crown [C. TARTAGLIA]

11

"leonid please... don't make me do this..." you sobbed as you kneeled on top of his weakened body, bruises were all over his wrinkled face yet he still managed to plaster a small smile.

"come on kid, you know what you have to do." he coughs, grabbing the edge of your sword and pointing it onto his chest. "you've beaten me, it's only time to end all this."

"no!" you shout, tears streaming down your face. "you're the only one i have left! i... i can't..."

"[Y/N]." he sighed. "it's either you kill me now, or the bastards who have been hunting me down for years get to me when you leave."

"w-what?"

"they're coming." he says. "so after you killed this weak old man it's time to leave at once.

"leonid-"

"just do it, [Y/N]!" leonid shouts with the remaining strength he had left. "with my dying breath, i'll tell you one final clue."

°

before you could pierce your sword through his body, you awoke to a loud bang at the room next to yours. your eyes shot open, sweat forming at the side of your forehead as you did so.

"what... was that?" .

you had no time to change and quickly grabbed your sword to exit your room, checking out what the loud noise was. your eyes trailed towards the prince's room, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"oh no..." someone coughs from the room next to yours.

"hey, are you alright?" you knocked on their door.

"i-i'm sorry! h-have i woken you up?" the door opens slightly and through the crack you could see a green haired girl with large glasses.

"i heard an explosion of some sort, did something happen?"

"uhm..." she looks back inside before answering your question. "i'm sorry to ask but... c-could you maybe help me out with something?"

"sure, what is it?"

"i-i'm an alchemist in the palace, my name is sucrose." she opens the door to her room. "my master is currently out right now and left me to do some experiments but..."

"but...?"

"uhm... well..."

she leads you into the room where you found beakers shattered on the ground as well as black smoke coming out of a small pot.

"so this was the cause of the explosion." you sighed. "you needed help cleaning?"

"oh no! it's not that, it's-"

"what's going on?" a new voice had joined in the conversation. it was childe who was still in his nightwear.

"y-your highness! i am so sorry to have caused such a commotion in the middle of the night!" the girl bows before the prince. "p-please forgive me!"

"it's alright sucrose." childe says. "did something happen?"

"apparently, an explosion occurred when she was testing an experiment." you explained. "did you get woken up by it?"