Because he had already made up his mind about Leonard, Lehende did not treat him like a child, which made the conversation much simpler.
"He said a lot. It was all over the place, like a madman rambling," Lehende said. "But if I sum it up, it comes down to a few key points."
"First, they're fanatical. Even that Third Senator, Cappadocia, completely believes what they're doing is right, even if the world refuses to accept it."
"They have that 'everyone else is drunk, I'm the only sober one' mindset," Leonard said flatly. "Completely gone."
"Yes," Lehende said, nodding with approval. "If they were truly as righteous as they claim, they would not use kidnapping to bring people in, let alone threaten families."
"Oh?" Leonard asked. "So you think they were trying to recruit you?"
"I would not call it recruitment," Lehende said with a cold laugh. "They frightened my wife and daughters and tried to take me by force. Hah. If this were France, I would never let them get away with it."
Leonard did not know Lehende well enough to understand what "never let them get away with it" actually meant. It sounded like Mr. Delacour thought being in France came with some kind of advantage.
Whether that was empty bravado or something real had nothing to do with Leonard, so he moved on.
"Did Cappadocia say anything else?"
"No." Lehende shook his head. "He probably had his concerns. He said he could only explain more after I went back with him."
Then he paused, as if remembering something.
"However, he did mention a prophecy by accident."
"A prophecy?" Leonard immediately perked up. "Did he say what it was?"
"No. He only let the word slip. He did not reveal anything specific."
Lehende sighed, looking exasperated. "That man talks endlessly. He barely stopped the whole time. My ears were ringing by the end of it. If I ever get the chance, I swear I'll rip his mouth apart."
The resentment in his voice was unmistakable. Cappadocia had clearly pushed him too far.
Just then, Claudia hopped off the sofa. Leonard glanced over, saw her run out of the living room, and did not think much of it. He kept talking to Lehende.
This time, he went straight for the important part.
"Mr. Delacour," Leonard asked with a pleasant smile, "what plants do you have in your greenhouse?"
The moment he heard that, Lehende's scalp prickled and his heart started to bleed.
This was the part where he would have to pay.
Still, it was only a boy. No matter how clever he was, learning took time. If Leonard had brought his magic to this level, he probably had not spent much time studying Herbology. Maybe Lehende could get away with offering a few common plants and bluffing through it.
He steadied himself and was just about to speak.
But Leonard seemed to see right through him. He looked at Lehende with a half-smile.
"Mr. Delacour, don't insult yourself by bringing out common magical plants. With your reputation and status, you would not do something that embarrassing, would you?"
"My father is France's most famous and youngest master in Herbology," Fleur suddenly cut in from the side. "He would never do something so embarrassing."
"I've been to Dad's greenhouse. There are lots of rare magical plants inside, even some endangered ones. You've definitely never seen them."
Her tone was actually proud.
This was truly a betrayal.
Lehende looked at his eldest daughter and felt like crying. Even his dependable little darling was starting to let the wind through.
Was this the time to be proud? This was when you were supposed to keep quiet and act poor.
Leonard glanced at Fleur, genuinely surprised. Was she really that clueless? Was she actually helping him take a bigger bite?
Fleur did not look at him again. She simply hugged Gabrielle and sat there obediently.
Leonard was confused, but he was not about to complain.
His eyes lit up as he turned back to Lehende.
"Mr. Delacour, you have endangered magical plants?"
Lehende's face twitched. He desperately wanted to say no, but his pride as a Herbology expert forced him to nod, heavy and reluctant.
"Yes," he said.
"Perfect," Leonard said, smiling. "Then I don't want anything else. I want all of your endangered magical plants."
Lehende sucked in a sharp breath, his heart nearly stopping.
"What did you just say?"
"I want your endangered magical plants," Leonard repeated seriously. "All of them."
"Impossible," Lehende blurted out.
Then, remembering who he was talking to, he quickly softened his tone.
"I'm not trying to go back on my daughter's promise. It's just that those plants took enormous effort to transplant into my greenhouse. They can't handle being disturbed again."
He was not lying. Endangered magical plants were not necessarily fragile, but moving them into an unfamiliar environment was a serious challenge, for both the plants and the person doing the transplant.
A single mistake was enough for a plant so rare that there might only be one or two left in the world to die right in front of you.
If it were ordinary flowers or common herbs, you could always find another. But these were endangered magical plants. Once they were gone, finding a second specimen would be nearly impossible.
Their margin for error was basically zero.
Lehende had done exhaustive preparation before bringing them into his greenhouse, treating them like priceless treasures.
If he handed them all over to Leonard, it was not just the emotional blow. The real problem was whether Leonard could safely take them away at all.
Cultivated plants were far less resilient than wild ones. A wild plant that grows in a place has already adapted to it.
A cultivated plant did not have that advantage.
If they were halfway through the move and one of them decided the temperature was wrong, or the soil was too wet, and it simply… gave up…
Lehende's sanity would shatter on the spot.
"You don't need to worry about that," Leonard said with a calm smile. "If I'm asking, it's because I have a way. Relax. I'll take very good care of them."