Chapter 87: I’ll be waiting for you in the past, Dad ( Part 1 )
In the “worldline where Leon didn’t exist,” she had stood alone for six months. She was the loneliest queen on the throne and the saddest, most heartbroken wife.
Until the moment before her coma, was she also believing… that Leon would return to save everything?
In these months, Leon had come here almost every night, spending a long time alone with Roseweisse.
He said nothing, did nothing, and simply sat quietly watching his wife sleep.
But…
Every time he entered this room, Leon needed a lot of mental preparation.
He was afraid and anxious, and sometimes his legs even trembled.
In the beginning, Leon’s mindset was still somewhat stable.
But as time passed, especially in these last few days, he had become increasingly hesitant to approach Roseweisse, to look at her, or to express his feelings.
He was, in fact, a person with delicate and sensitive thoughts, but he wasn’t good at regulating his negative emotions.
It was like the time long ago when the deputy Dragon King from the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan, Ogu, had told him, “The Dragon Clan will take everything from you.” That time, Leon had fallen into deep self-reflection and self-doubt.
Back then, he had managed to overcome it.
And the one who helped him get through it was Roseweisse.
Although she wasn’t good at expressing emotions, she understood Leon and knew how to enter his heart’s darkness and pull him out of it.
Many times, many times, she had been a “spiritual guide” for Leon.
After all, the Queen had lived more than 200 years. Her life experience was far greater than Leon’s.
But now, with worry and longing consuming me, what is Leon supposed to do?
Without Roseweisse, my heartfelt twisted like a tangled rope.
Impossible to untie, all over the place.
He pulled back his downcast thoughts, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
Then, Leon reached out his hand and gently pressed it against the crystal.
The crystal was cold, just like the heavy reality.
“I really… miss you.”
If everything went smoothly, in just twenty-four hours, he would see her again.
But… who could guarantee that everything would go smoothly?
Leon rarely lacked confidence in anything.
Because he never feared failure.
If he failed, he could try again. Fail once, try again. Fail countless times, and he would keep trying. He was the little cockroach that couldn’t be killed.
But.
This time was different.
If he failed this time, he might never be able to embrace his lover again.
The weight of the pressure felt like a mountain on his chest, nearly suffocating him.
This wasn’t just a race against time; it was a love that had to be saved across space and time.
Could I do it?
“It’s already very late. You should rest for a while,” Noya’s voice came from behind him. “Xiao Guang said the reversal magic will be ready in a few hours. You need to conserve your strength.”
“No need, I feel fine,” Leon replied without turning around, still staring at Roseweisse. His tone was calm, but Noa could hear the faint tremor in his voice.
Noa hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Leon.
Leon caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye; she was holding a small wooden box, finely crafted.
Though exquisite, it looked like it had been around for some years.
“What’s this…?”
Noa opened the box, revealing various unrelated items inside.
A black shard, a magic cube, a piece of paper, an essay, and a family portrait.
“These are things that are very important to me,” Noa said.
Leon looked at the objects. He remembered the magic cube was something he had made for Muen, and also made one for Noa at the time. Back then, Noa had been a little proud and didn’t pay much attention to him.
The piece of paper had “Noa K. Melkwei” written on it, probably when he was teaching Muen to write and had written Noa’s name.
The essay recorded the entire process of him and Roseweisse going on a date in Sky City, and also Noa’s love for them.
The family portrait was self-explanatory.
“I originally wanted to collect many more things to fill this little box,” Noa said.
“But in the twenty years since you disappeared, nothing new has been added to it. Each item has its meaning, but when tragedy struck, those meanings became torment. So…”
Noa gathered dragon flame in her hands and set fire to the box she had kept for twenty years.
Along with it, the magic cube, the paper, the essay, the photograph.
Only the black shard remained, glowing in the flames.
Leon was startled and immediately tried to extinguish the fire.
But Noa threw the box to the ground, letting it burn.
She grabbed his hand, tears in her eyes, her voice choked with emotion.
“Whether you succeed or not, I no longer need these.”
“If you manage to change the past and restore the original worldline, the box will return to me, and everything I cared about will come back.”
“But if you fail… you and your sisters will be all I have left.”
“So, go ahead, Leon Casmode.”
“No matter the result, you will never be alone.”
A few months ago, when he had a heart-to-heart with his daughter, the future version of her and the past version began to overlap;
At this moment, however, Leon saw in Noa the shadow of Roseweisse.
The one who always pulled him out of the abyss in his moments of confusion and helplessness seemed never to have left.
