Chapter 34: Glimmer of Hope

A lifetime of insecurities came rushing back to Leonor. Her belittling father was never more than a thought away as a simple gasp made her aching ribs ache even worse. However, there was no other appropriate response when the Crown Prince of the Castillian Kingdom said he would sponsor her way into the Magic Academy.

As far as she could glean from their interactions, he didn’t care about her. She hadn’t gone out of her way to be kind to him since she was terrified of the power he held. To say he would sponsor her was confusing.

Regardless, her heart started to fill with warm hope. The invisible chains her father placed around her felt lighter.

She had been feeling fuzzy all day but Prince Stephano’s words gave her momentary clarity and the world felt vivid. She was met with his hazel eyes, realizing they seemed particularly golden while he observed her reaction.

"I haven’t trained my mana for even a moment," Leonor admitted, disappointed in her realization. "My mother was the mage but she passed away. This is all I can do."

The lady started to raise her hands but the prince quickly rushed forward and grabbed her wrist.

"Don’t," he ordered. "I can tell you’re already depleted."

It would be irresponsible for one mage not to recognize when another pushed themselves past their limit. She would certainly collapse if she used more mana. The last time he saw her, even in the darkness, he knew her skin wasn’t so fair. She had dark circles under her eyes that no amount of preening by a maid could take away.

However, he didn’t stop there.

Prince Stephano’s hand started to warm up against Leonor’s wrist and she tried to wrench herself away from him. He was stronger than her and she didn’t make it far.

Leonor was momentarily mesmerized as golden mana escaped his hand. His eyes became more golden as well. Her ailments were forgotten and she was immersed in curiosity.

All of a sudden, Leonor started to feel better. The hunger felt more like a dull ache and her bruises weren’t occupying most of her attention.

"Wh-what did you do?" she asked, stunned.

"Your mother said the Royal Family’s mana puts yours to shame," Stephano bragged with an overconfident smirk. "You should have listened to her."

Leonor finally freed her wrist from his grip and she rubbed it even though it didn’t hurt. She stood up and looked at the Prince in surprise. Sometimes he didn’t seem very nice, yet other times he surprised her. He had saved her twice from her father.

Against the Count, Prince Stephano was the only one with the power to do so. The trouble with him was that he knew it very well.

No matter what, she felt like she should walk on eggshells around him.

"Thank you, Your Highness," she said, breaking her eyes away from him and looking down at her wrist. "I feel a bit better."

Stephano opened his mouth to respond, but they were suddenly interrupted by a Count pretending to care for his daughter’s well-being. The blatant insincerity made the Prince feel disgusted.

"Excuse me, Your Highness," Count Mikael said, using a polite voice that didn’t suit him in Leonor’s opinion. "My daughter hasn’t been feeling well lately. I don’t want to tire her out much more than this."

"Of course, my lord," Stephano responded easily. "Perhaps a late lunch would do her well."

The Count was instantly irritated at Leonor, wondering if she revealed anything to Prince Stephano, but when he was met with a light-hearted smile from the royal, he wasn’t sure what to think.

"I’ll have a maid prepare something, Your Highness," the Count responded.

Prince Stephano noted that the Count became stiffer the longer he had to pretend to be a caring father. However, he didn’t want to put Leonor in a worse situation when he was no longer there.

The Prince gestured for Leonor to follow and they started back towards the gazebo slower than before. She didn’t realize immediately the prince was stalling so her father would have to follow through with his word.

They all stood at the back entrance of Burien Manor for a moment after the Count requested a maid to bring his daughter food. Prince Stephano politely declined when the offer of food was extended to him, saying he had eaten before.

Small talk ensued that made Leonor’s skin crawl until a maid brought her a bowl of stew with rolls. It was placed on the small covered table where they had tea before.

"I will let your beloved daughter eat, my lord," Stephano said. "It’s time I departed.

Leonor didn’t sit down and curtsied for the Prince, not wanting to be rude to someone who had spent time with her.

"Thank you for visiting, your highness," Leonor said.

"I’ll be in contact, my lady," Stephano responded. "We have much to discuss."

He thought that if he promised a return in the future, the Count might not harm his daughter any longer. The next time he saw her, he hoped it would be when she was in the Academy and away from such a place.

The Count walked the Prince to the front of the manor and Leonor was afforded a moment to sit and eat in peace. The further away the others got, the more quickly she ate until the bread and stew were gone. She felt overstuffed but it was the best she had felt in quite a while.

Whatever the Prince had done to her was amazing. She wondered if he was inherently a healer or if it was simply the result of such strong mana.

Despite the hole in her heart along with the emotional and physical damage she had sustained the past few days, she thought she might be able to hang on. She couldn’t tell what the Prince’s ulterior motive was. Even though she felt he was genuine, he wouldn’t do something entirely without reason.

Whatever the case, she imagined anywhere else would be better than living under the same roof as her father.

At the thought, she felt a sense of peace. Even the stress from attending such a prestigious school felt more peaceful than what her present life offered her.

She thought fondly of her mother, wishing she knew that there was someone in the kingdom who could actually help her. There were many fights among her parents about the way her father treated her and showed favor to her younger sister.

With all the food in her stomach, Leonor decided to rest in her room. Since she missed her tutor that morning, there wasn’t much more for her to do.

However, before she could rest comfortably, she looked at the lilacs sitting on her desk and ran forward, paranoid that they seemed to be wilting again. She lit up her hands and her blue mana seeped into them, perking them up as if they had just been picked.

It became part of her nightly ritual.

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