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He quickly stood up, his voice trembling as he asked, "Did you just say Athena would be here tomorrow? Liliana, you\'re not joking, are you?"

He desperately hoped he had misheard and that her words were merely a figment of his imagination.

But Liliana\'s next statement was like a jolt that nearly made Leon collapse.

"No, I\'m serious, Leon," Liliana said with a resolute expression. "Athena is coming tomorrow to negotiate a partnership between the Demon Empire and the Dragon Empire."

Leon\'s breath caught in his throat as he clutched his chest, his face reflecting pure horror.

He had hoped Liliana was joking, but her serious demeanor confirmed the truth, leaving him genuinely frightened!

\'Damn! How did this happen so suddenly?\' Leon thought, massaging his temples in frustration.

Since his accidental encounter with Athena on the transcendent night, he had assumed he wouldn\'t see her again for some time.

After all, he had promised to visit her only after resolving the war between the demon race and humanity.

However, he hadn\'t expected that Athena would diverge so significantly from the plan, which left him deeply frustrated.

As Leon emerged from his reverie, he took a deep breath to calm his mounting anxiety, but his unease only grew stronger.

Liliana, watching Leon\'s frustration, could only sigh softly. She hadn\'t anticipated such an intense reaction from him, which only intensified her resentment toward Athena for the past wrongs she had inflicted on him.

Shaking her head, Liliana rose to her feet and gently patted Leon\'s back, soothing him. "You don\'t need to worry, Leon. Athena\'s visit to my palace isn\'t to find or arrest you. It\'s to discuss cooperation between our empires."

"Besides, you changed your appearance that night and introduced yourself as Leon Orion. So you can relax," she added.

Her words jolted Leon back to reality, and a look of relief spread across his face.

"You\'re right, Liliana. I\'d forgotten that I had tricked Athena, and she wouldn\'t recognize me," Leon said, tapping his forehead as he began to relax.

The past encounter with Athena had left him traumatized, and that trauma was difficult to overcome.

Despite his current strength, the mention of Athena\'s name triggered a deep-seated fear that felt like a heavy chain binding him.

As a result, he had momentarily forgotten that he had deceived Athena with a false identity that night.

Liliana, seeing Leon relax again, smiled softly. She guided him back to his seat and prepared a fresh cup of hot tea for him.

"Have a sip of this tea to clear your mind," she said gently.

"Thank you," Leon replied with a soft smile, taking the cup and savoring the tea.

*Slurp!*

As the tea warmed him, a deep sense of relaxation and comfort washed over Leon, prompting him to drink it eagerly and sigh with relief.

"This tea is exquisite," Leon said with a delighted smile.

The tea he had just enjoyed was made from the rare aurora-frosted tea leaves, which only grow once every hundred years in the coldest regions of the northern continent.

Its sweet flavor and invigorating chill revitalized him, making him feel as though he were reborn.

Observing his reaction, Liliana chuckled softly and crossed her elegant, alluring legs.

"Are you feeling calmer now, Leon?" she asked gently.

Leon took a deep breath, nodded, and responded, "I\'m feeling much better, Liliana. Thank you."

"You\'re welcome," Liliana said calmly. She then continued, "Now that you\'re feeling better, let\'s return to the issue of Athena. She has sent multiple requests for permission to visit my palace over the past few days to discuss cooperation between our empires."

"However, I repeatedly declined her requests, citing the ongoing war in the Desert of Chaos as my reason. This seems to have angered her to the extent that she decided to come anyway. It also leads me to suspect she might have ulterior motives for her visit."

After she finished speaking, an expression of cold fury replaced her usually composed demeanor.

Athena\'s actions were a serious affront, showing blatant disrespect for both her and the Demon Empire, and had nearly provoked a war between their empires.

Yet, given the ongoing conflict with humanity, she had to restrain her anger and avoid antagonizing the Dragon Empire further, which was a considerable source of frustration.

Leon, upon hearing this, remained silent and let out a resigned sigh. He was well aware of Athena\'s stubborn nature, so Liliana\'s account was not entirely unexpected.

However, the final sentence of her explanation left him unavoidably curious.

"Suspicion? What are you suspecting?" Leon asked with curiosity.

Liliana\'s upset expression eased as she responded, "I suspect her true intentions involve you."

Leon\'s eyes widened slightly at her words, but he quickly grasped the implication.

On that night, Athena had come to take him to her ancestor\'s palace at the behest of her own ancestor.

However, because he had refused to leave due to the ongoing war between humanity and the Demon Race, Athena left without him.

Given this context, Liliana\'s suspicions seemed reasonable.

Leon took a deep breath, looking at Liliana with a resigned expression, and asked, "So, is this suspicion the reason you don\'t want me to go to the battlefield tomorrow?"

Liliana gave a faint, embarrassed smile but maintained her composure as she said, "Yes, that\'s correct. While this is just my suspicion, it\'s possible that her real reason for coming involves you. So, I\'d like you to stay by my side to help manage the situation. Can you do that, Leon?"

Leon was quiet for a moment, then nodded slightly, his expression softening.

"Alright, I\'ll stand with you tomorrow and help you deal with her," he replied firmly, prompting Liliana to exhale in relief.

Given Leon\'s dark past with Athena, she was initially hesitant to make this request.

However, considering the potential major issues Athena\'s arrival might cause, she felt compelled to ask for his assistance just in case.

\'It seems I\'ve changed a lot since Leon came into my life,\' Liliana thought.

In the past, she wouldn\'t have asked for help with looming problems. Yet, since Leon\'s arrival, that trait has faded, replaced by a growing dependence on him.

This shift had a profound impact on her, but far from resenting it, she found she actually embraced and enjoyed it.

"By the way, since Athena is coming tomorrow, we\'ll need to hide Fiona, Charlotte, Iris, and Stella, right?" Leon inquired while preparing a fresh cup of tea.

The main reason he agreed to Liliana\'s request was to protect the four of them, especially Charlotte, Iris, and Fiona, who were his daughters.

Given Athena\'s extreme personality and her intense feelings for him, he couldn\'t risk her discovering their presence.

Otherwise, who knows what unpredictable and dangerous actions she might take?

Upon hearing this, Liliana\'s eyes narrowed slightly before she gave a small nod.

"Yes, we should hide them," she agreed without hesitation. "I\'ll ask Lyra to take care of them tomorrow."

Like Leon, Liliana understood Athena\'s extreme nature and didn\'t want to risk the safety of her three young daughters. Despite her confidence in her own strength, she wasn\'t willing to take any chances.

Afterwards, the two continued discussing plans for Athena\'s arrival and Leon\'s departure to the battlefield the following day.

"By the way, it\'s getting late. I should head to my room to sleep," Leon said, stretching as he glanced at the clock, which showed that it was already past one in the morning.

At this hour, he would usually be fast asleep in his room, with the two little girls sneaking in to join him.

Just as he was about to say goodbye, Liliana\'s soft, inviting voice stopped him.

"Why don\'t you sleep in my room, Leon? The night is still long, and we have much to prepare for, don\'t we?"

Leon was momentarily taken aback, but soon broke into a lopsided smile. "✔"