BXBX NOVEL Chapter 373 Back To Work!
Eli saw Leon's change in expression and could not help but chuckle.
She embraced Leon from her position and sweetly planted a kiss in order to placate his plummeting mood.
"Calm down my darling… Once we are wedded, I'm all yours. I guess, we can take everything slow…" Her sweet words blew on Leon's ears, triggering another intense look from her lover.
Looking at Eli's earnest expression, Leon could not help but begrudgingly pout.
He let Eli down carefully and ensured that her outfit was all in good condition before he shouted and answered his now anxious son.
Little Han's anxious eyes suddenly brightened upon catching a glimpse of his parents. Strangely, he ignored his father and clung to his mother unwilling to let go until they went out of the cave.
"..." Leon was left speechless regarding the matter. It seems like his son was trying to monopolize Eli after they just disappeared for so long.
'Could it be that he thought that I took Eli for myself during the time we disappeared?' He could not help but wonder as he observed the clingy attitude of Little Han during their camping.
Even at night, Little Han refused to be carried by Baobao or Leon, instead, he insisted to let Eli hold him until they sleep.
'Hmm… My son seemed to be challenging me…' His eyes flickered as he met Little Han's wary eyes, afraid that Leon would take away Eli again.
'Wait until your mommy and I become official husband and wife.'
'When that time comes, I'll make sure you would not disturb us anymore…'
'Hmm… letting him stay with Father Emperor and Mother Queen would be good, during our honeymoon…'
'That might be good.'
Leon could not help but plan in his heart how he would handle the sudden competition that aroused between him and his little son. In the future, Little Han would be helpless especially when Leon would come to talk to him about spending time with Eli.
And so, when bedtime arrived, Leon made sure that Eli and Little Han were comfortable in the tent they were staying at.
He even had the canopy of the tent doubled with a mesh net so that Eli and Little Han could see the stars in the sky as they lie on the soft bed.
He then excused himself to check the surroundings, but as he go around the area, four men appeared before him.
"Master!" They knelt down respectfully and greeted him with low voices.
"Assign someone to send a message to my Father and Mother… prepare for them to officially receive Eli as their daughter-in-law and Little Han as their grandson!" Leon maintained his serious cold expression as he ordered the Blades, but his crystal blue eyes were not able to hide the longing and excitement his eyes.
The Blades were startled upon hearing Leon's orders, but the next second, they became elated and happy for Leon.
"We will arrange for this, Master!!" They answered with a tone that was full of goodwill.
"Also, gather our men and have them prepare. I want to plan a better setup to propose to your Madame. It has to be something that would show how much I cherish her…" Leon looked at them earnestly, without his blades, he would have been clueless as to organizing things like this.
These days, the Blades have temporarily stopped their investigations and concentrated on helping Leon please Eli. From the most excellent spies, warriors and informants, they became Leon's love consultant!
But they did not mind because they could see how happier Leon would become day by day. Now he was someone who could look gently at someone. It was not like before when even when he sleeps, his cold aura would emit continually.
"Yes, Master! It would be a great honor for us to help you in this matter! In our hearts, we wish you and Madamme well!" They answered.
After giving a few more instructions, Leon dispersed the Blades and let them assign people who would guard the vicinity.
He later joined Eli and Little Han in star gazing until the mother and son duo drifted into a peaceful sleep.
The next day, Leon busied himself with preparing breakfast. His hands worked naturally as if he had been doing these things in the long run.
Upon waking up, however, Eli joined him in doing so. Leon had no choice but to allow her upon her insistence. Soon, the couple worked together in preparing the dishes they would happily share later on.
After sharing a good meal, Leon took them into a brook deeper into the forest. The family of three rode a raft and enjoyed the calm and serene atmosphere of the brook that was at the center of the deep green forest.
Eli could not help but close her eyes and take a deep breath. The environment was very relaxing and refreshing. She felt like all the exhaustion she went through during the past few days was being absorbed by the cool breeze and the harmonic rustling of the trees.
Leon smiled as he saw Eli's relaxed expression, all the preparations he did with the Blades were worth it.
It was already late in the afternoon when they started to pack up and travel back to the Capital.
This time, Eli insisted that Leon would take it easy and sit comfortably as she played a relaxing piano sonata with Little Han on her lap.
She had Baobao prepare a warm tea and let Leon rest on the couch until he fell into a slumber with a faint smile on his face.
Eli looked at Leon with her heart full of warmth and appreciation. She was glad that she had Leon on her side. Taking a warm blanket to drape on Leon's exhausted body, Eli took Little Han to the kitchen and started to prepare dinner.
The next days ahead will be much more intense as the major events of the Empire come near. Who knows when they will have to spend a moment like this after today?
–
The next day, Leon and Eli immediately went to their respective work not before leaving Little Han to Tyce and his wife.
Being Eli's adoptive parents, they were elated that Eli and Leon gave them a chance to take care of Little Han as grandparents. Oftentimes, they would quarrel with dame Aquila and General Forgeworn because they feel like Little Han was spending more time with the Faraulds than the Forgeworns.
Helpless, Eli had to strike a balance in pleasing the elders of both families. It was lucky that Emperor Valentin and Queen Tehila were not yet joining the competition, if that happens she might not know how to handle the three groups of elders.
Nevertheless, Eli managed to convince the Farauld elders to let Little Han stay with the Forgeworns because the eight student candidates were staying at the Farauld Estate until the competition ends.
During their stay, Eli was afraid that Little Han might be discovered by one of the students triggering an untimely announcement for him to recognize his lineage, should he stay in the Farauld estate. So the elders had no choice but to also agree, but not before planning that they would be the ones to go to the Forgeworn estate instead.
Just like her usual schedule, Eli went with Randel to meet their respective proteges. They would pick them up and lead them to the Imperial Palace, where Queens Lucia and Tehila, Princess Consort Arielle, and Evelyn waiting to train them.
As for Lainie, Max, and Desmond, they will still be trained in the Imperial palace because right after their sessions, Eli and Randel had to report to the Anti-Curse Committee for the preparation of the Empire's security.
Meanwhile, Eli's role in the institute has completely shifted to becoming a consultant. She was confident enough to leave everything to Dean Zeke especially now that he had surprisingly gotten a new helper in looking after the research branch.
Only at times, when the research branch needed Eli's insights on particular research, would she be involved in their matters.
With that, it became easier for her to focus on the two most important things at hand, the competition and the Empire's security.
As the other students go with their respective mentors, Eli started to also check with Lainie and Desmond's progress on the work that she assigned to them.
Training Desmond was quite easy, for as a fellow pianist, Eli could already identify the areas where Desmond could greatly improve within a short amount of time.
To facilitate his improvement, Eli opted to let him study three of Chopin's etudes all throughout the remaining duration of the training.
On the side, she had intentionally given him notable pieces of all forms, like La Campanella by Franz Liszt, Mozart's Piano Sonata K333 in B flat major, and many others for him to study and explore to develop his own form of music.
She opted for Desmond to take the remaining few months to develop his hand techniques and if they were lucky to have more time, to discover his musical identity.