I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince - Chapter 134

Leon sat at his desk, erasing and rewriting the same sentences over and over.
He had spent half the day holding a blank sheet of stationery, but he still had not managed to write even a single proper line.

There was so much he wanted to say, but unlike Lucas, he found it hard to express things simply and directly.

“How can I say it in a way that will truly reach Lucas’s heart?”

As he tugged at his hair in frustration, the door suddenly burst open, and all three children entered the room at once.

“Papa!”

“Your Majesty.”

“We came because we have something important to say.”

Elisha stepped forward confidently, with Dea and Andrea right behind her.
Leon looked at them with a mix of confusion and surprise.

“What’s going on?”

Elisha stepped up to the desk, pulled out a stack of papers from under her arm, and placed them proudly in front of him.

“Since we finished the work, you were supposed to do, we hope you’ll use the time to make peace with the Empress.”

“That’s right! We even stamped everything ourselves.”

“We looked through it all. Nothing seemed too serious.”

Leon stared at them in disbelief, his eyes shifting between the children and the documents on the desk.
One glance at the papers told him they were discarded documents, recognizable by the clipped corners.

He picked one up and saw three stamps neatly lined up at the bottom, one from each child.

It must have been Ermon’s idea.

Leon was not in the mood to laugh, yet he found himself smiling.

Looking at these sweet children, regret washed over him for everything he had done. He gently smiled and reached out to pat Elisha’s head.

“Your intentions are admirable, but everyone has their own role. This kind of work is still too early for you, so let’s not try this again.”

“But we were so worried,” Elisha said softly.

Leon’s heart sank.

He would always feel anxious whenever Lucas’s expression changed even slightly, yet he had hoped the children would remain untouched by such feelings. That was a selfish hope.

“Come here,” he said.

With open arms, Elisha and Andrea rushed into his embrace.

Dea, who had been watching with tightly pressed lips, finally opened his mouth, his voice uncertain.

“It was a foolish thing to do. There’s no way we could really take over your work.”

Leon was surprised Dea had gone along with it. The boy was usually far too mature for his age. How anxious must he have been to agree to such a plan?

“But just like Elisha said, we were so scared. This is the first time we’ve seen the two of you fight.”

Dea looked like he might burst into tears at any moment.

Leon spoke with warmth in his voice to comfort him.

“I know it is hard to understand, but your Lu father and I love each other deeply. Sometimes, when you love someone too much, you end up hurting them or arguing with them. That’s just how it is. You don’t need to be afraid.”

Dea wiped at his eyes with his sleeve and shook his head.

“I still don’t get it. If you love each other, why would you fight?”

“You’ll understand when you’re a little older. And I promise, I will take care of it. You don’t need to do anything.”

Dea nodded. His father’s gentle smile and kind voice gave him the reassurance he needed.

Lately, Leon had looked so stern it had been hard even to speak to him.

But if what he said was true, if the fight was born out of love and would soon be resolved, then there was no reason to worry anymore.

“Then we’ll be going now,” Dea said with his usual determined tone.

He grabbed Elisha and Andrea by the hand. Though the two looked like they wanted to stay in Leon’s arms a little longer, they agreed it was time to go. They had seen the words written at the top of the page on Leon’s desk: To my beloved Lucas.

After the three children left the room, Leon finally understood how he wanted to begin the letter.

He picked up the pen and began to write.

The first sentence was this:
“You were not mistaken about anything. I simply failed to understand you.”

From that point on, the words flowed effortlessly, as if all the struggle and hesitation he had felt until now had never been real.

Lucas walked slowly through the palace as he finished his work for the day. He had been thinking about how little attention he had given the children lately. At the very least, he had wanted to sit in quietly while they were studying.

But their lessons ended earlier than expected, and he missed his chance.

Back in his room, Lucas stood by the window and looked out toward Leon’s office. It was not far, and he could sometimes see people walking in and out through the windows.

He thought to himself that things could not continue like this. Giving Leon space was the right thing to do, but at some point, he had to draw the line. Staying distant for too long would only hurt them more. It would also begin to affect the children. That alone made it the wrong choice.

Life was long, and there was still plenty of time ahead. There was no need to rush. Leon had always found a way to grow when it mattered most.

Lucas decided. He would go to Leon. He would tell him that he was willing to wait, but not from far away. He would wait by his side until Leon found the answer.

Balancing his duty to the House of Rion, the Theian Empire, and their children was important. But to Lucas, nothing would ever matter more than Leon himself.

He knew that without trust, there could be no love. And loving someone meant believing that they would grow, change, and find their own way forward. Lucas truly believed Leon would overcome this obsession on his own.

“I should go,” he said to himself, steadying his breath.

Just as he turned to leave, there was a knock at the door. Lucas opened it and found Ermon standing there with a satisfied look on his face.

“Your Majesty, I thought you might want to see this.”

Lucas was surprised that Ermon skipped his usual formal tone. Whatever he had brought must be important. Lucas accepted the documents Ermon handed him. The edges were torn. He looked at Ermon, confused.

“These are disposal documents, aren’t they?”

Ermon opened one of the papers and pointed to the bottom corner.

“Please look here. You will see the seals of Their Highnesses.”

Elisha, Dea, and Andrea.

Their names were stamped at the bottom of the papers. Even though the documents had been discarded, seeing those names so carefully printed made Lucas choke up.

“They believed that you and His Majesty were too busy to spend time together. They were afraid the two of you would drift apart. So they offered to help by taking care of your duties themselves.”

“…I see.”

Lucas let out a quiet breath.

He felt a deep pang of shame. What had he been doing, while children like that were watching and worrying? How could he have been so careless?

Ermon watched him quietly. He wanted to say, “Aren’t they just precious?” but he held the words back and simply stepped aside.

Lucas said nothing. He turned and began walking toward Leon’s office.

Ermon smiled to himself. He had been right to persuade Lucas instead of Leon. His plan had worked perfectly.

It had taken a long time to write the letter. Leon had written, edited, signed it, and finally sealed it in an envelope. By the time he finished, the sun had already begun to set, painting the garden outside in warm shades of red.

If he wanted to share dinner with Lucas after giving him the letter, he had to hurry.

“Is that for me?”

He had been so focused that he had not even heard the door open. When he looked up, there stood Lucas, looking a bit thinner than before. Leon blinked a few times, thinking for a moment that he might be dreaming. But no matter how many times he opened his eyes, Lucas was still there.

“Um… yes, it’s for you. But…”

“You’re wondering why I’m here?”

Leon nodded slowly, still dazed. He had expected not to see Lucas until he had all the answers. Was this really happening?

“Did you come here to tell me the answer?”

“No. I came because I missed you.”

The words carried a heavy weight of longing. It had only been a few days since they had last spoken face to face, yet it felt like a lifetime. They really were people who could not live apart. Leon’s eyes followed Lucas’s gaze as it landed on the letter still in his hand.

“Does that letter have the answer?”

Leon nodded with confidence. Then he quietly recited the final line of the letter.

“In the end, what was missing… was love.”

“Love?”

“You have so much love in you. You loved Rion, the Theian Empire, the children, and me. But I…”

He paused, ashamed of how petty and self-centered he had been. But admitting those flaws was part of being honest. Being vulnerable required courage too.

“I was too focused on my own feelings. I failed to see everything else. I made mistakes because my love was lacking.”

Saying it out loud left him feeling strangely relieved. What would Lucas say? Would he still say he loved him despite everything? Or would he walk away and tell him to try again?

Leon gently handed over the letter. The moment Lucas reached for it felt like an eternity. His hands were trembling, and his mouth had gone dry. He wanted Lucas to read it right away, but instead of reading, Lucas stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Leon’s back. Then, he whispered in his ear.

“Even if you never found the answer, I had already decided to believe in you. I knew that one day you would, and I was ready to wait. I just didn’t expect you to find it this soon.”

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