The patriarch sheathed the saber he had been holding. Atela could barely bring herself to look at him; the pressure was overwhelming.
— The head of the Hyperion family… David Hyperion… His aura… It's much calmer than I expected, but the amount of Chaos energy emanating from his body is simply phenomenal.
The patriarch walked toward them while Atela struggled to catch her breath.
Noa, on the other hand, remained strangely calm in the face of this pressure. With every step the patriarch took, the water in the nearby pools trembled.
— Princess Atela…
His deep voice echoed through the room. He now stood in front of her, and she still couldn't fully withstand the pressure.
— I have just been informed of the news that you supposedly fled the Kingdom of Garion, escaping the surveillance of the generals. While everyone is searching for you, here you are in the capital of the Eastern Empire, standing before me. I want to know the reason.
Atela took a deep breath before speaking.
— Actually… that's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about.
But the patriarch took the young girl's hand and revealed the wound that had once been poisoned, which Maelle had healed but which had not yet fully closed.
David frowned.
— If you needed to speak with me, you could have simply requested my presence, or at least brought an escort to guide you here. Instead, you chose to put yourself in unnecessary danger.
Atela didn't respond immediately. She gathered her courage.
— You're right… but that's only because you don't know the current situation. If I had asked a general to escort me here, the situation would have been far more serious.
David released Atela's hand, letting out a faint sigh.
— Well… the important thing is that you are safe. So, what was so important that you had to tell me?
But beside her, Noa closed his eyes and turned around, preparing to leave the room. David finally noticed him.
— Noa…
Atela was surprised. His voice, which had been deep and authoritative just moments earlier, completely changed tone when he called the protagonist's name, becoming softer and warmer.
Noa stopped briefly before continuing to walk.
— It sounds like you're discussing important matters. I don't want to disturb you… We can talk during the meeting.
He placed his hand on the door, and without anyone noticing, his aura flowed through the walls of the entire room.
He then left the room and closed the door behind him.
David remained silent for a moment before speaking to the princess.
— Follow me.
He turned and walked in the direction opposite the door.
Atela followed him, the two heading toward the center of the room.
Meanwhile, back in the hallway, Noa walked forward without turning back.
He placed a hand over his left ear as his blue eyes lit up.
At the same time, Eric stepped outside into the garden with a book.
— Hey, Eric…
Eric raised his head, looking for the person who had whispered his name.
— Over here…
He turned and spotted Lara hiding behind a pillar. She gestured for him to come closer.
Eric walked toward her.
— Lara, what are you doing hiding behind—
She quickly placed her hand over his mouth.
— Shut up for a second! I finally managed to hide, and I have no intention of being found.
— You mean Uncle Apeche?
— Of course I mean him.
Lara removed her hand from Eric's mouth, and he rubbed his jaw slightly.
— I had finally managed to hide far away from him… but Noa… he's going to pay for that.
— You ran into Noa?
She turned toward him with a curious expression.
— Speaking of Noa… the blue-haired girl who was walking behind him when you arrived… can I ask who she is?
Eric scratched his head, not really knowing what to answer.
— I'd like to know more too… but Noa couldn't tell me much. He fell asleep as soon as he got into the car, and she doesn't seem to want to talk much about it either. But one thing I'm sure of is that they didn't know each other before today.
Lara spun around with her hands behind her head.
— That's disappointing… I thought Noa had finally found himself a girlfriend.
— WHAT?
Lara grabbed Eric's hand with a mischievous smile.
— Since you've just arrived, Lady Yuna might not know yet that Noa is back… What if we went to tell her the news?
Eric made a small grimace, narrowing his eyes.
— You… you've got something in mind, don't you?
— Who knows…
she replied in a sarcastic tone.