[Bonus chapter] A Suspicious Meet Up

While that is happening, Emilio's jaw clenched as he heard the news. His eyes darted away, so he could not see the joyous celebrants in front of him.

He recalled how he tried to persuade the King to stop their engagement early on while everything was still peaceful.

The King might have said that he would think about it. But he doubted that he would do it, seeing his smitten state for Lady Aisha.

"How could I make him see that he is making a huge mistake?" Emilio muttered under his breath.

His fingers made small jittery movements as he pondered on the upcoming event.

"Their union will only cause trouble in Gaea," he garbled as he gazed at Lady Aisha, who was smiling bashfully while giving the King a side glance.

"Is anything bothering you, Lord Emilio? It's quite a lovely day for a frown," the King now noticed him as Lady Aisha walked away with her female servants.

Emilio lifted his head and was about to speak. But his shoulders dropped as he realized that the King must have been elated by the news, seeing his beaming face.

Now is not the time to talk to him about it again. Or he would obviously fail.

Lord Emilio shook his head as he answered, "There's nothing that you need to worry about, Your Majesty. Thank you for your kind concern to your humble servant," Lord Emilio's hand flew to his chest and bowed.

"I see. Let us leave then," King Leandro declared and walked away with the other royal guards and King's servants.

Lord Emilio bowed down to him and obliged to whatever the King's plan would be for that day. His chin was down to his chest and his arms were limped.

He couldn't help but be reminded of the loyal service of his ancestors for the King.

The reason why he served the King was he wanted to follow in their footsteps and preserve the culture and stability of Gaea.

King Leandro and his servants were walking towards the Royal Chancery when Emilio happened to saw Lady Aisha and her female servants on the other side of the Castle.

To his surprise, Rosalia withdrew from the other servants of Lady Aisha and stepped away.

Emilio's eyes narrowed as she seemed to be discreet about her destination. She was glancing at her back and side every now and then as if she didn't want to be caught.

Perceiving that something must be going on, Emilio did the same and noiselessly drifted from the rest of the King's servants.

Rosalia strode as fast as she could towards the Castle Gates.

Emilio knew that after the incident with the previous Gatekeepers, the present ones were more attentive and alert to those who were going in and out of the Castle.

His head nodded in affirmation as he saw them interrogating Rosalia for her purpose in leaving the Castle.

Rosalia must have said a reasonable excuse, as the Gatekeepers allowed her to leave the Gate.

Emilio secretly followed behind.

Rosalia didn't go far. She walked only a meter away when Emilio saw another woman waiting for her.

He quickly looked for a place near it where he could hide and listen to their conversation. But there was only another wall.

It was too far to eavesdrop. Still, he chose to scurry towards it. From there, he could see that the woman appeared like Rosalia with a bushy tail and furry ears.

"She's also from the Felis Clan," Emilio sighed in relief.

Maybe, it was her family member who was just wondering how she's been.

He was about to go back, seeing that he was worried about nothing, when he saw that Rosalia almost stumbled to the ground as if she heard some bad news.

His reflexes told him to step forward and go to them. But Rosalia seemed to have gained back her strength instantly, as she stood up again and talked to the woman.

Emilio controlled himself. It is better to stay far away and see things from where he was.

They continued to converse for a while, boring Emilio. He thought of going back to the Castle, as the King might have been looking for him.

But seeing Rosalia in that anxious state, made him decide to stay and wait for her.

After some time, Rosalia's family member finally left. As she did so, Emilio came out of hiding and approached Rosalia.

She seemed to be surprised as her feet shuffled backward, seeing him in front of her.

"I was just passing by when I saw you. Is anything the matter, Rosalia?" Emilio asked her straightforwardly.

"There is nothing much, my lord," Rosalia stuttered as she bowed her head to him.

He knew that she was lying as he witnessed her state just a while ago. "You can talk to me about anything that's bothering you. I'm willing to listen," Emilio blurted, making her glanced up with her flushed cheeks.

"The words didn't seem to come right," Emilio thought as he cleared his throat. He just wanted to know about what happened. But he sounded like a friend trying to comfort her.

"Thank you, Lord Emilio. I know you are a kind and considerate man," Rosalia bowed down to him.

Emilio's eyebrows knitted together. He has heard that from other people often. But now it seemed different as they were quite pleasant to hear coming from her.

He shook his head and extended his hand, "Let's go. Lady Aisha must have been waiting for you, too."

Rosalia quickly obliged and followed him.

Both of them were silent as they walked back to the Castle.

"What do you think about the King and Lady Aisha's wedding?" Emilio asked her, wondering if she could probably be on his side.

He could probably influence her to convince Lady Aisha to go back to her homeland.

"I think it's lovely. Lady Aisha is a nice and warm-hearted woman. There's also a big chance that Lady Aisha could be the Chosen One for the King," Rosalia spoke outrightly.

Hearing that, Emilio let out a sigh. It appeared like she was Lady Aisha's ally.

"But if she's not, and she turned out to be a dreadful influence to the King, Gaea would be in danger. Humans have always been a danger to Gaea," Lord Emilio expressed his idea openly, too. It indeed was bothering him.

Rosalia defended Lady Aisha quickly as she quickly waved her hand in the air.

"Humans aren't always that bad. Maybe we could give them a chance, my lord," Rosalia said in a cheerful manner. But Emilio could see a quiver in her voice.

Emilio was taken aback by her sudden defensive reaction. But then his shoulders dropped as he shook his head.

"She was also smitten with the female human," he sighed before pressing on his lips and putting his arms behind his back, walking back to the Towers in a silent manner.

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To be suspicious is not a fault. To be suspicious all the time without coming to a conclusion is the defect.