************
CHAPTER 28
Xavier's brows furrowed deeply as his eyes squinted at Xander.
At this point, he was sceptical about whether to trust blindly or just take action. This was Raven he was talking about.
Yes, he may not know much about her origins but it was exactly that reason that made him seem protective of her and want to keep her by his side for now.
Yes, mischievous but if she weren't, it wouldn't have made up for the little fun he had had since his awakening.
"You can calm down, Your Majesty. If you wish to find out a bad one, you should know better than that. I am not one of them, Your Grace."
Saying that Xander brought his hands to his back and clasped them there as he took a step to the side and mirrored Xavier's pose.
Although he did not do this intentionally, Xavier saw it as though he was challenging him. No one dared stand that way with him.
Well, no one except his old friend, Xander. And having him do the same thing made the hair on his body stand on edge.
"If not, the divine tree would have rejected me and so would the Aisle of Drakenflame. My loyalty and the fact that my family and I have kept this palace safe till date says it all."
"You have a point, there. Do not worry, I believe you. Either way, continue. How come you have stayed out of suspicion till now?"
"I tried to play both roles as I knew what was coming should in case I push away. From this point, I have the chance of knowing what the king's plans are and also warn your supporters about it."
Even after saying this, Xander had hoped Xavier's suspicions would reduce. Sadly, that was not the case.
The way his shoulders remained stiff and his eyes centered on him, made him feel a bit uneasy.
But understanding Xavier's point of view he did not push it further.
If he was in his shoes, he probably won't be trusting any being in Maestherial anymore.
"You know the risks involved if you are caught. Yet you still made the trip with this Jared around?"
"Oh no," Xander said with a smile. "He isn't around," he breathed out and took another step away from Xavier as he raised his head a bit and glanced ahead.
"He as well as the others went for a meeting in the Assembly of Kings."
Hearing this, Xavier tilted his head a bit to the side while giving the best quizzical look he could.
Being sealed for ten thousand years left him completely clueless about most of the changes the world had begun to experience.
However, thanks to Xander's high sense of perception, he took note of Xavier's slight confusion and explained to him.
"The assembly is a unified approach by all the kings of the realm to sit for a meeting that would decide the fate of the realm."
"What for?" He had already voiced that out before releasing a small scoff and held up his hand to stop Xander.
"Wait, let me guess, the thing they did back then to seal me?"
Rather than answering, Xander let the stylish fall off his eyelids to do the talking.
"Hmph. In that case, has there not been an assembly in thousands of years?"
"Correct. This is the second. Although there should have been, everyone had maintained a calm front."
"I doubt. If my experiences before in the past did count then it is for you to know that the greed of men, dragons, beasts, elves, dwarves, werewolves, mages, dark elves, demons and the likes never change."
At this point, Xander could not refute his statement and let his shoulders slump instead.
Although he did not have a good glimpse of what happened in the past, from tales passed down from generations, he could tell there was nothing that could be done to make Xavier ever see the realm in a new light.
Furthermore, uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.
Also, it could be viewed from this angle that some things may have been done wrong to him in the past to change his notion about the people of each race.
"I think only the merfolks are pure enough. But I wonder have they still stayed out of things as they did back then?"
"Always. I am sorry about the past, Your Majesty, but I believe the new generation still has good in them."
"Don't we all? Yet I was labelled as the devil himself. Hahaha, a nice one though. The dread it came with was a nice added effect."
To prove his point, he let his deadly aura seep out as the air around them suddenly became extra chilly and dangerous.
"Anyways, back to the assembly. As such the new king must attend. However, this is why I can't stay long. I cannot blow my cover. At least not yet. There are those who still need my help."
"All right. I understand. Do you have anyone to assist you here that you trust completely?"
"Yes. Zeno. I have known him virtually all his life. He is the one I can entrust to serve rightly at your side in my absence for the meantime."
"And?"
"And?"
"I feel like there is something you are not telling me," Xavier pried. "Well?"
"I will. There is someone amongst the first batch here. I do not entirely trust. However, I would let Zeno be on him to correct my suspicions. Once that is clear, I would reveal everything, your majesty. For now, I do not want to give away such suspicions."
"Sure. I would wait till your next arrival."
"Thank you, your majesty," Xander appreciated him and lowered his waist in a deep bow to him.
"Also," Xander began and reached into his pocket before pulling his hand out.
And although he had his hand balled in a fist, he turned it inside out so his palm was facing up.
Xavier's eyes narrowed once more with his brows drawing close together. "What is that?"
"A little gift. You can reach me at any time with this."
He pried his hand open and revealed what he held. Right before Xavier's eyes, a black dull looking ring lay on Xander's plan.
However, instead of feeling disinterested in it, Xavier was surprised to feel a particular pull toward it.
"All you have to do is say my name softly three times and it would come alive."
At the mention of the word softly, Xavier arched his brows at him. "Softly, really?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Alas, she was made by a female. And I am sure you know they like to be gentle."
The smile enshrouding his face brought a certain charm to his eyes as his dimples became visible.
"With its magic, you can communicate with me."
Not saying any words, Xavier gave a slight nod as he picked the ring from Xander's palm and brought it close to his eyes for inspection.
**Flashback Ends**
Another strong sigh fell off Xavier's lips as his deep intense gaze finally faltered.
Wanting to try out the ring, he slid the ring on his pinky finger on his right hand and examined it briefly before letting his hand drop to his side.
'I wonder if anyone had noticed his absence. For his sake, I hope not. I think it is time to put this to the test.'
Knock! Knock!