CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

"Have you seen the Emperor's aide before"

"Such an ominous figure"

"I agree, I don't have a good feeling about that person either"

"Always wearing a hood to cover their face, I don't even know if the aide is male or female"

"I know right"

"I once entered the throne room while the aide was present, it was so scary"

Aria was on her way back from being interrogated by the bureau of investigation when she was suddenly drawn to the voices of a few maids. They were gossiping about the general situation in the palace, however, the main focus of their conversation was a mysterious aide who stood beside the Emperor. It was the first time Aria had ever heard about the existence of such a person so she was naturally drawn to their conversation.

"You should complete your duties first before engaging in meaningless gossip"

The head maid suddenly appeared and dispersed the little group, effectively putting an end to their discussion. Aria was quite disappointed that she couldn't hear more as she still had very little information about the ominous aide.

"It's surprising that you have so much interest in mere gossip"

Aria felt every muscle in her body tense up after hearing a voice right behind her. She was surprised that she had failed to perceive their presence which could only mean that whoever the person was, their skill clearly surpassed her own.

"No need to be so alert, it's just me"

Aria finally realised that the voice sounded all too familiar. Everything made more sense to her now that she knew who it was.

"What do you want Alistair?"

A frown formed on her face as she turned to look at him.

"I had no idea that you enjoy eavesdropping on the maids while they gossip"

He chuckled.

"It has been quite a while since I visited the palace and their conversation simply peaked my interest but that doesn't answer my question now does it?"

"What do you want?"

"No need to be so cautious, I only want us to have a little chat"

"I'm not interested"

"Well, you should be"

Her expression plainly told him that his words did little to convince her.

"I know you don't want anything to do with me but can you just humour me this one time"

"Why should I?"

"Because it's important this time"

Aria could somewhat sense the seriousness in his tone.

"It better be as important as you say or I'm leaving"

"Does that mean you're agreeing to our chat"

"Isn't that already obvious enough"

"I just wanted to be sure but we can't talk here"

Alistair seemed to cautiously look around every few seconds and Aria was quick to notice it.

"Lead the way"

Alistair led her through numerous complicated hallways until they reached a large hall with all kinds of weapons hanging on it's walls"

"Where is this place?"

Aria looked around and realised that she was unfamiliar with their location, however, she could tell that all the weapons in the hall were of the highest quality.

"It's a training hall or at least, something similar to that"

Alistair said as he walked towards a bench hidden in a corner of the hall.

"Then why don't I know of this place"

Aria followed behind him.

"That's because it's meant to be used by a rather special group of knights so normal knights and guards shouldn't even know it exists"

"Sit"

Alistair sat on the bench and urged Aria to do the same.

"No thanks, I won't be staying long anyways"

"Suit yourself then"

He didn't try to push his offer any further and simply asked a question instead.

"What do you think about the outcome of the interrogation"

"Is that what this is about, I knew something was weird when the punishment for failing my task was a suspension rather than a death sentence"

"A member of the imperial knight order allowing their charge to go missing is a serious offence, especially when the said charge happens to be someone as important as the white witch"

"The Emperor is by no means a kind ruler, so it's easy to guess that suspension is much too mild for a punishment from someone like"

She retorted.

"You're right, I did have some involvement in manipulating the outcome"

Alistair put no effort into denying his involvement. Only a fool would think that the Emperor suddenly decided to lessen his punishments out of the blue and he knew that his sister was no fool.

"So this is the important matter you wanted to discuss, do you expect me to kneel and express my gratitude or what"

"That isn't what I wanted to talk about but I guess you could say they are related"

Alistair calmly replied.

"Get to the point"

Aria was slowly growing impatient and her demeanor clearly showed it.

"You're in danger Aria"

His words caused a slight change in her expression.

"What do you mean by danger?"

She asked.

"The disappearance of the white witch is a lot more complicated that you think"

"Those are matters involving the Empire, it shouldn't have anything to do with me"

"I'm not exactly certain but there is a high chance that you will end up being dragged into it"

"Didn't the Emperor already dismiss my involvement so there shouldn't be any reason to be wary"

"It isn't the Emperor that I'm worried about, it's the one beside him that has much cause for concern"

He said, causing her to grow confused.

"The one beside him?"

"Yes"

Alistair nodded.

"The exact same person that those maids from earlier spoke about the most"

"The one beside him"

Aria repeated while her mind seemed to travel back to the moment she eavesdropped on the maids, she tried her best to remember the exact contents of their conversation.

"The aide?"

She asked with a bit of uncertainty.

"I guess that is the title she ended up claiming"

"What do you mean by that?"

Aria wondered if there was much more to the aide than what was said by those maids.

"I'm afraid I can't reveal much more"

Alistair shook his head, he had his own fair share of constraints that prevented him from revealing certain things. Though they were lesser than most others, the restrictions still existed.

"All you need to know is that she is a very dangerous person"

"Why would an aide warrant such caution?"

"The Emperor may have put me in charge of the investigation but the aide as you call her is someone even Emperor Grisha has no control over"

Aria was too stunned to speak, she had never thought that the Emperor would keep someone by his side when he was unable to completely control them, that was enough to tell her that the aide was far from ordinary.

"I know the Emperor is planning something big and she is directly involved in whatever that plan is, however, I don't know much about the details"

His orders were to retrieve a specific item from the ancient ruins of a temple hidden on the edge of the continent, he wasn't preview to the purpose of the item or why it was so important.

"The Emperor seems not to consider the white witch as much of a variable at the moment but she might want to remove any potential threats and by then it wouldn't matter if you were in the castle on that day or not as long as you are related to lady Kharis in some way"

"She may also come to the same conclusion as I did about your relationship with Lady Kharis since it is easy to guess that a connection may have been formed after all those years of guarding"

"It may only be the slightest suspicion but it is more that enough reason for her to make a move"

"What is the true identity of this aide"

Aria finally recovered from her shock enough for her to speak.

"I can't tell you"

He shook his head again.

"I'm sorry, I really wish I could"

"I understand your reasons so it's fine"

She knew that he was already over stretching his boundaries by telling her this much so she chose not to pry any further.

"I may just be overthinking things but I still think it would be best if you leave the capital as soon as possible"

"I understand, I will heed your advise"

Alistair couldn't rest easy until he was sure that she would be safe. He didn't trust the sorceress, especially when his sister could possibly be involved. He served the Emperor but no amount of loyalty was enough cause for him to willingly sacrifice his sister for the ambitions of another.

"I'm sure Lady Kharis must have left something behind to ensure your safety, however, if that is not the case, I have my own ways of helping you"

"That is if you are willing to accept my help"

He offered.

"There is something"

Aria thought of the amulet that was still in her possession.

"Though, I don't know what its uses are yet"

"That's good"

Alistair sighed in relief.

"If it was left behind by Lady Kharis then it must be something useful"

"I also think the same"

Aria added.

"I guess I owe her my thanks"

Alistair had no reason to trust the white witch but she was the best option he could think of, he could only hope that she cared for Aria as much as he thought she did.

"As long as you're safe, that is all I could ever ask for"

Alistair added before he stood up from his position on the bench.

"We should get going, the people who make use of this hall will return soon"

Aria stared at him for a moment, many thoughts were going through her head, there were so many things she wanted to say to him but somehow she was unable to force the words to leave her lips.

"Okay"

She nodded and silently followed him as they both left the training hall.

"I guess this is far enough, you can find your way from here right?"

Alistair stopped in the middle of the hallway where he had originally approached her to ask for a chat and turned around before saying those words to her.

"Yes"

"Then I guess this is were we part ways, I won't be seeing you for a while so be safe"

He was about to walk away when her voice stopped him.

"Thank you"

Her voice was barely above a whisper but he was still able hear her.

"You're welcome ria"

she looked at him with wide eyes, he hadn't called her that name in many years, mainly due to her telling him not to.

"Be safe until we meet again"

He smiled at her before walking away, leaving her standing alone in the now silent hallway. With the maids gone after returning to their duties, the hallway was deserted, however, the silence couldn't provide Aria with any comfort as she was left alone to face her conflicted emotions.