Chapter 267: Hunt Them [2]

"Why have I come here... shouldn’t that be obvious?"

I smiled at the emperor though the latter didn’t take the effort to return it.

"..."

The silence continued further, with the only sound being me taking sips from the cup of coffee in my hand.

The emperor might have thought that the silence could be used to pressure me into speaking further, but... he was severely mistaken.

I had long grown used to such situations, and no matter what, there was no way I was going to budge.

Though answering his question should have been pretty simple, given that I had come here to make Diana return to the academy... still, I knew that any answer given to the emperor would easily allow the guy to read my real motives... at least to some extent.

After all, there was only so much that I could fake.

An individual could lie however he wanted to, but his eyes... they never lied.

And people like the emperor had keen senses for detecting even the slightest hints of deception, particularly if it was related to one of their family members.

I could easily lie about Syma and all of my plans... but that was only possible because the emperor had no idea about them.

With him knowing everything about my past and my prior relationship with his daughter... there was no way I would be able to lie with sincerity in my eyes.

Considering all things, there was no need to take unnecessary risks, though I would still have to give some satisfactory answer at the end, or else the emperor would never allow me to visit Diana.

"It was you who had distanced yourself from my daughter, so... why the sudden care for her?"

The emperor, seeing that I wasn’t going to answer in the way he wanted me to, changed the question while keeping its core the same.

"I am just here to help a friend."

That was my answer.

And though I hadn’t spoken the truth... practically speaking, it wasn’t a lie either.

After all, I really did consider Diana my friend... though I couldn’t say the word had the same meaning for me compared to how others perceived it.

For me, a friend was naturally someone who would end up as a good tool with low maintenance... and would end up completing all of his uses without being damaged in the process.

At least that was the simplest explanation of the word.

In reality... I didn’t really feel close enough to anyone to call them my friend.

I only had two types of people in my life—

One type were those people who were my subordinates and worked for me, while the other type were those people whom I considered my enemies, and who would end up dying under my commands.

Well, there was a third type too... and that type included the extras.

Those who just existed because they were born.

With time, they would end up in one of the first two types, and ultimately receive their judgement from me.

"Friend, huh. Never knew you were such a diplomat."

The emperor finally gave a small smile, though it didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

"Since when did you become so good with words?"

"Since birth."

My answer was quick enough.

Though the emperor didn’t look surprised at my reply, as he simply leaned back in his seat.

"Don’t remain under the impression that being Castor’s son would stop me from doing anything to you."

Haa...

I didn’t really appreciate his tone—

"Why don’t you try."

Silence.

I was a practical person, but there was no way I would allow this old man to humiliate me in any way.

My hand subconsciously moved to my abdomen where I had the mark for summoning Arthur.

If things did get worse, then I wouldn’t mind going to the extreme.

The emperor observed me with narrowed eyes, though he made no move and remained seated in his place.

I had already willed my mana to activate the mark at a moment’s notice.

"You seem confident in yourself despite being a Silver 3. Though I must commend your talent to reach such a rank at a young age."

"..."

"But your words don’t really match your rank. Are you really confident that someone can save you from me or... is it simply arrogance?"

I didn’t reply.

There was no need for me to speak, as the emperor wasn’t an unreasonable person.

If my first statement had not triggered him to make a move against me, then I didn’t think he would do anything going forward.

After all, it would be beneath him to act against a mere Silver core.

"Maybe it’s arrogance. After all, what can you really expect from a kid like me."

I spoke with clear sarcasm in my voice.

Haa...

These statements weren’t the most strategic ones, but I felt a sense of satisfaction when using such words in my language—

My pupils dilated as I jumped from my seat to create some distance, before channelling my mana and creating a shield of mana pressure around me.

Though I made sure to use less mana, so that the emperor wouldn’t find it suspicious.

After all, to the eyes of the public, I was still a Silver 3.

"Impressive."

The emperor gave a short chuckle which made every cell of my body fluctuate with a desire to kill him, but I held back.

I wasn’t strong enough... and it wasn’t like the emperor was actively trying to kill me.

But such use of force by individuals in positions of power in order to test my skills always left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Though I wasn’t going to act now... I would be sure to remember this.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Hm?

"It’s impressive that you can use mana pressure while being a Silver core. Many struggle to use it even after becoming a Diamond core."

The emperor took all the time in the world to walk in my direction.

It was as if... he was satisfied with the results.

Haa...

I didn’t like it, but I had to bear with it.

As the distance between us was reduced to a foot or two... the emperor paused, as he stared into my eyes.

"Allan had always been like a brother for Diana, so his death had affected her pretty badly. She hadn’t come out of her room for days, and all attempts to lift her mood—"

"Does she eat?"

"..."

The emperor’s face turned blank at my question.

"Does she?"

I repeated it.

"Y-Yes."

"That’s great. The situation still seems to be under control."

"..."

"Can I meet her now?"

The emperor didn’t reply, as he simply stared at me.

Was my question a weird one?

No.

If a person is willing to eat, then that means they still maintain some sense of logic. It was pretty easy to guide them to come out of whatever state they were in.

But for that... I had to end this meeting.

The emperor seemed to have many questions that he wanted to ask me, but my words seemed to have erased his curiosity.

"We still have a lot to discuss, but knowing that you are one of the few people who are close to her... I will let you leave for now."

I just nodded my head at his words.

The emperor didn’t seem to like my reaction, as he slightly shook his head in disappointment.

Not that I cared for his reactions.

"She is currently in her room. I will send someone to guide you."

The emperor spoke as he motioned for me to exit the room.

And I politely complied.

It wasn’t like I enjoyed staying with him.

As I exited the room, I could feel the emperor’s gaze on me till the end.

Haa...

The same maid who had greeted me at the entrance was now before me, as she guided me to Diana’s room.

I couldn’t help but feel curious about her identity.

Was she an official guide in the palace?

The walk took a little longer than expected as Diana’s room was a little farther away.

I had to walk quite a lot of stairs and for some reason... the elevator hadn’t been made available to me.

But... I wasn’t one to complain.

Arriving before Diana’s room... I waited at the same spot for a while.

"You may leave."

I didn’t want the maid to hear my conversation with Diana.

Haa...

Taking a shallow breath, I sorted out all the thoughts in my mind.

Diana was currently not in her normal state of mind, so I had to be careful with my words.

Though her current state was an opportunity in itself.

Knock. Knock.

Lifting my right hand, I knocked twice on the door, but was met with silence.

Was she asleep?

The thought crossed my mind, but seeing the time of day, I didn’t think Diana would have been sleeping.

It was simply unnatural for someone who had always been trained to remain disciplined since her childhood.

Still...

Knock. Knock.

"It’s me."

I made my presence known.