Chapter 760: I’m Not Planning... I’m Ending It!!!

I’m Not Planning... I’m Ending It!!!

"Planning?" he repeated, almost amused—but there was no warmth in it. "No."

His gaze lifted, sweeping across them—not hurried, not dramatic, just... certain.

"I’m finishing it."

That was the moment it clicked.

Not ambition.

Not pressure.

Inevitability.

The silence that followed wasn’t empty anymore. It carried weight. Understanding. A quiet shift in the room that no one could ignore.

Someone swallowed.

Another straightened unconsciously.

No one argued.

Because there was nothing to argue against.

The words landed.

Hard.

The silence broke—

Not with noise—

But with reaction.

Subtle.

Sharp.

Rias’ brows lifted, just a fraction, but enough to betray the shift behind her crimson eyes. She leaned back slightly, arms folding under her chest as she studied him.

"Back to Moonstone?" she asked, the edge in her voice softened by curiosity. Then, after a brief pause, almost as if testing the weight of the decision, she added, "You’re serious about this... right now?"

Sona didn’t raise her voice. She never needed to. Her fingers, resting lightly against the table, stilled.

"...now?" she echoed, quieter, more measured—but the question carried more weight than it seemed.

Leon turned his head slightly toward them.

And nodded.

"Yes."

The answer came without hesitation. No room for doubt. No space left for negotiation.

A ripple passed through the room.

Not panic.

But surprise.

It moved across their faces in different ways—tightened jaws, narrowed eyes, the faint shift of posture as everyone recalculated everything they thought they knew about the next few days.

Nova stepped forward, just enough to break from the line.

Her boots made the faintest sound against the floor, controlled, deliberate. Her gaze locked onto Leon, sharp and unyielding, though her tone remained composed.

"Why now?"

A beat passed.

Then she added, quieter—but more pointed,

"We’ve been preparing... consolidating. Timing matters, Leon."

Her eyes didn’t leave him. Not for a second. There was no hesitation in them—only sharp awareness, the kind that didn’t let things slide just because they were inconvenient.

"So what changed?"

The room held its breath.

Leon looked at her.

Really looked.

Not just at her words, but at the weight behind them—the patience, the quiet frustration, the unspoken you’re rushing this. He could see the others too, even without turning his head. The way they had gone still. The way no one interrupted.

Then—

A faint smile touched his lips.

Not amused. Not careless.

Just... controlled.

"I already told you our situation."

The words came out light, almost casual—

But there was nothing casual about the silence that followed.

She didn’t respond immediately. Her brows pulled together slightly, not in confusion—but in resistance.

"That’s not an answer," she said, her voice steady but edged. "You’ve told us the situation for months. That hasn’t changed overnight."

Another voice joined in from the side, softer but no less firm.

"Then say it clearly," one of the wives murmured. "What are we missing?"

Leon exhaled through his nose, slow, measured. His gaze shifted briefly—just enough to acknowledge them all this time.

"The situation hasn’t changed," he said. "That’s exactly the problem."

That landed.

You could feel it.

The wives exchanged glances.

Of course they knew.

The war.

The tension.

Gary.

Aurelian.

The unstable balance between kingdoms.

It had always been there—like a blade hanging by a thread, never falling, never disappearing. They had all learned to live under it.

But—

He had never said this.

Not like this.

Not now.

A shape moved ahead a little, hands crossing while her gaze held on him.

"You’re saying it’s about to break," she said.

Silence came first. Then a slow blink. His voice stayed locked inside. Moments passed like that. A breath finally broke the still.

There he stayed, still as someone tuned into a distant sound. His mouth bent slightly, yet not with kindness - more like holding back. Quiet. Precise. As if the choice had been made long ago, now only timing mattered. The air waited too.

Aria studied him, one hand curling a little by her hip. Her voice dipped lower. "Leon - don’t pull away like that." She paused. "Not when things are hanging there, unsaid."

Still nothing.

A pause came. After it, one more.

Still there, that grin stayed put - neither shrinking nor spreading wider.

"It already is," he whispered, voice barely above a breath.

Stillness held them down instead.

They sank.

Then everything tilted, like the floor forgot how to hold still.

Something cracked, not loud but deep. The way he spoke made it seem normal. As if the collapse had already happened long before the words came. What mattered slipped away without noise. A shift, quiet and done.

Aria exhaled slowly, trying to steady herself. "So that’s it?" she asked, her voice sharper now, but not loud. "You’re just going to stand there and tell me everything is already falling apart like it’s nothing?"

A flicker moved through Leon’s gaze - close to hers, though not quite meeting. "Never said it was nothing," he answered. Not ready for your eyes back then."

A shadow passed over her expression. Was it pain? Or simply anger held back? Perhaps a mix of the two.

"That’s not your decision to make," she said, taking a small step forward. "You don’t get to decide what I should or shouldn’t know."

He didn’t argue.

Worse came of it, somehow.

Aria spoke quietly.

"You never said you were leaving."

This moment, the quiet sat thicker than before. Not void - but packed with words they both kept inside so far.

His eyes found her. She held his look.

"I didn’t need to."

Her brows pulled together slightly. "Didn’t need to... or didn’t want to?"

No answer.

She let out a quiet, almost bitter breath. "You always do this," she murmured. "You decide everything on your own, carry it alone, and then expect everyone else to just... accept it."

A moment passed where Leon’s face stayed still, yet his eyes changed - briefly. Like a spark that vanished before you could name it.

"It’s not about what I want," he said. "It’s about what has to be done."

"That’s your excuse for everything."

"It’s not an excuse," he replied calmly. "It’s reality."

Still, she felt uneasy about the reply.

Yet she held back.

Not yet.

A hush fell next, slight yet tight, like glass about to crack.

Her eyes stayed on him, scanning his expression as if secrets lay just under the surface of his voice. A break, maybe. Or doubt. Yet he didn’t waver - fixed in place, unbothered by her words. Stillness held him tight.

Fingers near her hip began to bend. A small curl formed, quiet and slow.

Suddenly quiet, her voice dropped. "You keep repeating those words," she said again - less loud, though every bit as cutting. Reality... as if that makes it right

A pause came first. Then breath left him - steady, quiet - as his eyes moved beyond her, just briefly, then returned.

"It doesn’t justify anything," he said. "It just doesn’t care what we want."

Again came that stillness inside - soft, yet firm. Not freezing... just steady.

A quiet click of her tongue slipped out, irritation flashing just once in her gaze until she looked aside.

"Convenient way to avoid answering."

A twitch tugged one corner of his mouth. Not quite.

"If I wanted to avoid answering, I wouldn’t stand here and explain it to you."