Chapter 351: Think About It

The two adults fell silent again, and for a longer time.

Marie stared into the horizon, deep in thought. A while later, she opened her mouth to speak.

"I was used to being alone," she started. "Marcus never set his sights on Nora. He never knew I gave birth. At first, I cared. I worried about what people would say. I even tried looking for him."

Leon glanced at her, letting her continue.

"But slowly, I lost interest in being with someone. I made Nora my only source of happiness."

A faint smile appeared on her face, beautiful and serene.

"It was pleasant, y’know? Placing all your love on one person. But after meeting Marcus again, it felt like something had been opened. An old wound."

She turned to look at him. "I wanted to be loved too. I wanted someone to call me his. I wanted..."

"I wanted to be cherished. And you..." She paused. "You did that."

Leon blinked, bewildered and confused. "When? How?"

Marie smiled. "You called me your subordinate. You cherished me as a person. It might not be much, but to me, it’s enough."

She turned away again, her smile wider. "Nora’s liking for you was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I fell in love with you, Leon."

He sighed, feeling something strange course through him.

"But this..." She hesitated. "This... this setup... you, me, and someone else... I don’t know if I’m willing to join."

Leon’s expression hardened, but he didn’t say anything yet. He was 90% prepared for a rejection, anyway.

Marie seemed to sense his inner turmoil and turned to him with a smile. "You know what? I’ll just go evolve. When I’m done, I’ll give you a proper answer."

Leon nodded slowly, a cool expression on his face. "Alright. I’ll wait for you to evolve. I’m also eager to see how strong you will be."

Her lips curled into a grin, and she fully turned to face him.

"Can I request something?"

Leon nodded without thinking. "What’s that?"

She stepped closer to him, her smile dimming.

"This."

She grabbed his collars and tiptoed a little. Their lips met coolly, and Leon blinked in a daze.

Unlike the first time they had kissed, she didn’t pull away immediately. Leon could guess what she wanted so he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Their bodies pressed against each other, sharing the heat beneath their skin.

Leon’s tongue melted into hers. He sucked on her lips gently while she reciprocated, then pulled away reluctantly.

After all, they really needed to take a breath.

Leon didn’t release her immediately. He stared into her grey eyes and uttered three words with little difficulty.

"I love you."

Marie smiled and stepped back. "I feel happy hearing that from you."

Turning back, she began walking back inside. "I’m going to evolve now. It’s better to wake up early tomorrow."

Leon nodded, smiling faintly. He turned to look at the sky, his smile fading.

’Phase Two evolution is coming. I have to be prepared. And Clara too. I need to upload something about myself online, so she can know where to find me.’

He sighed, then turned around and entered the hallway. He needed some sleep too, anyway.

He quickly returned to the room and collapsed on the bed. In a few minutes, he was already sound asleep.

The following morning, he woke up to a pleasant feeling after having a pleasant dream.

’It’s definitely a wet dream. Even though I can’t remember, it’s definitely o—wait.’

His eyes snapped open, and he pulled the sheets up. A pair of sharp purple eyes met his gaze.

Thyra pulled his cock out of her mouth, then rested her chin on his hips. "Good morning, Leon."

"Um... yeah." He nodded. "Good morning."

Thyra chuckled and got back to work. Not knowing what to say, he simply lay back on the bed and closed his eyes, fighting an inner battle to hold out longer.

In the end, his defense fell in less than ten minutes. He wasn’t saddened by the loss. Instead, he felt blissful.

’Indeed, a pleasant morning.’

After taking a bath, he stepped out of the room, looking composed.

He quickly found Richard and asked about the others.

"Hm? I heard Marie is evolving and Cassie is guarding her. As for Fel, she’s probably with them too."

Leon nodded, then patted his shoulder.

"I heard you’ve got a girlfriend. Who is it? Spill the beans."

Richard smiled stiffly. "Ha-ha, you heard that?"

"Yes." Leon nodded, his smile thin. "I’m not deaf."

Richard made a face, then sighed. "It’s—"

"Babe!"

Hearing that voice, they both turned to look. Leon blinked.

"It’s her?"

It was Diana, a girl they had rescued with other students from Williamsburg.

Richard nodded, watching as she approached him with a bright smile. She didn’t seem to notice Leon until she drew closer.

Her eyes widened, and she quickly bowed.

"A-ah! Good morning, City Lord."

Leon smiled. "You don’t have to be so stiff. Just call me by my name."

Richard turned to him, surprised. "Boss, even I don’t call you by your name."

"So? That’s you." Leon shot him a look, then turned back to Diana. "By the way, if he treats you unfairly, let me know. I’m still much stronger than him, anyway."

The girl smiled shyly. "Um... alright. Thank you, Cit—ah, I mean Leon."

He nodded and gently pushed Richard toward her. "Now, I must go. Duty calls for a single man like me. Sigh."

Richard opened his mouth, wanting to say what he saw on the balcony yesterday, but decided to keep quiet. He had a feeling that things wouldn’t go well if he mentioned it.

Anyway, Richard decided to focus on his girlfriend instead of dwelling on Leon’s teasing. "Morning, Diana. Did you sleep well?"

Meanwhile, Leon walked away, feeling amused. Thyra nudged him with her elbow, snickering.

"Single man? You actually dare call yourself that?"

Leon winced a bit. "Ah... it’s not like that. No one except Gwen knows you so..."

She shook her head and was about to say something when Leon felt his phone vibrate.

Knowing it could only be an important message, he pulled it out of his pocket and checked.

It was an update from Gwen, his beloved Chief Administrator.

’Huh? Why do I feel that something was misinterpreted?’