When they arrived at the shipyard of the capital's harbor — the place they would be departing from to reach the academy — Olivia and Angelica decided to part ways with Leon for a short while.
Angelica said she wanted to stop by her family's estate — maybe to change clothes, meet her parents, or simply to make her return to the capital known. Olivia, for her part, mentioned she had something to take care of before classes started, though she didn't explain what exactly.
And so, Leon was left alone.
"Hmmm…" he muttered, heading toward the academy. "Can't say I missed this place… Though, to be honest, something interesting is always going on here — even if it's swarming with unbearable women."
He was approaching the academy gates when he suddenly caught the sound of female voices nearby. Off to the side, near the wrought-iron fence, two students were sitting on a bench, deep in animated conversation. They were speaking loudly, not particularly concerned about being overheard.
"He never understands me!" one of the girls complained. "No matter what I say, he always takes it literally! We had a fight the other day… I was furious! I told him, 'Get out of the house!'"
"And?!" her friend leaned forward, clearly intrigued.
"And he… he actually left."
"Wait. Like, left left?"
"No!" she snapped. "He just… went outside. Wandered around for a couple hours. And then came back like nothing happened."
"Ha! Classic…" her friend scoffed. "Men are so… literal. Zero intuition!"
"I didn't actually want him to leave! It was just—ugh—emotions, you know?"
"Of course. But he clearly didn't."
"Exactly!" she said in frustration. "They never get us…"
Leon stopped in his tracks, frozen. He let out a sigh, rubbed his face with a tired hand, and muttered gloomily:
"Why am I even coming back here...?"
His motivation to return to the academy evaporated instantly. All his energy, hope, and ambition were left behind — possibly right there on the bench where the girls had decided to hold their emotional symposium.
He let out a crooked smirk, rolled his eyes, and with a heavy sigh, trudged on.
Leon decided to drop off his belongings at the dorm first. Only after he'd unpacked his bags, hung up his clothes, and made sure everything was in its proper place did he head toward the main building of the academy. But he had barely crossed the threshold when a breathless voice called out from behind:
"Leon! Something incredible happened!"
He spun around sharply and saw his friend — Daniel — panting heavily. It was clear he'd been running full speed.
"Calm down. What happened that got you so worked up?" Leon asked, frowning.
But Daniel blurted out:
"Raymond found himself a girlfriend! And she's… gorgeous!"
Leon froze in place. The thought jammed itself in his brain like a stone thrown into the gears:
"Raymond and a gorgeous girl" — those were two things that should never exist in the same sentence. That's like… like "burning ice" or "delicious cafeteria food."
He placed a hand on his winded friend's shoulder, shook his head slowly, and said with all the sympathy he could muster:
"Oh, you poor thing… You're so desperate to find a beautiful girlfriend that you've started hallucinating."
Daniel huffed in frustration and replied, clearly offended:
"It wasn't a hallucination! I stood there for a solid three minutes with my jaw on the floor just staring at her!"
Leon frowned. His confidence was starting to crack.
"If he really managed to score a gorgeous girlfriend… then I'm the Pope."
"The who?" Daniel asked, blinking in confusion. "Pope what now?"
Just then, cheerful laughter rang through the air — a man's and a woman's voice, light and joyful. Both of them turned at the same time and saw a couple walking down the path. The guy was holding the girl's hand and — to Leon's utter shock — it really was Raymond.
"What the…" Leon whispered, unable to believe his eyes.
The girl was stunning — expressive eyes, a soft smile, graceful steps. She looked like she'd walked right off the cover of a fashion magazine. Leon, despite his stubborn pride, couldn't deny the obvious.
"See?!" Daniel said triumphantly, turning to Leon — but then he froze, eyes wide. "Wait… what the hell are you wearing?!"
Leon stood there silently, now dressed in full Papal regalia — a white cassock, golden mantle, jeweled cross on his chest, and a white mitre embroidered with holy symbols. Even the staff in his hand looked authentic.
"How'd you change clothes that fast?!" Daniel shouted, stunned.
Leon turned away with quiet dignity. Gazing into the distance, he whispered solemnly:
"To the Vatican, my son…"
He began to walk slowly toward the academy's west gate, leaving behind a speechless friend and the confused stares of passing students who had absolutely no idea what had just happened.
From that day on, Leon changed — if only slightly. He couldn't just ignore what he'd seen. So he began secretly keeping an eye on Raymond and his girlfriend — not out of jealousy, of course, but purely out of… concern. Like a good friend. He just wanted to make sure their love was real, that she wasn't taking advantage of Raymond, wasn't manipulating him — and above all, that she wasn't some kind of illusion.
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Hello everyone, First of all, I apologize for disappearing for almost a month. I'll explain the reason below. This month has been full of university-related responsibilities — I was preparing for exams, which made it impossible for me to write chapters, even on Patreon. Fortunately, most of the work is now behind me, so starting today, chapters will start coming out more or less regularly again. I also apologize for not informing you earlier about the exams. Expect another chapter later today.