[This chapter will be in 3rd POV because I thought it was more fitting for the upcoming scene. I’m sorry if it causes confusion.]

A few days later, in the Emperor’s castle.

Alexandra had just come back from the ancient tribe’s village and the meeting she had with Caedrel, and her first stop was the Emperor’s castle. She had to tell him about the message that Caedrel had given her.

She walked through the castle, panting from exhaustion. She hadn’t stopped running since she had seen that gaze from Caedrel. She had felt like she was about to die for the very first time in her life.

Everyone watched her as she ran within the Emperor’s castle, with the maids and servants all frowning.

“Was that Miss Alexandra?”

“I think so. Did you see how exhausted she was?”

“Yes, she was even running inside the castle. Something important must have happened outside.”

“Do you think it’s related to that man?”

“Possibly. Who knows? However, it’s surely confidential information that we will never hear, even if we asked for it.”

The maid and the servant agreed with that last comment, knowing they would never get the details of such a situation, nor did they care to.

Alexandra didn’t hear a word of what they said as she kept running forward, her head growing dizzier by the second. She finally arrived before the Emperor’s private room.

“J-James… it’s me, Alexandra!”

She knocked on the door as hard as she could three times.

“O-Open the door. I have important news about Caedrel. He has a message for you.”

As soon as she uttered Caedrel’s name, the door swung open for her, letting her right in.

James was on the other side of the door, already frowning as if he understood the situation without needing to hear it.

“What did you do?”

Alexandra gulped, not knowing how to reply. She stuttered, trying to think of a lie that would fit the situation.

“I-I didn’t do anything. I swear this isn’t my fault. I was just worried for my students, that’s all there is to it. I swear on my life.”

“Hmph, then you must not care about your own life.”

For some reason, the Emperor, James, was certain Alexandra was lying. It was strange, almost as if he already knew about the situation and everything that had happened in the hidden tribe village.

“Sit and tell me everything that happened between you and Caedrel. Make sure to leave out no detail.”

Alexandra gulped once more as she took a seat facing the Emperor.

For the first time in her life, she was afraid of dying if she uttered something incorrect in front of the Emperor. They were friends, but right now, at this moment, that didn’t seem to be the case at all.

“He told me to give you a message that was practically a declaration of war.”

The Emperor frowned. Is Caedrel stupid enough to do such a thing? Going against me… has he become strong enough for such a thing already?

However, the Emperor didn’t draw any conclusions just yet. After all, he didn’t believe Caedrel would be so impulsive. There had to be something more to this situation.

“What was the message that he asked you to pass on?”

“He told me that he would no longer be your spy and that if he ever saw you again, it would be as enemies! He really is declaring war against you. I’m telling the truth, I swear. He also told me that he wouldn’t accept being fired from the Royal Academy.”

The Emperor frowned once more, confused by Caedrel’s actions.

“And what happened to make him say such a thing?” The Emperor took a deep breath as he stared Alexandra dead in the eyes. “I will ask once again. What did you do to anger him in such a way?”

“I-I…”

The words were stuck in her throat.

“I’ve told you plenty of times that you needed to be careful around Caedrel. He is NOT someone we can afford to anger. You do not know a single thing about him, but just know that all his enemies in the war have died one way or another. There is a reason that nothing is known about him publicly. Argh, to think you would be so foolish and cause him to become our enemy…”

The Emperor just shook his head, annoyed.

“Is he still trying to capture that Zero or whoever that person was in the Snowy Mountains?”

She shook her head. “He is going through some kind of training. He didn’t give me any details.”

Alexandra gulped as the Emperor glared at her in silence, clearly waiting for something.

“I’m still waiting. Tell me how and why you angered Caedrel. Depending on the reason, I will make a decision regarding our relationship.”

Alexandra knew the gaze the Emperor currently had on his face. It was the look of a leader who would do anything for the greater good, even if it meant killing his closest friends.

“I-I asked one of his students to spy on him and give me information about his actions. When I learned that he was training in seclusion, I decided to see in person why he was doing such a thing. However, when I arrived, he became extremely mad at me and gave me the message I just delivered to you.”

The Emperor wasn’t certain if Alexandra was telling the whole truth about the situation since there was a chance she was trying to protect herself from the consequences.

“Do you know where Caedrel is, and can you still contact that student of yours?”

Alexandra nodded.

“Then, contact Caedrel by all means possible and tell him that I want to have a discussion with him.”

Alexandra just gulped as she nodded, pretending to agree. She couldn’t let the Emperor meet with Caedrel, or else, she would be exposed for all her lies.

That’s why, she wouldn’t contact anyone anytime soon.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep