Eula didn't talk about her sister again after that.

But Leon didn't need her to.

As the one who created her, he already knew what she was like. What she did, and what led to her fall.

From one side, people would call Princess Charlotte's end tragic, a merciless and brutal death.

But the truth was far from it.

She received the same treatment she once believed was right.

A ruler who hesitates to punish is the same as one who approves of sin.

At first, her ideology was admirable.

But over time, she started believing that the kingdom survived only because she was willing to do what others could not.

Justice doesn't need to be kind. It only needs to be done.

That belief became her truth.

And it made her blind to nuance. She began executing nobles without investigation, sentencing enemies of the throne without trial, and punishing people she merely suspected.

From her previous deeds, she had already earned a name for herself.

To the kingdom, she became the very face of justice.

And later, when that face spoke, people believed her without question, as if her words were absolute truth.

She wasn't wrong.

It was just that her pace, her way of forcing justice, made even her own people afraid of her.

Leon closed his eyes for a moment.

It was almost ironic when he thought about it.

Charlotte died believing she had saved her kingdom, while in truth, she had destroyed its balance.

And Eula was walking the same path.

She created the Twilight Order to achieve what her elder sister failed to, by following her same path.

The same tone in her voice, the same coldness in her eyes, the same conviction that right and wrong could be separated cleanly.

It was never justice that broke people like them.

It was the weight of carrying it alone.

Leon let out a quiet breath, his gaze softening.

"You really inherited everything from her, didn't you?" he muttered under his breath.

He looked at Eula, who was now sitting across from him, pretending to focus on him.

There was no hatred in her. She wasn't angry either.

She just looked exhausted.

Leon rested his hand on the table and said softly.

"You won't end up like her."

Eula looked up. "Like who?"

Leon smiled faintly.

"Someone who forgot what she was fighting for."

In the original storyline, she would choose her sister's ideology over everything else.

She would become just like her.

And that arrogance would be the reason for her downfall.

Eula would turn into a complete tyrant princess, a villainess who lived only to seek revenge for her fallen comrades.

And later in the game, that path would lead to her own death.

Leon leaned back slightly, his gaze fixed on her face.

'How strange…' he thought.

It was strange, watching someone alive and breathing, knowing how their story was supposed to end.

Maybe that was the curse of being the creator.

He knew what she would become if left alone.

'A princess who forgot what she was protecting.'

And this time, he wasn't going to let that happen.

Even if it meant standing against the justice she believed in.

"I'm not understanding what you're even saying," Eula said, her brow furrowing slightly.

Leon sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"I don't want you to understand."

Her frown deepened, but before she could respond, he added quietly, "Anyway…"

He glanced at the cup in front of her. "You want some more tea?"

Eula blinked and looked down.

Her cup was empty.

"ah…"

She hadn't even noticed when it happened. Most of the tea had gone cold anyway.

She had spent almost half the night sitting there, lost in their conversation.

"It's getting late," she murmured, more to herself than to him.

Leon looked at her and smiled faintly.

"It's fine. I don't feel sleepy anyway."

He poured another cup for himself and continued, "If you want to talk about the House Valahail incident or Headmaster Raizen, I won't mind."

Eula stood up, brushing down her skirt.

"No need. We'll have a meeting this Friday and you can discuss all your findings there. Asagao and Ajasai will bring their reports as well."

Leon nodded.

"Alright, if you say so, Princess."

Eula gave him a short look before walking toward the window.

Leon watched her curiously as she placed a hand on the frame and climbed up slightly.

"Ermm, you can use the front door," Leon said.

Eula paused at the rim of the window, her heel resting against the edge. She turned her head slightly, meeting Leon's eyes.

"That would be boring," she said simply.

Leon stared at her for a second, then let out a short laugh.

Eula's lips twitched, almost forming a smile, but she quickly looked away.

"Goodnight, Leon."

"Goodnight, Princess."

Without another word, she jumped lightly from the window, landing silently on the ground below.

The curtains swayed behind her as the cold air slipped into the room.

Leon walked closer to the window, watching her figure disappear into the courtyard.

He leaned against the frame and muttered, "You really are just like her."

His reflection in the glass looked tired, but his voice carried quiet resolve.

"But not for long."

After a while, Leon changed into a pair of house clothes and went straight to bed.

His schedule for tomorrow would be busy. After all, he would be going home, to the Valentine Dukedom, after quite a while.

"The Valentine Twins," he muttered softly, the corner of his lips curving into a faint smile as he closed his eyes.

Next morning.

"You are coming as well?" Leon asked, fixing the collar button of his coat as he looked into the mirror.

Myra nodded while packing his things into a travel bag.

"Yes. Lady Veronica ordered me to stay with you."

Apparently, Leon would be staying for two days in the Dukedom. His uncle and his family were visiting too.

The occasion? The twins.

They had finally reached the age of fifteen, the age where they would receive the family emblem from Duke Orion himself.

It was an honor celebrated across the Dukedom, a symbol of pride and recognition for their achievement.

To earn that emblem meant being acknowledged as a true Valentine, someone worthy of carrying the family name.

The twins had done it.

"Wait…" Leon paused for a second, his hand frozen mid-air. "I don't have that emblem."

When he was fifteen, he never received it. He didn't prove anything back then.

Though not having the emblem didn't strip him of his title, it still carried weight.

The emblem was more than just a badge. It was a sign of excellence, a mark only those recognized by the Duke himself could wear.

The Valentine Emblem, equal in prestige to the highest level of worth right below the royals.

"..."

Leon's eye twitched.

He could already picture the stares, the whispers, the comparisons that would follow.

He sighed and picked up his coat.

"Like I give a fuck," he muttered under his breath.

With that, he went out of his dorm.

Staring out the carriage window, Leon watched the scenery pass by.

The buildings blurred into distant shapes as the carriage rolled along the uneven road. It had already been two hours since they left the academy.

The wheels rattled over the cobblestone, shaking slightly with every turn. Leon adjusted his posture and shifted his gaze forward, where Myra sat across from him.

Wearing her usual maid uniform, she sat with composed elegance, her posture straight and her eyes calm as always.

"Is Sister coming?" Leon asked, breaking the quiet.

Myra glanced up. "I don't know. She did say she would try to."

Leon nodded lightly. "She will come."

He leaned back, looking out the window again.

Veronica might be a Tower Head now, but she still cared about her family. To meet her own cousins after nearly a decade, there was no way she would miss it.

"Will you be fine, Young Master?" Myra asked after a few minutes of silence.

Leon shifted his gaze from the window. "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you on bad terms with the twins?" she asked carefully, her voice soft but steady.

Leon frowned slightly. "I am?"

Myra tilted her head, surprised. "You don't remember?"

Leon leaned back, thinking for a moment. He tried to recall, but his mind came up empty.

"No, not really. Did something happen?"

Myra looked down for a second before replying, "Nothing, as far as I know. They were just... proud of themselves."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Proud?"

"They were younger than you, but far stronger. From what I gathered, one of the twins used to mock you, the duke's own blood who can't even beat his own kid cousins."

Leon stayed quiet. The corners of his lips lifted faintly.

"So they looked down on me."

Myra nodded once.

"They were always praised for their talent. And you..." she paused. "You never showed much interest in competing."

Leon let out a quiet breath. "That explains it."

He turned back to the window, watching the trees pass.

"They're probably still the same."

Myra's tone softened. "Master, what will you do if they try to test that?"

Leon smirked faintly. "I would let them."

He rested his chin on his hand, eyes fixed outside.

"If they want to compare, I'll give them something real to compare to."

After all…

'I have a few things to test myself.'

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