Chapter 105

The whole royal family usually gathers around the living room in the evening. Since most of them are done with their duty for the day, they wish to spend time with their family at the end. Like everyone else.

But, unbeknownst to me, I had apparently become part of their family now.

The first time I was told this was about five minutes ago. Windson came into my room and woke me up, forcefully making me ready for tea time.

"How are you feeling, Alexander?" Olivia's father asked me with a friendly smile.

He poured me a cup of tea and passed it on to me. Me being half asleep could barely focus on what was happening.

"I'm… feeling ti- fine," I quickly corrected myself.

"You seem a bit uneasy," Her Majesty snapped me out of my daze.

"Not at all!" I raised my voice. "I feel fine!"

The royal couple gave me a blank expression. To break the awkward air, Philip smiled and laughed.

"Haha! Full of energy, I see!" He laughed heartily.

All Olivia could do was chuckle at the sight of my stupidity. The points of my ear began to burn up as I realised my stupidity.

I should've stayed at my estate…

"Whatever," Ma'dam Iris said with a distasteful gaze. "What did the two of you lovebirds do today?"

Olivia, being in a hyperactive mood, came forth with joy and smiled.

"At first, we had no plans! Alexander and I wandered the city for a few minutes before settling at a really fancy cafe! It was one I hadn't visited or seen before!"

"Which one, my dear?" Philip asked with keen interest.

"It was themed similarly to human architecture! From the outside, it looked exactly like human architecture. Inside too!"

The family listened along to her. All I could do was stay quiet and sip my warm tea, hoping to not grow too much attention.

Lily leaned forward and listened with a wide smile, going from ear to ear. Lady Iris, however, was reserved and crossed her legs. She kept up her ladylike demeanour as she elegantly sipped on her tea.

Her eyes snapped between me and Olivia. I could feel her stare even when not making eye contact. All she did was stare back and forth, not take note of what I was doing.

Philip is The only person here who isn't actively trying to kill me. He was the only person who had a comforting smile with gentle eyes.

Olivia's story continued for a while. In the meantime, I excused myself and ate the snacks that were made along with the tea.

Cakes, biscuits, jam spread. It's a sugary daydream! No one took notice of me sneakily grabbing the different foods.

Except for one man who stood right beside me.

Windson stood with a stoic face, looking forward and averting eye contact. Even though it was family time, the royal family usually kept their personal assistant close by no matter what.

That included my own Windson.

"Woah seems like Alexander knows how to treat a lady!" Lily exclaimed as Olivia finished telling her story–which might have been exaggerated at points.

Though I did not listen carefully, I heard bits where she had exaggerated the story. I did not stop her, however. The exaggeration would help her majesty get a better view of me.

"So it would seem," She said, putting down her tea cup. "He's impressed me well,"

"So, what do you say, dear?" Philip chimed in. "Is it settled?"

"I have one quota that is still unfulfilled," Lady Iris crossed her arms and made eye contact with me.

"W-what may it be, your majesty?"

"Can you protect Olivia from harm?"

It was a simple question, yet it was difficult to answer.

Everyone turned to me for an answer, even Olivia was curious. Philip, who was so kind to me, now looked at me with a stern gaze.

"With all honesty, your majesty… I feel as though I lack in many aspects when it comes to protecting someone," I said, avoiding eye contact. "There is a lot for me to learn in terms of fighting,"

Lily's eyes widen as I admit my own failure. Though I could've answered easily, saying I can protect her, I felt as though being truthful would be the best.

"I cannot fight as well as some except. I'm not fluent in the art of sword fighting, nor is my magic that strong." I looked down at the ground and answered, taking the guilt in as my pride is stripped from me.

"So, what are you good at?" Philip asked, his anger being expressed in his voice.

"I'm only good with daggers. It's more natural to me."

The room fell quiet. I could feel Philip's disappointment and Lady Iris' eyes burrowing holes in me.

Damn, it… I'm sorry, Artorius… I should've lied.

I looked back up with determined eyes and a strange passion that resonated in me. "Even still, your majesty," I turned to Lady Iris "I swear on my family's name, I'll do my best to protect her."

"Hm, your answer is more than enough," Her Majesty answered with a sinister smirk.

LEO'S POV

We had ventured far into the cave. What we found, was not just a rich cave full of minerals to exploit. But it was a lost civilization.

After traversing for hours, we finally made it to the end of the cave. At one point, I thought it was infinite, leading to the centre of the earth.

"General… This is astonishing…" Mateu walked up from behind me and voiced his reaction.

In front of us lay a ruined city, deep within the cave. The cave was lush with a waterfall echoing around the walls. A stream of fresh water winded around and gently flowed through the cave.

"Our journey is over," I turned around and announced. "It is with deep regret that I have to say this but… we cannot explore this place, "

Mixed reactions came from the group, as expected. Many were eager to explore while others were worried, fearing the worst.

"General, I wish to rebuttal this," One soldier voiced himself bravely.

"Speak,"

He was of formidable height and physique. The soldier slowly walked forward, gently shoving past his mates and standing in front of them.

"General, don't you think this is risky?"

"It is risky, obviously,"

"Then, why don't we, as the elite force, take measures to make this a much more secure area? It is our duty to protect, even if it means dying in the process,"

The soldier had wit and bravery. His dark brown eyes showed glints of valour and intelligence.

"Hmm, you're not wrong at all, brave soldier," I held my chin and voiced out. "Let us do a poll,"

The soldiers began to whisper amongst each other. Many were unsure and uneasy.

"Come forth and stand beside me if you wish to explore,"

Within a heartbeat, many marched forward. Leaving the small number of fearful soldiers behind at the mouth of the cave.

"Seems like it's a landslide,"

It would be dangerous to group everyone. There are only ten who wish to not explore the caves. While there are 50 who do.

"The ten of you, stay here and set up camp," I commanded. "We are a group of fifty men. We can split into five small groups and pick an area we wish to explore,"

Triumphant cheers filled the quiet caves and echoed throughout. Dangers may lie ahead but the casualties may be higher if less experienced explorers were to face off a dangerous enemy.

The worst we have faced is a troll. A rare creature to find. Yet, I doubt that is the worst of all creatures here.

All signs indicate danger. But, my greed for knowledge is evergrowing. It grows and growls as I stared at the city lost to time.

"Split into groups of 5 now," I said with a menacing smirk. "Let's find some history,"

In an instant, everyone split into 5 groups. No one had any arguments about who is with them. Most were looking forward to exploring.

"Great! Now pick a leader,"

All hell broke loose when I mentioned the word "leader." No one could decide on their own.

"Hold it!" I shut off any arguments that were forming. "Who has the most experience in caves here?"

Luckily, these dogs were obedient and only answered if they were certain. There were around seven hands raised.

"Five of the most experienced out of you swap with one who hasn't raised their hand," I commanded.

The obedient pets began to shift around, moving to different squads and becoming the leader.

"If any of you leaders have lied to get the position, you will be punished severely," I turned to them and gave a warning.

They did not flinch at my warning. It was a good sign but I doubted it.

"You will take responsibility for your group wholeheartedly. If any casualties happen, you are to blame. If your squad is wiped, you must go down with it. If you face danger, you must decide whether to run or face it. Beware, make decisions with your head, not your pride,"

As a general, I did all I could to make them realise their responsibility. If they still do not understand it, I hope the Gods above will look after them.

"Right!" I shouted to get the attention of all men. "Spread out and seek out for danger, not for artifacts to take home as a gift,"

"Yes sir!" The group shouted in unison.

The groups left in an organized manner, or as organized as it can be. Most of them were not in marching formation anymore, made to be in a group of ten instead. They are free to move around on their own but stick to the group.

"General, won't you explore?" Mateu, one of the soldiers who wished to stay behind asked.

"Yes, I will," I smiled. "I wish to go alone,"

He awkwardly laughed and scratched his head. "I see! Not much of a group worker,"

"I never wished to work in a group, Mateu," I turned to face him. "I only wished to be a general because of the power it gave me, not because of loyalty to his majesty,"

Mateu's face went from a smile to fear. A slip of the tongue, I must say.

"Ah, forget I said that," I told him before turning around. "Let's not speak of this moment in the future, eh?"

FELIX'S POV

A warm and comforting fire crackled in front of me. Three of us sat under a starry night sky and said no words so far.

After the argument Vincent and I had, we decided to pack our bags and leave for the camp. Lucky for us, we found a train right as we arrived. It took us to the capital within two hours.

Zenith wasn't informed of our arrival. But, he quickly had a tent set up before night had fallen.

Vincent and Zenith both have trouble sleeping at night. Zenith has been scarred by his past. It haunts him in his sleep. No matter what he does, he can never fall asleep

Vincent, on the other hand, cannot sleep due to fear. He's anxious about tomorrow.

Unanimously, we decided to sit outside in the empty camp at midnight. At first, it was Vincent who came out, followed by me. A while later, Zenith took notice of the fire and stepped outside to investigate.

A pack of wolves howled in the distance, alerting their fellows of prey or nearby danger. The silence was filled with the ambient crackling of the fire that Vincent had lit up.

Zenith stared deeply into the fire. It was as if he never saw fire. His eyes were dreadful to stare at. Gloomy darkness covered his eyes as they barely squint open.

I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the silence we shared. It had been ten minutes since we gathered and no one spoke a word.

"Zenith, how was your time as a royal guard," I spoke out, breaking the silence.

"Horrible, really horrible," He answered back in a hoarse voice.

"You haven't told us much about your days as a wee lad," Vincent spoke out. "Would you be so kind as to say the details of the happier side of your life?"

"It's been far too long for me to remember," Zenith turned to Vincent. "I cannot recall the friendly faces,"

Feeling insensitive, Vincent bit his lip and spoke no further. Zenith, however, seemed fine to talk about his past.

"The three of us share a similar story, no?" I smiled to lighten the mood. "All three of us had an early tragedy that changed who we are as a person,"

The two of them turned to me and gawked as if I said something controversial.

"Huh, I never realised that," Vincent smiled as well. "We are all the same people who took different paths,"

Zenith shied away, hiding his face. Strange for someone like him.

"Zenith? Are you feeling alright?" I asked him.

"Sorry, I just recalled a memory," He uttered.

"You should take a rest," Vincent added. "The stress of leading a band of men must be hard,"

"Not at all…" He turned around and sighed. "They're all well-behaved men, obedient and loyal,"

"We should get something to eat," I voiced The idea that came to my mind.

"Think the entire camp will wake up at the smell of food," Vincent said sarcastically.

"All we can have right now is bread," Zenith voiced. "Meat is scarce and any other food product is unavailable,"

"You mean there's no fruits either?" Vincent exclaimed in shock.

"Not really," Zenith shrugged. "There aren't any fruit trees. Even if there were any, birds would eat all the food anyways."

The three of us soon fall quiet. None of us had anything to talk about. Maybe we did but no one wished to voice their thoughts.

A gentle and cool gust of wind breezed past, blowing the fire's smoke into my face. I squint and close my eyes, irritated by mother nature's wrath against me.

Perhaps the three of us would pass the night like this.