Chapter 230
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The next day, Ophelia appeared at the Cookie Sect again, almost as if she was possessed.
She would usually have tried to play coy as she avoided making herself seem as if she was too eager, but for some reason, she actually found herself heading to the café again without putting much thought into it.
Surprisingly, the café was half empty, and even the half of the women that sat inside the café looked dispirited and lifeless, as if they were only hanging on by sheer willpower alone.
It was a stark contrast to the usual high-spirited and longing gazes that they used when looking at Alexander's peaceful face.
Ophelia was briefly confused, and she had a bad feeling seeing their reactions.
Immediately, she looked around, and sure enough, the spot that Alexander was supposed to always sit at was glaringly empty.
There were various ladies casting sad eyes at the empty seat.
Ophelia rolled her eyes.
They were acting like someone had died.
At that thought, the princess felt a sudden surge of anxiety.
He couldn't have died, could he?
Surely her father or her brothers didn't hear that she'd humiliated herself in front of a man, thus dispatching those under them to 'take care' of him?
Hurriedly, Ophelia left the shop, glaring harshly at the guard that was accompanying her for the day.
"Hurry up and prepare the carriage!" she commanded, before stopping. "Wait, no. Bring me to that bookstore!"
They made their way to the store at a quick pace, but unfortunately, the bookstore indeed did not contain Alexander's shadow inside, and Ophelia hurriedly left, feeling as if something was chasing her, urging her to go faster.
What was this?
Why was she feeling like this for a man she'd only just met?
She didn't understand what she was feeling, but there was a bad feeling that was born inside her for the first time when it concerned someone else's problems.
Ophelia bit her lips and boarded the carriage again, fire in her eyes.
"Back to the palace!" she commanded, and the carriage started moving quickly without any outside interference.
She was halfway back when she calmed down slightly, her rationality returning to her.
No… it shouldn't have anything to do with her family. How could they have found out, anyway? So just where was he?
There was an itchy feeling in her heart now that she'd calmed down a little.
Hmph. To think that a man was making her chase him. She must have been possessed, acting like that.
How could she act so out of character like that?
Ophelia still returned to the palace in a huff, no longer in the mood for any fun.
She very consciously didn't ask her family whether or not they did anything to Alexander.
-Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-
Alec was taking an off day for himself.
It was likely that soon, he wouldn't be able to do it anymore, so he was spending it away from any disturbances that he was going to face before it all started.
And, by that, he meant that he holed up in his room, relaxing and working on his seals and whatever projects that he wouldn't be able to physically touch for a while.
Alec hummed, in a strangely good mood. But he knew it wouldn't last. There were probably no end of idiots in the palace, and he wouldn't be in any position to take action any time soon.
"Ye Sha, were you able to detect anything strange going on with the princess?"
Ye Sha shook his head. "Not from her, no, but the guard that came with her was watching her actions strangely intently. I figure he's probably in either the emperor's pocket or one of her brothers."
Hm. There was nothing wrong with that, but Alec was surprised that they even bothered to place one of them so near the princess. Yet, the princess didn't seem to care one bit about it.
Was there something more to this, or was she just completely oblivious?
Somehow, he couldn't help but feel like this situation was more complex than he thought.
Was there also infighting regarding the decision to attack the Neil Clan, or was it something else?
He didn't have answers right now, but he also couldn't hurry up how he reeled the princess in.
It was better to have steady results in the future rather than botch it up for a bit of quick success.
Anyway, based on the information that he was receiving from the Cookie Sect, as well as his own observations, he didn't think that they were taking action any time soon.
They hadn't even started stocking up on grain or other things that were necessary in a war, which he found strange as well.
He'd been looking to see whether or not any of the ledgers had been fabricated, but as far as he could tell, it hadn't been altered – other than some of the owners fudging things for their own personal benefit, that was.
Ye Sha watched silently as his friend was lost in thought even when he was thinking about what he was working on. There was something strange about watching his usually serious friend relax on his so-called 'day off'.
Apparently, he only did it once a year, where he didn't do anything but what he wanted to do, but Ye Sha could completely see no difference in what he was doing now compared to what he did daily.
However, Alec did seem strangely relaxed compared to his usually upright frame when he worked, so whatever suited him.
Whatever worked for his strange friend, he supposed?
Ye Sha could not wait for the upcoming drama that he would have front row seats for.
-Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.
Thea had completely blended into the city, working as a bartender at an upper scale bar that was only frequented by the nobles.
The bar was set up in a fancy and gaudy way, with its bright lights and crystal chandeliers all over the place.
Each private room had a terribly fancy chandelier that looked like it cost more than one employee's entire year of wages.
Thea just found it pretentious and tacky.
If they had that much money, then why didn't the bar look like something classier, instead of just flinging money at the designers that seemed to be wringing out the money from the owners?
Not only that, the people that visited this place weren't any good either.
She'd never once seen a proper group that visited this place, but she supposed that was just as well.
This place had the reputation for housing the rich scions that liked to waste their life away.
Clearly, they were here to drink and make a ruckus like everyone else, yet they still refused to even consider the possibility of mingling with the commoners.
The behaviour of those rich scions that visited this bar was obviously pretty much the same as those that they deemed lower than them, but they still acted as if they were high and mighty.
They still bragged the same way, made lewd remarks about which noble lady was prettier or whatnot, etc.
There was a crash as the sound of glass shattering reached her ears, and Thea quietly sighed.
See?
Even their drunken actions were the same.
But still, the reason why she chose this bar was because the first prince was a frequent customer here, and the nobles that frequented this place never paid attention to the staff.
It was almost like they didn't even treat the staff here as human.
On the plus side, the employees were always happy to work here since they got high pay, and the nobles never once touched them regardless of how they looked.
Thea quietly did her work as she mingled with the employees here, learning about the gossip about various nobles.
Since so many of them talked freely the more they got alcohol in them, there were always plenty of sordid details that one didn't hear normally.
Thea walked into the room on the far left with a dustpan, where the sounds of the glass breaking originated from.
The inhabitants of the room paid her no attention, and Thea habitually pressed her presence even lower as she bent down towards the shattered glass.
There were five inhabitants in the room, and they were all inebriated. With red faces and wobbly steps, they made the perfect picture of drunks.
Thea's eyes flashed when she realized that one of those drunkards was the first prince, one of the regular patrons.
He was also the one whom she heard the information about the future attack on the Neil Clan from.
Thea swept up the glass at a normal pace, keeping an ear out for their conversations.
"-hit those bastards with me," the first prince slurred.
His friend on the right nodded so deeply that he stumbled lightly, before bursting into laughter, obviously drunk. "Oooof course, you-ur highness! The royal family has our full support!"
Thea finished sweeping up the glass and quietly left, making sure not to prolong her presence in the room.
When she left, the eyes of the first prince sharpened a little, even as his face remained red.
He looked at her back with a thoughtful expression, only for it to be broken by the loud laughter of the other nobles.
He tipped back the bottle, drinking directly from it, getting calls of admiration from his followers, the dazed, tipsy look sliding back onto his face.
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The next day, Ophelia appeared at the Cookie Sect again, almost as if she was possessed.
She would usually have tried to play coy as she avoided making herself seem as if she was too eager, but for some reason, she actually found herself heading to the café again without putting much thought into it.
Surprisingly, the café was half empty, and even the half of the women that sat inside the café looked dispirited and lifeless, as if they were only hanging on by sheer willpower alone.
It was a stark contrast to the usual high-spirited and longing gazes that they used when looking at Alexander's peaceful face.
Ophelia was briefly confused, and she had a bad feeling seeing their reactions.
Immediately, she looked around, and sure enough, the spot that Alexander was supposed to always sit at was glaringly empty.
There were various ladies casting sad eyes at the empty seat.
Ophelia rolled her eyes.
They were acting like someone had died.
At that thought, the princess felt a sudden surge of anxiety.
He couldn't have died, could he?
Surely her father or her brothers didn't hear that she'd humiliated herself in front of a man, thus dispatching those under them to 'take care' of him?
Hurriedly, Ophelia left the shop, glaring harshly at the guard that was accompanying her for the day.
"Hurry up and prepare the carriage!" she commanded, before stopping. "Wait, no. Bring me to that bookstore!"
They made their way to the store at a quick pace, but unfortunately, the bookstore indeed did not contain Alexander's shadow inside, and Ophelia hurriedly left, feeling as if something was chasing her, urging her to go faster.
What was this?
Why was she feeling like this for a man she'd only just met?
She didn't understand what she was feeling, but there was a bad feeling that was born inside her for the first time when it concerned someone else's problems.
Ophelia bit her lips and boarded the carriage again, fire in her eyes.
"Back to the palace!" she commanded, and the carriage started moving quickly without any outside interference.
She was halfway back when she calmed down slightly, her rationality returning to her.
No… it shouldn't have anything to do with her family. How could they have found out, anyway? So just where was he?
There was an itchy feeling in her heart now that she'd calmed down a little.
Hmph. To think that a man was making her chase him. She must have been possessed, acting like that.
How could she act so out of character like that?
Ophelia still returned to the palace in a huff, no longer in the mood for any fun.
She very consciously didn't ask her family whether or not they did anything to Alexander.
-Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-
Alec was taking an off day for himself.
It was likely that soon, he wouldn't be able to do it anymore, so he was spending it away from any disturbances that he was going to face before it all started.
And, by that, he meant that he holed up in his room, relaxing and working on his seals and whatever projects that he wouldn't be able to physically touch for a while.
Alec hummed, in a strangely good mood. But he knew it wouldn't last. There were probably no end of idiots in the palace, and he wouldn't be in any position to take action any time soon.
"Ye Sha, were you able to detect anything strange going on with the princess?"
Ye Sha shook his head. "Not from her, no, but the guard that came with her was watching her actions strangely intently. I figure he's probably in either the emperor's pocket or one of her brothers."
Hm. There was nothing wrong with that, but Alec was surprised that they even bothered to place one of them so near the princess. Yet, the princess didn't seem to care one bit about it.
Was there something more to this, or was she just completely oblivious?
Somehow, he couldn't help but feel like this situation was more complex than he thought.
Was there also infighting regarding the decision to attack the Neil Clan, or was it something else?
He didn't have answers right now, but he also couldn't hurry up how he reeled the princess in.
It was better to have steady results in the future rather than botch it up for a bit of quick success.
Anyway, based on the information that he was receiving from the Cookie Sect, as well as his own observations, he didn't think that they were taking action any time soon.
They hadn't even started stocking up on grain or other things that were necessary in a war, which he found strange as well.
He'd been looking to see whether or not any of the ledgers had been fabricated, but as far as he could tell, it hadn't been altered – other than some of the owners fudging things for their own personal benefit, that was.
Ye Sha watched silently as his friend was lost in thought even when he was thinking about what he was working on. There was something strange about watching his usually serious friend relax on his so-called 'day off'.
Apparently, he only did it once a year, where he didn't do anything but what he wanted to do, but Ye Sha could completely see no difference in what he was doing now compared to what he did daily.
However, Alec did seem strangely relaxed compared to his usually upright frame when he worked, so whatever suited him.
Whatever worked for his strange friend, he supposed?
Ye Sha could not wait for the upcoming drama that he would have front row seats for.
-Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.
Thea had completely blended into the city, working as a bartender at an upper scale bar that was only frequented by the nobles.
The bar was set up in a fancy and gaudy way, with its bright lights and crystal chandeliers all over the place.
Each private room had a terribly fancy chandelier that looked like it cost more than one employee's entire year of wages.
Thea just found it pretentious and tacky.
If they had that much money, then why didn't the bar look like something classier, instead of just flinging money at the designers that seemed to be wringing out the money from the owners?
Not only that, the people that visited this place weren't any good either.
She'd never once seen a proper group that visited this place, but she supposed that was just as well.
This place had the reputation for housing the rich scions that liked to waste their life away.
Clearly, they were here to drink and make a ruckus like everyone else, yet they still refused to even consider the possibility of mingling with the commoners.
The behaviour of those rich scions that visited this bar was obviously pretty much the same as those that they deemed lower than them, but they still acted as if they were high and mighty.
They still bragged the same way, made lewd remarks about which noble lady was prettier or whatnot, etc.
There was a crash as the sound of glass shattering reached her ears, and Thea quietly sighed.
See?
Even their drunken actions were the same.
But still, the reason why she chose this bar was because the first prince was a frequent customer here, and the nobles that frequented this place never paid attention to the staff.
It was almost like they didn't even treat the staff here as human.
On the plus side, the employees were always happy to work here since they got high pay, and the nobles never once touched them regardless of how they looked.
Thea quietly did her work as she mingled with the employees here, learning about the gossip about various nobles.
Since so many of them talked freely the more they got alcohol in them, there were always plenty of sordid details that one didn't hear normally.
Thea walked into the room on the far left with a dustpan, where the sounds of the glass breaking originated from.
The inhabitants of the room paid her no attention, and Thea habitually pressed her presence even lower as she bent down towards the shattered glass.
There were five inhabitants in the room, and they were all inebriated. With red faces and wobbly steps, they made the perfect picture of drunks.
Thea's eyes flashed when she realized that one of those drunkards was the first prince, one of the regular patrons.
He was also the one whom she heard the information about the future attack on the Neil Clan from.
Thea swept up the glass at a normal pace, keeping an ear out for their conversations.
"-hit those bastards with me," the first prince slurred.
His friend on the right nodded so deeply that he stumbled lightly, before bursting into laughter, obviously drunk. "Oooof course, you-ur highness! The royal family has our full support!"
Thea finished sweeping up the glass and quietly left, making sure not to prolong her presence in the room.
When she left, the eyes of the first prince sharpened a little, even as his face remained red.
He looked at her back with a thoughtful expression, only for it to be broken by the loud laughter of the other nobles.
He tipped back the bottle, drinking directly from it, getting calls of admiration from his followers, the dazed, tipsy look sliding back onto his face.
The next day, Ophelia appeared at the Cookie Sect again, almost as if she was possessed.She would usually have tried to play coy as she avoided making herself seem as if she was too eager, but for some reason, she actually found herself heading to the caf again without putting much thought into it.Surprisingly, the caf was half empty, and even the half of the women that sat inside the caf looked dispirited and lifeless, as if they were only hanging on by sheer willpower alone.It was a stark contrast to the usual high-spirited and longing gazes that they used when looking at Alexander's peaceful face.Ophelia was briefly confused, and she had a bad feeling seeing their reactions.Immediately, she looked around, and sure enough, the spot that Alexander was supposed to always sit at was glaringly empty.There were various ladies casting sad eyes at the empty seat.Ophelia rolled her eyes.They were acting like someone had died.At that thought, the princess felt a sudden surge of anxiety.He couldn't have died, could he?Surely her father or her brothers didn't hear that she'd humiliated herself in front of a man, thus dispatching those under them to 'take care' of him?Hurriedly, Ophelia left the shop, glaring harshly at the guard that was accompanying her for the day."Hurry up and prepare the carriage!" she commanded, before stopping. "Wait, no. Bring me to that bookstore!"They made their way to the store at a quick pace, but unfortunately, the bookstore indeed did not contain Alexander's shadow inside, and Ophelia hurriedly left, feeling as if something was chasing her, urging her to go faster.What was this?Why was she feeling like this for a man she'd only just met?She didn't understand what she was feeling, but there was a bad feeling that was born inside her for the first time when it concerned someone else's problems.Ophelia bit her lips and boarded the carriage again, fire in her eyes."Back to the palace!" she commanded, and the carriage started moving quickly without any outside interference.She was halfway back when she calmed down slightly, her rationality returning to her.No it shouldn't have anything to do with her family. How could they have found out, anyway? So just where was he?There was an itchy feeling in her heart now that she'd calmed down a little.Hmph. To think that a man was making her chase him. She must have been possessed, acting like that.How could she act so out of character like that?Ophelia still returned to the palace in a huff, no longer in the mood for any fun.She very consciously didn't ask her family whether or not they did anything to Alexander.-Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.-Alec was taking an off day for himself.It was likely that soon, he wouldn't be able to do it anymore, so he was spending it away from any disturbances that he was going to face before it all started.And, by that, he meant that he holed up in his room, relaxing and working on his seals and whatever projects that he wouldn't be able to physically touch for a while.Alec hummed, in a strangely good mood. But he knew it wouldn't last. There were probably no end of idiots in the palace, and he wouldn't be in any position to take action any time soon."Ye Sha, were you able to detect anything strange going on with the princess?"Ye Sha shook his head. "Not from her, no, but the guard that came with her was watching her actions strangely intently. I figure he's probably in either the emperor's pocket or one of her brothers."Hm. There was nothing wrong with that, but Alec was surprised that they even bothered to place one of them so near the princess. Yet, the princess didn't seem to care one bit about it.Was there something more to this, or was she just completely oblivious?Somehow, he couldn't help but feel like this situation was more complex than he thought.Was there also infighting regarding the decision to attack the Neil Clan, or was it something else?He didn't have answers right now, but he also couldn't hurry up how he reeled the princess in.It was better to have steady results in the future rather than botch it up for a bit of quick success.Anyway, based on the information that he was receiving from the Cookie Sect, as well as his own observations, he didn't think that they were taking action any time soon.They hadn't even started stocking up on grain or other things that were necessary in a war, which he found strange as well.He'd been looking to see whether or not any of the ledgers had been fabricated, but as far as he could tell, it hadn't been altered other than some of the owners fudging things for their own personal benefit, that was.Ye Sha watched silently as his friend was lost in thought even when he was thinking about what he was working on. There was something strange about watching his usually serious friend relax on his so-called 'day off'.Apparently, he only did it once a year, where he didn't do anything but what he wanted to do, but Ye Sha could completely see no difference in what he was doing now compared to what he did daily.However, Alec did seem strangely relaxed compared to his usually upright frame when he worked, so whatever suited him.Whatever worked for his strange friend, he supposed?Ye Sha could not wait for the upcoming drama that he would have front row seats for.-Author only posts this on w.e.b.n.o.v.e.l.Thea had completely blended into the city, working as a bartender at an upper scale bar that was only frequented by the nobles.The bar was set up in a fancy and gaudy way, with its bright lights and crystal chandeliers all over the place.Each private room had a terribly fancy chandelier that looked like it cost more than one employee's entire year of wages.Thea just found it pretentious and tacky.If they had that much money, then why didn't the bar look like something classier, instead of just flinging money at the designers that seemed to be wringing out the money from the owners?Not only that, the people that visited this place weren't any good either.She'd never once seen a proper group that visited this place, but she supposed that was just as well.This place had the reputation for housing the rich scions that liked to waste their life away.Clearly, they were here to drink and make a ruckus like everyone else, yet they still refused to even consider the possibility of mingling with the commoners.The behaviour of those rich scions that visited this bar was obviously pretty much the same as those that they deemed lower than them, but they still acted as if they were high and mighty.They still bragged the same way, made lewd remarks about which noble lady was prettier or whatnot, etc.There was a crash as the sound of glass shattering reached her ears, and Thea quietly sighed.See?Even their drunken actions were the same.But still, the reason why she chose this bar was because the first prince was a frequent customer here, and the nobles that frequented this place never paid attention to the staff.It was almost like they didn't even treat the staff here as human.On the plus side, the employees were always happy to work here since they got high pay, and the nobles never once touched them regardless of how they looked.Thea quietly did her work as she mingled with the employees here, learning about the gossip about various nobles.Since so many of them talked freely the more they got alcohol in them, there were always plenty of sordid details that one didn't hear normally.Thea walked into the room on the far left with a dustpan, where the sounds of the glass breaking originated from.The inhabitants of the room paid her no attention, and Thea habitually pressed her presence even lower as she bent down towards the shattered glass.There were five inhabitants in the room, and they were all inebriated. With red faces and wobbly steps, they made the perfect picture of drunks.Thea's eyes flashed when she realized that one of those drunkards was the first prince, one of the regular patrons.He was also the one whom she heard the information about the future attack on the Neil Clan from.Thea swept up the glass at a normal pace, keeping an ear out for their conversations."-hit those bastards with me," the first prince slurred.His friend on the right nodded so deeply that he stumbled lightly, before bursting into laughter, obviously drunk. "Oooof course, you-ur highness! The royal family has our full support!"Thea finished sweeping up the glass and quietly left, making sure not to prolong her presence in the room.When she left, the eyes of the first prince sharpened a little, even as his face remained red.He looked at her back with a thoughtful expression, only for it to be broken by the loud laughter of the other nobles.He tipped back the bottle, drinking directly from it, getting calls of admiration from his followers, the dazed, tipsy look sliding back onto his face.
