"Well, I think it's because her grace passed away after giving birth to you young lord." said the guard. With a shocked expression, Leon kept walking, with no destination. He just kept thinking blank words, he just kept having blank thoughts. He was lied to, lied by someone he trusted. "Uncle Julian told me that mother... she passed away due to-", "Young master, it's time for lunch." A distant voice cut Leon's thoughts.
It was Julian.
He went with Julian, thinking about the same thing. As he sat down, getting served food by a maid, he, intentionally after eating a bite, picked up the plate and threw it into the ground, shattering it all over. "Young master..? wh- why did you throw the plate-", "Why not Julian, the food was quite bland." Julian was surprised, as Leon never acted in such a way. "I'm going to go take a nap, my appetite has been ruined anyway." He got up and went outside to go to his room, while the maid who served him had to bow in fear. Julian consoled the maid and went to get his thoughts together.
Leon laid down on his bed, with a tear coming out of his eyes. His mind started to cloud up more and more. "Ah! go away, these thoughts, i don't want his." But it wasn't in his control.
"You are not a part of this family."
"Soon, young master, you will begin training very soon"
"Father told me to inform you that you will never be given the status of a knight, nor any training."
"Well, I think it's because her grace passed away after giving birth to you young lord."
He was crying, but no one was there to console him, again. Leon's mind started to have different thoughts. In a week or two, his thoughts completely started to change.
"Well I don't have to do anything then, it's not my fault I can't become a knight."
"No one cares about me, why should i care then."
As time went on, Leon grew older, but the thoughts never changed for the better, they kept getting worse.
"What are you doing in the smithy Leon." asked Alric. Alric was never interested in swordsmanship, but he did love forging them. "Did you know Leon, why I won't become a knight." "Why?", he asked. "There used to be a great blacksmith, in the timeline after the Svaron war, he made goods so great even puny squires could give a knight a hard time, sometimes they even won. Isn't it funny, how some people who are insanely strong get defeated by someone so weak, just because of the difference in their blades. That's what made me decide, that instead of becoming a knight, I will craft swords so great even a common man can become great." "Tell me more about smithing." "I'm planning to put this stone in the blades of those daggers." "Why?", Leon asked. "Well, it's 'Flow' will make the sword feel lighter and way faster, it will feel like the daggers are moving on their own."
While they talked more and more, the door opened, and Mr. Garron came in. "Brat, why are you wasting your time talking to him." "Sorry Master." "Master?", Leon asked with confusion. "Well I wanted to be his student, I mean he is the best blacksmith in Morvain anyway, so I had no reason to not do so". "Get out of here, this is no place for someone like you, I heard how you treat the servants, get out." "Who, who do you think you are talking to me like this, you are nothing but a mere blacksmith." "What? what did you say?" "Leon, what are you saying, go away before something bad happens." Leon left, and Alric was shocked as Leon never acted like this in front of him.
As time went on, Leon and Alric talked less and less, a few years passed by, and it was finally time for Liora's Knight oath ceremony, she was turning into a real knight.
The great hall of Morvain was packed that night. Every branch tied to Leodrick's blood had gathered under the black banners of the house, with nobles and knights filling the long tables. Servants moved constantly between them, bringing wine and food. In the center of the hall stood Liora, nineteen years old and dressed in silver and black. Her sword rested before her while the oathmaster recited the vows of knighthood. The entire hall listened quietly, treating the ceremony with the dignity that House Morvain gave everything related to honor and legacy. Leon sat near the far end of the hall beside a few distant relatives he barely knew. He rested one leg over the other while spinning a silver cup between his fingers, hardly paying attention to the ceremony. Years ago, he might have cared enough to sit closer or at least pretended to be interested for Liora's sake, but that part of him was long gone. Now he mostly attended because not showing up would cause more trouble than being there. As Liora repeated the oath, a servant hurried past Leon with a tray of filled wine glasses. Without really looking, Leon slightly stretched his foot outward. The servant saw it and stumbled forward, dropping the tray, which crashed loudly on the marble floor. Wine spilled across the hall, staining the servant's clothes and several nearby nobles. The sound pierced through the ceremony. Conversations stopped immediately. Even the oath master halted his speech.
The servant dropped to his knees, apologizing and pale with fear, but Leon merely looked down at him with mild amusement before taking another sip from his own cup. "You should watch where you're walking," he said calmly. Several relatives stared in disbelief while others sighed, as if they had expected something like this. Across the hall, Leofric glanced at Leon for a brief moment. Cold. Disappointed. Familiar. Leon looked away first. Liora continued the ceremony without mentioning the incident, though the atmosphere never fully recovered afterward. The uneasy silence hanging over the hall had little to do with the spilled wine.
After the ceremony was over, Leon went outside in the gardens near the fountain. He stood there, looking at the night sky, holding his head as if he had a headache. A voice came from behind, "you ruined your sister's ceremony that she waited for years."