Alex rushed to the entrance, his appearance disheveled from getting dressed frantically with trembling hands.
He kept a neutral expression despite his racing heart and Cain monologuing about order and control.
"Al— Your Majesty!" Eleanor called out to him in the main hall as he neared the opened door, "Do you have a guess on who planned this?"
"No. Do you perhaps remember this ever happening?"
"No. The issue was 'revolved' peacefully."
They walked out of the palace heading to the carriage, they stopped their stride as a cloaked figure with a long hood appeared, blocking their path.
Alex instinctively stood in front of Eleanor, his hand nearly his pocket as the guards surrounding the figure, pointing their swords at the person's neck.
The person stood tall on their barefoot, their demeanor calm, hands placed over their stomach, their gaze fixed on Alex.
Alex felt a familiar chill run down his spine, a hint of shock flashed through his eyes as he caught a glimpse of the scar on their hand in the moonlight.
'Of course she's a witch.'
("That explains a lot actually.")
Alaina smiled under her hood, "Good evening, Your Majesty.... and people of the palace. I mean no harm at the moment," she lowered the hood, messy auburn hair swaying in the wind, "I'm simply here to discuss with the king."
"Is this discussion related to the wall?"
"You do remember my concern on the situation with the residents of the eastern mountain, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then you're aware of what the officials did to prevent them, along with the refugees, from entering the city in this crisis?"
"Yes."
"People are surviving outside these walls and we, Blood Witches, want to enter our ancestral land without restrictions, provocation or discrimination. We admit that our practices are unusual, but that doesn't mean we should starve to death, especially the children."
"Countess Alaina Mills, we understand your situation, but have you already forgotten the reason why the Blood Witches were located to the mountain?" Eleanor took a few steps towards her, arms crossed.
"History is written from a one-sided perspective to satisfy the masses. There's many sides of one event, my dear."
"What about the murder of the king three centuries ago? Are you saying that you witches were right to murder him?"
Alaina laughed as lightning flashed behind her, making the guards flinch back, "Foolish girl. Morality and justice. Tell me, what do those words mean to you? Those things are misinterpreted by perception. As for what happened, we may know part of the story but not all of it. So whether we were right or not, it's all up to those who lived during that time."
'That was dramatic and interesting.'
("You're acting like a spectator than a king.")
'I'm a spectator if you truly think about it.'
("No, you're not.")
Eleanor glared at the older woman, clenching her fists, "That still hasn't answered my question, witch."
"You're father was right, you really are useless. You have looks, brains and resources at your disposal, yet you don't even know how to use them. This whole country is ours as much as it is yours. Our ancestors were the reason you're able to enjoy your luxury. They're the reason the Augustus family is royalty today. We witches have suffered through prejudice and dehumanizing torment because of our power by cowards like you."
"You—"
Alex stood between them, stopping Eleanor from taking a step forward and gestured for the guards to step away from Alaina, to which they reluctantly complied.
His gaze drifted to George who stood by the open doors with the maids, "Prepare some tea and have them served in the reception."
"Yes, Your Majesty," George bowed and ushered everyone by the door inside the palace.
Alex turned to the women, "Shall we take this conversation indoors? The guards will handle accommodation for everyone who entered the city."
Alaina nodded, entering the palace with Eleanor following behind her with a scowl, while the guards sheathed their swords and bowed before heading to Gnobilis.
("How are you feeling?")
'My head hurts a lot.'
("Good. That means you're actually thinking.")
Alex rolled his eyes, heading inside the palace,* 'Whatever. Anyway, how are we going to deal with problem?"
("I'll think of a way. For now, just try your best to prevent the problem from escalating further.")
'Alright.'
In the reception hall, Alaina sat calmly as she drank her tea completely unfazed by Eleanor's glares across the table.
("This is the first time I've seen her this angry.")
'At this point, I'm not surprised. Just pray we live to see tomorrow.'
He approached Eleanor and sat on the sofa, leaving a respectful distance between them.
"Countess, what's your version of that event that led to your people's exile to the mountain?"
Alaina froze for a second and placed the cup on the table, "It's true that the king was killed by a Blood Witch."
Alex mentally shook his head at the satisfaction in Eleanor's eyes, "Why was he killed?"
"He tried to assault our Mother."
Eleanor straightened her posture while he blinked, "Pardon?"
"Mother Kamaria was the right-hand of the kings for five centuries since Austinia became a kingdom. She contributed greatly in the nation's resources when it was still being developed. However, she made an oath with the Moon to grant her immense power at the cost of her remaining pure. So if she were to lose her virginity willingly or not, her power would've been taken away."
"Let me guess, the king assaulted her?"
"Correct. One of her abilities was that she couldn't age and her appearance remained the same since the day she made the oath. She was a beautiful woman with ebony skin and wild tangled black hair with silver eyes. The kings before did have their thoughts but never acted because they valued her power. However, king Timothy Augustus the second pursued her even after have a wife and twelve concubines. He pursued her relentlessly but she refused constantly."
"How was he killed?"
"From the stories by the Sisters before us, some say that he was drunk when he forced himself on her, some say he was sober, other day that it was her who killed him after the loss of her power drove her to insanity and the rest say she was burnt at the stake after losing her beauty."
'Are there any good kings in your family?'
("My grandfather was a great man in his prime. As for the rest, it's unknown.")
'젠장.... I need to sleep after this.'
Eleanor left hand began to twitch on her lap as she placed her right hand cover it, "But it was said that Kamaria, your Mother, was the one who pursued the king and killed him because he rejected her."
"How funny," Alaina smiled and lifted her cooling cup of tea to her lips.
A tense silence settled in the room with Alaina appearing more relaxed than the other two.
Eleanor's red hair fell over her face as she faced the floor, her icy blue eyes dazed, her small heavy breathing filled the silence.
Alex noticed her hand twitching violently and placed his over hers, calming her slightly as his gaze remained on Alaina, "Pardon us for a moment, Countess."
After she nodded, he took Eleanor's hand and led her outside to the corridor to a window, opening slightly to let the cold air brush against her sweating pale face.
Once her breathing regulated after a few minutes, he placed his hands on her shoulders gently, "Are you alright, auntie?"
She placed her hand on her chest, twitching finally stopped as she nodded and wiped away the tears that began to fall, "Yes, I'm alright..... Thank you."
He smiled and slowly removed his hands, dropping them to his sides, "That's good. Did you..... remember something in their?"
"I.... I remembered my other life as Un-ji."
"Oh...."
"I was murdered by my ex after I helped a client win a case."
"Abusive ex?"
"Turned obsessive stalker."
"I see...."
("Should I be worried once you leave my body?")
'Yes. So learn to be a good partner immediately.'
She laughed humorlessly, leaning against the window, "Honestly, I also remembered Eun-hee telling me repeatedly to cut him off even before our relationship became serious. I was so stupid."
"Eun-hee?"
"She was my best friend. I wonder how she's doing. I remember she was going to have a child that day."
'Eun-hee..... My mom..... No. It could be someone else, after all many people have similar names.'
He shook off the thought, "How about you go get some rest? It's rather late and the conversation must have been draining for you the most."
"You're right," she closed the window and turned to go to her bedchambers, "Be careful with that hag. Good night."
"Good night," he waved at her, then dropped his hand with an exhausted sigh and headed back to the reception hall.
Alaina finished her second cup of tea, placed the cup on the table and crossed her legs elegantly as Alex entered the room and sat on the sofa.
"Is Lady Adomis feeling alright?"
"She had a headache, so I asked her to get some rest before it gets worse."
"I see. Have you decided on a solution on this matter, Your Majesty?"
"No."
"No?"
"Yes, I haven't thought of a solution yet. I'm aware that it's disappointing but I can't lie to you in this situation."
"Ha..... How unexpected. Then I'll shelter my kin for now and we'll continue this discussion tomorrow evening."
"I understand."
"Good. Have a good evening, Your Majesty," Alaina stood up and bowed, then vanished in a puff of smoke.
Alex leaned against the cushions, his muscles relaxed slightly, "That was exhausting."
("You could've thought harder for a solution. Why did you tell her you had none?")
'Why were you quiet?'
("....")
'Exactly. Now we have to think of something to handle this issue.'
("Agreed. We'll have to let Abel know about this as well.")
'Yeah. But first, we sleep,' he stood up and placed the empty teacup on the serving tray and carried it to the kitchen.
[Holder Candidate Quest One: Change the plot
•Duration: 308 days
•Reward: 10,000 points
•Failure: Bad luck at love]