Despite everything that had happened, the group continued on toward the Queen. They had already left the academy grounds, but now they walked under Julius's watchful eye — he literally couldn't take his gaze off Leon.
Clarisse, Olivia, and Angelica were still in mild shock from the news — the claim that their beloved Leon had allegedly proposed to the Queen herself sounded so absurd that their minds refused to accept it.
"It's just hard to believe…" Angelica finally said, frowning. "I don't recall a young viscount ever trying to propose to his nation's queen. Especially a married woman! Fine, if she were a widow… but she could very well be your mother's age!"
She didn't hide her irritation.
"Tell me honestly," she continued, fixing Leon with a steady look. "Did you actually try to propose to Her Majesty?"
Clarisse and Olivia turned to Leon in unison, waiting for his answer. Even Julius, despite his anger, looked intrigued — he hadn't had a proper conversation with his mother about this yet, and now he had a chance to hear the truth straight from the source.
Leon raised one brow slightly, looked at them with an expression of mild fatigue, then averted his eyes and turned his head to the side.
"Silence is consent, Bartfort!" Julius barked irritably, clenching his fists.
Angelica was about to grab Leon by the collar and force him to talk when a woman's voice called out, approaching them.
"I'm here!"
Everyone turned their heads at once. Milein appeared from around the corner with a radiant smile.
Her eyes widened a little when she saw not only Angelica, as she had expected, but also Leon, two other girls, and — of course — her son.
"Um…" Olivia murmured, suddenly realizing who stood before them. In the next moment she made an awkward little bow, almost hiding her face.
Leon, however, didn't lose his composure. He stepped forward, dropped to one knee with a practiced motion, and took the Queen's hand.
"I greet you, Your Majesty…" he began in a noble tone, deliberately lifting his chin as if a true knight about to kiss the queen's hand.
But he never had the chance to finish. A sharp shove struck his back, forcing him to double over in pain.
"No touching!" Julius roared, pushing Leon aside.
The air seemed to freeze.
Milein stood stunned for a second, unsure what to do. Events had unfolded too quickly: her son in a fury, Leon kneeling, the girls whispering, the hallway thick with awkward tension. Her gaze darted among them, uncertain whether to be embarrassed, amused, or to scold everyone at once.
She only exhaled, covered her mouth with a hand, and looking at her son with disapproval said,
"You should behave properly with people. Leon merely greeted me," Milein said calmly, staring at Julius.
"But mom…" Julius began, but the Queen cut him off sharply:
"No 'buts.' By the way, there is something I need to discuss with you." Her voice carried a restrained anger; her eyes flashed coldly.
Turning to Leon and Angelica, she smiled gently, though her smile held firm resolve.
"Excuse me — I suddenly remember that I must put some sense into my son. I'll leave you for a moment."
With that, she spun on her heel, grabbed Julius by the arm, and hauled him away, not allowing him a word.
"Hmph, serves you right," Leon muttered, rising and brushing dust off his clothes.
The silence was broken by a familiar mechanical voice:
"It seems you had quite an eventful meeting, master," Luxion said, hovering nearby. His metallic sphere's central sensor shimmered with a faint blue glow.
"Oh, hi Lux!" Leon replied with a smile, turning to him. "Did you already finish the task? That fast?"
"Yes," Luxion answered dryly.
Behind Luxion, another AI glided into view — a sphere of the same design but weathered by time: dulled metal, small cracks, traces of corrosion here and there. Its central sensor glowed faintly with a soft light.
"Greetings, new master," it said in an even, almost mechanically calm voice.
Leon shifted his gaze from that newcomer to Luxion. Luxion bobbed slightly in the air, as if showing confidence.
"Don't worry, master," Luxion said, "I have fully 'fixed' Ideal. He will not dare betray you."
Leon nodded briefly; his expression turned more serious.
"Good to know we now have another AI on our side."
"I am pleased to hear that, master," Ideal replied, his sensor flashing softly in a sign of subordination.
Leon stepped back a few paces, watching the two spheres. His face was reflected in their metallic shells.
He had recently remembered Ideal. Since his goal was to gather as much Old-World technology as possible to better resist Arcadia, he had decided to send Leon and Legion into the Republic to recover it.
To reduce risk, Leon assigned the mission not only to Luxion but also to Legion, his combat companion, to guarantee success. Armed with provided coordinates and location data, Luxion had no trouble finding Ideal. The old chassis was rusted, the systems damaged, but the core still functioned.
Luxion and Legion acted swiftly: the fight didn't last long. Ideal didn't even have the time to activate defense protocols before he was fully neutralized. Luxion then proceeded to repair and reconfigure him, subjugating the old AI to the new master — Leon Bartfort.
Now, standing between them, Leon felt a strange satisfaction.
"Hmm…" he mused, watching the two spheres hover beside each other. "I'm counting on you. Soon I'll probably put every one of you to work."
"I am glad to hear that, master," Ideal said.