Chapter 163: They Were Always Friends

The mage was caught off guard.

Quinn always had a hangup about people knowing when he cared deeply about them. He wanted to be an impenetrable wall unaffected by others. Yet Stephano and Leonor were two people who burrowed their ways in and broke down his defenses.

What didn’t help was seeing Leonor for the first time alongside someone who occupied his first years at the Academy so very much. Since Stephano was there when they met, he should have known that she would have made a fool out of him just as much as the former prince.

All Quinn could do was stare down at Leonor with his lips pressed into a thin line as he tried to navigate his way out of answering truthfully. Even if he didn’t outright lie, perhaps he could simply omit a few things and she would be none the wiser.

However, she saw through him as always. He felt so small despite having a fair few inches over her.

"And don’t lie to me," Leonor said. "I’m the one you told your secrets to. If there’s someone you can trust in the world, shouldn’t it be me?"

Quinn grimaced as he thought of nights when Leonor was old enough to drink in public. The two of them found watering holes to occupy as she experimented a bit with what she liked.

While neither of them got inappropriately drunk considering she was always certain someone from her father was watching her, they had enough for their conversations to stretch to late hours.

Confessions fell from their lips that they didn’t mean to say. He knew about her family life, though he didn’t know the darkest details until Stephano told him. When Quinn discovered the truth about Leonor’s heart, he was a bit offended that he seemed to be the one baring it all while she still held back.

He had to be understanding. While his heart went through hell trying to figure out what it wanted or didn’t want, hers was far more damaged than his.

Quinn came from average parents who treated him just fine. Both were still alive and they were annoyingly happily married. Just like all other normal parents, they wanted what was best for their son. Since they weren’t a noble family, they expected him to retain high marks at the Academy so he would continue to be sponsored by the Royal Family.

Similarly to Leonor, Quinn was sponsored by Stephano’s good will. Where they diverged was he entered the Academy with his impressive academic achievements while she entered because of her noble status and mother’s influence as a mage before the count got to her.

Their common thread was Stephano but it turned out to be more than enough.

At the realization that Leonor must have known from the second she saw his familiar acting as a large koi fish, Quinn took a few steps away from her as he gathered his scattered thoughts.

His behavior gave him away. Leonor knew she hit the nail on the head.

After all, silver haired people weren’t the most common in Montclair. He should have considered that when he decided to present his familiar without any camouflage.

"Perhaps I wanted you to realize I was checking in on you," he suggested, still trying not to admit that she caught him red-handed. "After all, we shared letters for a year after graduating only for you to go completely silent when you were betrothed. I had to find out through others that you were married to the war hero. It was sudden but word traveled quite fast."

Leonor stared into his eyes and didn’t feel like he was being entirely honest with her but she didn’t have a leg to stand on in the argument. Everything she suggested was based on feelings.

She sighed and decided to back down somewhat. He could keep his reasoning for doing what he did to himself if it was what he wanted.

"Well, what did you see?" Leonor asked quietly. "It must have been satisfactory enough that you didn’t need to reach out to me for further information after that. Eve was the one who caught you after all."

Quinn laughed dryly. He remembered how much he jumped when he saw Leonor’s familiar reach out to touch his. While familiars couldn’t express themselves verbally, they could certainly show their masters how they felt. He wondered if the cat revealed a sense of recognition.

"You seemed sad," he admitted. "I couldn’t blame you for feeling that way. After all you’ve been through..."

Quinn hesitated at his last sentence. He couldn’t say anything more.

"Just how much did Stephano tell you?" Leonor asked, for once dropping the titles and speaking to Quinn in a way that was more reminiscent of their talks in Magia.

"I was there when Eve came to pay His Highness a visit," Quinn relented. "I had to wonder why she was acting so angry towards King Stephano. The letter didn’t say a lot, but it said enough."

Leonor smiled wryly. It made her realize how irrational she had been to send such a letter in the first place.

"I was surprised Eve made it all the way back to me in such a state," Leonor admitted. "Carrying my emotions and being sent off so prematurely— wait."

The duchess’s eyes widened. There were times in the past where Quinn would offer Eve support using his mana even if it was only a small amount.

At her epiphany that Eve likely took some of Quinn’s mana before heading back to Montclair, she had another realization.

What she truly wanted outshined anything else. Even with all the complications of her life, she at least had one piece of the puzzle solved.

"I want to join you and His Majesty in your endeavors to restore magic throughout the kingdom," Leonor admitted. "I can’t imagine not being able to go on the adventures with you both. It’s what we’ve been dreaming of for years. I won’t miss out on this."

To Leonor’s shock, it was Quinn who practically dove towards her to wrap his slender arms around her in a tight hug. He was relieved that he didn’t have to tell King Stephano a different excuse that he hadn’t quite crafted yet.

Shortly after a few more meetings with the duke regarding a few more concrete ideas about truly breaking ground on the project, it was time for Quinn to go.

His visit was surprise enough he felt like he would overstay his welcome. It was clear to him that Leonor was changed and would reach out to him soon. He wasn’t leaving wondering when they would ever talk again, but looking forward to her next letter.

Leonor was reminded that she had so many people on her side and felt a bit less lonely than she often did.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read