The villainous prince who bullied Feng Aotian was actually myself.

Is Leon shy?

Looking at Leon, who was staring at the ground with his head down, Helena seemed to be deep in thought.

She knew that Leon had a crush on her, and that his feelings for her were so strong that he was willing to die for her.

Generally speaking, people who have a crush on someone don't dare to take the initiative in front of the person they like because they feel they are not good enough for the person they like, and therefore feel inferior when facing the person they like.

So—is Leon feeling inferior?

Should I say something?

But what should I say?

Helena hesitated.

"Why did you save me just now? Don't you hate me? You were given a royal drug, and I was the one who drugged you. You were still conscious at that time, right? You should know all of this."

Just as Helena was finally coming up with her lines, Leon looked up at her again and spoke first.

Leon asked this simply to confirm whether Helena still harbored hostility towards him.

This……

After hearing Leon's words, Helena paused, and her smiling face suddenly turned serious.

“Leon, when I first regained consciousness, my memory was very hazy. What I do know is that your royal family used psychotropic drugs to control me in order to use me. At that time, I thought you were a piece of scum, and I wanted to kill you right then and there.”

After a moment of silence, Helena finally spoke, "But I accidentally discovered your diary..."

Helena paused at this point.

"Have you seen it all?"

Leon's eyes were red, and he looked like he was about to cry.

He was indeed on the verge of tears, but this was only because he was enduring the pain of his wounds and was thrilled to have finally escaped his fate of certain death in seven days.

However, in Helena's eyes, Leon was so excited that he wanted to cry because he was happy that she had finally recovered and that his efforts and hard work had finally paid off.

"Yes, I know everything, so I don't blame you. In fact, I should thank you for everything you've done for me, and thank you for liking me so much."

As Helena spoke, her rose-red eyes darted away slightly, and a blush spread across her fair face.

"Helena, you don't need to thank me. Actually, I feel very guilty towards you."

Leon said seriously.

He was telling the truth in this respect. He felt genuinely guilty towards Helena because, in the end, he had deceived her. Everything in the diary was a lie, yet the innocent and beautiful girl actually believed it.

This is a good thing and a bad thing.

The good thing is that Leon can continue to live, but the bad thing is that this incident may become a knot in Leon's heart that he can never untie for the rest of his life.

"Helena, it's me...it's my fault..."

As Leon spoke, his voice grew increasingly hoarse.

The pain in the wound hadn't subsided, but none of that mattered anymore, because after enduring so much pain, Leon had become numb to it.

At this moment, he felt his brain becoming increasingly dizzy, and even Helena's image began to blur and double in his vision.

"Leon, let me heal you."

Helena also noticed that Leon's aura was beginning to weaken, and if she ignored it, Leon might really lose his life.

So she crouched down and moved closer to Leon, who was slumped on the ground.

"No, don't use healing, I'll be a burden to you if I do."

Upon hearing that Helena was going to use healing on him, Leon immediately panicked and struggled to move his body backward a couple of times.

If Helena heals me, then Helena will know everything about my abilities!

What if Helena, who is currently in a daze, suddenly comes to her senses and wants to come back and kill her? Wouldn't she then have no trump cards left?

“I know the side effects of your healing. If you heal me now, you will have to endure all the pain that this injury caused me. That will not only weaken your condition and affect your ability to leave the palace, but seeing you in pain will also break my heart.”

Leon took a few deep breaths, tried to compose himself, and then explained in a serious tone.

"All I need to do is go out and call the guards, and I'll get immediate treatment. I won't die, don't worry."

Leon forced a smile at Helena's worried face, while at the same time taking off his outer shirt and tightly binding it around his more severely injured left shoulder to slow the bleeding.

So that's how it is. He didn't want to affect himself?

"OK……"

Helena's expression darkened slightly, and after hesitating for a few seconds, she slowly spoke again, "Leon, I've always felt that I'm just an ordinary girl, so why...why would you fall for me?"

Why did I fall in love with you...?

Why are you so bothered by this?

Leon chuckled. "So you're really planning to be with me?"

"I just feel a little guilty because you're so good to me."

Helena hesitated for a moment before speaking.

This kind of love—unconditional, selfless, and one-sided—is warm, but it's too crazy, too heavy, and can suffocate a person.

"I only did that out of guilt for drugging you. You don't need to feel guilty. You just saved my life, so you don't owe me anything."

The topic was rather awkward, but Leon felt it was necessary to make things clear to Helena. He didn't want to hurt her, so despite feeling intensely dizzy, Leon continued, "So, you don't need to feel pressured. We're even now."

"..."

Helena clenched her teeth and didn't reply to Leon. Her brows were furrowed, as if she was struggling with something.

"Helena, you couldn't possibly like me, could you?"

After a moment's hesitation, Leon spoke.

If Helena falls in love with him, from his own perspective, it would be a good thing if she didn't turn against him.

However, upon learning that Helena had believed his diary, Leon felt he couldn't bring himself to use Helena anymore.

Today he has survived, but he will encounter even more dangerous things in the future, especially in political struggles. Leon hopes that Helena can stay far away and not get involved in this dirty party strife because of him.

The timeline correction effect was caused by my own forced defying fate to prolong my life, a villain destined to die. I should bear all the consequences of this alone, and I must not involve any other innocent people.

What if I said I might like it?

Helena paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled mischievously.

"..."

Leon was stunned.

"Kidding."

Helena smiled.

She couldn't actually answer Leon's question because she wasn't sure if she liked him.

But whether she liked Leon or not, she wasn't stupid. She knew that given their circumstances, it was highly unlikely that they could be together.

The real reasons behind this are too complex to be explained in a few words; it's not as simple as the divide between a prince and a commoner.

"That's good, Helena. I can't give you happiness. You deserve better."

Leon smiled.

I'm a villain destined to die, so how can I have the right to pursue happiness?

"Okay, I'm leaving now. I wish you all the best."

Helena suppressed the indescribable emotions welling up inside her, smiled at Leon, then stood up and turned to leave.

Leon's face grew paler and paler. She knew he was about to collapse, and she had to escape before the palace's defenses were fully activated.

"Wait a moment!"

Leon shouted this out with all his might, but due to his current physical condition, even though he shouted with all his might, his voice was only about the same as normal speaking volume.

For some reason, the moment Helena turned around, Leon suddenly felt an extremely strong sense of emptiness, as if a very important part of his body had been ripped away.

"Ok?"

Helena's heart skipped a beat, and she turned around almost as fast as she could.

Uh……

When Helena turned to look at him, Leon's mind went blank. He had just called out to Helena out of a completely inexplicable and impulsive act driven by emotion, and he didn't know what he wanted to say to her.

“Miss Evelyn, I cannot leave the palace. Please take one button with you.”

After a few seconds of silence, Leon tore off an amber-colored button from his white shirt, which was already mostly stained with blood.

“There’s blood here. His Highness Leon should be nearby. We need to find him quickly. If something happens to His Highness, we’re all doomed.”

"Yes, Captain."

The voices of the Royal Knights squad suddenly entered the room; their voices were not loud, and they were probably some distance away.

If we don't leave now, it will be too late.

"Okay, take care."

Helena took the amber button from Leon's hand, didn't look back, and quickly left.

The moment Helena stepped out of the room, she felt her breathing suddenly become dozens of times heavier.

For a fleeting moment, Helena felt that she would regret her decision to turn away now for the rest of her life.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: News Leaked

"Breaking News! Breaking News! Prince Leon has been assassinated!"

In the early morning in Guberland, the cries of newsboys are exceptionally clear.

Thanks to Toleon, today's Gouberland morning paper is selling exceptionally well.

The Duke of Torrell's Palace.

Lev Torrell looked at the Guberland City Morning Post with a slightly strange expression.

"Lord Lev, Hibout is serious!"

Standing next to Duke Lev, Mike also held a copy of the Guberland Morning Post.

Mike Joseph was one of Lev's trusted men. He had short, slightly curly light brown hair, a thick beard, and a robust build. He was a man in his thirties in the prime of his life, and he specialized in the "Berserker" path.

Berserkers are different from ordinary warriors; they belong to a branch of warriors and also have another name—"Barbarian".

"Mike, don't judge a book by its cover. Newspapers are a business model, and their authenticity isn't very reliable. Capital often uses hype to make huge profits."

Compared to Mike's impatience, Lev seemed unusually relaxed.

"Then, Your Grace, what should we do?"

Mike asked for instructions, saying that although he was confused, there was one thing he was very clear about.

That was because Prince Leon was "assassinated" on his first night as regent, and as one of the three dukes of the empire, the Torrell family had no choice but to make a statement.

"Leon isn't in any life-threatening danger, so a simple greeting will suffice, and then—"

As he said this, Lev's fat bulged and his expression suddenly darkened. "Sneak out the news that Hibbert threatened to assassinate Leon."

"Yes, Lord Lev."

Mike didn't hesitate and turned to leave immediately. As a subordinate, all you need to do is get things done. Making too many mistakes is a big no-no.

Besides Lev, Bazell also saw the headline in the morning paper.

"Karen, what do you think about this?"

Bazel put down his newspaper, a habitual smile on his face, and looked at Karen beside him.

Karen Monroe was a close confidante of Bazel.

"Perhaps this will be a good thing for you, Your Grace."

Karen raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, that's certainly true. Karen, you should handle this. That trash-talking guy, Hibbert, is probably in for some trouble. If word gets out that he's been talking about Leon, with Leon's intelligence, he might actually take action against Hibbert."