Chapter XLVII: Downfall 1

As Khalid took a step on the hardwood floor, all of their eyes were stuck on him, seeing how he held an unconscious child in his delicate arms, along with an enormous furry white wolf that was walking by his side; lying on top of her was an unconscious Akil who's patched up with bandages.

'Milord…'

Erwin grits as he furrows his brows. That was the same reaction as the others, but not likely the same as the tall, refined man who was standing from the back, smiling to his ears while looking at Akil's unconscious body.

When they left Akil in the same separate room as Lillibet, the guy with an elegant silhouette quietly and slowly, without any second thought, put his hand on Akil's neck, rubbing it gently before he tried strangling him, but before he could even tighten his hands on his neck, Akil's eyes suddenly opened.

"What the heck are you doing?! "

Akil spoke with an unconcerned gaze in his eyes, looking at the man standing in front of him, whose eyes were as deep and beautiful as an iris flower.

"Are you trying to kill me just now?"

Dal then took off his hand as he shrugged both of his shoulders with a mocking expression written on his face.

"Well, I am."

He then chuckled.

"Pfft- Kidding."

"How can I kill a person who's pretending to be at death's door?"

Hearing it, Akil immediately responded with an irritated tone.

"I AM NOT!"

"Then what will you call yourself? "H

He then wrapped both of his arms together before he continued to speak.

"An attention seeker?"

"That's enough!"

Hearing Akil's irritated voice made Dal burst into a sudden laughter.

"Pft. Hahaha. My bad."

He then smiled, trying to cover his lips, only to be put in silence when Akil's face turned bleak.

"Ahem!"

Dal clears his throat before he asks him a question.

"Why did you even pretend? "h

He asks, but he never gets an appropriate answer.

"Who knows? "

Akil responds with an icy tone before he covers himself with a blanket, ignoring Dal, who keeps rambling like a dog.

As Akil stared at the wall beside him, a memory flashed through his mind: he stood upon the velvet night inside Khalid's domain, hearing Zev's voice echoing from the entire place.

'She sounded jealous.'

Akil had thought before rushing back to his bed when Khalid was about to walk in their direction.

"Hey, kill me without dying."

He requested the phoenix, but it refused a hundred times before he killed his presence.

Just when a light entered Akil's head, he was left unconscious on the bed but could still hear everything Khalid's mumbling by himself.

Even the thought of him wishing to be dead...

"Hey! Are you ignoring me right now?"

As Dal shouted, Akil immediately returned to his senses and he rolled aside to look at him.

"Hey, pretty face."

Akil called, and that got his attention.

"What do you think is a reason for someone to be addicted to death?"

Akil's question had made Dal cock his head to one side, trying to comprehend what he had stated.

'What the? "

It made him form an icky look.

"Why would I ever know? Do I look crazy?"

"Kinda? "

He immediately responded.

"As if you've always lost some screws."

He then taps his head before rotating to the other side, facing the wall, leaving Dal in total confusion.

"What does that even mean?! "

He asked confusedly, shouting like a mad dog.

"Find it out yourself!"

He then shooed Dal away, smiling as he was left with a curious face.

Meanwhile, inside the room where Lillibet was lying on the bed unconscious, Khalid and Reinhardt could be seen standing near her, as if they'd watched a peacefully sleeping kid sleep.

'She looks like in a bad shape."

He thought, keeping an eye on her.

"You must also feel tired; you must get some rest, milord."

Reinhardt had stated, only to be rejected on the spot.

"I'm fine,"

"But your look was clearly stating the opposite!"

He worriedly spoke.

Khalid then took a deep breath.

"You've always had one word after the other."

It made Reinhardt form a smile.

"Your well-being is my responsibility, your majesty!"

He paused for a second.

"Please don't take it in a bad way, for i've always looked at you as my son."

"Don't you have one?"

Khalid had stated after cutting his words.

But just before he replied, Reinhardt chuckled.

"I am a knight and a commander on top of that. Even though i've always wanted to have my own family, I must say that i'm afraid to lose them at the war."

"How about Erwin?" 

"Well..."

It made him scratch his head awkwardly.

"He's still pretty young to start a family so-

He cut him off for the second time.

"What I mean is, when will you let Erwin call you father?"

Khalid's words had left him frozen for a second before he responded with a galad smile.

"That.....I could not just force him to address me as his father..."

He sighed.

"I'll be waiting for the day, he'll acknowledge me as his father even though were not sharing the same blood."

Reinhardt softly spoke with his sonorous tone of voice.

Suddenly, a picture of a man with a masculine figure popped out of Khalid's head. Even though his face was blurry, he knew exactly who he was just by looking at his precious smile.

"Father? Huh? "

He mumbled.

"I must be feeling really tired."

He then faked a yawn, ignoring Reinhardt.

When all of a sudden, Erwin came running in their direction.

He stopped when he saw Khalid, but as soon as he turned his head towards Reinhardt, he noticed how he shook his head, preventing him from abstaining from talking.

"MILORD-

He interjected before Erwin could barely speak.

"You must get some rest first!"

But for the second time, he was ignored.

"State it."

Erwin then glanced at Reinhardt, and sighed before looking at Khalid deep in the eyes as he began to speak.

"I have news about the saintess."

It made Reinhardt catch Erwin's attention when, for the hundredth time, he let out a deep sigh.

'He always acted on his own."

Seeing it, Erwin spoke apathetically.

"My apologies, sir, but I think it was best for the Majesty himself to know about this matter."

Khalid frowned before Erwin continued.

"After the people found out that the cure for senium was hiding at the temple's secret tunnel by the deacon, the temple was immediately set on fire by the people, and the saintess was said to be on the hide."

He paused for a second.

"The reason for the people to cause all the ruckus."

After stating it, Erwin did not expect Khalid to make such a bright expression, especially after hearing all about the saintess.

He even skipped happily on his feet as he walked slowly, about to leave the two while Reinhardt continued to call him.

"MILORD! YOU HAVE TO GET REST!"

As he shouted, Erwin followed, but Khalid had stopped and faced him.

"Erwin."

He called.

"Sometimes you have to listen to your father."

It left Erwin in a stiff position before he had come to his senses.

"My apology, sir."

He apologetically stated without even a hint of sincerity or feeling from the sassy tone of his voice.

Hearing it, Reinhardt's bright face turned bleak like a clouded sky, as if he were expecting something he shouldn't have.

"It was nothing..."

He swayed his hands as if they were nothing, but the tone behind his deep voice was stating the opposite.

"Then I'll get going."

Erwin bowed his head before he continued to follow Khalid without even looking back at the big-built man looking at him with a distressed look in his eyes.

'How do days pass by so fast?'

He shook his head.

"He's a grown man now."

That word left him chuckling, remembering how tiny and fragile Erwin was when he was little compared to what he has become today. A dignified and independent young man.

On the other hand, Agnette, who's been wearing a muddy-colored hood, could be seen hiding behind the wrecked building in the gloomy part of the alley, where she could hear all of the people shouting in rage, cursing her name while holding a torch in their hands.

"Kill the witch!"

"-The traitor!"

Everyone had shouted while she gritted at the corner, clenching her jaw as her eyes flared in anger.

'It was all that brat's fault! '

She thought when, all of a sudden, she felt a familiar, ominous aura of someone that made her feel like he had stepped into a door's hell, leaving her trembling in the scene, covering her mouth before she could even scream.