fire flower; leopold vermillion x oc [Black Clover]

Chapter 9: Thanks

Leopold's point of view:

My hand flies to my mouth the moment the words come out. Shit shit shit, Leopold! Stupid! Look at her! She's a commoner! You shouldn't feel anything! But I do. I really was impressed with her skill, with how she found the treasure in that dungeon. I even ended up following her lead after she freed me from the traps. I'm mesmerized by this girl.

I'm about to open my mouth and deny everything, but then I look at her, and she stares back at me, a blush slowly creeping up her face. Dammit, that's cute. We stare at each other for a few more seconds, but it seems like an eternity. Her long, black hair hangs loose, pooling over her shoulders and dangling down her back. Her eyes are dark and shining, and I can see the night's gaze when I look into them. She's... beautiful. Wait, get a grip, Leopold!

She breaks the stare, and time starts to move again. "I... I've always admired you for your strength."

Shit! I mean, this is going exactly as I planned, but if she likes me...

"I-I have to go now. I know I said we'd have the whole day together, but there are some things I need to check on." Lame. Totally killed the mood too, Leopold. But I have to do what I have to do.

"Oh. Y-Yeah. Of course. Go ahead. We've already finished buying everything." She looks relieved; maybe she just wants to get away from all of this as well. From our... new relationship. Great. Now I have time to meet up with them without worrying about having her around.

But something doesn't feel right as she stands up and walks away, clutching her satchel. I feel... uneasy and cold.

"Hey, Mister Royal, did you do as we asked?" A gruff voice comes from behind me, and I stand up with a start. I slowly walk over to a spot secluded by bushes, just a bit off the path of the grass. Two boys, just about my age, with plain clothing and scarred faces, give me shady grins. They said their names were Ferris and Derick, and that they had a bone to pick with Mari.

"Yeah, I did," I reply. "Now where's the treasure I asked for?" These two approached me on my second day of healing, making a deal with me. All I had to do was take Mari on a fake date, confess my "true" feelings for her, and then forget the whole thing happened the next day. All in exchange for the treasure from the dungeon we failed to clear. I'm going to be the one that surpasses my brother! Which means I can't come back empty-handed!

"Don't worry, don't worry. You did a good job. She looked completely head-over-heels for you, you flirt," one of them - maybe Ferris - says to me.

"Yeah, you got her good!" The other one chimes in and lets out an annoying snort. "Serves her right for that time back in Ahria, when she stopped us from taking her grimoire."

What?! "You tried to take her grimoire?!" Unbelievable. I knew this bargain was a bad idea. But I can't back out of it now, not when I still need the treasure.

"Don't worry about it, Mister Royal. It's all in the past, but this is just a little payback. All you had to do was fake a few feelings, and then completely ignore her later! Shouldn't be too hard for you, right? She's a commoner. Nothing special. Nothing to get attached to," the one that's probably Ferris says. He then digs through the huge bag hanging over his shoulder and pulls out a bundle of objects wrapped together. "Here's all we got before we had to clear out for the archaeologists. It's all yours." He hefts it into my hands. "Well, we're off. Just remember our deal, Mister Royalty, and that treasure's rightfully yours," he sneers before turning to his companion and vanishing into the bushes.

"So that's why you left, Leopold." Her voice stops me dead in my tracks. I slowly turn my head to see her standing on the grass, staring right at me.

Tears are falling from her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. No... don't cry... Please don't cry. But her tears keep falling, her eyes keep losing their adorable light, and for some reason, my heart keeps breaking.

"Thanks." The only word she says before she turns around and walks away, and it kills me. "Oh, and also, don't bother opening that package they gave you. There's no real treasure inside of it. It's all fake. Kind of like you." Then she's gone, and I stand there, the bundle of items I wanted so much now nothing more than useless, heavy junk. What have I done?