The days passed quickly in the capital city of Bastion, where the bustling streets were abuzz with talk of a mysterious reward offered to volunteers willing to move to Amanara. 

Nobles gathered in hushed circles, speculating and pointing fingers at one another, each trying to identify who among them could be behind such a generous offer. 

Yet, none suspected Leo, and that worked in his favor. As long as his father remained unaware, Leo could continue his plan uninterrupted.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Leo focused on the rhythm of his sword swings, each movement precise and deliberate. 

Sweat trickled down his brow, the sun casting long shadows across the training yard as he worked through the tension that had built up over the last few days. 

Tomorrow, he would leave for Silverton to prepare the ships, but today, something felt off. He couldn't shake the sensation of being watched, and it unnerved him.

Just as he began to fall into the familiar rhythm of his training, a knight approached, cutting through the air with a sense of urgency. In his armored hand, he held a letter sealed with the royal crest.

"I have a message for you from His Majesty, Your Highness," the knight announced, his tone formal and direct.

Leo paused mid-swing, frustration flickering across his face. He had barely begun his session, but he sheathed his sword with a resigned sigh, taking the letter from the knight. 

His eyes scanned the contents, and with each word, his stomach twisted tighter with unease. Something wasn't right.

"I'll be leaving now," Leo muttered, crumpling the letter in his hand. 

He couldn't shake the growing sense of dread that accompanied the summons. His father's sudden request to see him could only mean one thing—trouble.

As Leo made his way to the throne room, the grand halls of the palace felt colder, the usual warmth of home replaced with an ominous tension. 

The guards stationed outside the massive doors opened them for him, their expressions unreadable, yet their silence spoke volumes. Leo stepped inside, feeling the weight of the room press down on him.

"You called for me, Father?" Leo asked, his voice steady as he approached the throne.

Seated before him was his father, the king, whose usually kind eyes now bore a hardness that Leo had never seen before. 

Beside him stood Boris Rigel, the king’s advisor—a man Leo had always found unsettling. With his long, dark hair that obscured part of his face and deep-set, almost hollow eyes, Boris exuded a cold, calculating presence that made Leo's skin crawl. 

The two had been whispering before Leo entered, and as Boris's gaze met Leo’s, the corners of his lips curled into a smirk, sending a chill down Leo's spine.

"My dear son," the king began, his voice laced with a mix of disappointment and anger. 

"Boris was just telling me you've been seen leaving the capital without a single guard every other day for the past week. Would you care to explain what you were thinking?"

Leo cursed his luck inwardly, shooting a glance at Boris, who stood smugly beside the throne. It was clear now who had been keeping an eye on him. 

Leo kept his composure, knowing that showing any sign of fear would only worsen the situation.

"The life of a prince is a heavy burden to shoulder every day, Father," Leo replied smoothly, choosing his words carefully. "Surely you understand the need to sneak away and play the part of an average citizen every now and then."

But the king wasn’t convinced. His sigh echoed through the chamber, heavy with disappointment. 

Slowly, he rose from the throne, his anger bubbling to the surface, and for a moment, Leo could see the shadow of the man he had respected as a child. 

Boris’s smirk widened, and Leo's chest tightened with apprehension.

"I give you the chance to announce your sins, and this is what you give me in return?! How dare you attempt to lie to me, my own son!" The king’s voice boomed, filling the vast room and causing Leo to flinch involuntarily.

Leo’s heart pounded in his chest, panic clawing at the edges of his resolve. "What? What are you saying, Father?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady, but the panic was slowly creeping in.

Boris stepped forward, producing a piece of paper from within his robes. With deliberate slowness, he handed it to Leo. 

Leo's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the flier for Amanara. He kept his expression neutral, though his mind raced, searching for a way out of this trap.

"I know this," Leo said evenly, staring at the flier. "The nobles have been gossiping about it for some time now. What does it have to do with me, Father?"

The king slumped back onto his throne, his eyes narrowing as he studied his son. The anger had not abated; if anything, it had only grown more intense.

"You think me a fool, boy!? I know this is your work!" the king shouted, his voice shaking with fury.

"Fath—" Leo began, but his father silenced him with a raised hand.

"Enough of your lies, child! You will renounce this farce publicly and become fit for your status as a prince once more!" The king’s command was absolute, his tone allowing no argument. 

With a sharp clap of his hands, he summoned guards into the room, their intent clear—they were to escort Leo back to his chambers, effectively imprisoning him within the palace walls.

Leo’s heart sank. If he were confined, he’d never make it to Silverton in time. 

He looked down at the locket around his neck, the one that had once belonged to Auriella. He gripped it tightly, feeling the cool metal press into his palm as if seeking her guidance from afar.

Then, it hit him. A way out, albeit a painful one.

"I'm afraid I'll be unable to do as you wish," Leo whispered, his voice barely audible as he reached for the ring on his right hand.

The king's eyes widened in shock as he realized what Leo was doing. 

The ring—a signet ring passed down from ruler to ruler for generations—was a symbol of Leo's status as the heir to the throne. As Leo slowly pulled it off, a heavy silence descended upon the room. 

The ring slipped from his finger, and he let it fall to the ground with a hollow thud that echoed like death chiming in the vast chamber.

‘I used to be proud to wear it, but it feels meaningless now,’ Leo thought, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. The sound was foreign, even to him, filled with the weight of loss and the finality of his decision.

The king sat frozen in his throne, shaking with a mix of disbelief and fury. Leo could see the betrayal in his father’s eyes, a look that pierced through his resolve like a dagger.

"I am no longer a prince of this country," Leo declared, his voice breaking as he fought back the tears that threatened to spill. "And I WILL be leaving tomorrow. Don't try to stop me, Father."

Leo turned away, his back to the man who had raised him, taught him, and whom he had always sought to make proud. 

But now, he walked away from it all, from the title, from the crown, and most painfully, from his father's love. Each step felt like a betrayal of his own heart, yet he knew this was the only path forward.

The room remained silent, save for the soft sobs that escaped Leo's lips as he left his old life behind. 

For the sake of the future, for the sake of Auriella and the people of Amanara, Leo had to be strong—even if it meant breaking his own heart.