Raised From The Wild-Chapter 403: Leon’s Burden

Princess Amaya and her entourage left Asteria Palace very early in the morning. She missed her home and her animal friends, and she wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet before her college graduation.

Princess Amaya was lost in her thoughts, her gaze lingering on the moving scenery as their car sped across the highway. She was riding in a seven-passenger van. Leon and Vasquez were sitting in the backseat, while another bodyguard sat in the passenger seat.

Her thoughts drifted to school. In three days, she will graduate and become the first woman in Lireya to complete school in three years.

Amaya spent less than a year in high school, and she completed college in two years. She was a rare genius, not just in one subject but in all subjects, including mathematics.

In the months after Marx’s disappearance, she immersed herself in her studies with an almost obsessive dedication. Day and night, she pored over texts, delving into complex theories and obscure concepts, becoming a fountain of knowledge that astounded even her professors.

Their initial pride turned to unease as they realized she had surpassed their own understanding of the subject matter. It was a rare and somewhat embarrassing situation for them, prompting a unanimous decision to accelerate her graduation. They recognized that her brilliance could no longer be contained within the classroom walls.

If she was not studying, she spent her time at the laboratory in the basement of her palace, doing research with Dave, or designing new jewelry series.

In short, she was pushing herself to her limits, which worried her family about her mental and emotional well-being.

The King and the Queen of Lireya were thankful for the biennial sports event, during which Amaya’s liveliness returned. She took it upon herself to train Donello, which yielded surprising results.

"A penny for your thoughts, Princess." Leon could no longer bear the silence, so he broke it.

"I am just thinking, soon I will be leaving the university. I think it is too soon for me. I still want to stay with my friends."

"Aren’t you allowed to visit? Or maybe you can pursue a master’s degree," Leon suggested.

"I wish I could, but I don’t have the luxury of time. I have lots of things to do," Princess Amaya replied unhurriedly.

Before they could speak, the driver announced they had arrived. A palace guard who stood at the entrance hurried to open the door for the Princess, but the guard sitting in the passenger seat was faster.

Princess Amaya nodded at the guard and walked hurriedly to her quarters. After a few minutes, she was out of her room wearing her hunting garb.

"Princess, are you going into the forest?" Leon asked.

Princess Amaya nodded and walked with huge strides toward the door at the eastern side of the palace, where a door led directly to a narrow path to the forest.

Leon caught up with her and blocked her path.

"Can I talk to you in private, Princess? I have something important to discuss."

Princess Amaya studied Leon’s face for a few seconds. No matter how hard she tried, she could not read him.

"Okay," she finally nodded and made a beeline to her study, with Leon following closely behind.

The two entered the study and stayed for two hours. Vasquez, who was waiting outside the study, frowned.

’What were they discussing that took them two hours?’

When the door finally opened, Leon went out first, and he held the door for Princess Amaya. Vasquez stole a glance at the princess and noticed that her eyes were slightly red. Had she cried?

"Hey, what were you discussing inside that took two hours?" He asked Leon.

Leon glanced at Vasquez but remained silent. His steps were heavy, and he had a gloomy expression as he followed Princess Amaya to the side door on the east.

’Why did they look like lovers who just quarreled?’ Vasquez was baffled as he hurried to catch up with them while instructing the other secret guards to stand by in the forest.

...

At the entrance of the cave in the eastern part of Mount Daya, there was a small patch of grass that thrived. Princess Amaya sat there, her back leaning against the moss-covered outer wall of the cave where an occasional fern jutted out of the rock’s crevices. Strata was lying beside her as she nuzzled her head on her thigh.

"Hey, buddy, I missed you. Your pups have grown big and floppier." Amaya stoked the back of the wolf’s head.

Strata had given birth to three pups before Amaya left for the biennial sports fest. One has a mottled white fur, which she named Frost. The second one was pure black, so she called it Midnight, while the third one was gray, and she called it Ash.

Leon stood just a meter away, his gaze fixed on her every move. He admired how the soft light highlighted her delicate features and the emotions in her eyes. He felt a strong urge to preserve this moment in his memory, capturing the essence of her presence like an artist with a canvas.

The pups soon grew restless and tumbled out of her arms, playfully nipping at her hands. Their little tails wagged with delight. Ash stood on its hind legs, playfully pawing at her arm, while Midnight and Frost tugged at the hem of her pants.

Princess Amaya glanced up, and for a brief moment, her gaze met his before she looked down. The golden light filtering through the canopy above turned her hair into a shade of copper. Her warm smile and the bond she shared with the pups radiated a sense of trust and harmony with nature, dispelling all traces of the sadness and anger that had consumed her earlier.

Leon let out a sigh of relief that turned into a yelp when he felt something furry covering his eyes.

He acted on impulse and flung off the object that had been nestled on his head, covering his eyes. But before he could catch it, it was gone. Hanging in front of him, upside down, was a small monkey with big black eyes staring at him unblinkingly.

"Chim, come here." Princess Amaya called out while trying to hold her laughter.

Chim was Kong’s daughter. Leon felt something land beside him, and when he looked down, it was Kong, who looked at him with his stupid grin. It was this same monkey who had given him a fright when he woke up back on the island.

Leon pursed his lips and suppressed the anger he was feeling inside. He could hear Vasquez’ suppressed giggles behind the tree. He wanted to give him not just a piece of his mind but his punch as well.

However, his heart melted when he saw the animals fussing over the Princess. Her face was full of smiles, just like a bud that slowly blossomed.

But then a shadow flew toward Princess Amaya like an arrow released from a bow.