Chapter 95: Leon's Acting Made The Two Give Up
"With things as they are, all my worries are completely resolved," Leon remarked, a smile gracing his lips.
Of course, this didn\'t mean he no longer felt guilty towards Lyra, but at least he no longer felt as burdened as before.
"Alright, now that everything is resolved, what remains is..." Before Leon could finish his clichéd sentence yet again, a sudden, loud knocking sound echoed outside his bedroom door, interrupting him.
*Dong! Dong!*
"Daddy! Open the door! Daddy!"
The resounding knocks and Fiona\'s urgent voice collided simultaneously, sending a sharp pang through Leon\'s forehead.
"Can\'t I even finish my cliché sentence?" Leon\'s spirits drooped as he sighed in helplessness.
He couldn\'t fathom why Fiona was pounding on his door with such force and volume as she had never done so before.
Had something upset or angered her this morning?
With swift movements, Leon returned all the small boxes containing the antidote ingredients back into the large black box and closed the lid securely.
He then stowed them meticulously beneath his desk, placing Liliana\'s letter atop a slim book on his reading desk.
Satisfied that everything was in order, Leon gave a slight nod and headed towards the door of his room.
*Dong! Dong!*
"Daddy, are you still sleeping?"
Fiona\'s hurried and anxious voice echoed once more, eliciting a slight smile from Leon.
"No, I\'m awake," Leon replied, swinging open the door to find Fiona with a worried expression and Charlotte standing nonchalantly behind her.
Upon seeing Leon, Fiona released a small sigh, snapped out of her fretful state, and promptly adopted a pouty expression.
"Humph!" She snorted coldly, turning her gaze aside and folding her short arms across her chest.
Her round cheeks puffed up, and her demeanor exuded clear dissatisfaction, catching Leon off guard as he had just intended to greet her.
\'What\'s going on with this little girl?\' Leon pondered in confusion. \'Why did she suddenly put on this sulking face the moment she saw me?\'
After all, Leon had never witnessed Fiona making such a sulking face before, and oddly, it added to her cuteness.
Maintaining a gentle and professional smile, Leon crouched down slightly and said, "Good morning, Fiona."
"Humph!" Fiona responded with a cold snort, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster mid-chew, blatantly ignoring Leon\'s greeting.
The corner of Leon\'s mouth twitched as he observed Fiona\'s demeanor before shifting his gaze to Charlotte, who stood behind her sister.
"Charlotte, good morning. Have you been well these past few days?" Leon inquired, his tone brimming with affection and genuine concern.
As he was engrossed in reading the poison books a few days ago, Leon completely ignored Charlotte, feeling a twinge of guilt as a result.
Therefore, seeing her mature behavior and lack of sulking filled Leon with immense pride and love for her.
However...
"Hum... Good morning, Daddy. I\'m fine and healthy," Charlotte replied indifferently and coldly, a stark contrast to her usual graceful demeanor.
Watching her respond with indifference and coldness, Leon\'s charming smile abruptly faltered.
Even Charlotte, typically the most composed and understanding, seemed visibly irritated and distant.
Was she upset that he had ignored her and not sought her out these past few days?
If that were the case, then why was Fiona, too, mirroring a mood of sulking and discontent?
Or had he unknowingly done something else wrong?
Leon wondered silently, unable to identify anything he had done wrong.
Turning his gaze back towards Fiona, he inquired, "Have you had breakfast? If not, would you like to eat breakfast with me?"
"Humph!" Fiona continued to snort coldly, disregarding his question as she had done before.
Leon released a small sigh and fell into silence for a moment.
Aware that questioning the cause of their behavior would likely yield no answers, Leon understood the need for a different approach to coaxing the truth from them.
Suddenly, a brilliant and extraordinary idea sparked in Leon\'s mind.
Swiftly, he rose to his feet, slipping into his acting mode with a sad and despondent expression settling upon his features.
"Hey~ I\'m really hurt that you two are ignoring me like this," Leon said in a melancholic tone, directing his gaze towards the two little girls.
"Is there something that has upset you about me?"
Upon hearing Leon\'s question, laden with sadness and distress, Fiona and Charlotte were momentarily taken aback.
However, they both continued to ignore him, offering no response to his inquiry, much like before.
"Hey~" Leon sighed softly, his head bowed and his body slumping as he turned to retreat into his room, paying no heed to Fiona and Charlotte behind him.
Witnessing this, Charlotte and Fiona exchanged simultaneous surprised glances.
"Sister... Do you think we went too far with Daddy?" Fiona inquired, her tone tinged with worry and a hint of panic.
Truthfully, she couldn\'t bear to wear a sullen expression and ignore her dad like they had just done.
However, after the events of last night, she and her sister agreed to feign sullenness and anger when encountering him.
It was only when she witnessed her father\'s sad and distressed expression that Fiona panicked and became frightened.
"I didn\'t expect Daddy to be this sad either. It seems we may have gone too far, Fiona," Charlotte replied anxiously, her expression mirroring Fiona\'s.
The idea to feign a pout and ignore their daddy had been hers, and now she felt overwhelmed with guilt.
Quickly regaining her composure, she suggested, "Let\'s go in and check on Daddy."
"Um!" Fiona nodded in agreement.
Soon, the two hurried into Leon\'s room and were surprised to find their daddy packing clothes and belongings into a large bag.
Upon seeing this, Fiona widened her eyes in panic and hurried towards him on her little legs.
"Daddy! Where are you going?" She asked anxiously, clutching onto Leon\'s arm.
Tears welled up in both corners of her round eyes as she gazed at Leon, who still wore a saddened expression.
"You two don\'t love me anymore, do you? That\'s why I\'ve decided to leave. Living without your love is like death to me," Leon lamented, shaking his head in despair and reciting a verse from his previous world.
Upon hearing his words, Fiona froze in place before throwing herself at Leon.
"Wuuuuu~ Daddy, please don\'t go! Fiona was just joking; I am not really angry! Wuuuuu~" Fiona cried hysterically, tears streaming down her cheeks like waterfalls.
Meanwhile, Charlotte, upon hearing her daddy\'s intention to leave and sensing the pain and despair in his words, couldn\'t remain silent either.
Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, and she swiftly ran up to Leon, wrapping her arms around his back as she sobbed.
"No! Daddy, you can\'t leave! Wuuuuu~ I won\'t let you! Wuuuu~" Charlotte, usually composed and mature, now abandoned all restraint and cried hysterically, mirroring Fiona\'s distress.
Observing the sudden outpouring of tears from both of his daughters, Leon, who had only intended to act, was instantly stunned.
\'Oops! It seems I overdid it!\'