137 Missing and Doubts

After letting the two ladies, Aria and Lynne meet, they seem to have come to some sort of tacit understanding that was beyond the realm of words and shooed him away. Not understanding the situation, Leon could only follow their wishes and leave with a wry smile.

He went to visit Mia and his adoptive parents but was unable to find them anywhere in the Guest Courtyard. He scrunched his brows as he thought it was too strange for them to be anywhere else at this time with their home in the Lower District gone. 

It was even stranger that during the entire time they stayed in the palace, they refused to meet his birth mother strongly. 

"Mother, have you seen my adoptive parents? They seem to have gone missing for some time now." Leon asked, after finding his mother in the Great Hall shortly after the Cromwell couple left. 

Stunned by the abrupt question, Elizabeth responded anxiously, "They are missing? Son, are you suspecting it has something to do with mother?"

Hearing his mother's question, Leon shook his head, "No, mother, not at all. I don't believe you would do anything untoward to them without a clear reason. Before I reunited with mother, I had indeed been afraid that you would harm them. However, after meeting mother, I was sure that I was just overthinking things. Mother's love is as boundless as the ocean. You would never do something so stupid that it would make me hate you."

Elizabeth was touched by her son's unconditional trust in her and couldn't help but feel her eyes growing slightly wet.

However, she also didn't know whether to laugh or cry at some of his words. She had no idea that her son's impression of her, before they even met would be so bad.

To the outside, she was indeed a cold and merciless ruler, who view life as insignificant, but she became as such to protect herself and her husband.

The world was an unforgiving place and humans were indecipherable beings. They could never understand what truly lied in a person's heart. 

"Son, although mother has no idea where they went, the shadow guards should know." Elizabeth said and made a simple summoning gesture.

"What orders do you have for us, your majesty?" The shadowguards answered her summon.

"I want to know, who is in charge of keeping watch over the Guest Courtyards?" Elizabeth inquired.

"That would be Eric's squad, your majesty." The shadowguard answered. 

Hearing the shadowguard's answer, she didn't know who the heck Eric was and ordered, "Bring them to me!"

It was impossible for her to remember every Tom, Dick and Harry that works for the royal family, unless they were of notable importance. 

"Right away, your majesty."  

The shadowguard disappeared quickly, before coming back five minutes later with a group of five new shadowguards. 

"Your majesty." Eric and his men greeted with utmost respect. 

"The prince's adoptive parents and little sister..." Eric began answering with easy, but then he froze and said, "Huh? That's weird... why can't I remember anything..." 

Eric rubbed his head in puzzlement. Such a simple question that should have been easily answered, but he had no answers. Elizabeth and Leon frowned at the shadowguard's response. 

"Have you been slacking on the job!? You can't even answer such a simple question!?" Elizabeth said with dissatisfaction, before pointing to another shadowguard, "You! Answer my question. Where did they go?"

Hearing the Queen's question directed at him, the shadowguard was surprised, before stepping forward with cupped fist and similarly said, "The prince's adoptive parents and little sister went... they went... t-they went..." 

"Forget! You! Answer me!" Elizabeth felt her anger rising and pointed at another shadowguard. 

Similarly, they all reacted the same way.

Elizabeth's patience was stretched thin and finally snapped, she oppressively bellowed, "Are you all putting on a show to fool this Queen!? What are you all playing at!? Memory loss!? Are you treating this Queen as an idiot!? If you know, you know! If you don't, you don't! Stop dawdling like a bunch of namby-pambys! You all had one job. One f*cking job!"

The Queen was completely infuriated. Eric and the shadowguards all paled from fright and felt in the knees. They kneeled in subservient positions and cried, "We don't dare, your majesty!" 

Cold sweat trickled down their faces and backs with sheer terror like they weren't facing their sovereign, but the grim reaper. No… not right. Their sovereign was scarier than the grim reaper!

"Forget it, mother. They don't look like they are acting. I think their memories had been tempered with or erased." Leon said, with brows creased in deep thought after studying the shadowguard's genuine expressions. 

Elizabeth nodded in agreement and said, "Hmph! All of you can get lost!"

The shadowguards immediately rejoiced like they had just been pardoned from the death sentence. 

"Yes, right away! Thank you, your majesty! Thank you, your highness!" They thanked profusely, before scurrying off. 

"This matter is too bizarre, and your adoptive parents are quite suspicious. Commoners don't have surnames unless they been conferred one and become an aristocrat or noble family." Elizabeth said, after the shadowguards left.

Although he didn't want to suspect his own adoptive parents, things had been too strange. He couldn't help but agree with his mother's words. 

He recalled that after awakening his memories, he had called his adoptive parents 'foster father' and 'foster mother'. 

He thought it was due the fresh memories of his past life, coupled with his conflicting and confused personalities that caused that result, but perhaps it was something else entirely. 

Maybe a subconscious thought? But why? Coincidentally, the following day, adoptive parents got in trouble with gang members and got injured severely. 

His adoptive parents had lived just fine up until that point and knew how to avoid trouble. Thus, it didn't make sense that they would resist the thug's tyranny on such a specific day because it just wasn't worth it. 

Resisting the thug's demands was equivalent to asking to be beaten and if one was beaten severely, they wouldn't be able to work. If one couldn't work, they wouldn't be able to survive. 

Thus, that event was highly dubious, but Leon didn't want to be suspicious of his adoptive parents. It was ungrateful of him to the people that raised him for a decade.

But now, bringing the matter back up, it was like his adoptive parents had purposely played the sentiment card to stir his sentiments.

"Mother, I hope you can order the shadowguards to keep an eye out for them and have them report to me directly, if they are found." Leon requested. 

"You don't have to worry about, son. You will get firsthand information when they are found." Elizabeth assured, before turning to the shadows and said, "You've heard him."

The shadowguards in the shadows flickered in understanding and returned to stillness. 

"Thank you, mother." 

Elizabeth smiled and said, "Bring my daughters-in-law over to the Inner Palace for dinner tonight. I still have not met that other one." 

Leon was taken aback for a moment, before nodding, "Alright, mother."

After leaving Great Hall, Leon went to the other Guest Courtyard to check on the recovery of the beastkin. He was startled when he saw that her health seemed to have deteriorated. 

"What's wrong with you? Why do you look so sickly and lethargic?" Leon asked with shock as he made his way into Lilith's room, before frowning, "You  haven't eaten anything since yesterday? Why didn't you ask a maid to send you food?"

Lilith was stunned by his words, before she looked at him with a wronged expression and pouted, "I am a beastkin and you are all humans. It's already good that you humans don't attack me in your territory. How can I be shameless and ask for food? I'd be counting my lucky stars, if your people didn't try to cook me and turn me into some exquisite poultry dish instead!" 

The palace was guarded 9th step Awakeners. She didn't dare go anywhere in her weakened state.

Leon was speechless at her stubbornness. It was clear that she didn't think about asking someone to send her food and expected to be delivered without asking like she was still the princess of her Desolate Crow Clan. 

Lilith had already lost a fair amount of blood and coupled with her wounds; her body required a large amount of nutrition in order for her body to recover well. But since she starved herself and lacked the nutrition, she was like a shriveled chicken with all its feathers plucked. 

Leon glanced at her body and teased, "Such a skinny bird. Who would want to eat you?"

Lilith interpreted a different meaning from his words and blushed, "You lecher!"

"I..." Stunned, Leon rubbed his forehead and ruefully explained, "That's not what I mean." 

However, Lilith was relentless and continued her attack with flushed cheeks, "Then what did you meant by those words!?" 

Seeing her agitated state, Leon shook his head and said, "You must be famished. I'll get you some food." 

He left to call a maid to send a big meal to their room as soon as possible. Watching Leon's backside view, Lilith's angry pout changed into a smile. It was refreshing experience, interacting with this human. Not tiring and cumbersome as interacting with other beasts.

In the Wildlands, it was the world of the strong. A true dog-eat-dog world filled with conflict at every corner outside the tribes.