To everyone's surprise, Leopold did absolutely nothing over the next two days. He didn't confront Minnie, he didn't investigate the elevator shaft, and he didn't question the Sixth Elder about the ledger.
The Fifth Elder was missing? Apologies, but he still had things to study in his magic book.
Trouble at the Council of Elders? Apologies, but he had just started growing a potted flower in his room.
The Seventh Elder was appointed? Even more apologies, but the flower he was growing had bloomed, and he had to show it to Isabella.
Leopold placed the flowerpot on the windowsill. Flowers were a rarity in the underground world, and he had gone to great lengths to buy this one from the market.
“Look, Bella!” Leopold showed her the white lily of the valley he had carefully tended.
Isabella sat quietly on the bed, resting her chin in her hands as she studied the flower with great interest.
“When did you start growing flowers?”
“The day before yesterday.” Leopold brought the flowerpot over to Isabella. “An old goblin in the market was selling it. He said it was the only one in the entire royal capital. How about it? Want to take a sniff?”
Half-skeptical, Isabella leaned close to the white lily of the valley, her nose gently brushing against the petals.
“It really is very fragrant.”
“Right?” Leopold placed the flowerpot back on the windowsill and brushed the dirt off his hands. “The old goblin said this flower originally came from a seed on the surface, and it took a lot of effort to keep it alive underground.”
Isabella sat on the bed, tilting her head to look at him. After a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke. “Leo, you've been really idle these past two days.”
“Is being idle a bad thing?” Leopold replied without turning around. “It's better than getting dragged into all kinds of messes.”
“But you weren't like this before.” There was a hint of probing in Isabella's voice. “Before, you could never stop yourself from doing something.”
“...The goblins' business is for them to handle. I'm a dragon, not a goblin. There's no need to meddle.”
After saying that, he turned around and sat down right next to Isabella.
“Besides, waiting until you see things clearly before acting is much more effective than rushing in blindly.” Leopold smiled at her, his golden pupils staring straight into her eyes. “If we don't move, certain people will lose their footing instead.”
Isabella laughed under his gaze. She reached out and gently tapped the tip of his nose.
“You've gone bad, Leo.”
“Gone bad?” He leaned a bit closer to Isabella's face, his tone carrying a hint of innocence. “Aren't I just learning from you?”
“Learning from you?” Isabella withdrew her hand and leaned her face slightly closer to Leopold's. “I don't hide in my room growing flowers.”
Leopold blinked, neither dodging nor backing away. “Then please teach me, what should I do when I'm idle?”
Isabella didn't answer right away. She sat quietly, her icy-blue eyes reflecting Leopold's lips...
“Something terrible has happened! Mr. Leop... old?” Oliver hurriedly opened the door, which hadn't been locked in time. After a brief two seconds, the door slammed shut with a bang.
“S-S-S-Sorry! Sir, I didn't see anything! It's my fault for not knocking, but—I really didn't see anything!”
Both Leopold and Isabella turned away. Leopold coughed awkwardly, while Isabella lowered her head, her face flushing red with embarrassment.
Outside the door, Oliver kept scratching his head, muttering to himself, “I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead...”
“Ahem!” Leopold cleared his throat and opened the door. “Just say what you need to say, Oliver.”
Hearing the door open, Oliver snapped to attention and gave Leopold a crisp, standard military salute.
“Yes, sir! Mr. Leopold, I didn't see anything!”
Leopold held his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. “...Come inside first.”
Oliver marched into the room. Isabella had already regained her cool expression, standing by the window. However, the faint trace of pink on the tips of her ears, which hadn't fully faded, betrayed her.
“Go ahead,” Leopold sat on the bed, crossing his arms. “What is this 'terrible thing'?”
Oliver swallowed hard and finally regained his composure. “I-It's like this—the Sixth Elder just sent someone to pass on a message. They found the Fifth Elder.”
Leopold's brow twitched slightly. “...Found? Where was he found?”
“At the bottom of the elevator shaft.” Oliver lowered his voice. “When they found him... he was already dead.”
“...Dead?”
“Yes.” Standing by the door, Oliver finally caught his breath. “The person sent by the Sixth Elder said that a guard found the Fifth Elder's body at the bottom of the shaft this morning. The preliminary assessment is... he fell to his death.”
Clap, clap, clap...
Leopold suddenly began to clap. The clapping wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet room. Oliver was stunned by this reaction.
“...Sir?”
“It seems our enemy is already growing impatient.” Leopold lowered his hands. “Bella, we can attend a funeral now.”
The Fifth Elder's funeral was set for the morning of the third day. Except for Patriarch Gorn and a few high-ranking officials in key positions, almost all the officials in the royal capital attended.
“Waaah!” The Fifth Elder's wife wailed bitterly, slumped over his coffin.
Several subordinate officials stood nearby. Some lowered their heads to wipe away tears, while others held her shoulders with heavy expressions. On the other side of the coffin stood the Fourth Elder, dressed in a dark gray robe, his expression sorrowful yet restrained.
Beside Leopold, Blake kept tugging at his ill-fitting clothes. The black formal wear he wore was clearly a size too small, with the cuffs stopping a good distance above his wrists.
“These damn clothes...”
“It's almost your turn to offer an ore. Can you stop tugging?” Leopold lowered his voice. Offering brightly colored ores to the deceased was a long-standing tradition of the goblin tribe.
“Tch, I get it.” Blake dropped his hands, holding a polished orange ore.
Leopold turned his gaze back to the coffin. At that moment, Minnie was holding a brown ore, constantly wiping away her tears with her other hand.
“The Fifth Elder... he was clearly such a good person...” Minnie's voice carried a sob as she queued behind someone. “How could... how could something like this happen...”
A subordinate official standing next to her comforted her softly, “Seventh Elder, please accept my condolences.”
Minnie nodded and wiped her eyes again before stepping forward to place the ore on the tray at the foot of the coffin.
She wept so sorrowfully. Even after stepping down, she couldn't help but sob softly. But Leopold already knew the truth—she was an impostor!
“Next group—!”
The master of ceremonies' voice called out from the front. Blake strode forward and placed the orange ore onto the tray. His movements were swift and decisive, forming a sharp contrast with the slow, heavy steps of those around him.
“...Our thanks, Lord Blake.” The master of ceremonies bowed slightly.
Having finished offering his stone, Leopold was about to take his seat when the Sixth Elder approached him.
“Your Excellency Black Dragon, a word in private.”
Leopold didn't turn his head, keeping his eyes forward. “Now?”
“Now.” The Sixth Elder lowered his voice even further. “Something has happened.”
Leopold was silent for two seconds. Then he turned his head and shot Isabella a look. Isabella nodded, remaining where she was.
Leopold followed the Sixth Elder to a secluded spot, where the elder finally spoke in a low voice:
“Patriarch Gorn... he has withdrawn his troops from the front line!”
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