"very well said Charles." He said in a commanding but cold voice, one that seemed to tear the the very eardrums of Charles and James.
Alexander's footsteps were the only thing that could be heard in the loud silence of the room, Charles and James didn't dare make a move as he slowly approached his reserved sit.
Each step he took was commanding and gave the both of them an illusion that the world around them was shaking, the vast and raw mana that erupted from him made it difficult for Charles and James to breathe.
He sat down on his chair.
"I wanted to arrive early today. But you both foiled my plan." Alexander spoke in a cold voice.
"How are you both doing?" Alexander asked, his gaze focused on the empty table below him, his face was twisted as he wondered why the table was empty.
'huh? Why are they both silent? Is the hunger that much for them?' Alexander asked himself as he didn't get any response from Charles and James.
They were completely petrified.
'oh? My mistake. I'm still a bit agitated from my light spar with Oreros at the palace. I forgot to withdraw my raw mana.' Alexander thought to himself as he facepalmed his forehead.
He retracted the overwhelming pressure that seemed to squeeze the heart of Charles and James in a second.
"You can speak now." Alex said in a commanding voice.
'he-he's on another level!' Charles thought as he saw Alex acting Non chalantly, like he wasn't releasing killer energy just seconds ago.
"I almost died just now Alexander." Charles said as his breathing was heavy mixed with pantings and he was sweating profusely, still trying to recover from the mess Alex had put him in.
"..." Alexander was quietly staring at Charles who was struggling to breathe.
'what? Does he want to die?' James thought as he watched the exchange of words between Charles and Alex.
"I believe you're not that weak Charles." Alex said as he folded his arms to look at James.
'you have the flames of eternity with you.' Alex smirked as he thought.
"And you James, how have your training been going? Any progress? I'm still waiting for the good news." Alex said in an oddly warm voice.
"Y-yes, I'm on the verge of breaking through to third circle, I just need a little more training, I have the knowledge and Enlightenment." James spoke carefully, not to anger Alex.
"Hmmmm, that's not what I expected from you." Alexander said coldly.
James's eyes widened, he then narrowed his eyes and bent his head down.
"I'll try to do better, Father." James said. H called him father because in this conversation, he was speaking as a father does to his child not as the head of the Flameworth's.
Alexander simply ignored James, he acted like he didn't hear him and turned to focus on Charles.
'so he's the only one that's interesting, is that it?' James thought as he gnarled, shooting a dangerous glare at Charles.
Charles caught wind of the messyJames was trying to send with his glare and smirked.
"Alexander... Don't you think it's about time?" Charles said as he sat down properly, adjusting his body to sit down well on the chair.
"Time? For what?" Alexander's face twisted from confusion.
"My gift. I defeated someone older than me." Charles said shamelessly with a straight face.
Alex smiled a smile that went ear to ear, trying hard to stop himself from bursting out in laughter like a maniac.
"Is this how you greet me?" Alex asked Charles.
"It's always been this way between us." Charles replied sharply.
'just what is Going on between this two?' James was bewildered as he watched them banter words.
"Well well well, the patriarch is back huh?" Jiley stepped into the dining room, his presence not worth mentioning, he was looking as drunk as he usually looked, there was someone who accompanying him, it was another person with red hair and red eyes, a girl.
'another Flameworth?' Charles thought.
"Jiley." Alex said.
"Papa!" Jiley said loudly.
Alexander rubbed his eyes with his fingers, trying to relieve his frustration with Jiley.
"I didn't even know you were home papa!!" Jiley walked towards the chair closest to Alex.
"Where the hell is the food?" He sat down and was wondering what everyone else was wondering, where the food was.
'this girl.. she looks like a teenager, about seventeen or so, she's not too tall, she's reaching Jiley around his shoulders and Jiley is almost ths same height as Alex who's 6'5, so she's not short. However, she gives off a strange vibe. a weird feeling indeed.' Charles analyzed her, something he had learnt from McGregor, he had taught him to always properly analyze his opponents and spot out any weak points, but Charles analyzed any and everything.
'she's strong, no matter how much she tries to hide it, I can feel that hot mana radiating from her. My extra senses really do pick hidden things up. But.... What is her name?'
Charles pondered and thought about why he had never heard of her since he was born.
"Sit down Kiara. You are no longer a bodyguard, you are the daughter of the house of Flameworth." Alex beckoned on the girl, she was named Kiara, he told her to sit down and abandon her rigid attitude like that of a soldier waiting for instructions on the corner.
'Ah? The lightning fast fire mage? Kiara? I've heard about her from Jennette, I believe it was the time when Jennette was so bubbly about taking care of me, she used to feed my ear with useless stories then.
'thi girl has been trained from childhood, like me and she was trained untill she became a fourth circle and sent to the emperor as a temporary soldier to gain experience as she was stronger and more better than all her mates, she needed more experience, even the royal academy couldn't teach her anything anymore, she's a prodigy.
'but she was stuck as the body guard for the first prince of the Empire. I feel bad for her.' Charles thought as he stroked his chin, a bad habit he had formed, as he forgot that he was beardless.
"Weren't you all having a conversation before we came in? Continue!" Jiley broke the temporary silence with his bold laughter and excited exclaims.
Kiara, who was sitting opposite Charles kept staring at him.
Charles was feeling uncomfortable, he knew that the red hairs were a symbol of discomfort to him, so he was already getting agitated, and her hair was longer than the others, because well, she was a girl.
"What?" Charles asked Kiara.
"How are you a Flameworth? Aren't you a fraud?" Kiara replied almost instantly, like she had been waiting for him to ask, she spoke in a sarcastic tone that can only be spoken by one who has mastered the art of emo to the fullest, like a goth.
'???'
"???"
"..."
Silence fell in the room with the question that Kiara presented.
END OF CHAPTER