Chapter 44

Leighton Wright Milnrow, son of Marquess Milnrow and older twin brother of Leia Kimberely Milnrow, was enjoying the quiet night after sneaking away from his dorm room. The gentle breeze ruffles his light blue hair, and his leg swings through open air as he leans his cheek against his raised knee while his wintery gaze remained distant and unseeing as he contemplates all that has happened before the school year had begun.

The girl, the one who had bullied Miss Amelia and was accused of trying to poison her by the crown prince and had gotten exiled for it, had come back.

What was her name again?

Lid-no, Livia. It was Livia.

Turns out, it had all been based on very thin evidence, and after proving so, the girl, Livia, had her exiled lifted and had her status returned to her despite the fact that she still had been completely guilty of tormenting Miss Amelia. Other than a mild warning from King Grail himself, Livia basically got a slap on the wrist and went on her merry way back to her family. Or so, Leia had told him while she had been fuming about it.

Leighton had not been present for Livia’s party or her trial. He and his family had been visiting distant cousins up north last winter, but when he got back and heard of the news, his first concern had been making sure that Miss Amelia was alright. He had known she had been bullied by Lady Livia, but he and the others in his house have been ordered not to act by Prince Orin.

If only he hadn’t abided by the second prince and did something anyway. Maybe then, everything would have not become so complicated and troublesome.

A few months ago, Leighton had laid eyes on Lady Livia for the first time since he last saw her in class, over a year ago. It had been during the ball King Grail had hosted for Princess Adanna. The same ball that had given Ameila the new status of crown princess candidate.

Leighton was not the type to act first and think later. He always held his judgment and thoughts in high esteem as his father had always taught him to, but even he had felt a sense of injustice and anger on behalf of Amelia. And after hearing how the trial ended via his twin sister, Leighton had been quick to agree with her.

He, and plenty of his schoolmates, had all thought Lady Livia had got off scot-free.

That she had not deserved to have her exiled lifted and her titles and status returned to her.

Amelia had still been bullied by Lady Livia in the past, after all.

Surely, some consequence should have befallen her for that alone.

But then he had seen that she was heavily pregnant.

And suddenly, he registered the words that had been whispered about, and realize his sister had only told him half the story.

The princes.

The ones he had blindly followed in the past.

They had not made just a simple mistake that resulted in Lady Livia being sent away from her home country.

No.

She had been kidnapped while being transferred.

And somehow, no one had ever found out until recently. But that only happened after she had been mistakenly accused of murder by not one, but two Princes of Wisteria.

Unlike some, who had been skeptical and shocked, Leighton had believed them wholeheartedly along with his sister.

He had truly thought Lady Livia had tried to kill Amelia during her own debutante, and that the princes had been kind and fair when they had only exiled her for it. Crown Prince Rodale had always been logical and reliable, he also had been student council president. While Prince Orin has always been too smart for his own good despite the smile he liked to put on and had been the treasurer. Both princes had seemed like people to put his faith in and he had always been raised to respect them, for they are his princes.

But now...

Leighton frowns heavily.

Now he did not know what to think or how to react. His own thoughts have dulled as his mind rumbled with conflict.

He had been too quick to accept the truth from others, even if it had been from Leia.

That much, Leighton could acknowledge.

But what was he to do now?

He had been made the student council president after crown prince Rodale had been forced to step down and suddenly, he had triple the responsibility.

Leighton had been content with his position as vice president even though he never would have applied for the position for himself. He had only been mildly surprised when he has gotten it and had been happy that he still had plenty of time for his other club and an afternoon nap under his favorite tree. Now, he had no time for any of his normal leisure activities.

It was busywork. On the positive side, it kept him from thinking too long, and help him push through the motions. But now, it was the middle of the night, and Leighton's thoughts had become too restless for sleep.

He knew he would regret staying up so late come morning, but it was an old habit that would not be easily shaken.

Leighton yawns and blinks slowly. Maybe he should just go back?

His thoughts were not becoming any clearer.

He was about to jump down when he suddenly senses the presence of magic nearby.

His eyes sharpen instantly.

His head turns in the direction he felt it come from, and his eyes narrow, thinking.

The magic was not outright hostile, and it was very faint. Like it had been muffled and was fading fast. Leighton could send word to the school guards patrolling the barrier around Aster Academy to investigate it using his magic, but by the time they would arrive, the culprit would be long gone.

Leighton had ventured deep into the forest surrounding the academy tonight. It would take at least ten minutes from the very outskirts of the barrier.

He tsks, and makes up his mind.

Leighton jumps from the thick tree limb he had been resting on, to another tree closest to him. His feet barely touch it before he pushes off again, and he becomes a faint blur in the night as he quickly gains speed.

By the time he reaches the sight where the outside magic had originated from, it has completely dissipated from the air. He sticks close to the shadows of the tree and remains dead silent as he takes in the scene almost directly below him.

There were two hooded figures in a small, shadowed clearing. One was cradling their jaw, while the other was quickly putting distance between them with heavy steps.

“You fucking bitch!” The first figure snarls, confirming themselves to be male.

“That stone...who gave it to you?” The second figure asks calmly, sound faintly familiar and distinctly female.

“Why don’t you come closer and meet the person yourself,” The male growls, stalking forward with his hand out. The female easily evades it, and as she turns, Leighton's eyes widen when he sees how her cloak is pulled tight around a pregnant belly.

His body tenses as he prepares to jump down immediately. But then the next thing the male says gives him pause.

“I don’t know how you messed with the teleportation spell, but I am sure you won’t be able to do it a second time in the state that you are in,” The male hisses, “We know that you are some kind of witch dabbling in dark magic!”

“Dabbling? I take offense to that,” The female snarks.

The male stops in his pursuit to point and say, “So you did mess with the stone! What dark spell did you cast!?”

The female stops moving as well. The cloak hood tilts. A moment of silence goes by.

“You do not know anything. You are just a foot shoulder. How useless,” she says lowly.

The male hand wavers in the air, his other tightens around the stone, “What?”

“That means I have no use for you,” she tells him, and then she darts forward with surprising speed and agility and takes a solid swing at him. The male's head whips to the side from the force of her blow and he falls to the floor, unconscious.

“Fucking hell!” the female mutters as she kicks lightly at the male before she awkwardly bends down and takes the glowing stone.

Leighton shifts to get a better look at it. It had a strange symbol on it and was glowing red instead of the normal blue, but there was no doubt it was a teleportation stone.

But how was that possible? They were highly regulated. Not just anyone could get their hands on it as they were of high-tier magic and difficult to make.

“Oh damn, it’s honing on this location,” the woman says suddenly, and turns her head around frantically, causing her cloak hood to fall off, revealing a full head of purple hair, and Lady Livia’s distinct facial features.

No sooner had she said it, Leighton watch as the small clearing is filled with figures wearing the same cloaks as the man Lady Livia had punched into unconsciousness with a faint glow of red magic, surrounding her completely.

He shudders, feeling the magic the teleportation stones exude up close.

It did not seem so neutral this close.

“Well, this seems like overkill,” Lady Livia says as she turns in a slow circle, her eyes keen.

Leighton silently agreed.

“We know what you are. What you did,” One of them says, and when he steps forward, the others follow in unison.

"And what is that, exactly?” Lady Livia asks, sounding mildly curious.

“All the men that have been sent to procure you have all lost their lives,” the man says, not sounding the faintest bit sad.

“Oh, that,” Lady Livia simply says.

“Yes, that,” the leader says, smiling wide, and then inclines his head, “Get her,” he says and the group moves forward.

“How about us even the odds?” Leighton asks and jumps down in front of Lady Livia.

The leader tilts his head, a sneer on his mouth, “More guards?” He turns to his group, “I thought the others kept them occupied?”

“He wasn’t with her in the cavern,” one of his minions say.

“I’m new,” Leighton quips.

Lady Livia peeks from over his shoulder, and looks him up and down before nodding once, as if in approval, “You will do for now.”

And then she turns her back to him and settles into a fighting stance.

Leighton does a double-take, he turns his head, peeking over his shoulder with wide eyes, “What are you doing?”

“They are coming,” Livia responds, and ducks under an arm and uppercuts one minion, before she jabs a sharp elbow into the stomach of another that comes behind her.

Leighton isn’t given a moment to take in the sight of a pregnant noble heiress holding her own against trained kidnappers. He is too busy trying to keep as many of them away from her by freezing their feet to the damp forest floor with his magic, keeping them immobile long enough for him to take them out.

“Found them,” A dark voice says, and Leighton spins to see two figures calmly step into the fray.

“Sen, Clive,” Livia nods to them, twisting the wrist of one of the minions, causing him to scream.

“Haha, is this normal for you guys?” One of the men asks.

“It used to be,” the other one replies gruffly while cleanly putting down two men in a matter of seconds and cuts blazing yellow eyes to Lady Livia, “If only this situation could have been entirely avoided.”

“Ah, I was wondering when you would say something, Sen,” Lady Livia mutters as she and Leighton turn to the leader at the same time.

The leader growls before looking over his men, and holding out his stone, “Retreat,” he barks out before staring at Lady Livia while his men disappeared around him.

“We will come back for the girl at another time,” he promises before teleporting away.

The one called Sen turns to Lady Livia instantly, a dark scowl on his face.

Lady Livia seems almost moderately apologetic, “I know, you don’t have to tell me,” she says, looking away.

Leighton drops his fighting stance and turns to the group of three, many questions on the tip of his tongue.

“We gotta go. It’s late,” Sen says in reply to his silent question before stepping close to Lady Livia and taking her elbow.

Despite his displeased expression, he is gentle with her, saying nothing when she all but collapses into his side. This close, Leighton only just notices the animal wrapped around her neck.

Between one blink in the next, Lady Livia’s back is to him as she is escorted away, and the last man, Clive, stands in front of him with a smile.

Leighton frowns, “What?”

Clive gestures to his chest, “Should the student council president of Aster Academy be out too late? And outside the barrier without permission?”

Leighton scowls, “And should an ex-adventure be so close to private property without being granted access?”

Clive's smile widens, “I guess we both should leave then and keep this between us.”

Leighton says nothing in reply, he just turns on his heel and shoves his hands in his pocket, his thoughts churning more than ever before.