hated the Faux Clan and had always considered their members worse than animals.
The way he looked at Disha was truly terrifying. He would never be able to accept the fact that his grandson, who would become emperor, would have to marry a girl from a slave clan.
The Emperor walked over to Leonidas, who stood calmly as if he were certain of his decision. He had had the opportunity to be united with the woman he loved, and he swore he would not waste it.
"Do you understand what you're saying, Leonidas?" Emperor Alexander asked his stubborn son. Leonidas met his father's gaze, unperturbed even though the emperor was intimidating him with his gaze.
"Father, haven't I never asked you for anything? I've always done whatever you said, even if it went against my will. But this time, allow me to make my own choice. I only want to love and marry one woman, and that woman is Disha."
The Empress and the Empress Dowager were stunned; Leonidas was clearly sincere in his desire. He didn't let go of Disha's hand, who was hiding behind him.
Disha didn't know what to do now. She wasn't sure Prince Leonidas would succeed. But she also couldn't back down after all the effort Leonidas had put into fighting for their love.
The Emperor turned his gaze to Disha, who had inadvertently glanced at the Great Emperor's face. Disha couldn't read any expression on his face. But he clearly knew their relationship would never be real.
"Forget your wish, Leonidas. I have already decided that you will marry Princess Genevieve of Evangelia, who will become Empress Almaric. However, if you still want this girl with me, you can make her your concubine. That way, you can have the satisfaction of sleeping with her without the need for a sacred bond," the Emperor said.
"What are you saying, Father? I don't—"
"What I'm saying are the rules you must follow as the son of an emperor. You cannot possibly marry her. We and the Faux Clan are destined to be at odds forever. Allowing you to marry her is the same as allowing our clan to be destroyed by a curse. Lycan and Faux, you cannot unite."