Predatory Marriage — Chapter 352. Secret On the second day of the banquet, Ishakan left early in the morning again. Leah thought the palace felt a little cold, since he had taken all the Kurkans with him. He had told her he wouldn't be able to attend the banquet that day, and he probably wouldn't even come back that night. Leah was sure that his departure had something to do with Balkat. Their intentions had already been discovered. They had planned to try to seduce Leah and Ishakan to sever the alliance between their kingdoms. But they had chosen bizarre ways to pursue that goal. They weren't just trying to seduce them, they were doing so publicly and rudely, jeopardizing their existing peace agreement with Estia. She didn't think they would risk it unless they were convinced that Leah and Ishakan would fall into their hands. There was some factor that was giving them unwarranted confidence. Ishakan had probably left the palace to discover what it was. It seemed like a bad sign that he was keeping it hidden, and Leah hoped he would figure it out soon. She trusted Ishakan, but she was still sad that he was gone again, so soon after returning from war. But she didn't have much time to feel lonely, with Lesha. "Little wolf goes woooooo! Lots of woooo! So cute!" Lesha sang the strange song as he bounced ahead of her, and Leah smiled, watching his flying silver hair. She had decided to spend the afternoon with him, since she hadn't had time to play with him the night before, and Lesha was wandering all over the palace. She followed him for a long while until they finally came to some chairs in the garden, and she sat down. She could hear the sound of water from a fountain. After she dissuaded Lesha from hunting down the birds singing in the trees, she drew him over to ask a question. "What were you and your father talking about yesterday?" She was curious. The two had been very secretive. And she was even more concerned because Ishakan had looked so serious, after Lesha had finished whispering to him. "No. Secret." "You can tell your mother, too." "No, I promised, it's a secret." Lesha covered his mouth with his hand, and Leah decided to pull out her own secret weapon. "You don't want to tell your mother?" "Uh..." "I see," she said. "I feel sad..." Lesha's eyes widened, as Leah lowered her head as if she were about to cry. "Mama!" Lesha rushed over to comfort her so she wouldn't cry. Leah had barely begun to work up a sob before Lesha confessed. "I had a dream..." he said. "Mama ate something bad." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦 "Something bad?" "Yes." Ishkan had already warned her not to eat anything suspicious. It would be strange if he had warned her about it because of a child's dream, as if Lesha's dreams might actually be premonitions. She knew who she ought to speak to about this. Leah made a mental note to ask Morga. A small hand touched hers as she was thinking. "It's okay, Mama," Lesha said, puffing proudly. "I'll p'tect Mama. I always protected Mama, even before I was born." Lesha mimicked the claws of a wolf with his hands, and Leah stroked her son's head. Sometimes he told stories about what happened before he was born, as if he remembered all of his battles when he was still inside her womb. As painful as that experience had been, he did not seem bothered by it. On the contrary, he was always boasting about how he had protected his mother. And in addition to her child's warnings, there was another dinner scheduled before tonight's banquet, with the emissaries from Balkat. She felt exhausted just thinking about having to deal with both King Herod and Queen Judia alone. Well, not entirely alone. Take Lesha with you, Ishakan had said. He had been insistent that Lesha should go to the dinner. You need another escort, since you do not have Mura. He had added that she would feel more at ease if she took Lesha with her. Even though he was only a small child, Ishakan considered Lesha a full Kurkan. "So, Mama, don't be scared!" Lesha was already determined to fulfill his role as his mother's escort, and Leah hugged him, smiling. "Of course, Mama trusts Lesha." Though even as she praised Lesha for his bravery, Leah thought that she would do the best to handle the situation herself, and keep him out of harm's way.