Chapter 22

"Agathus, I've gone through it a lot of times and I don't think there's anything to fix".

Alexis spoke to the hybrid man with bags under her eyes, he didn't glance away from his own pile of documents, "Please. I can't go through it another time!"

At the desperate cry he finally looked at the sleep deprived girl.

"Fine. Place it other there and get some sleep." He pointed at his desk, adding it to his mental list of tasks to be done. She threw the finished exam down where he pointed, if not slightly off.

"Oh thank you!" She gave the man a hug. No social boundaries existed when Alexis was sleep deprived. "You're so cosy and small." She murmured into his hair.

"Unhand me you feral human!" He cried and struggled to get out of her grip.

"Let go of my confidant, Dirt" came Alastair's deep voice from out of nowhere as he appeared in front of Agathus' desk, where the green man was being held captive.

"Go away grumpy king" were the words that slowly came from the sleepy voice of girl.

"Grumpy king?" He spoke incredulously to the girl as he approached her. "You're swaying? Are you okay?" His voice to anybody in their right mind sounded kind and worried, but to Alexis, it sounded cruel and condescending.

"What do you mean by am I okay? I'm perf- perfectly fine" her words slurred a bit as she stared at the tall man. "You're so tall". She looked up at him and a wide smile spread across her face, it looked like she was day-dreaming.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" The Emperor disliked stares, especially when they were directed at him, but this stare just made him feel embarrassed.

"Because", Alexis' eyes drooped low.

"Because?"

"Because", she once again started and this time she fluttered her lashes at him.

This time the Emperor felt a warmer feeling, it was foreign and strange and very, very uncomfortable.

"I'm taking you to your room", he declared as he mentally noted she was unfit to be near anyone. Her eyes still looked at him in that strange way as he lifted her up.

For a while, he returned the gaze with an inquisitive stare that had an unconscious blush, but soon he couldn't handle it as his face reddened more and more. He couldn't teleport with another person without threatening their limbs and so he walked to her room, carrying her in a princess hold.

"Stop staring at me and sleep".

"Hmm", was the reply he gathered but she still gave him that red cheeked stare, he knew her mind was far away, and he knew in her mind, he was there too.

He felt even more uncomfortable at that.

He decided to get her to bed before his family came for a random visit and she started giving his brothers the stare or maybe even his father. At the thought, he felt something very irritable. It was annoying and seemed to be almost suffocating.

He ignored the dwarfs who stared at the pair in surprise and the few who gasped at the sight, while he descended the stairs.

He glanced at her when he made it to her room and her eyes were much more narrower as her head now leaned against his shoulder. Her short hair tickled his neck and her warm body was strangely soothing.

He kicked open the door to her room and moved towards her bed. Glancing around, he realised the room was small and not at all decorated with any ornaments. It was plain and boring. The only selling point was the small balcony and even then the windows were shut together so tightly she hadn't bothered to go out.

A frown appeared on his face.

'I'll tell Agathus to change it to somewhere better, after all, my palace has plenty to offer'.

He placed the girl down on her bed just as her lips parted and she spoke.

"So beautiful".

His body froze as he stared at her.

"The sky's so beautiful", the words were uttered with such an innocent smile.

Alastair almost fell down in embarrassment. He held his head and stared at the girl sleeping without a care in the world.

'I need to see a Doctor...'