"I made my judgment of your character when we first met," the king replied without hesitation. "I trust my reading of you, no matter the mask you wear. You do not harm children."
Silence followed. Quinlan let it drag, staring at the skies as his thoughts curled like smoke. Then his tone dropped, being ominous, dangerous.
"That depends on the severity of my circumstances. Just like you, I’ve killed children before."
The weight of those words pressed heavily. After he said that, nothing moved on either end of the line. The quiet became suffocating.
The tension climbed, stretched taut enough to snap...
"Stop this nonsense already!" Felicity’s voice tore through the air, loud and furious. "Father, stop acting like I’m here against my will!"
She stomped on the ground. "I wasn’t kidnapped! I came here of my own accord!"
Quinlan blinked. Even for him, that was not the turn he’d expected. One eyebrow arched high as he registered the sharp edge in her voice, which she used to converse with the king.
On the other end, Alexios said nothing for now.
Felicity pressed forward, practically spitting fire. "Father, put the damn artifact down and get back to what you were doing beforehand. I saw my friends trying to escape from my lunatic mother and my equally lunatic aunt, and I decided I’m done with it all! Screw home! I’m not playing the nice, docile little princess anymore! You can consider me to have run away."
Her voice screamed with rage, her words sharp enough to cut. Every syllable dripped with betrayal, with the exhaustion of someone who had watched her mother’s antics too long and finally snapped.
Even Quinlan, who thought he’d grown numb to outbursts, was taken aback a little at the venom in her tone.
She truly seemed to be full of anger.
For a long time, nothing came from the other end of the line. Then Alexios finally sighed. His voice was low, weary, but resolute.
"... So that’s how it is. Morgana did something reckless again, didn’t she?"
"Reckless?!" Felicity snapped instantly. "That’s a very diplomatic way to put it, Father!"
But before she could spiral further, Alexios cut in. He was not harsh, but steady, sounding like a father who had long prepared these words. "Felicity. I now understand how you feel about home. But you must also understand something about me. My job is not to be beloved by you. Your feelings toward me are only secondary, as my most important duty is to make sure you are protected. Whether you despise me or not, whether you resent the palace or not, matters little when your safety is uncertain, and I am anything but confident in saying that you are protected over there. Whether you like it or not, the palace is still where you are safest, which means I will bring you home. That is my duty as your father."
Felicity froze. For a fleeting heartbeat, her fury dulled. Her lips parted, but no words came out. The sting in his words was sharp.
’Not to be beloved by you. Whether you despise me or not matters little.’ Her hands trembled and her shoulders shook. That little sting hurt more than she thought it would. Because, despite what happened today, she did love her father.
Her chest rose and fell sharply. For just a moment, she looked smaller than she was.
Then the fire came rushing back, hotter than before. All it took was her brain conjuring a single image of her mother.
"Safest?!" she screamed, eyes blazing. "Do you really believe that, Father?! Do you know who left these bruises on me?!"
Rage poured out with every word she spoke. "It wasn’t these supposed criminals! It wasn’t Lord Black, or Miss Black, or Jiai, or any of the freaking slaves who were angry how my bloodline has treated them and their people! No! It was Mother! She’s the one who flung me aside like garbage with her wind magic!"
Her voice cracked, raw and furious.
"Those two stormed us while we were drinking tea! Tea, Father! We were sitting quietly, and they came charging in like executioners! What were you even doing, by the way?! The garden I worked so hard to maintain has been utterly devastated by Mother! Trees cut down, flowers ruined, even the earth was caved in!"
"... She ensured I’d realize what was going on when it was too late."
However, beyond that, Alexios said nothing. He did not defend Morgana. He did not argue. He simply let her words pour out, every scream and accusation hammering into the silence between them.
Felicity’s hands curled into fists, her voice rising with sheer indignation.
"Actually, is that woman retarded?! If she wanted to study Lord Black’s magic, all she had to do was wait! I’m already his friend, and we only spoke a few times! Now you two share amicable relations as well, based on the tone of this conversation, especially considering the circumstances. How hard would it have been to build some trust?! To invite him over for tea, where they can both share what each party wants from the other and discuss, maybe even train together as two elemental prodigies, giving each other pointers?! And, although I hate to say this, if the talks failed because Lord Black refused to cooperate in any shape or form, she could still attack him like she did today to force her way! Morgana had all the cards to play this well, but she just couldn’t be bothered to stop and think!" ℝáΝＯ𝖇ĘS
Her words cut sharper with each breath, each sentence. Now she was not called Mother but Morgana. Felicity continued after taking a final deep breath.
"No! Her first reaction was: ’Strap him to a table like a lab rat!’"
"Ugh! I can’t stand that woman!"
When she finally stopped to breathe, the chamber fell silent.
Quinlan’s face betrayed nothing. Kitsara blinked, tail frozen mid-sway. Vex was sporting an utterly amused grin, having the time of her life. This was peak cinema to her mind.
But Feng... Feng’s delicate features were marked with something more. Her eyes were wide, yes, but gleaming. An unmistakable glimmer of approval shone through her surprise.
She liked what she was seeing.
"..." For a moment, King Alexios was lost for words.
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