Chapter 46

Alexis went back to her room and was surprised at the unexpected guest she came across. He was so silent as he awaited for her on the chair that she didn't notice him until she heard him clearing her throat.

She turned at the familiar sound to see Alastair sitting there with a dark aura around him, his lips pulled into a tight lipped smile when he noticed her.

"A-Alastair? Why are you?"- she gulped as the gaze in his eyes sharpened and forgot her words.

"Why am I what?" He tilted his head while gesturing for her to take a seat in front of him which she decided against and sat on her bed cautiously.

"H-Here?"

"Why can't I be? Is this place reserved for someone?" He pressed squinting his eyes as he smiled wider.

'For me?' Alexis thought but decided against saying that.

"N-No? I thought it was inappropriate for a man to visit an unmarried woman's room in this world?" She nervously spoke and noticed the drop in Alastair's fake smile. She felt chill at his icy stare.

"That's right, it is".

It was all he said before he stood up and walked towards her, she unconsciously started to move back and then stopped like a deer in the headlights when he stood in front of her.

"A-Alastair?"

"You know our custom so well, but I could've sworn you had a visitor yesterday?" Alexis wasn't completely sure of what he meant, but she had an inkling this was the reason he was angry.

"Yesterday?" She scrunched up nose and thought carefully.

'Yesterday, yesterday, who did I see yesterday? Oh! The scumbag prince… but he couldn't be the reason Alastair is mad, no, not someone so insignificant' .

She was wrong.

"My brother. He visited you last night, didn't he?"

"Yes?" Alexis, who was confused at the subject, answered.

"And from what I heard he bathed himself in your room while you entered".

Alexis looked at him shocked and suddenly it dawned on her that, in deed, that had happened. She had been musing over what happened at the barracks she didn't even pay attention.

"I- I- you're right. That happened".

His face somehow became even darker at this as he leaned closer to her.

"Did it?" He asked and Alexis nodded.

"Yes but I was so distracted by what happened earlier I didn't notice him", suddenly she felt like a cheating housewife, "I swear".

"And did he bathe with clothes or without?" He asked the question so seriously Alexis chuckled a bit and then regretted it when she stared at his scrutinising eyes.

"W-Without I think? I really wasn't paying attention".

"And what were you paying attention? Hm Alexis?" He grabbed her chin forcing her to maintain eye contact with him.

"N-Nothing" she stuttered our confused at the person she stared at. He was the same person from before. When she had broken the contract.

"Did he touch you?"

"No! Of course not!" She cried defiantly. Alastair's glare softened at that but didn't disappear.

"Then how near did he come?"

"He sat on the bed" she thoughtlessly answered.

She didn't notice the look of shock that had passed Alastair face until it was too late.

"On the bed!" she was suddenly pressed down and stared at Alastair above her in shock. "And you expect me to believe you when you said he didn't touch you? Ridiculous".

"H-He didn't! G-get off me!" Alexis started to panic at the hopeless situation. And no matter how she looked at it what Alastair next planned wasn't something pretty.

"Is that what you said to him?" He asked, leaning closer as he held held her hands above her head, grasping her chin with his other.

He leaned, breathing in her scent as nuzzled his nose on the nape of her neck.

His lips just glazed her jaw when an electrical current of shock had woken her up, snapping her out of her strange trance.

"N-No! Alastair! Wake up! Stop this!" She felt tears gather around her eyes as a strange helplessness came over her.

Alastair seemed to snap out of his anger at the sight, but it didn't last long as he wiped them.

"Why aren't you rejecting me then? You could kick me, scream at me and yet you're just laying there waiting", he stared at her as his anger slowly diminished. "Why?"

"Because this isn't you". The confidence she said it in made Alastair scoff.

"You don't know me Alexis".

"No, I don't. But, I know Alastair, the kind emperor who always wears a mask. I don't know why he does it, but either way, I know him and I like him", the words left her mouth with a warm stream of tears and Alastair who seemed shaken at their appearance backed away.

"I- I- Alexis, I'm so sorr"- he stopped his words and quickly left the room, once again leaving the feelings between them in uncertainty.

Since Emilia would be living in the main palace arranging some intensive and long lesson wasn't hard at all. Staying for long mornings, afternoons and evening and sometimes well into the morning hours was okay.

And extremely draining.

'But don't tell Emilia', Alexis thought such because that was her first mistake. When she said it was too draining all she received was a glare and,

"Then maybe you shouldn't make deals you can't keep".

She shut up after that.

With all the training she realised she was basically a bottomless pit of mana. It was never ending and Emilia had told her if she was in the wrong hands then things could go horrendous, but she wasn't, was she?

She wasn't in the garden like she had been with Hector but in the barracks where thousands of eyes stared at her in turns. Wanting to see what was all the hype of the small fake-fairy/fake-slave really was.

'I'm just a body of lies' she thought as she received a blow from Emilia who screamed at her to pay attention.

No longer was the elegant woman and in her place was beautiful barbarian who threatened Alexis' mental capabilities, but aided as a great distraction from Alastair.

It was physical education, but very very extreme physical education and not the cute sports. That was how her morning started, with a bunch of attack that could only be categorised as mixed martial arts.

She was sure Emilia had a grudge against her or something, but luckily she went easy on the hits since if she had used her actual elf strength Alexis wouldn't be standing.

"Use your magic!" Another blow to her face.

"I can only heal!" Alexis cried back barely dodging kick that was aimed at her leg and due to her idiotic dodge ended up hitting her head and sending her a few feet back.

"Then manifest something!" Emilias voice was heard as she appeared behind Alexis put her in a choke hold.

"What?" She asked, just before she spotted a tiny pebble in her direct sight of vision. She grasped it without a thought and threw it to where Emilia last stood.

It didn't hit her because she was already beside Alexis who received a hook on her shoulder of all places.

"Ow" she pouted despite knowing Emilia would carry on, at least for another hour.