Leon lifted his head when he heard a soft voice calling from behind him.

  When he turned, he saw a young girl standing at the end of the corridor. She wore simple yet elegant palace attire. Her long hair was neatly tied back, and a gentle smile rested on her face—a smile completely different from the cold, expressionless looks of the Gelar Clan members Leon was used to seeing.

  But what caught Leon’s attention the most were her eyes.

  They were bright.

  Filled with curiosity and hope.

  The girl was Princess Aurora.

  And Leon suddenly remembered their meeting from yesterday.

  Flashback

  Leon had been sitting alone in the garden after finishing his training with Rigo.

  In truth, he had wanted to go see Elina, the woman who had once been his mother in his previous life.

  But seeing Rigo again reminded him of who he was now.

  Now he was Leon, a son of the Dreiss family.

  A family that would one day become the enemy of the Gelar Clan.

  Which meant that someday… he might stand against the clan himself.

  Thinking about that made his chest tighten.

  He didn’t have the courage to approach Elina.

  He didn’t want to hurt the woman who had once been his mother.

  But he also had a family now in this life.

  A different family.

  One he also wanted to protect.

  Then a cheerful voice suddenly broke his thoughts.

  “Hey, you’re the new one, right? I’m Princess Aurora.”

  Leon froze.

  For a moment he simply stared, confused.

  He turned and saw a young girl standing behind him.

  This girl…

  He had seen her before.

  Not in this life.

  But in fragments of memory that had begun resurfacing since he had been reborn as Leon.

  In his previous life as Rigo, Leon had never cared about politics or palace affairs.

  As an imperial assassin, his duty had been simple:

  Follow orders.

  Kill targets.

  Ask no questions.

  But now those memories returned.

  He remembered a figure who had played a crucial role in the rebellion that eventually shook the Empire.

  The Empress.

  The mother of the girl standing before him.

  When Leon had lived as Rigo, he had never imagined that the Emperor’s wife—someone who appeared distant and politically passive—would one day become one of the leaders of a rebellion that nearly tore the Empire apart from within.

  Leon looked at Aurora with mixed emotions.

  Before, he had never questioned the relationship between the Emperor and the Empress.

  But now, with the knowledge he carried from the future, Leon could see how complicated the palace truly was.

  This small girl standing in front of him—

  This innocent princess with a friendly smile—

  Would someday rise against the Empire alongside her mother.

  And what troubled him most…

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  He still didn’t know why.

  But one thing had become clear.

  Aurora might hold the key to understanding that future rebellion.

  Leon slowly exhaled.

  He couldn’t simply approach the Emperor or the palace officials and reveal what he knew.

  No one would believe a child.

  Especially not one talking about events that hadn’t happened yet.

  They would call him insane.

  Or worse—punish him.

  If I want to change the future… I have to find my own way.

  And right now…

  The girl in front of him might be the only path forward.

  Leon took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm.

  He bowed slightly.

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Leon said politely.

  “My name is Leon. I… I just joined.”

  End of Flashback

  “Nice to meet you, Leon!” Aurora said cheerfully. “I rarely meet other children in the palace. Everyone here always looks so busy and serious. But you seem different.”

  Leon chuckled softly.

  Even to him, the sound felt strange.

  Inside his heart, a deep conflict stirred.

  It was uncomfortable knowing that this friendly little girl would someday become a threat to the Empire.

  But right now…

  She was just a curious and innocent child.

  Aurora looked at him with shining eyes.

  “Do you want to play with me?” she asked.

  “I’m bored here. The servants are all too old to play.”

  Leon paused.

  Play?

  The concept felt unfamiliar.

  In his previous life, he had been trained as an assassin since childhood.

  But in this life, getting close to Aurora was an opportunity he could not ignore.

  If he could become her friend…

  Perhaps he could understand what truly happened in the palace.

  Perhaps he could discover why her family would someday rebel.

  “Alright, Aurora,” Leon said at last.

  “I’ll play with you.”

  Aurora’s face lit up instantly.

  She grabbed his hand and led him toward a small garden in the palace courtyard, filled with blooming flowers and elegant stone statues.

  Leon followed, trying to adapt to this unfamiliar atmosphere.

  A peaceful world.

  A world he had never noticed when he lived as Rigo.

  They played hide-and-seek among the trees and bushes.

  Aurora laughed happily whenever she found Leon hiding.

  For a brief moment, Leon almost forgot his mission.

  He let himself enjoy the quiet peace.

  But deep inside his mind, the future still haunted him.

  How could a girl as cheerful and innocent as Aurora become a rebel?

  The question refused to leave him.

  He knew the answer likely lay with her mother—

  Empress Calista.

  A woman whose past was filled with secrets.

  After they finished playing, they sat down on the grass, breathing heavily.

  Suddenly Aurora spoke again, her voice softer.

  “Leon… do you have a mother?”

  The question caught him off guard.

  In his life as Rigo, the closest person he had ever had to a mother was Elina.

  She had raised him.

  Treated his wounds.

  Even if she rarely showed warmth.

  But now, as Leon…

  He had another mother.

  A loving one in the Dreiss family.

  “Yes,” Leon said quietly.

  “I have a very kind mother.”

  Aurora lowered her head, her fingers absentmindedly pulling at blades of grass.

  “You’re lucky…”

  “My mother… acts like I don’t exist.”

  “She always seems so distant.”

  “I don’t know why.”

  Leon felt a strange emotion stir within him.

  Pity.

  Something he had never truly felt as Rigo.

  Aurora looked at him with lonely eyes, searching for an answer she had never received.

  In that moment Leon realized something.

  Even though Aurora was a princess—

  Her life was far from perfect.

  She was trapped inside a beautiful palace filled with secrets.

  Surrounded by people who kept their distance.

  Suddenly Leon felt a new determination rise inside him.

  If Aurora truly became a rebel in the future…

  Then perhaps that rebellion began with wounds planted in childhood.

  If he could understand her—

  If he could become her friend—

  Maybe he could prevent that dark future.

  Maybe he could heal those wounds before it was too late.

  Leon gently patted Aurora’s shoulder.

  “I’m here, Princess Aurora,” he said softly.

  “You’re not alone anymore.”

  Aurora smiled.

  A small but sincere smile.

  “Thank you, Leon.”

  “You’re my friend now, right?”

  Leon nodded.

  A strange feeling stirred in his heart.

  Yes… I will be your friend.

  Not for myself.

  But to prevent the destruction I once witnessed.

  Deep inside, Leon knew his journey had only just begun.

  By becoming Aurora’s friend, he would search for a way to change the Empire’s dark fate.

  And perhaps—for the first time in his life—

  He would discover the meaning of compassion.

  Elsewhere…

  In the darkness of a damp and foul-smelling cave, Seraphina von Arcelis, a young girl from one of the Empire’s great noble families, lay weakly on the cold stone floor.

  Hunger gnawed painfully at her stomach.

  Her bones ached from the freezing air creeping through the cave.

  Her once neatly kept hair was tangled and messy.

  Her beautiful dress was stained with mud and dust.

  Every breath brought the nauseating stench of rot and damp earth.

  As a noble child raised in luxurious estates, lying on the filthy cave floor felt like a nightmare.

  Her cheek still burned from the slap she received the night before.

  When she cried out for her father, one of the bandits had struck her, warning her not to make noise.

  Since then, Seraphina had tried desperately to stay silent.

  Around her, other captives sat tied up, their faces pale with fear and exhaustion.

  Men.

  Women.

  Even a younger child crying quietly beside his mother.

  No one dared speak.

  The fear hanging in the cave had silenced them all.

  Seraphina glanced around, hoping to find a familiar face.

  But she recognized no one.

  Were they nobles too?

  Were their families searching for them?

  Just like hers?

  She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to stop the tears threatening to fall.

  Her thoughts drifted to her family.

  Her strict but loving father.

  Her gentle mother.

  Did they know she had been kidnapped?

  Were they searching for her?

  Seraphina bit her lip.

  Crying would not help her escape.

  But fear made it hard to think clearly.

  Near the cave entrance, several bandits laughed loudly.

  One large man with a dirty beard approached the captives.

  His eyes scanned them greedily.

  When his gaze landed on Seraphina, he grinned.

  “Well, well… little princess,” he sneered.

  “Miss your big comfortable home?”

  “Don’t expect too much.”

  “Maybe your family decided you aren’t worth the ransom.”

  Seraphina bit her lip harder.

  The bandit slapped her cheek lightly.

  His cruel laughter echoed through the cave.

  “Don’t bruise her too much,” another bandit said—a thin woman with sharp eyes.

  “If her face gets ruined, her family might pay less.”

  The man laughed and walked away.

  Seraphina trembled.

  The cave felt endless.

  Hopeless.

  Every hour felt like an eternity.

  And somewhere deep inside her heart, fear whispered a terrible question:

  What if no one came to save her?