The information gleaned from his [Soul Mirror] skill gave him an invaluable head start, not on the Emperor, but on the true power behind the scenes. The assassin's flight confird that this secret was vital.
"The Emperor is soone else's puppet..." he muttered, clenching his fists.
Nox stood up, disregarding the pursuit. The assassin was a pawn, and so was the Emperor. Now he knew that with what he knew, he was no longer safe in any empire.
But this was not a problem for Nox, as he already had a solution.
"Pursuing is not necessary. The assassin will return if he's a professional, but his mission failed. Tilda is the priority. I should go to Ralia to explain everything to her; if I don't get there quickly, Lyra and Tilda risk taking initiatives that could harm my escape plan and put them in danger."
He headed towards the dungeon exit, ignoring the panicked screams of the other prisoners.
He knew he had to act fast, as every minute counted. He sneaked out of the palace and walked towards a dark alley in the city.
Then, as he entered the alley, he pulled a large mirror out of his spatial ring.
"I'm coming, Tilda," he said, taking a deep breath.
As he infused his mana into the mirror, it began to shine. The mirror, which had until then reflected Nox, instantly changed.
On the mirror's interface, there was no longer a reflection of Nox, but a room. A large, spacious, dimly lit chamber could be seen.
Nox smiled at the sight of the room. And when he touched the interface, he was absorbed, finding himself in the chamber he had been observing earlier.
He found himself in a spacious room with stone walls and a high ceiling. The light was dim, but he could see that the room was tastefully decorated, with tapestries and dark wood furniture. There was a large bed in the center of the room, with black silk sheets and feather pillows.
Nox smiled, satisfied that the room was just as he had left it. He walked to the bed and sat down, feeling the comfort of the sheets and pillows. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and allowed himself to relax.
But he didn't remain still for long. He got up and headed towards a hidden door behind a tapestry. He opened it and entered an adjacent room, which was filled with maps and docunts. There was a large desk in the center of the room, with a leather chair behind it.
Nox sat down on the chair and began to examine the docunts on the desk. There were reports on the Emperor's movents, information on guilds and secret organizations, and plans for his escape.
He smiled, satisfied that everything was in order. He grabbed a few docunts and, without further ado, left the room.
No sooner had he left his room than the noises of the tavern's custors assailed him, reminding him that he was no longer in his soundproof chamber.
It was very late, yet custors continued to stream into his tavern, judging by the noise.
"This place is still as lively as ever, I see," he murmured. "Business is doing well too."
Nox scanned the basent before his gaze settled on a person in assassin attire who was making his rounds. At the sight of Nox, he approached him, bowing slightly.
"Mister, welco. We thought you'd arrive tomorrow," he said in a polite tone.
Nox inspected him briefly. "Drop the Mister and just call Nox," he replied. "Lyra is around, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is in his office."
"Understood."
The young man in assassin attire was already about to leave when Nox called out to him.
"And Princess Tilda? Where is she?" he asked in a asured voice.
"She and her personal guard have been placed in room 4 of the VIP section."
"I see."
Without further delay, he headed towards the room where Tilda was.
The young assassin bowed slightly and withdrew, leaving Nox alone in the basent. He walked towards room 4 of the VIP section, his step determined.
When he arrived at the door, he stopped for a mont to take a deep breath. He knew Tilda was safe now, but when he thought of all the trials she had to go through to get here, his heart tightened.
He opened the door and entered the room. Tilda was sitting on a sofa, reading a book. She looked up and saw Nox, and her face lit up with a smile.
"Nox!" she exclaid, getting up to throw herself into his arms.
Nox turned towards Tilda.
"Are you okay?" he asked, embracing her, his face worried.
Tilda nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine," she whispered, nestling against him.
Nox held her tight, relieved to see her safe.
"Tilda, I'm sorry I left you alone," he whispered in her ear. "Tilda, you are my priority," he said, hugging her tighter.
"I know," she murmured, standing on her toes to kiss him.
Tilda smiled, her heart overflowing with love for him.
Tilda pulled back and looked him in the eyes.
"You seem to have sweated a lot, Nox. Lyra and his n protected well. But what is going on? Tell everything, don't omit any details."
Nox took a deep breath and began to explain the situation to Tilda.
"The Emperor of Kyralia, since I won't ally with him, is trying to kill . I knew he didn't like and was plotting unclear things, but I ignored it because I knew I could defend myself. I thought things were that simple. Unfortunately, I didn't know it would extend to you," he said, his face taking on a sad look.
"Tilda, if you've been a victim of an assassin, it's because of and our baby. The Emperor of Kyralia is controlled by soone or a third party who believes our baby is so kind of chosen one they must kill for unknown reasons. Moreover, from what I've learned, our world will face destruction in 20 years."
Tilda listened to Nox with an expression of shock and fear. She placed a hand on her belly, as if to protect the baby.
"Oh, Nox, I'm sorry," she said, her voice trembling. "I didn't know things were so serious. Why didn't you tell anything?"
Nox took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You might not believe . But not long ago, I myself was unaware of all this. I thought everything revolved around .
Certainly, thanks to so information, I suspected that sothing was wrong with the emperors of both empires, but I didn't know about the existence of a secret organization and all their sches."
Tilda continued to look at him without speaking.
"You are part of royalty, and I wanted to protect you, Tilda. I didn't want you to put yourself in danger for . But I realize now that it was a mistake. I shouldn't have hidden any information from you, especially when it concerns you more or less directly."
Tilda turned her back on Nox. "You know, I am deeply hurt. Today, while we were fleeing, while Lyra and Johan were talking about the plan, I was confused. It felt like you were manipulating us as you pleased," she said in a calm voice in which anger could be felt.
She turned around, her face crumpled as her voice broke. "I understand you want to protect but Nox, if ever..."
Tilda didn't finish her sentence when Nox gently pulled her towards him to embrace her.
"Calm down, my darling. I won't hide anything from you anymore. Ask anything you want, and I will tell you," Nox said while Tilda's emotions were still agitated.
Tilda let herself go into Nox's arms, feeling a mixture of relief and anger. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"Why did you create this guild, Nox?" she asked, regaining control of her emotions. "Who is this Lyra?"
Nox sat her down on the bed in the room.
"I created this guild because I wanted to know where my father had gone when he disappeared without a trace. What had happened to him. I wanted to know the truth about this whole story. It was an information guild, but over ti, since it was run by an assassin, we started offering both services."
Tilda recoiled and looked him in the eyes. "I see. Assassination services, huh? Is that why you hadn't told anything about this place?"
Nox lowered his eyes, ashad.
"I'm sorry, Tilda. I know you are an honest person who advocates for righteousness and justice, so I was a little worried about your reaction if I told you this. But don't worry, all assassination missions are analyzed before being accepted. I'm truly sorry for having hurt you."
Tilda looked at him for a mont, then nodded. "Okay, Nox. I believe you. But you must promise one thing: you must not hide things from anymore, especially if it concerns us. I want to be strong for you, for us. We must work together."
Nox smiled, relieved. "I promise you, Tilda. We are a team, from now on."
Tilda smiled, nodding. "Nox, I inford my mother of the situation just before you arrived."
"I see. They are your parents, they have the right to know. I hope she will be careful not to attract the attention of prying eyes," he replied.
"I also need to present myself to your parents to discuss the marriage. I can't wait to see my in-laws," he continued, smiling.
Tilda's face flushed. "Calm down, Nox. Let's finish dealing with the current problem first," Tilda murmured. "Nox, what is your plan for the future?"
Nox's smile widened even more. "Ah, Tilda, you are always so pragmatic. But I can't help but think about our future together."
He composed himself and adopted a more serious tone. "To answer your question, I have already put a plan in place to get us out of Kyralia. We are going to the Nefaria Forest to re-create a village where we will prepare to fight against this organization that controls both empires."
Tilda nodded, her face thoughtful. "I see," she replied.
Nox looked at her. "Aren't you afraid? Aren't you calling crazy?"
Tilda seed amused by his response. "Well, if you're crazy, then I'm crazy too."
Nox stood up and held out his hand to Tilda.
"Let's go, my darling. Let's go inform Lyra and the others."
Nox took Tilda's hand, and together, they went to see Lyra to explain the final plan.
"The Nefaria Forest?" he yelled when he heard Nox notify him, but eventually, after seeing Nox's plans, he fell silent.
Tilda, anwhile, smiled when she saw his reaction.
"Yes, don't worry, I've already taken care of everything a long ti ago. Go wake the others up and let them know to get ready to move."
"Okay," he replied, leaving the room to accomplish his task without wasting any ti.
In this deep night, after waking everyone up and explaining the situation, under Nox's guidance, the group was directed to enter the forbidden forest, the Nefaria Forest, for an unknown destination.
...
A/N: A big thank you to @Rick_Freeman and @Dustin_lee_Self for the golden ticket. Support like this touches my heart deeply.
Reviews
All reviews (0)