My Kingdom Building Done Right!

After they were done discussing the monster stampede and Hassan’s subordinates, Lady Helen shifted her attention back to Yuni and Aria.

She already knew who among the two ladies Leone had a relationship with. With that in mind, she asked Hassan to take Leone outside of the house for now. Helen wanted to talk with Yuni, Aria, Ulric, and Kael without her son overhearing them.

"I already mentioned earlier that my son likes strong, bold, and brave women," Helen said. "So, Yuni. Are you in a relationship with my son?"

"Yes," Yuni replied without hesitation.

Helen and Marco looked at the young lady with a smile.

"Aria, I’m sure Leone also likes you a lot," Helen said. "But he doesn’t view you as a romantic interest and genuinely treats you as ’family.’ You see, my son is a herbivore. Unless you attack him, the relationship will not progress. This is why the woman needs to be strong, bold, and brave. With Leone, the woman has to be the one who does the pinning down."

"He’s already eighteen, and he still doesn’t know how to handle women." The eldest son of the Frontera Family, Edward, fixed his glasses with his middle finger. "Pathetic."

"Now, don’t be like that, Brother." The second son, Alphonse, tried to ease the tension. "Leone is just a gentle soul. Did you forget that one of his marriage candidates is an Amazon? When they met, he quickly fainted when she choked him with her chest."

"Pathetic." Edward clicked his tongue in response.

Yuni and Aria were both amazed by the brazen attitude of Leone’s older brothers. Now they understood why Lady Helen had asked Leone to be excused for a while. It was for the best that she talked to them without Leone hearing anything.

"Aria, although I don’t know if Leone’s feelings for you will remain the same way in the future, that doesn’t change the fact that he treats you as family," Helen stated. "With that said, I do hope that you continue to take care of him. Whether as a lover or as a brother, please keep looking after my son."

"Yes, My Lady," Aria replied back with a smile.

"And Kael..." Helen looked at the eloquent vassal with a smirk. "If you ever get tired of the Borderlands, come work for me. I need someone as talented as you."

"As expected of my Great Chieftain’s mother. You have an eye for talented people!" Kael bowed respectfully. "However, please allow me to decline your offer. My place is by our Great Chieftain’s side. Also, I would like to say this so that there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings in the future.

"I will not force my granddaughter to marry Leone if she doesn’t wish to. I am also aware that the love he feels for Aria is not that of a lover, but that of family. So, regardless of whether the two of them will end up together in the future or not, I’m sure the two of them will still remain as family."

Kael then pressed his hand over his chest. "Even if we are not bound through marriage or by blood, I already think of Leone as my own grandson. That will never change.

"Though, since My Lady has already mentioned that our Great Chieftain is a herbivore, may I ask for your permission to use an aphrodisiac on him once? You see, we are a bit worried that Leone will not be able to sire heirs because he refused to have any ladies attend to him every night. Of course, if you say no, then I will no longer insist on this matter."

Everyone blinked once, then twice, after hearing Kael’s shameless declaration.

A minute later, Helen laughed out loud, while her husband only shook his head helplessly.

"Good!" Helen clapped her hands. "Wonderful. You truly are a good vassal, Kael. Very well. I will approve of it. However, let’s put a time limit. If Leone hasn’t sired any children by the time he becomes twenty, you may go ahead and help him man up. Make sure the aphrodisiac is a strong one, okay?"

"Understood, My Lady." Kael patted his chest. "I’ll make sure he can do it from the start of night until the break of dawn."

"Very good!" Helen nodded. "I’ll be counting on you, Kael."

Leone, who was outside the house, suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. He had no idea what just happened. Yet, for some reason, he knew that Kael was behind this feeling of impending doom.

A few minutes later, Aria opened the door and called out to Leone to return inside the house.

"It is very unfortunate that our time to talk is very short, Leone." Helen sighed. "But before our connection ends, I would like you to promise me three things."

The young man didn’t know what promises his mother expected from him, so he simply waited for her to finish her speech.

"First, promise me that you will survive this monster stampede," Helen said in a serious tone. "This is non-negotiable. Do you promise?"

"I promise, Mother," Leone nodded.

"Second, you must promise me that you won’t carry everything on your shoulders," Helen continued. "You have people who are willing to stand beside you now. Trust them. Lean on them. Work together with them to make the Aslan Tribe prosper."

Leone glanced at Hassan, Ulric, Kael, Yuni, and Aria for a bit. Then, a smile slowly appeared on his face.

"I promise," Leone replied.

Helen nodded in satisfaction. "Good."

"And last but not least..." Helen’s expression softened. "Promise me that no matter how far away you are from us, you will come home someday."

Those simple words made the atmosphere inside the room turn silent.

Leone lowered his head for a brief moment before looking back at his family.

"I promise," Leone answered firmly. This was a promise he would fulfill, no matter what. "Once everything here has settled down, I’ll return home and visit all of you."

Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"Really." Leone chuckled. "When that day comes, Brother will bring you lots of presents."

"Yay!" The little girl happily clapped her hands. "I want lots of candy!"

"You’ll get cavities if you eat too much candy," Helen reminded her daughter.

"Then... toys!"

"Those too."

"And pretty dresses!"

"I’ll give you all of them, Elizabeth," Leone promised. "So, be a good girl and always listen to our mother and father, okay?"

"Yes!" Elizabeth nodded. "I’ll be a good girl!"

Just then, faint ripples spread across the surface of the obsidian crystal.

The connection was beginning to weaken, which Helen noticed immediately.

"It seems our time is almost up." Helen smiled warmly at the people that Leone had allowed her to meet during this meeting. "Hassan, Ulric, Kael, Yuni, and Aria, thank you for staying by my son’s side."

Then, she looked directly at Leone.

"Leone, we’re all proud of you. Stay strong and continue to become the pillar of the Aslan Tribe. Believe in yourself because you’ve inherited all of your traits from me."

Marco scratched the side of his cheek in response, which made Leone smirk.

"Yes, Mother," Leone replied. "However, I also inherited something from Father."

After hearing his son’s words, Marco immediately perked up and waited for his son to finish whatever he was going to say.

"I inherited Father’s charisma," Leone replied. "After all, without that, you wouldn’t have fallen in love with him right, Mother?"

"Well, you’re not wrong," Helen admitted before glancing at her husband, who had a smug look on his face right now.

Because he was in a good mood, Marco decided to impart some words of wisdom to his son, just so that he would not lose his way.

"Leone," Marco said, his gaze steady and warm. "Do not be a ruler that rules his subjects with fear. While fear will make others follow you, it will never make them stand beside you when your kingdom needs them the most."

The room fell silent as everyone listened to his words.

"A king who relies solely on fear will always have to look over his shoulder, wondering who will betray him next." Marco folded his arms across his chest. "On the other hand, a king who earns the love and trust of his people will find countless hands reaching out to support him whenever he stumbles.

"You are not building a kingdom for yourself. You are building a home for everyone who has chosen to place their faith in you."

Marco glanced toward Ulric, Kael, Hassan, Yuni, and Aria.

"Look around you. These people aren’t following you because you forced them to. They’re here because they believe in you. Never betray that trust."

Leone nodded in agreement. "I understand, Father."

"There will come a day when your territory grows beyond a single tribe," Marco stated. "Small villages can become towns. Towns will become cities. More people will seek your banner, and more enemies will covet what you’ve built."

His expression grew solemn because he had experienced this as well in the past.

"When that day comes, remember that every decision you make will affect thousands of lives. Some choices will be easy, while others will haunt you for years. No ruler escapes that burden."

Marco smiled faintly, giving his son reassurance through his words and gaze.

"However, don’t let that burden harden your heart. Protect those who cannot protect themselves. Reward those who remain loyal. Give talented people the opportunity to shine, regardless of where they came from.

"A kingdom isn’t measured by how tall its walls are, nor by how many soldiers march beneath its banners. It is measured by how brightly its people smile."

Leone felt those words sink deep into his heart.

He had no idea how kingdoms were built. Even with Daedalus by his side, he sometimes felt like he was trying to walk through a maze, trying to find the way that would take him to the right path.

However, hearing those words from his father reminded him why he had started walking this path in the first place.

"I’ll remember your advice, Father," Leone replied.

Marco smiled proudly. "I know you will. After all... the greatest legacy a ruler can leave behind isn’t a magnificent castle or boundless wealth. It’s a kingdom that continues to prosper long after he’s gone."

The obsidian crystal flickered once more, its light growing dimmer with every passing second.

Everyone knew that this would be their final chance to exchange farewells, and so, that was exactly what they did.

"Yuni, Aria, see you again next time," Helen said with a smile. "Also, Kael. I expect you to be there as well."

"I will be there, My Lady," Kael promised. "See you soon."

"Leone, we love you very much," Helen stated. "May fortune shine upon you."

"Thank you, Mother," Leone replied. "I’ll see you soon."

When the light of the obsidian crystal finally faded, the young man closed his eyes and took a deep sigh.

Yuni wrapped her arms around his waist from the back, showing her support to her lover.

"Good night, Great Chieftain," Kael said with a smile. "Let’s go, Aria."

"Yes, Grandpa," Aria replied before looking at Leone. "Good night, Leone. Yuni. See you tomorrow."

""Good night, Aria,"" Leone and Yuni said at the same time.

Soon, Hassan, Ulric, and even Daedalus left the house together.

Of course, the grimoire made sure to lock the door behind them as it slipped past the door.

"Are you okay?" Yuni asked.

"Yes," Leone replied. "Thank you, Yuni."

Leone then turned around and placed his hands on her waist. "Are you staying with me tonight?"

"Do you want me to?" Yuni asked back.

"Yes. I do."

"Okay. I’ll stay with you."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before sharing a kiss.

A few minutes later, the two lay together on the bed. Then, Yuni held Leone’s head and cradled it on her chest, lightly patting his head.

Leone wrapped his arms around her back before closing his eyes to rest.

Hearing her heartbeat and feeling her warmth helped him calm down.

Soon, he fell asleep, fully knowing that when morning came... he would have to wear the mantle of the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe once more, and walk the path of the King.

A path that would open the gates to damnation and beyond.