A King, Sixty Women, and an Absolutely Wild Night [Part-3]

Someone near the window groaned. Someone else buried their face deeper into a pillow.

And Leon, staring up at the ceiling again, wondered briefly if sleep might still win the war after all.

Near the overturned table, one of the estate maids shifted awkwardly, her cheeks still red. She avoided Leon’s eyes entirely, though the small smile on her face betrayed her.

Lilyn slowly pushed herself upright, stretching carefully.

Mira watched the motion and nearly choked trying to suppress a laugh.

"Next time," one of the estate maids murmured weakly from the floor, "maybe we pace ourselves?"

Syra immediately lifted her head, eyes sparkling with playful mischief.

"Next time?" she repeated. "You’re already planning?"

The poor maid turned bright red.

"N-No, my lady! I didn’t mean—"

That only made a few of the other women laugh harder.

Nova spoke calmly from the side, not even opening her eyes.

"Syra, don’t tease her."

Syra grinned.

"Oh? Why not?"

Nova finally opened one eye, her gaze sharp even through exhaustion.

"Because," she said evenly, "you wanted the same thing."

Syra blinked.

Then she burst into laughter.

"Alright, fair," she admitted. "I absolutely did."

A few more amused murmurs spread through the room.

Leon watched the exchange quietly, the corner of his mouth lifting.

Nova shifted slightly, resting her head back against the cushions before speaking again.

"By the way," she said, voice calm, "we learned something."

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Her gaze held his without moving.

"You enjoy being challenged."

A breath passed before Leon answered. His lips moved faintly, as if pulled by something unseen - something known only to him. A silence stretched, thin but heavy. Then that small shift at the edge of his mouth returned, calm yet knowing.

A small smile showed, quiet but sure. It sat lightly on his lips, steady like it belonged there.

He smirked faintly. "I enjoy winning like my cute Nova you wnat." How nove smile

A quiet grin tugged at Nova’s mouth. Not a sound came out, yet mischief flickered deep within her gaze.

"Is that what you call it?" she asked lightly. "Winning?"

A faint stretch pulled at Leon’s shoulders, his posture easing like the talk was some private joke. Sunlight flickered, catching the gold in his eyes as strands of dark hair slipped forward. The light changed again, making his gaze shimmer just before he said nothing.

"What would you call it?" he asked.

Just as Nova started to reply, Kyra cut in - she hardly ever talked much, yet now she stood at his side, voice steady. Her green eyes looked tired, though they sparkled like damp leaves under sun.

"You lost," she whispered, voice barely above a breath.

His gaze shifted in her direction.

A slouch into the cushions, Kyra let her body settle without effort. A soft red warmth stayed on her skin, just visible along the curve of her face. Tired she seemed - yet full of calm, like time had slowed because nothing needed chasing.

She smiled faintly.

"We all did."

For a second, his voice just stopped.

His eyes lingered on her face before drifting to the faces around the space. The edge in his grin eased, shifting toward something quieter - not so sharp, but full of quiet consideration.

He nodded slowly. That makes sense.

He stayed silent for a while, just standing there without words.

A hush settled over him as Leon breathed in, long and low, filling his lungs until his ribs lifted then eased back down. Not excitement, but quiet took hold of his expression, smoothing out the ease that was there before. Rising from the wall he’d been resting against, he straightened into an upright stance, arms rolling forward like water shifting under stone. His frame uncoiled bit by bit, movements measured, as though brushing off drowsiness still clinging to his bones.

After that, his eyes moved across the walls. He took in each corner slowly.

All of them.

A room full of women shifted under his look - one lying back, another perched on fabric squares, others pushing up from the floor with sleepy grins and warm faces. Each face passed before him not as if judging subjects, yet more like someone noting who mattered.

A quiet breath slipped out through his nostrils, a hint of laughter close behind.

His fingers raked across his scalp as he exhaled. "Hey. Everyone pay attention now," came Leon’s voice, sharper than before

Some looked up fast. Then came slow blinking, bodies shaking off sleep.

Work begins now," he said, voice steady, a small twist tugging one edge of his lips. "The gathering built on affection has ended

Up went Rias’s head, rising slow from the armrest where she’d slumped.

"Oh?" she teased lazily. "And here I thought the king planned to spend the entire morning recovering."

Laughter crept out, soft and sudden. Some eyes lit up before stillness returned.

Leon snorted.

"Tempting," he admitted. "But unfortunately I run a kingdom."

Cynthia rose up slowly near a small table, tucking loose hair behind her ear. A faint breeze stirred the corner of a notebook lying open nearby.

"That must be exhausting," she said dryly.

His finger shot toward her like a sudden warning.

"Exactly. Finally someone understands."

Laughter stirred, moving across the room like wind over water.

Faint light stretched across the floor, spilling into corners that had been shadowed moments before.

A single tear in the curtain let sunlight crawl over velvet chairs, where fabric pooled like spilled wine. Above, dust spun slow above an empty chandelier, each particle drifting without hurry. One sandal lay on its side near the hearth, heel scuffed from sudden movement. Near the wall, a tray tilted against marble, its silver rim catching light through cracked windowpanes. Breath hung thick just past midnight, when laughter folded into silence and footsteps faded down hallways. Petals stuck to wet patches on the rug, smeared by careless soles after dancing too long.

Palace Maids had already begun moving carefully—still nude, still flushed—but instinctively cleaning small things. Adjusting cushions. Gathering fallen fabric.

The estate maids did not wait for orders.

They simply moved.

one maid knelt near a fallen vase, picking up scattered petals one by one, her cheeks still tinted pink.

"Don’t clean yet," Rias called lazily. "It looks dramatic."

Maid looked up, confused. "Lady Rias... we can’t just leave the hall like this."

"It has character," Rias insisted.

"You’re impossible," Cynthia replied, though her lips curved slightly.

A few of the maids hid small smiles.

Leon watched the scene for a second before clapping his hands once.

The sharp sound echoed lightly through the chamber.

"Alright," he said, voice steady but warm. "Enough wandering around half asleep."

Several women looked toward him again.

Leon crossed his arms loosely.

"Come on," he said. "Wake up. Stretch. Get yourselves together."

One of the estate maids rubbed her eyes. "Your Majesty... we barely slept."

"You slept," Leon replied. "Just not for very long."

That earned a chorus of groans.

Rias laughed openly.

"Cruel king," she said.

Leon shrugged.

"I carry responsibility for all of you," he said, his tone softer now. "Not just one or two of you. Sixty people in this household rely on me—including the thirty estate maids who keep this place running."

His gaze moved across the room again, slower this time.

"So yes," he continued, "I care about you. But caring means making sure everything works."

He gestured around the chamber.

"And right now? Everything looks like a battlefield."

Cynthia glanced at the overturned goblets.

"That’s a generous description."

Leon smirked.

"Point is," he said, "we clean up, we get dressed, we eat something, and then we start the day."

One of the younger maids hesitated.

"...Start the day doing what exactly?"

Leon stretched his arms above his head, rolling his shoulders until his joints gave a quiet crack.

"Planning," he said. "Training. Managing the estate. Running a kingdom."

Rias leaned back again dramatically.

"Tragic," she sighed. "Responsibility truly ruins everything."

Leon looked down at her.

"You all helping too."

Her eyes widened.

"...I take back everything I said."