Chapter 253: Unexpected Outburst
At the entrance of Leonard's Palace, a long red carpet was laid on the ground, with multiple servants lined up in a formal position.
Their faces were all solemn as they greeted Leonard and Eleanor at the same time, a clear showcase of how much practice had been done in private.
"SPENCE!" Leonard called out loudly. What he least wanted was this kind of ceremonial welcome.
He came home from a long journey, so couldn't he just flop into bed and sleep?
Or even better, have a feast ready for him to chow down, and not this kind of formal welcoming ceremony?
Just one glance at the servant and he could tell they must have been scared witless. After all, such formality meant that making one mistake was their death sentence.
Not only was it nerve-wracking, but it also caused the atmosphere and vibe of his palace to be like some sort of prison.
This was home, not a prison cell!
A few seconds later, an excited old man emerged from the crowd.
"Crown Prince!" They called out enthusiastically. As he walked past the servants, their heads all lowered by another inch.
Without a doubt, this old man was none other than Spencer, who seemed to have regained some of his youth upon seeing Leonard return from his long journey.
"Stop right there!" Leonard quickly shouted and raised his hand. "Don't you dare give me some cliche hug or disgusting words!"
Poor Spencer had his arms wide open, but could only freeze in place.
The position was quite comical, causing some of the nearby servants to struggle to suppress their laughter.
After all, Spencer was a fearsome person known to most. But only when he was dealing with Leonard does he show a nonchalant and comedic person, an action that suited his age.
"Haha, the Crown Prince is right. I shall save the flattery words for next time." Spencer believed the Crown Prince must have been embarrassed because of a guest.
He fixed his posture and turned his attention to Eleanor. "You must be Xundraeth's Princess, Eleanor, right?"
Eleanor nodded. Despite having the blindfold on, she could sense his powerful presence and aura the moment she entered the palace gate.
"Indeed, I am. You must be the famous Spencer Reed."
"Haha, what is famous about me? It's all just nonsense!"
"You are too humble, Mister Reed."
Spencer smiled amiably. He was about to say something until someone interrupted him.
"Can the two of you stop the pretentious greetings?" Leonard interrupted and rolled his eyes.
"It's my palace, so stop with the bullshit. Spence's a butcherer, and Eleanor a strategist who has so much blood in her hands. The two of you are the same kind. There's your introduction!"
Shortly after saying so, Leonard clicked his tongue and walked off to the interior.
The nearby servants remained quiet but silently impressed by his outburst.
Out of everyone here, only Leonard could probably spout this kind of cold, hard truth aloud and remain alive.
After all, which one of these two wasn't frightening?
Who would dare to call them a butcherer or a bloody strategist right in their face?
"Haha, the Crown Prince must have been exhausted and wished to rest early." Spencer laughed awkwardly in hopes of quickly easing the situation.
"He sure has been exhausted recently." Eleanor smiled warmly.
"But I do hope the servants here are known for their tight lips. I don't mind the remarks, but if others were to use it as a smear campaign on Leon. Then things wouldn't be nice." She continued, softly warning and advising Spencer of the consequences if those remarks were to spread outside.
As soon as Eleanor finished her words, almost all the servants felt a splash of cold chill running down their spines.
How could they possibly not understand the implication behind her words?
She wanted to warn Spencer to silence everyone present to ensure absolute secrecy on Leonard's joking remarks.
'Indeed, she's one bloodthirsty strategist.' Spencer thought to himself. Although it was quite diabolical, he didn't disapprove of her intention.
Her intention stemmed from Leonard's well-being because his casual and joking remark earlier could easily be used as a weapon against him.
After all, they had just gone through a punishment on a series of people who disrespected Eleanor, and now Leonard was doing exactly that.
What was he thinking?
Or at least that was what the servants couldn't comprehend.
But little did Spencer know. Eleanor didn't want to silence them because of others trying to use this as a weapon against him.
It was more so on the fact that his outburst was a declaration of how displeased he was with the overall situation. She was insulted and used as a political tool by others as soon as she set foot in the capital.
Leonard's action was to say that he wouldn't mind resorting to a wild dog and biting whoever dared to pull such a stunt again.
'His mouth insults me, but his mind protects me. It can't be that he's the hot and cold type?' Eleanor mused inwardly. Since he wished to protect her, she also wished the same. She accepted his good intention, but she wasn't some flower vase.
"Leon has promised to let me stay in his palace during my time here. Can you lead me to my room, preferably one close to Leon's?" She turned to Spencer and asked softly.
"Very well," Spencer smiled amiably.
Could he even refuse?
As the two exited the premises, the servants still didn't dare to move a limb.
They could sense multiple presences hovering above them in invisible places.
The situation was no different than a chef glancing at a bunch of chicken trapped in a cage, thinking of who to butcher for the dish.
Just when the servants thought their lives would be forfeited, a soft voice resounded.
"Let them go. They have signed a magic contract anyway, and I doubt the Crown Prince wants to see blood again within his palace."
Once the statement was made, the intense presence vanished in the blink of an eye. The servants soon plopped to the ground, sweat dropping down from their foreheads.