Zoey Gloria Wirgo (2)

When Zoey's words reached Emperor Alfred's ears, Alfred coughed slightly and then composed himself and said:

"His princely title has been taken away from him, but even though he still appears to hold that title, that is not the case, is it? I realised that you, dear Zoey Gloria Wirgo, would never associate with such a person."

These words had already begun to boil Zoey's blood.

"How could you think that?! Your majesty, do you think I loved him with all my heart, brain and soul only because he was a prince?!" Zoey shouted, truly shouting, not even bothering to raise her voice.

"It was for your own good. For the honour of the Wirgo family," Alfred added.

"He was born on October 20, 501, and I was born on October 20, 500. The things we love, the actions we take, the clothes we wear, and everything else are the same. Luke and I are soulmates. How could you decide this on your own?" Zoey questioned, still trying to stay calm.

It was true. Zoey was a year older than Luke, but they were born on the same day, and their interests, the things they loved to do, and everything they did were either the same or similar. They met when Luke was three and Zoey was four, and by the time Luke was seven and Zoey was eight, they had decided to get engaged.

It was thought of as a joke made by children, because it made sense that two children who had just emerged from infancy would do something like that by following their parents' example.

Still, it wasn't true, and it was very obvious that it wasn't true because when Luke turned eleven and Zoey turned twelve, they brought it up again.

They were rejected.

Although the union of Wirgo and Hiera could deepen the friendship between the North and the Capital, Zoey herself was not considered suitable for Luke.

When Luke turned fourteen and Zoey turned fifteen, they repeated their request.

They were rejected.

All their requests were rejected until Luke turned seventeen and Zoey turned eighteen. Poets in the capital wrote poems about the love the two felt for each other, and musicians sang songs in their honour.

Luke had already known that the engagement had been broken off. To be precise, he had thought that the engagement with Zoey would inevitably be broken off sooner or later once he lost his princely title.

Zoey, on the other hand, had learned about it a few weeks earlier.

"Being soulmates will not protect your honour, young lady. Please show some respect," Alfred had said.

Zoey didn't know what to say. Alfred Hiera the Second had officially died in Zoey's eyes at that moment. The young woman kept thinking that maybe it was a mistake, to be honest.

All of this was a lie.

Alfred was nothing but a scoundrel wearing a mask.

Zoey furrowed her brows and then stormed out of the throne room, but the tears falling to the ground showed that she had started crying before she even left the room.

Each of the five empresses immediately began running after Zoey, in every sense of the word. They were furious at Alfred.

In the throne room, there was no one left except the servants, soldiers, seven princesses, Kassadin and Wirgo.

Kassadin himself stood in the middle of the throne room and then looked carefully at Alfred and said, "You've changed, old friend. I don't recognise you anymore. You seem to have been poisoned by power."

When Alfred heard these words, he shook his head from side to side and replied, "I'm just being realistic."

"Realistic? You didn't just disown your own son in front of his fiancée; you also broke off their engagement. How dare you compare your actions to being realistic when you're the one responsible for everything?" Kassadin questioned.

Everything he said was true, word for word.

"This is no longer something worth discussing. What's done is done, and I stand by my decision," Alfred replied, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.

"Then there's nothing left for me to do. The Wirgo Family will reassess their relationship with the imperial family, and I want you to know that," Kassadin had said, ignoring Alfred's angry expression as he left the throne room.

He could hear the screams rising from within the hall. The old man smiled and began to walk slowly through the palace.

The empresses were trying to give Zoey at least some mental support in the garden, which she had already managed to escape to.

Emma Hiera was the most senior and respected of the empresses and could also be considered one of the human children who valued Luke the most.

Emma herself was stroking Zoey's snow-white hair.

"I don't even know where he is..." Zoey said, crying, unable to stop herself.

When Emma heard these words, she noticed the four empresses around her and Kassadin, who had already left the garden after sensing Zoey's energy.

"Do you want to know where he is?" Emma asked gently.

At that moment, Zoey's eyes turned to Emma, and she asked, "Do you know where Luke is, Your Majesty?"

Emma nodded her head up and down to mean yes and then replied, "Yes."

Kassadin, who had been listening to the conversation, was as surprised as Zoey.

"Luke left the palace without even saying goodbye to us, but I am one of the few people who know exactly where he is," Emma said, then leaned close to Zoey's ear and told her that Luke was at the northernmost point.

When Zoey heard this, she covered her mouth with her hand and said in a hoarse voice, "But he can't survive there..."

Of course, Luke could survive; there were many ways he could survive, but Zoey couldn't help but worry.

"Calm down. Before you go, take as many sweets as you can from the palace; I'll cover them all. When you find him, give him the sweets and give him a big hug for me… no, for every mother." Emma said suddenly, taking Zoey's hand and then kissing the young woman on the forehead.