Royal Pride (Leona Kingscholar/Yuu)

21 ~ Search Party

"Leona."

Malleus stopped him in the hallway. "Tch. What do you want?" He shot him a deadly glare, not expecting Malleus to say anything of importance.

"Yuu isn't with you, is she?" He asked. "She didn't return from Octavinelle last night. Lilia already checked in with them, but they say she ended her shift as per usual."

Leona froze, his glare intensifying. "So you're telling me she's missing?" He growled.

"Well, if you haven't heard from her either, then it's safe to assume so, isn't it?"

Leona grabbed him by the collar, anger pulsing through him. After holding him for a moment, he let go before storming off.

He desperately tried to call her phone a few times but to no avail. There was no response. She did take a late shift yesterday, but what are the odds of something happening the one time she has to work late?

"Ruggie," Leona barked, slamming his arm against the wall next to his head, causing him to yelp. "Please tell me you've seen Yuu." His glare softened as he spoke.

Ruggie's eyes widened. "I thought she just decided to sleep through the first few periods of the day—wait, you don't think-!"

Leona let out a sharp exhale, shaking his head. "Even her dormmates're looking for her. Something's definitely happened."

Just a few nights ago, he'd made a silent promise to protect her, only for this to happen almost immediately after.

'I can never have anything, can I?' was just one of the many thoughts that flew through Leona's mind as he scoured the campus, looking for her.

He ran into Silver during his search, someone he recalled Yuu describing as family—he was also one of Malleus' bodyguards. As much as he disliked Malleus, he liked her more and was willing to put his rivalry aside for her.

"Have you found Yuu?"

Silver shook his head silently. "Tch." Leona scowled at the ground, feeling fear well up in his chest.

"Leona!" Ruggie's voice called, followed by Jack. "Oh, Silver too! You guys haven't found her yet, I suppose..?"

They both didn't respond, their silence answering well enough. "We've already scanned all of campus," Jack said. "She's probably not here."

"I do hope we can find Yuu soon..." Silver sighed loudly. As soon as he said that, a few squirrels came over to him, carrying a cracked phone.

They all gasped, identifying the phone as Yuu's. Silver took the phone, and the squirrels seemed to gesture to follow him. So, with no other leads, their group started following a couple of squirrels.

"What's up with this guy?" Leona murmured to Ruggie, who casually responded, "Oh, Silver has this thing where he can attract animals. It's pretty neat, especially when he needs something."

"Like now," Leona said under his breath. They had reached the edge of campus, and the squirrels stopped at the gate before scuttling through.

Without a moment's hesitation, Leona followed. "Jack, stay behind and let the others who're searching know where we are," he ordered.

"Hrmm... yes, sir!" Jack responded reluctantly, wanting to join the rescue but knowing that he couldn't refuse a direct order from his Housewarden. Besides, the rest of them were really close to Yuu, while he was just a freshman she was acquainted with.

They ran all the way down to the forest, following the squirrels and weaving through thick trees and other natural obstacles. The woods seemed to fuzz up their senses the deeper they got—if the effect was artificially induced or a natural effect of the forest, they couldn't tell.

At long last, they reached what seemed to be their final destination. It was a small structure that could've possibly been a cabin in the past, but it was now too overrun with plants and worn down to tell.

"Thank you so much," Silver said, patting the squirrels on their heads. They both purred softly before racing back from whence they came.

Leona didn't spare a moment's hesitation, charged with pure rage and anticipation. He rushed into the building, Ruggie and Silver only moments behind.