Sorceress

It overjoyed the emperor to meet Alfred and Veronica because they were the emperor's most powerful and intellectual leaders in his realm. Without them, the emperor could not have established this dominion. He bound them with his magical contract so that he could use them however he wished. Because of the magical contract that tied Alfred and Veronica together, they couldn't defy the emperor even if they wanted to. They had a duty to follow the emperor's orders, no matter what they were.

Draven spoke out with excitement. "Alfred, I was waiting for you. You have a knack for igniting interest in others."

Alfred could see that the emperor was grinning slyly. Even though Alfred didn't want to go to the banquet, he did so for the sake of the courageous soldiers and not for the lusty, wicked monarch. Alfred could have chopped off the head of the emperor right now if he had the ability to do so. But his hands were bound by Draven's magical contract.

"Your highness, I apologize for the delay," Alfred replied as he lowered his head and spoke in a profound voice.

But Draven changed the frigid atmosphere between them by asking, "I hope you read the thing I sent you?"

The tone abruptly changed to solemnity. A deadly silence seemed to surround Alfred and the emperor right now, where the emperor was the king of the jungle, and Alfred and his family were the prey.

Veronica cast a sidelong glance in Alfred's direction when he remained silent. Alfred had not informed her that the emperor had sent her a message. Alfred felt Veronica was both inquisitive and upset about the reason. He typically shared significant events with Veronica, but this time he didn't feel like informing her, so it was natural for Veronica to be upset.

After a while, Alfred sighed and said, "Yes, your highness."

"Well, we'll talk about it after the banquet," Draven answered calmly.

Alfred nodded but said nothing, as did Veronica. Adela, however, was the only one of them who was unsure of what they were talking about or why her parents were acting so agitated. Also, a letter? Which letter were they referring to?

The emperor's tone abruptly cut off Adela's train of thought. She jerked and turned to face the emperor as soon as she heard him speak.

Draven grinned at Adela while saying, "So, this is your daughter. She is really grownup."

"Yes, Your Highness," Alfred said to the emperor as he turned to face Adela. But it was clear from his tone just how enraged he was. His vibe gave off a malevolent expression. Veronica remained silent while attempting to calm both herself and Alfred.

Adela was staring attentively at the emperor. She didn't give a damn about the emperor because, from the beginning, she hated him. He and his evil second wife, Alison, were simply too much for her to handle. As she turned her gaze to the empress, she reflected.

Alison's eyes met Adela's as she moved her gaze toward Alison. But when she heard her name from the insane monarch, she looked at him.

"Adela Virginia".

Draven said her name aloud. Adela, though, remained silent. Her eyes locked on the emperor and weren't even terrified of the beast that had assumed human form. She understood how wicked the emperor was, and she knew how wicked she was as well. In her previous existence, she nearly dominated the entire region. Even the monster that Adela had bowed to was powerless to stop her with his whole might.

Draven and Adela had been gazing at each other for a while when Draven observed that Adela hadn't even blinked away from him. He was both astonished and delighted at the same time. He discovered something intriguing in Adela, and that was fear. Adela's glance didn't show any signs of fear of Draven. She appeared to be there to dominate him. If they remained in that position for a while, it might not be good for Draven.

"Alfred and Veronica, I hope your daughter will join in the war as our sorceress," he added, breaking the tension and attempting to lighten the mood.

Alfred gazed at Adela after hearing the emperor, but he couldn't say yes to the emperor. He was aware of the emperor's desires and what the bastard could do with all of his newfound influence.

Alfred didn't want his daughter to push herself too far. He didn't want his daughter to be used as a slave by the emperor. The emperor was already aware of Adela's powers, so he was determined to keep her at all costs. He might try to make Adela a powerful sorceress, but it wouldn't be good for her.

So, Alfred said, "After completing her lessons, she will obviously try, Your highness".

Adela, however, genuinely didn't care about the conversation between her father and the emperor. She was doing the things she was required to do. She kept looking here and there to find the prince. Where were they?

Adela only came to see them because she thought she remembered both princes attending the banquet from her previous memory. The emperor abruptly said, "Adela."

"Yes, your majesty," Adela responded while bending down again.

"We have high expectations of you. We'll watch your magical abilities afterward. I hope you won't let us down," the emperor added.

Adela looked at her father, but her father didn't even look back at her. She couldn't grasp what the situation was going to turn into. Both her mother and father were behaving strangely. Adela wasn't concerned with these kinds of issues in her previous life, but the moment when she was attempting to understand, it submerged her in the deep sea. But now she had to say something to this idiot emperor, so she answered, "Yes, your majesty, as you say."

Adela took a deep breath; she despised being told what to do. She enjoyed doing things on her own. But now she had accepted what his highness had asked. She had to obey because, in her previous existence, she had said no directly to the emperor, which aggravated matters by making him angry.

To be continued..