Chapter 258: Athena’s Request and a Confirmation
“By the way, Liliana, I have a request, and I hope you’ll grant it,” Athena said abruptly, startling Liliana slightly.
Liliana hesitated, her expression wary, before asking, “A request? What is it?”
Athena crossed her long legs and smiled faintly. “I would like to speak with Leon privately. Can you grant me this request?”
Liliana’s eyes widened in surprise, then slowly narrowed as her beautiful face turned cold.
“Talk privately with Leon? What’s your purpose? If you don’t tell me, I won’t allow it,” Liliana said, her tone indifferent and cold.
She couldn’t possibly allow this woman to be alone with Leon without her supervision; it was far too dangerous.
After all, Leon was currently in disguise, and if Athena discovered his true identity, it would cause serious trouble.
Leon was equally surprised by Athena’s sudden request, and he couldn’t help but regard her with a cautious gaze.
‘What is this woman’s purpose? Why does she want to talk to me privately?’ Leon wondered inwardly, his wariness growing.
In his identity as Leon Orion, he naturally didn’t have a close relationship with Athena, certainly not one that justified a private conversation without Liliana present.
After all, they had only met twice—once on that transcendent night a while ago, and again today.
‘Does this woman know about my disguise?’ The thought sent Leon’s heart racing; goosebumps were creeping up his back.
However, recalling his perfect disguise—one that had completely transformed his appearance—he quickly dismissed the notion, allowing his body to relax a bit.
‘Athena is unlikely to recognize me as Leon Kruger,’ he whispered to himself, letting out a sigh of relief as a leisurely smile spread across his lips.
Meanwhile, Athena remained unruffled by Liliana’s probing questions, her expression calm.
Taking a sip of her now-cold tea, Athena looked at Liliana with a casual smile and replied in a steady tone, “I would like to speak privately with Leon to discuss some matters related to his role as the fated one.”
As soon as Liliana and Leon heard her words, they both froze in surprise, exchanging astonished glances.
Though they had suspected Athena might know about the fated one, hearing it confirmed in person still caught them off guard.
Liliana turned her gaze toward Athena, crossing her arms over her huge chest, and asked in a cold tone, “Before we proceed, Athena, I need to confirm something. How did your ancestor react to Leon’s rejection back then?”
That night, Leon politely declined the dragon ancestor’s command to meet him at his palace. Though the refusal was reasonable, neither of them knew how the dragon ancestor would respond.
After all, the dragon ancestor is an ancient being with an immense span of existence and an overwhelming sense of pride and arrogance.
Leon’s rejection likely offended him, a concern they both had to be cautious of.
Athena’s eyebrows arched slightly at the question, but she quickly understood Liliana’s meaning, causing her to smile playfully.
“Are you worried that my ancestor is upset about Leon’s rejection that night?” Athena asked with a teasing tone.
Liliana shook her head. “I’m not worried, just curious about how your ancestor reacted.”
With her current power, she stood at the pinnacle of the world, with only a handful capable of matching her strength.
While the dragon ancestor was an ancient figure of immense power, she wasn’t afraid to face him if it came to that.
Moreover, she wasn’t alone—Leon stood by her side, prepared to support her.
Liliana’s bold statement took Athena by surprise, but it soon gave way to an amused smile.
Athena certainly admired Liliana’s bravery and was well aware of her immense power.
However, her ancestor had lived through the era of the First Demon Emperor, Amon Crimson, and the First Hero of Mankind, Luminus Troya, and had fought alongside them against the Evil God.
With such an extraordinarily long life and experience, his power was inconceivable to anyone living in this era, including herself.
Nonetheless, Athena had no intention of elaborating on it, as she didn’t want to provoke or offend Liliana.
After all, her success in speaking privately with Leon depended on Liliana’s approval, and offending her could jeopardize the entire plan.
Athena took a deep breath and replied, “You don’t need to worry about that. My ancestor wasn’t angered by Leon’s rejection; in fact, he was pleased by it.”
Leon and Liliana were taken aback by her response, and they exchanged confused glances.
“Your ancestor was pleased with my rejection? Are you serious, Empress—no, Athena?” Leon asked hesitantly.
Deep down, he hoped to avoid conflict with the dragon ancestor, understanding that forging an alliance with him was far more beneficial than creating an enemy.
However, if circumstances required him to confront the dragon ancestor, he wouldn’t be afraid.
But now, hearing Athena’s unexpected answer has completely dispelled those possibilities, leaving him both dumbfounded and confused.
Athena couldn’t help but smile at Leon’s hesitant expression, feeling an urge to pinch his cheek.
However, she restrained herself and nodded as she explained, “My ancestor revealed that the real reason you declined his invitation was not due to the ongoing war in the Desert of Chaos, but because you were wary of him.”
“Despite this, he wasn’t angered but rather admired your character. As the fated one, your cautiousness toward him demonstrates that you are neither foolish nor reckless, but thoughtful and strategic.”
Listening to this, Leon was initially taken aback, but soon felt a rush of embarrassment.
The dragon ancestor’s observation was accurate; his refusal of Athena’s invitation had indeed been motivated not only by the ongoing war but also by his wariness of the dragon ancestor.
While he felt that his caution was justified and didn’t see it as something to feel guilty about, the fact that the dragon ancestor admired him rather than being angered was unexpected and shifted his perspective.
‘Indeed, the wisdom of a being who has lived for thousands of years is truly unmatched,’ Leon thought, filled with admiration.
Since the dragon ancestor held no grudges or anger, Leon felt a deep sense of relief and happiness.
Liliana, too, was both surprised and relieved upon hearing this. Like Leon, she had been reluctant to make an enemy of the dragon ancestor, knowing it would be troublesome.
Fortunately, their concerns had not come to pass, and everything turned out differently than they had feared.
Seeing their relieved expressions, Athena simply smiled in silence.
Turning her gaze toward Liliana, Athena asked casually, “Now that I’ve clarified everything, does this mean I can speak privately with Leon?”
Liliana quickly composed herself and gave Athena an irritated glance.
“Can’t you include me in your discussion with Leon? After all, I’m his wife, and it’s only fair that I know what’s going on,” she said.
At the mention of “Leon’s wife,” Athena’s anger flared, and she clenched her fists.
However, she took a deep breath to steady herself and replied coldly, “I’m afraid not. This matter is too important to discuss in the presence of anyone else.”
“You…” Liliana glared at Athena, her teeth clenched in frustration.
She sensed that Athena might be deliberately trying to exclude her. Although she wasn’t sure if her intuition was accurate, the thought still irritated her.
Athena, unwilling to back down, returned Liliana’s intense gaze, causing the previously calm atmosphere to become tense once more.
Seeing the escalating tension, Leon could only shake his head and rub his forehead.
“Ugh, these two…”
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