"Yes he visited me this morning but he had to leave on an urgent note So, he will be occupied with matters in the Imperial City. it may be some time before he returns. Perhaps a few weeks. Possibly even a month. But when he does come back, I want you to be careful about what you say to him."
She paused. Studied his face.
"Just behave as naturally as you can. By now, he should already know that you've lost your memories. So don't force yourself to remember anything in front of him. If you don't know something, it's better to say so than to pretend otherwise."
"As for the elders, they'll most likely leave you alone for the time being. Given your current condition, I don't expect them to summon you before the High Council anytime soon."
For some reason, Leonal felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He still had no idea what the High Council wanted with him. But the thought of being dragged before a gathering of powerful nobles while he could barely walk was hardly appealing.
At least I won't have to deal with that right now.
"So don't concern yourself with them for the moment," Silvia said. "Use this time to recover and regain your strength."
She reached for his hand. Gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Once you're feeling better, I'll figure out what to do. For now, I want you to focus on getting well, Leo. Let me handle the rest."
Leonal looked at her.
Something about the way she spoke bothered him. She was trying to reassure him. But she wasn't actually explaining anything.
What's going on here?
He had been trying to piece everything together since he'd woken up. But all he'd received were vague explanations. Careful reassurances. And the occasional warning.
Meanwhile, everyone around him seemed to know something he didn't.
He couldn't keep going like this.
"Mother," he began cautiously, "could you tell me what's actually happening?"
Silvia's expression shifted slightly.
"I know you're worried about me. And I understand that all of this has something to do with something I did. But I don't know what that something is."
He paused. Glanced down at his body.
"And judging by the state I'm in, I must have been hurt pretty badly."
He raised his eyes to meet hers.
"It feels like I was involved in a serious fight. And from the way everyone I've met has been acting around me, I'm starting to think I was the one at fault."
His fingers curled slightly against the bedsheet.
"So... could you at least tell me what I did?"
For a brief moment, Silvia's expression stiffened.
It was subtle. Barely noticeable. But Leonal caught it.
She quickly composed herself. Kept her face calm as she considered his question.
She couldn't hide the truth from him forever. Sooner or later, he would have to learn what had happened. Perhaps it was better to hear it from her than from someone who had no reason to be gentle.
But knowing that didn't make the words any easier to say.
Silvia moved towards the bed. Sat beside him.
For once, she didn't reach out to comfort him or brush his hair aside. Instead, she turned slightly towards him. Folded her hands in her lap. Sat quietly for a moment.
Her expression remained composed. But something beneath it had begun to crack.
A trace of sorrow entered her eyes. Her fingers tightened against one another. She hesitated. As though searching for the right words.
Leonal watched her carefully.
For a moment, he thought she might refuse to answer him after all.
Then she finally spoke.
"You're suspected of killing the illegitimate daughter of the Hawthorne Family."
Leonal froze.
For several seconds, he couldn't make sense of what she'd just said.
...What?
He stared at Silvia. Hoping he'd somehow misunderstood her.
Killing someone?
He was being suspected of murder?
A cold feeling settled in his stomach.
For the first time since asking the question, he regretted it.
Why did I ask? Why the hell did I ask?
He should have kept his mouth shut. Should have continued pretending to be a confused amnesiac. Nodding along whenever someone told him something. Avoiding questions until he understood the situation better.
Maybe then he could have found a way to navigate this mess without getting involved in whatever had happened before he woke up.
But now he's opened the door himself.
And there was no taking the question back.
Leo wasn't in any state to think straight.
He felt as though he had been trapped inside some kind of game. One with no rules. No clear objective. And, most importantly, no way out.
If he wanted to escape this mess, he would have to find a way out himself.
His mind flooded with thousands of questions, each colliding with the harsh reality he was struggling to accept. For a moment, he simply sat there, unable to make sense of anything.
No.
Leonal shook himself out of his daze.
That's right. They said I'm a suspect, not the killer.
Which means there's still a way out of this mess. I just have to find it.
His gaze shifted towards Silvia.
With tension evident on his face, he asked, "Mother, do you think I killed her?"
Silvia seemed to snap out of her hesitation. She met his gaze, her expression firm.
"I know my son would never commit such an atrocious act."
Leo studied her face for a moment before speaking again.
"You keep telling me that I'm your son. Then tell me the truth, Mother. What kind of person was I before all this?"
He paused, lowering his gaze as though struggling to put his thoughts into words.
"You must have noticed that I'm behaving differently than usual. What if there's a reason for that? What if I'm still in some kind of fugue state?"
Of course, Leo was deliberately putting on an act.
Right now, information was his greatest asset. He needed to understand the circumstances surrounding the incident, and Silvia was the only person who could give him a clearer picture of his former self.
But simply asking questions wouldn't necessarily get him the answers he wanted.
He needed her to lower her guard.
And if appearing vulnerable could persuade her to open up, then so be it.
It was a gamble, but he had little else to work with.
After a brief pause, he continued.
"To tell you the truth... I've started getting fragments of my memories back. But they're vague and obscured. Whenever I try to recall something, all I get is a blurry image that disappears before I can make sense of it."
Which, naturally, was a complete lie.
"But when I heard that I was a suspect..." His voice faltered slightly. "I almost wished those memories would never return. I'd rather remain the person I am now than discover that I've gone back to being someone I don't even recognize."
Silvia was aghast.
She had already noticed the dramatic change in her son's behaviour. That was precisely why she had instructed Slandna to have Dimitry examine his soul.
Yet hearing those concerns voiced by Leonal himself was an entirely different matter.
For a moment, she found herself wondering whether he really had begun recovering his memories.
But something about him still felt unfamiliar.
It wasn't merely the way he spoke or the questions he asked.
It was his emotions.
The Leonal she remembered had rarely shown this kind of vulnerability. Even when he was struggling, he had preferred to keep his feelings buried beneath a wall of silence and aggression.
Seeing him like this left her at a loss.
Silvia reached out and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Son, don't worry. I know you would never do such a thing."
Leo remained silent for a while, allowing her words to settle between them.
Then, at last, he asked, "Then... tell me. What was I like before all this?"
Silvia studied his face.
She could see that he genuinely wanted an answer. Or, at the very least, that he was determined to hear one.
Perhaps it was finally time to stop hiding the past from him.
"You used to be an incredibly cheerful person," she began softly. "You were kind-hearted, energetic, and enthusiastic about almost everything. To be honest, everyone loved having you around. You had a way of brightening the atmosphere wherever you went."
A faint smile touched her lips as she recalled those memories.
"Even though you were born with a weak constitution, you never allowed it to discourage you. You always tried your best to keep up with everyone else. You never complained about your condition or allowed yourself to become bitter because of it."
Her smile gradually faded.
"But everything changed when you were seven."
She hesitated before continuing.
"That was the year your sister, Miriam, left."
Leo's expression tightened slightly.
Not out of grief, of course.
Great. Another character I know absolutely nothing about.
Wait. Didn't he have four siblings? So this Miriam was one of them, he guessed.