Chapter 10 - Leandro's Revelation

I stepped out of the hotel and sat on a bench.

I didn't know what to do. I was panic-stricken at the thought of sleeping outside.

I decided to contact Leandro to cancel our plans.

Since we both had magic, it gave us an advantage most people didn't have. We could use a small magic orb to reach another person with magic.

I didn't know what type of magic Leandro had, but at least I could contact him.

So I reached out to him with the magic orb I'd bought back in Calgara.

I told Leandro I unfortunately had to cancel our plans.

He asked me what had happened. I explained my current situation with the hotel.

— "Where are you right now?"

I told him I was sitting on a bench just beside the hotel.

He asked me to stay where I was, he'd come to me.

After fifteen minutes, Leandro arrived. He went inside the hotel, and the front desk apologized and confirmed there was no room available anymore.

He came back outside and asked if he could sit close to me. I agreed.

— "I know someone with a house, since he has several rooms, he sometimes rents them out. If you want, I can ask him if he has one available for you."

— "Yes, please, that would help me a lot."

Leandro contacted his friend to see if he had any available rooms.

His friend did, so I booked one for the night.

Leandro took me to his friend, an old man who seemed to live alone.

He handed me a key and told me the room was separate from the main house, he'd given me the best one, for extra privacy.

— "Thank you very much, sir," I said.

— "You can call me Linden. I was actually surprised to get a call from Leandro, he's usually so busy. There's a small courtyard close to your room. Leandro, you're welcome to come with her and wait there, there's a bench."

Linden left.

Leandro and I headed toward my room. He waited on a bench in the courtyard while I went in to drop off my bag.

I came back outside to see him and thanked him warmly for his help.

He said it was nothing, it was a pleasure to help, and that we could still keep our plans for tonight.

Leandro said he'd come back in 1 hour to pick me up, and left.

After he left, I went back to my room. I opened my bag and sorted out my things.

While tidying up, I found the box with the bracelet Rick had given me.

The dress I'd planned to wear was blue, so unfortunately the bracelet didn't match.

I decided to rest a little after that.

When I woke up, it was already time for my appointment with Leandro.

I got ready and simply pulled my hair back.

I went down to the lobby of the house. Linden had told me I could use it if I wanted to sit, relax, or have some tea.

I made myself some tea, since I had a little time before seeing Leandro.

Linden came downstairs, saw me in my dress, and said:

— "Your dress suits you very well, but I can't let you go out like this, with such a simple hairstyle. Let me help you with your hair and makeup."

I agreed, I hadn't planned to do anything with my hair anyway, and I wasn't very good at it myself.

Some tired part of me wanted to say I'd rather just rest for the evening.

But Leandro had already gone out of his way for me today, and Linden was already reaching for his bag of supplies, and it felt too late, too rude, to admit I might not have it in me.

He had me sit in a chair in the lobby.

He brought out a bag of supplies and started on my makeup.

I was genuinely surprised that a man like him knew how to do makeup and hair.

Once he finished my makeup, he moved on to my hair.

When it was done, I looked in the mirror, it was really beautiful. It reminded me of the woman at the hotel in Calgara.

— "You must be wondering how a man like me knows all this. I have four sisters, and when we were young, we couldn't afford a hairdresser or a makeup artist. So, I taught myself, just to make my sisters happy."

I was impressed by his story, and touched to see how much he cared for his sisters.

I envied his relationship with his siblings.

I thanked him warmly for his help.

Before long, it was time to see Leandro. I stepped outside and saw him, he looked very elegant, dressed in a dark purple suit and a black shirt.

— "This is for you, Yuli."

He handed me a bouquet of red roses. I thanked him and took it, a little shy, this was all still new to me.

Leandro helped me into the carriage, and I watched the city at night, glowing with light.

— "I'm really glad you accepted my invitation. You look absolutely gorgeous tonight."

— "Thank you."

I wasn't used to all this attention, the compliments, the gifts. It was pleasant, but it also felt like a debt I hadn't agreed to.

Some part of me kept waiting for the moment he'd realize I wasn't worth all of it.

Once we arrived, Leandro helped me down from the carriage.

We approached the restaurant, and Leandro spoke with the host, giving his name for the reservation.

A waiter came and led us to our table.

Leandro helped me into my seat first, then sat down across from me.

The place we sat was very quiet, and we had it entirely to ourselves.

We could talk freely, without being disturbed.

Leandro looked at me intently and said:

— "Yuli, may I ask you a question? If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to answer."

I felt apprehensive about it, but I said:

— "Alright, go ahead."

— "You know, the second time we met, in the forest, you said goodbye to my companion Lobo, but you already knew his name. How did you know that? Have we perhaps met before? I think I'd have remembered your face, if we had."

I didn't know what to say. But I felt like I could trust him, he seemed strangely, genuinely honest. He actually reminded me of Rick.

I decided to tell him the truth as well.

I asked him to keep what I was about to tell him between us.

I explained that I had the ability to speak with animals, and that my magic was a type of healing magic.

That was how I'd found Lobo, and healed him.

Leandro was genuinely surprised by my power. He told me he had magic too a water-based magic he could control.

— "I'm honored that you trust me enough to share your secret. Please be careful about who you talk to about your power. A lot of people have bad intentions, and magic as rare as yours might attract dishonest people, or people who'd want to take advantage of you.

If you ever feel in danger, or if anything happens, please feel free to contact me. I live very close to you."

After that, he asked what my plans were in Olbi, whether I intended to stay. He had a lot of questions.

I told him my whole story as well including the fact that I'd run away, my relationship with my family, and the wedding.

He looked angry and said:

— "I wish I'd known you earlier, so I could have helped and supported you, back when you were alone."

He seemed to feel sorry and angry at once, on my behalf.

— "Thank you, Leandro, for your kind words. I wish I'd had a friend like you too."

— "It's not too late. We can be friends if you're willing, of course."

I agreed, happy to have a friend like him. Feeling a little embarrassed, I tried to change the subject:

— "By the way, I heard there's going to be a knight tournament. Are you going to participate?"

— "If I do, will you come cheer me on? Now that we're friends. I'm joking, Yuli don't feel obligated to come. But to answer your question, yes, I'll be participating. Here in Olbi, knight tournaments are considered one of the city's biggest events. You should come see it for yourself, if you've never been to one before."

— "Leandro, I have to tell you something. I apologize in advance, but I lied about my name, I was scared, at first, to give you my real identity. My real name is Amaria."

— "That's okay, I understand. Thank you for telling me anyway, I definitely prefer your real name. Can I call you 'Amy,' as a nickname?"

— "Yes, of course you can."

Leandro went quiet, lost in thought for a moment. Then he looked at me and said:

— "You know, Amy since you trust me, and you told me your whole story, I'd like to tell you mine, if you're willing."

I agreed and listened closely, curious about what he was going to say.

He told me that he, too, had hidden his real identity, for his own safety. He explained how and why he'd been so badly hurt in the forest.

People had been hunting him, trying to kill him. He'd had no choice but to run, there were too many attackers, and he was alone. Leandro managed to escape, but not before they'd hurt both him and Lobo.

This wasn't the first time, he said, people had tried to eliminate him before, because of his status.

He revealed to me that he was the prince of Olbi.

I was utterly shocked.

He explained that he had brothers who were fighting over the throne, even though he himself had no interest in it at all. But since he was the firstborn son, the right to the throne belonged to him.

That's why his own family had tried to kill him to gain access to the throne.

— "But I know who's behind it. It's always the same person, my second brother."

***