Chapter 168 - Chatting with Albert and Emi

"Hmm... so, according to the reports, did you manage to figure out how to get to the other continent?" 

Albert asked as he turned his gaze toward me. I was currently inside Albert's room, having just left the castle's prison. He was sitting on the bed with his legs crossed, holding a paper in his hand.

"Precisely" 

I replied, maintaining a steady gaze on Albert. I was leaning against the door of the room, and before coming here, I had instructed the servants to leave us alone. Despite appearances, I held quite a bit of authority in the castle, ranking just below the king and queen, on par with the princes and princesses in terms of status. However, I generally preferred not to use that authority as it would only cause me trouble later.

"... Though I should be surprised by this, I think deep down I already expected you to achieve something" 

Albert said as he placed the paper on the dresser beside the bed. His face bore a playful smile as he watched me.

"While I am genuinely interested in how you knew the meaning of those symbols, I believe this may not be the ideal moment for that conversation... Have you already told Emi about this?" 

Albert's words made me reflect. Obviously, I hadn't had the time to tell Emi about this, as everything had happened very quickly. Moreover, while Emi knows that a spy was captured, she probably doesn't know that we managed to extract some information from him.

Although I planned to tell Emi eventually, I would probably wait a bit longer to do so, maybe at the end of the day. Emi is quite busy as we are nearing the end of our studies. Furthermore, I intend to support Emi's dreams in the future, so I don't want to burden her with unnecessary worries at the moment, at least for a few more hours.

"I haven't had the opportunity to do that yet" 

I said as I ran my hand through my hair. It's not like it was really itchy, but this had become a gesture I made frequently when something complicated happened, and I was sure Albert noticed it. Under his gaze, I walked over to a chair positioned in front of Albert and sat down. Then, I locked my gaze with his eyes.

"Could you... please not tell her? I plan to tell her tonight when we go for our walk in the garden. I just... don't want to burden her mind with unnecessary things" 

At the end of my words, I averted my gaze from Albert. I wasn't exactly sure why, but I felt like I was doing something completely wrong, something akin to asking my girlfriend's brother not to tell her that I'm cheating on her.

"Haaa..."

Listening to my words, Albert let out a long sigh, his face displaying a tired expression. I truly felt guilty when I saw him like this.

"Alright... but you know Emi hates lies, don't you? Especially when they come from you. If she finds out before the time, she'll definitely be very angry with you" 

Albert said while looking at me with a serious look on his face. I really didn't have much to say about it, so I just stayed silent, after all, Albert was right.

"Besides, I doubt Emi sees you as unnecessary. I understand why you want to do this, but you should trust my sister a little more. She's not a child anymore, you know?" 

Albert said. His words made me rethink my decision. Was it really necessary to tell her only at the end of the day? I mean, if it were me receiving such news after everyone else, I would certainly be upset with my partner. With all these thoughts in mind, a sigh escaped my lips. Looking up, I met Albert's eyes.

"You're right; I think I should tell her as soon as possible. I wouldn't want her to tell me something important last" 

I said, keeping an understanding smile on my face. Hearing my words, Albert nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad you understand" 

Albert replied with a smile. After that, I said goodbye to Albert and left his room, walking through the extensive corridors of the castle. My main goal was Emi's room. After some time of walking, I reached the door to her room. As I approached, I knocked on the door twice to announce my arrival.

"Emi, it's me, Ren. Can I come in?"

As soon as I said those words, I waited patiently. After about five to seven seconds, the door opened, revealing a beautiful young woman with white hair braided, gently swaying in the wind.

Her pure white dress harmonized perfectly with her hair, while her golden eyes stared at me intensely. If someone told me that an angel had descended to Earth, I would believe it immediately if I saw Emi, as she was undoubtedly the perfect representation of an angel.

"I suppose you've come to assist with the spy interrogations" 

Emi said with a warm smile on her face, then gently stepped aside, opening the door to her room to invite me in.

"Come in" 

Said Emi, following her words, I slowly began to walk into the room. Although this wasn't the first time I had come, and it probably wouldn't be the last, I always felt a little uneasy when entering her room. While these thoughts passed through my mind, Emi walked gently to her bed and gracefully sat down.

After that, Emi turned her eyes to me and started to stare at me. Then she patted the space next to her on the bed, indicating that I should sit beside her. There was no reason to refuse her request, so I simply sat down next to her.

As soon as I sat down, she rested her head on my shoulder and slowly closed her eyes. This was actually a quite common scene. Emi said that doing this made her mind clearer, although I didn't really understand what she meant by that. I didn't mind, so I let her do it.