Chapter 13 The Captain’s Eyes

The morning sun was low in the sky, casting long, thin shadows across the stone floor of the main guardroom. Leo sat on a bench, slowly running a cloth over his metal chest piece. His eyes were red from lack of sleep, and his muscles felt stiff after spending the entire night leaning against Bella’s bedroom door. Every time he closed his eyes, he could still hear her ragged breathing from the panic attack.

"You look like you're about to fall over, mate," Jax said, walking into the room with a bundle of clean rags. He tossed one to Leo and sat down on the opposite bench. "Did you actually sleep at all last night?"

"A little," Leo lied, not looking up from his work.

"You're a terrible liar," Jax said, shaking his head. "I took the midnight shift on the wall, and every time I looked down at the eastern wing, I saw your shadow by her door. You're going to make yourself sick, Leo. The Captain is already asking questions about you."

Leo stopped rubbing his armor, his hand freezing on the metal. "The Captain? What did he say?"

Before Jax could answer, the door at the back of the guardroom opened. Captain Vance stepped inside, his sharp grey eyes immediately scanning the room until they locked onto Leo. Vance was an older man with deep lines carved into his face from years of war, and he didn't waste time with small talk.

"Jax, clear out," Vance ordered, his voice deep and calm. "I need a word with Leo."

Jax looked between Leo and the Captain, his expression turning serious. He nodded quickly, gathered his things, and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

The guardroom became completely quiet. Captain Vance walked over slowly, stopping just a few feet away from Leo. He didn't say anything at first, just stood there with his hands resting on his belt, studying Leo's exhausted face.

"Stand up, guard," Vance said.

Leo stood up immediately, shoulders back, keeping his face deadpan. "Sir."

"You've been with this unit for two years, Leo," Vance began, pacing a small circle around him. "Your record is clean. You don't drink too much, you don't pick fights with the townspeople, and you follow orders. But lately, you are acting like a completely different man."

"I am just doing my duty to protect Lady Bella, sir," Leo replied, keeping his voice even.

"Your duty is to follow the rotation," Vance snapped, stopping right in front of him. His sharp eyes narrowed. "Instead, you are demanding every single shift outside her door. You are canceling her walks. You are checking the kitchen food like a madman, and yesterday, Mina the maid left the estate crying because you allegedly banished her. The Duke is noticed, Leo. He is asking me why his daughter is locked in her room, screaming at the walls."

Leo felt a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck. The system's threat was staring him right in the face. He couldn't tell Vance the truth, but he had to defend his actions. "Lady Bella is under immense stress, Captain. There are people who want to hurt her. I am only trying to limit her exposure to danger."

"What danger?" Vance demanded, his voice rising slightly. "We increased the perimeter guards after the courtyard incident. The estate is secure. Yet, the longer you stay by her side, the worse her mind gets. She was a difficult girl before, yes, but now she is terrified of her own shadow. She won't even eat unless you touch the plate first."

Vance stepped even closer, his eyes drilling into Leo's. "There are rumors spreading among the servants, Leo. Some of them think you are manipulating her. They think you are intentionally feeding her paranoia to keep her isolated, so she only trusts you. Why are you driving the Duke's daughter mad?"

The accusation hit Leo like a punch to the stomach. A wave of anger and frustration rushed through him, making his chest tighten. He was tearing his own soul apart, taking the blame for her insanity, and fighting the entire universe to keep her breathing, and now he was being accused of being the monster causing it.

"I am not driving her mad," Leo said, his voice dropping into a fierce, low growl that made Vance blink in surprise. Leo looked directly into his superior's eyes, his expression completely raw with exhaustion and pain. "You think I want to stand outside that door for fourteen hours a day? You think I enjoy watching her cry on the floor because she thinks she's suffocating? I am the only one actually watching her, Captain. If I step away from that door, she dies. I know it, and the universe knows it."

Vance stared at him, stunned by the sheer desperation and intensity in the young guard's voice. For a second, the captain didn't look angry anymore, just deeply confused. "You sound like a man possessed, Leo. You are talking about the universe, about things that don't make sense. If you know about a specific threat, you report it to me. That is how the guard works."

"I can't report this," Leo whispered, his shoulders slumping as the anger drained out of him, leaving only a hollow tiredness. "You wouldn't believe me anyway."

Vance stayed silent for a long moment, watching the way Leo’s hands trembled slightly against his sides. The old captain let out a long, slow sigh, his posture softening just a fraction.

"I don't know what is going on between you and the lady," Vance said quietly. "But the Duke wants answers, and I have to maintain order in this house. I can't have a guard acting like a rogue element. Effective tomorrow, I am pulling you off her details. You are moving to the outer wall gates with Jax."

"No!" Leo gasped, his heart stopping in pure terror. He took a step forward, his eyes wide. "Captain, please, you can't do that! If you move me, she will be left unguarded against things you can't see! She only has—" He cut himself off before he could say four lives.

"My decision is final, Leo," Vance said, his face hardening again, though there was a small trace of pity in his eyes. "You are burnt out. You are seeing ghosts in the dark, and it is making her worse. Take the rest of the day to clear your locker. Tomorrow morning, you report to the wall. If I see you near her quarters without permission, I will have you locked in the cells myself. Am I clear?"

Leo stared at the captain, his throat feeling completely blocked by a thick, suffocating despair. The system's red warning flashed in his memory again. If he were stuck on the outer wall, he wouldn't be there when the next assassin struck or when the next accident happened.

"Clear, sir," Leo muttered, his voice barely audible.

Vance nodded once, gave him a long, warning look, and walked out of the guardroom.