CHAPTER 173: 173. ELARA VALCOURT (2)

Elara’s green eyes shimmered with crocodile tears, her voice soft and pleading. "I didn’t start those rumors, Leonhardt. My friends—they care about me, they acted on their own to protect me." She stepped closer, her fingers lightly touching Leo’s collar, her auburn hair glowing in the moonlight.

Leo leaned back, his crimson eyes narrowing, keeping his distance. She pouted, her tone playful. "Can’t we go back to how things were? You remember our deal, don’t you? It still stands."

Leo’s jaw tightened, and he gently but firmly pushed her hands away, his voice cold but calm. "I don’t recall any deal, Elara. After the bandit attack, I forgot useless memories. Let’s keep it simple: you live your life, I live mine."

He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him, sharp and mocking. "Rin Valarune, isn’t it?"

He froze, his back to her, as she continued, her tone full of jealousy. "You moved on to her so quickly. I thought you were back to me while defending me when you humiliated her in front of everyone. I waited for you to come back to me, but you didn’t. Are you really that hung up on her?"

His voice was low, a quiet warning, still facing away. "Leave Rin out of this."

Elara’s voice grew louder, filled with scorn. "What’s so special about her? I’m more beautiful, more refined, and my reputation outshines hers."

He turned slightly, his crimson eyes glinting with a bitter smirk. "She doesn’t try to ruin my life."

Elara paused, her act slipping. "Ruin your life? I told you, I liked you. My friends were just protecting me."

Leo faced her fully, his smirk sharp. "Friends like Prince Cassain Varian Duskbane? Or is ’boyfriend’ more accurate?"

Elara flinched, her pale face growing paler, her green eyes wide with shock. Leo had pieced it together from Leonhardt memories.

Elara wasn’t always this way. As a poor baron’s daughter, she’d joined the Academy plain and kind. But when Leonhardt fell for her, his love true despite his bad reputation, things changed. People "defended" her from his advances, boosting her status.

To keep that fame, she made a deal with the lovesick Leonhardt: if he kept acting obsessed, she’d marry him after graduation, claiming they had a secret romance.

But Leo found something suspicious and dug deeper, finding Cassain’s hand in it. The prince, knowing Leonhardt’s fixation, offered Elara a deal—be his girlfriend if she destroyed Leonhardt.

Leo couldn’t grasp why a prince with deadly goals would play such a cheap game.

He sighed, his voice tired but firm. "I’ve stayed out of your way, Elara. You want me to jump back into your games and wreck my life again? I’m not that Leonhardt anymore. Stay away—I don’t need your drama."

Elara’s gaze dropped, her shoulders slumping like she was beaten, and Leo thought she’d back off. But a soft chuckle escaped her, growing into a creepy, wild smile that chilled him.

He frowned, uneasy. "What, you’ve gone mad?"

Her laughter faded, her green eyes gleaming with a fierce obsession as she stepped closer, her voice low and intense. "Oh, Leonhardt, the past doesn’t matter. I realized how much I need you after those rumors of your death." She closed the gap, her words thick with fixation. "Give me one chance. I never cared for the prince. It’s always been you. I love you."

Leo stepped back, his patience running thin, his voice sharp. "Enough, Elara. Leave me alone."

He turned to walk away, but her hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. "You can’t just walk away," she hissed, her smile twisting. "If you try, I’ll make you regret it."

Leo’s teeth clenched, his anger rising. "And how’s that?"

Her smile turned cruel, her voice a low whisper. "I’ll tell everyone you attacked me—say you’re the same beast from your past. Your reputation’s cleaner now, but people never forget about your past. They’ll believe me. So, forget Rin and come back to me. I’ll always love you." Her eyes glinted with spite. "Or keep chasing her, and I’ll make sure that bitch out of the picture."

Leo’s mind reeled with disgust and fury. He’d faced schemers before, but Elara’s cold cruelty was something else, her words a mix of obsession and threat. Her grip on his wrist felt like poison, his self control slipping.

The urge to end it surged—his hunting knife, hidden in his item space, could silence her here, her body would go without a trace. His left hand twitched, mana stirring as he nearly called the blade, his rage pushing him to act.

But he was stopped by a sharp voice. "Hey! What is happening here?"

Leo’s crimson eyes darted past Elara as she turned, her grip releasing, and he saw Erin Dranemount at the end of the hallway. Nimbus stood by her, his purple eyes gleaming, Surely the one who had sensed trouble and brought her here.

Erin’s violet eyes were focused on Elara and Leo, blazing with anger and concern, and her posture was calm and firm.

She strode forward, her boots clicking softly, and she took Leo’s free hand. "Let’s go," she said in a low, firm voice as she drew Leo away from Elara.

Elara tilted her head, her green eyes narrowing, her lips twisting into a mocking smirk, her voice piercing with resentment. "Oh, Erin Dranemount is here. Leonhardt, another one of your conquests?

Erin paused and tightened her hold on Leo’s hand, but she didn’t look back. Elara continued in a scornful tone. "Now, how many girls are you stringing along with? You really are a cheater, aren’t you?"

Leo’s jaw tightened, ready to lash out. But Erin spoke first, echoing Leo’s earlier defiance with a calm yet acerbic tone. "The worst liars always blame others for their own wrongdoing, which is funny. But it was my first time seeing it up close."

Elara’s green eyes flashed with rage as her face turned red. "You have no right to talk to me that way."

Erin turned slowly, her violet eyes glinting with silent amusement, her smile icy. "Oh, Senior Elara, I dare you. Do you want to hear something interesting?"

She took a step forward, speaking carefully and clearly. "I discovered of Rin Valarune’s reckless duel with a gold-class student when I returned to the Academy. I investigated it. It seems that someone wanted to provoke Leonhardt."

"Rin got involved when they tried to bait Mori. The idea was to make her feel so humiliated that Leonhardt would lose it. However, Rin retaliated, and their small plot backfired."

Leo’s hand twitched in Erin’s grip, his rage surging, his crimson eyes darkening with a killing intent so fierce it sent a shiver through her. She squeezed his hand harder, her fingers digging in, anchoring him to keep him from lunging at Elara.

Elara’s smirk faltered, her confidence cracking, but she pushed back, her voice sharp. "What exactly are you accusing me of?"

Erin’s smile stayed cold, her tone icy with a hidden threat. "I’m not accusing anyone—yet. But here’s some advice: keep your mouth shut and stay out of our way, or you’ll regret it."

Elara’s eyes widened, her composure slipping, but she shouted, her voice shrill with anger. "You think you can scare me? The tournament’s coming, and there’s no punishment if the opponent dies. I’ll crush both you and that pathetic Rin and make Leonhardt be mine!"

Erin’s smirk turned sharp, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she turned away, pulling Leo along. "Sure,Senior. Best of luck with that fantasy." She kept walking, her steps steady, dragging Leo down the corridor, Nimbus padding quietly behind.

Elara’s yell echoed, her voice breaking with rage. "You’ll see! I’ll make you both pay!"

Erin didn’t look back, her grip on Leo’s hand firm as they moved through the Academy’s empty hallways.