Chapter 570 Leon’s Arrival 4

Chapter 570: Chapter 570 Leon’s Arrival 4

As the current Master of the Mage Tower and the kingdom’s strongest Archmage, Elric had complete confidence in his own abilities. If they truly fought, he wasn’t convinced he would lose so easily.

But...

Strength wasn’t what unsettled him.

It was the way Leon was looking at him.

Those burning golden feline eyes remained locked onto him without blinking, so intensely focused that Elric felt an inexplicable chill crawl down his spine.

For some bizarre reason, he suddenly had the absurd feeling that he wasn’t being looked at as a fellow powerhouse...

He was being looked at as a prized possession.

No...

As Leon’s personal ticket straight to his mate.

That frighteningly eager gaze made Archmage Elric instinctively take half a step backward, clutching his staff a little tighter as every instinct screamed that, somehow, he had just become the target of a very dangerous predator.

Completely oblivious to the strange history between Archmage Elric and the Tigren Clan, the Captain of the Royal Guard stepped forward with practiced composure.

He extended his hand toward Leon.

"It’s an honor to meet you, Chieftain Leon. I am the Captain of His Majesty’s Royal Guards."

Leon shifted his attention away from the increasingly nervous Archmage and accepted the handshake without hesitation.

The two exchanged a firm shake before the Captain took a respectful step back and bowed.

"His Majesty, the Alpha King, has invited you to attend the council meeting immediately. Your arrival has already been announced to the palace."

He gestured toward the members of the Tigren Clan gathered behind Leon.

"As for the rest of your clan, my men will personally escort them to the guest villa His Majesty has prepared. They can settle in and rest while the council proceeds."

The moment those words left the Captain’s mouth, Leon’s eyes lit up with unmistakable excitement.

"My mate..." he asked almost immediately, unable to hide the anticipation in his voice. "Is my mate there too?"

The Captain blinked before quickly realizing who Leon was referring to.

"You mean Princess Addison?"

Leon nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"If you’re referring to Her Highness, then yes," the Captain replied. "Princess Addison is currently inside the council chamber. She’s reporting everything that has transpired outside the kingdom and discussing several matters concerning the Royal Family and the kingdom’s security."

Before the Captain had even finished speaking, Leon’s expression visibly brightened.

The impatience he had been suppressing since reaching the border nearly burst free.

After countless sleepless nights, endless days of travel, and an almost unbearable longing that had left him restless every waking moment...

She was finally within reach.

Just a single teleportation away.

He barely managed to restrain the instinctive urge to grab Archmage Elric by the shoulders and demand that he open the portal immediately.

Every passing second now felt like an eternity.

"Hmph. Mate, my ass..." Archmage Elric muttered under his breath with a disgruntled snort. "You practically forced that bond onto the Princess through some dubious ritual."

He hadn’t intended for anyone else to hear him.

Unfortunately...

Both Leon and the Captain of the Royal Guard were powerful shifters. Though they belonged to different races, their senses were far beyond those of ordinary people.

Not a single word escaped their ears.

The Captain’s expression instantly froze.

Then, little by little, it darkened.

His sharp eyes snapped toward Leon, every trace of courtesy vanishing as Archmage Elric’s words echoed repeatedly in his mind.

’Forced the Princess...’

’Dubious ritual...’

A surge of fury coursed through his veins.

His loyalty belonged to the Alpha King and the Royal Family alone. Princess Addison was not only the kingdom’s beloved princess but also one of the people he had sworn, with his life, to protect.

If what Archmage Elric had just implied was true...

Then the Tigren Chieftain hadn’t won the Princess’s heart.

He had schemed against her.

He had bound her through an unknown ritual without her consent.

That possibility alone was enough to send alarm bells screaming through the Captain’s mind.

Leon was unimaginably powerful.

And that was precisely what made him dangerous.

If someone of Leon’s strength truly harbored ill intentions toward the Princess, the consequences would be catastrophic, not only for her, but for the entire kingdom.

Almost instinctively, the Captain shifted his footing.

His muscles tensed.

One hand slowly drifted toward the hilt of the sword at his waist as he placed himself between Leon and Archmage Elric, his body naturally assuming a guarded stance.

The respect he had shown moments ago remained...

But it was now laced with unmistakable vigilance.

His gaze hardened as he stared directly at Leon, silently prepared to act the instant he sensed even the slightest threat toward the Princess he had sworn to protect.

"Wait..."

Seeing the Captain’s demeanor change in an instant, Leon immediately raised both hands in a gesture that carried no hostility.

"I know."

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I know what I did was wrong."

His golden feline eyes dimmed slightly as genuine remorse surfaced across his face.

"I was desperate back then... desperate enough to do something I shouldn’t have."

He let out a quiet breath before continuing.

"But I swear to you... I have never intended to harm Addison."

His voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

"If anything happens to her, I suffer the consequences as well. The ritual didn’t bind only her..."

Leon lowered his hand and placed it over his own chest.

"It bound me too."

"Our lives, our souls... they’re tied together now. If she’s injured, I’m affected. If she’s in danger, I won’t come out of it unscathed either. Hurting her would be the same as hurting myself."

The Captain remained silent, his hand still resting on the hilt of his sword.

His vigilance hadn’t lessened in the slightest.

Ordinarily...

Leon would never have bothered explaining himself.

As the Chieftain of the Tigren Clan, one of the strongest beings on the continent, he had long grown accustomed to others accepting his decisions without question. He neither owed explanations nor sought anyone’s approval.

But this time...

It was different.

These people were Addison’s.

Seeing the Captain instinctively step forward wanting to protect her instead of shrinking back in fear of Leon’s overwhelming aura didn’t anger him.

Quite the opposite.

It pleased him.

The Captain’s reaction proved his loyalty lay unwaveringly with Addison and the Royal Family. Those willing to draw their weapons for her without hesitation were exactly the kind of people Leon wanted standing at her side.

So he swallowed his pride.

He chose patience over intimidation.

Not because he feared being judged...

But because he knew he deserved it.

His first meeting with Addison had been a disaster. He had forced a mate bond upon her in a moment of desperation, leaving her with every reason to distrust and resent him.

That mistake couldn’t be erased with a few words.

Nor did he expect it to be.

Still, these people would remain by Addison’s side long after today. If they viewed him as nothing more than a scheming predator, every future interaction would begin with hostility.

So, for Addison’s sake...

Leon willingly lowered himself, offering an explanation he would never have given anyone else.

It wasn’t an excuse.

It was the first step toward earning the trust of the people who had devoted their lives to protecting the woman he intended to spend the rest of his life cherishing.

Archmage Elric, the eldest and most experienced of the three, immediately realized that letting the situation escalate would benefit no one. Before either man could take another step forward, he calmly moved between Leon and the Captain of the Royal Guard, raising a hand to stop them.

After all, this confrontation had started because of his own careless remark. Pretending otherwise would only make matters worse.

"Let’s leave this here for now," Archmage Elric said in his usual calm, steady voice. "The Alpha King’s orders take priority. As for everything else..." His gaze briefly shifted toward Leon before returning to the captain. "If Princess Addison truly wishes to settle the score over what happened before, then let her deal with him personally. It isn’t our place to interfere."

Only after the words left his mouth did Elric realize his mistake.

He had spoken softly out of habit, almost under his breath.

But everyone standing here was a shifter.

To ordinary humans, his voice would have been little more than a murmur. To heightened shifter senses, however, every single word was as clear as if he had announced it aloud.

No wonder the Captain of the Royal Guard’s attitude toward Leon had changed so abruptly.

What surprised Elric even more was Leon’s reaction.

The proud young man he had met before would never have tolerated such open hostility. He would have challenged it head-on without a second thought, his pride refusing to yield an inch.

Yet now...

Leon merely stood there.

His expression tightened for only a brief moment before he reined himself in, neither taking offense nor provoking the captain further.