The Useless Prince Is A Gangster

Liana ran towards the bed and yanked the sheets, as if he might somehow be hiding underneath them.

"Young master? Young Master Leo, where are you?" She called out, her voice rising with a panic, and her world began to blur with tears.

A familiar voice grumbled from behind her before she could cry.

"Why are you shouting? It's early morning."

She turned around and saw Leonhardt lean against the bathroom doorframe in a bathrobe, his hair damp and tousled after a refreshing bath.

Seeing her panic, a grin spread across his face. "Wow, Liana. You're such a worrywart."

"It is not a joke, young master!" she scolded immediately, her fear turning into relieved irritation. She wiped off her tears with the back of her hand.

"Of course I worry! You always get in disastrous trouble."

He couldn't argue with that. His grin faded, replaced by a softer, sincere look. "I'm sorry," he apologized, his voice turned softer. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She huffed, trying to compose herself. "Your clothes for the day are ready. Would you like breakfast? I can make it quickly."

"I'll eat in the cafeteria," he said, running a hand through his damp hair. "Promised others I would buy them something good."

Of course, he can eat lavish food in the grand hall. But no famous chef in the kingdom could ever match her cooking for him.

Her dishes were prepared with a devotion only she possessed.

Knock—Knock.

As he was about to change his attire, a soft knock came from the door, and Liana went to answer.

She looked out and turned silent for a moment, then stepped back.

"Who is it?" Leo asked, pulling a shirt over his head.

Liana turned back with a knowing, mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh, I just remembered I left the iron heating in my room. I will be right back." Her voice was smooth and innocent as she slipped out into the hallway, and in doing so, gracefully revealed the visitor waiting there.

It was Rin Valarune.

As Liana gave her a quick, encouraging nod and hurried off, she watched in confusion.

Then her confusion turned into a smile as she stepped into Leo's room and closed the door behind her.

Leo looked at her with amusement as he finished buttoning his cuffs. "A little early for a social call, isn't it? The boys' dormitory has rules, you know."

Her pink eyes lit up with a playful spark as she walked right up to him, closing the distance until he could feel her breath. He could smell her, her hair, her face.

She tilted her head up, whispering. "What if I like breaking the rules?"

She was trying to tease him, to fluster him, to grab the upper hand in their little romance.

But he had lifetime experience in this particular game.

In one fluid motion, he grabbed her hips, lifted her, and set her down on the edge of his heavy study desk. She let out a tiny, surprised squeak.

He leaned in, locking her gently between his arms, so close that her entire face turned red. So close that he could feel her heart thudding.

Of course, this wasn't new to him.

He had lived a whole life with Chloe and knew her heart. Rin was simply her, reborn in a new body.

"Now," he murmured, his crimson eyes locked on her shy pink eyes. "Try that answer again."

"I-I just... I wanted to make sure you were awake! For today! What if you slept in and missed it, you... you total idiot?"

She stammered.

He chuckled, warm and intimate. "You're the one who sleeps through the sun and is always sprinting to class." He leaned in closer, his gaze dropping to her lips. "So you came all this way just to wake me up?"

He began to close the distance, intending to claim a proper good morning kiss.

But a hand flew up quickly and he ended up kissing her soft skin instead. "Your breath! It smells like... like alcohol!"

Leo pulled back, genuinely taken aback.

She took the opportunity to slip off the desk, putting her hands on her hips in mock outrage.

"Well? Explain yourself. Did you have a little secret celebration last night?"

He lifted his own hand to his mouth and breathed out. She was right. But he'd scrubbed and brushed, but it clung to the teeth.

"Where were you last night?" she asked, crossing her hands under her chest.

He looked at her curious pink gaze that demand answers.

Well, the truth is, he massacred the whole dark guild last night— nine nights straight. He was doing this for her own sake, he can't put her in risk again, knowing she's a potential vessel for that obsessive witch.

But can he tell her what he did last night?

Of course, he can't.

A slow smile surfaced on his lips. "Would you believe me," he said in a light tone, "if I said I was just nervous for your duel today? I needed a drink to calm my nerves."

The worst lie he ever said.

She stared at him, her expression shifting from suspicion to something softer—affectionate disbelief.

"You? Nervous for me? Now I know you're lying." But she stepped forward again and poked him in the chest. "Just don't make a habit of it. I don't want my fiancée smelling like a wine shelf."

'Fiancee.'

That word stirred something inside him. He smirked, catching her poking finger with one hand, her with another and pulled her close.

♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢

A Few Hours Later—Gold Section Leader's Office.

Sunlight streamed through the tall, leaded windows of the luxurious office, highlighting the figure of the academy's top beauty—Eislinde Veyr.

The leader of the Silver Section sat perched on the edge of a chair with one long leg crossed over the other.

"So… let me be absolutely clear. There is a substantial bounty on offer… for us… if we utterly defeat the Bronze and Iron sections in the tournament?"

Her voice was smooth, but beneath it was a calculating edge.

Beside her, her assistant, a shorter girl with wide eyes gasped audibly.

"Three hundred gold crowns? Just for a victory?" She whispered, her voice trembling with a shock and greed.

Across them, sitting on the leather chair, was Darius.

"Of course," he said confidently. "Three hundred gold for one victory against those pathetic beings. A generous… motivation, don't you think?"

"And that is merely the currency. The true reward is a lifetime favor from His Highness, Prince Cassian. A favor that will be worth more than any treasury… when he ascends to become our next emperor."

At this, Eislinde's practiced, cool expression melted away. Her perfectly shaped lips curled into a chilly smile.

"Interesting," she purred, leaning forward slightly, her gaze locked on Darius. "Very, very interesting."