"L-Liliana!?"
Leon was taken aback to find that the person knocking on the door was Liliana.
Initially, he had expected it to be Fiona and Charlotte, so Liliana's unexpected presence came as a surprise.
After all, Liliana had never before visited his room at night, except during that particular incident, cough!
Swiftly, Leon regained his composure, and his initial surprise slowly gave way to confusion.
"L-Liliana, what brings you here at this hour?" Leon asked, eyeing her carefully, his confusion evident in his voice.
Upon hearing Leon's question, Liliana, who stood opposite him, remained silent.
Instead of answering, she fixed him with a gaze so cold and sharp that it felt as though it could pierce through him.
Being subjected to such a piercing gaze, Leon felt both confused and unsettled.
He couldn't comprehend why Liliana was giving him such a deadly look.
However, he refrained from questioning her, fearing that he might say something to inadvertently offend her.
Pretending to be composed, Leon cast Liliana a casual glance and suggested, "If there's something on your mind, we can discuss it inside. Please, come in."
With that, Leon widened the door and ushered Liliana inside.
Without uttering a word, Liliana cast a cold glance at him before slowly stepping into his room.
As he watched her wordlessly enter, Leon felt a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
'This aunt must be in a foul mood. I'd better tread carefully. Otherwise, I don't know what will happen to me.' Leon mumbled to himself, a slight sense of apprehension creeping over him.
Afterwards, Leon slowly closed the door, and upon turning around, he found Liliana already seated on the sofa where Lyra had been earlier, her gaze still sharp and cold toward him.
"Cough! So, what brings you to visit me at this hour?" Leon cleared his throat slightly as he made his way over to the sofa and took a seat.
In response to Leon's question, Liliana remained silent, just as before.
Seated with her long, elegant legs crossed beneath the skirt of her flowing black dress, she continued to regard Leon with a cold, indifferent gaze.
Her demeanor created an atmosphere of calm and awkwardness around them, but for Leon sitting opposite her, it felt uneasy.
The tranquility seemed akin to a dormant volcano gathering its molten fury before unleashing a sudden and violent eruption.
'Damn it! Her mood seems even worse than I thought. Could there be an underlying issue causing her to be in such a state?' Leon wondered inwardly, his uncertainty growing.
Judging by Liliana's demeanor, it was evident that she was in a foul mood, leaving Leon curious about the cause but also a little annoyed at why she had chosen to come to his place in such a state.
Was it because she wanted to share her story and seek solutions? Or did she intend to use him as an outlet for her frustration?
If it were the former, Leon would, of course, accompany her, ready to lend an ear and offer advice if possible.
But if it were the latter, Leon swore he would rise to his feet and point at her nose, saying, "Hey! Do you think just because I don't have my hero powers, you can bully me as you please?"
Of course, those were words he could only dare to say in his heart; it was impossible for him to say them outright.
With a small sigh, Leon realized that Liliana didn't seem interested in talking, and he, too, lost interest in engaging her further.
He was extremely fatigued, having read hundreds of books in a single day, and he hadn't eaten anything since noon, apart from the onion bread earlier.
Therefore, Leon felt too lazy to look at her and lowered his gaze towards the table in front of him, filled with food that looked cold.
'Alright! Let's see how long you can keep quiet like that.' Leon smiled inwardly, with a hint of playfulness.
He couldn't believe that Liliana would remain silent like this.
Without paying any more attention to her sitting across from him, he began to pick up the bread, meat, and vegetables on the table, eating them with gusto.
'The mountain beef is truly excellent!'
'Even though the vegetables have cooled to room temperature, they still taste fresh.'
'The onion bread remains as delicious as ever.'
'I can't help but feel that indulging too much in these delectable foods might lead to weight gain. Thankfully, I'm diligent about my morning exercises.'
Leon inwardly praised all the food; his appetite doubled from the hunger that had accumulated since the afternoon.
As Liliana observed Leon eating nonchalantly, her eyes narrowed, and a faint, thick red aura formed around her, unbeknownst to Leon.
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Eventually, after ten minutes of silence, Liliana finally spoke up.
"Looks like you really have no guilt, huh, Leon Kruger?" Liliana's cold voice instantly chilled the atmosphere around them, causing Leon to pause in his eating.
He raised his head, looking at Liliana with a puzzled expression.
"What do you mean, guilt? What have I done?" Leon frowned slightly, confusion evident on his handsome face.
He didn't understand the meaning of her words at all.
Guilt? Why should he feel guilty? Had he done something wrong?
Observing Leon's bewildered expression, Liliana gritted her teeth, her red eyes flashing brightly.
*Boom!*
Intense pressure engulfed the entire bedroom, and Leon, closest to the source, felt as though his body was being crushed by thousands of heavy stones, rendering him unable to move as he fell to the floor.
Confronted with this overwhelming force, Leon felt terror grip him as he looked at Liliana.
"Damn it, woman! Why are you attacking me all of a sudden!?" Leon roared loudly, his face no longer bearing a relaxed expression but instead twisted in horror.
He never anticipated Liliana would attack him like this, assuming their closeness would preclude such aggression.
Yet, her sudden assault caught him completely off guard.
Had her behavior all along been an act?
Faced with Leon's question, Liliana smiled faintly, her expression slowly morphing into a laugh.
"Hehehe~ Leon, oh Leon... Are you still pretending to be clueless after everything has been uncovered by me? Or are you simply afraid to acknowledge it?" Her words left Leon dumbfounded and bewildered.
"Wait! What are you talking about? Guilt? Pretending to be ignorant? I truly don't understand!" Leon gritted his teeth, attempting to resist the crushing pressure weighing down on his body.
After all, his hero power was still suppressed by the poison coursing through his body, rendering him no different from an ordinary person except slightly stronger.
Liliana narrowed her eyes upon hearing Leon's words, detecting no hint of deceit.
'Did I misunderstand? Did Leon truly not engage in those things with Lyra?' Doubts began to surface in her mind, yet as she reflected on the conversation she overheard, her expression once again hardened with cold resolve.
With each deliberate step, Liliana advanced toward Leon, the pressure on his body intensifying with every move.
"I never imagined you could be so shameless, playing with Lyra behind my back," Liliana mocked, her words tinged with a hint of anguish.
The pain in her chest was palpable, causing her, the Demon Emperor, to struggle for breath for the first time.
Though Liliana couldn't identify the precise nature of this feeling, the intensity of the pain fueled within her a desire to obliterate everything in the world.
At Liliana's words, Leon felt foolish and astonished.
"Playing with Lyra? What are you saying—" Before Leon could finish his sentence, a sudden realization struck him, causing his eyes to widen.
'Damn it! I finally understand!'