Alex's gaze swept over the chaos of the ballroom as he mentally called out to Sophie. 'How is Zahara doing?'
Her voice came through their bond, calm but firm. [She was worried.]
'Was?' Alex raised a brow at her words, to which she replied in a low voice, [I told her about it. Only because she was about to head here.]
Sophie sounded sorry, making Alex shake his head internally. 'Don't worry. You guys are more important to me.'
[Un.]
It was only when he heard Sophie's voice and felt her emotions turning normal that he nodded, his sharp eyes flickering to the tense crowd. The second explosion had left the guests even more rattled. Whispers of doubt and fear rippled through the hall, their murmurs louder than they thought.
"Two blasts in the imperial city? How could this happen?"
"Is the empire... weak now?"
Alex's lips tightened into a thin line beneath his mask. The irony wasn't lost on him—how quickly fear could unearth doubt, even in a place as fortified as this.
The nobles were doubting the empire's power even though all of them were fine and alive.
Though they didn't flee this time—likely because there was nowhere to go—the way they huddled together, ducking as if the world were collapsing, was truly pathetic.
'They are the pillars of the empire per se,' he shook his head in defeat, wondering how the empire was still called the strongest.
To be honest, he knew why.
His gaze turned to his left, where Vanessa stood, her expression as icy as ever, surveying the surroundings.
Vanessa Drakathor was one of the reasons why the empire was the strongest. But yeah, there were many other things as well, even though they were all courtesy to the imperial family.
He wasn't the only one who heard those whispers, though; many could listen to them—including the Emperor and the higher nobilities beside him.
From the elevated dais, Maurice Drakathor, the Emperor, had been issuing orders steadily. His commanding presence kept the higher nobility in check, though worry flickered in their expressions as they knew that the way the lower nobility were cowering in fear wasn't a good thing for the emperor to see.
But Maurice, with a cryptic expression, continued to let out commands, his voice calm and resolute, filling the hall.
"Knights, split into groups and search the city for the perpetrators. I want them found before any more lives are endangered!"
He just wanted things to end quickly. He didn't want to see the embarrassment of the empire's name for any longer than required. Yes, to him, those cowardly nobles were nothing other than embarrassment.
But his last order arose murmurs of unease from the higher nobility.
"Your Majesty, if the knights leave—"
"What of your protection?"
They were the loyalists of the Emperor, and their worry for him was genuine. Maurice had already sent out many of the knights; only ten remained. If he were to send more of them out, then who would guard the emperor?
Maurice, however, raised a hand, silencing them. "The safety of our citizens comes first. I don't want everyone in our empire to be seen as cowards."
Those words hit many scared nobles hard, making them flinch. There was no way to be sure about it, but they felt like Maurice's words were targeted at them.
They didn't know how right they were. Maurice was getting angrier the more he looked at them.
As for his own safety, he wasn't that worried. Maurice was the emperor of the strongest empire. He was far cry from being a weakling. He might not look strong, but he was someone who used to be Vanessa's sparring partner at one time.
If that was not all, he was also the strongest among all four emperors of humanity.
But if the attacker was somehow still stronger than him, which wasn't really possible, then...
Maurice's gaze briefly flicked to Vanessa, standing tall and unyielding near Alex. He was sure that she would save him. After all, even if they didn't talk much, they were still brother and sister.
Maurice's thoughts, however, weren't really focused on his security. While he looked calm outwardly, he couldn't ignore the unsettling possibility—this was no outside attack.
The nobles might doubt the empire's strength, but he didn't. The imperial city was impenetrable to outsiders. Which meant the enemy was within. But who?
Maurice's eyes lingered on Alex, stationed near the grand doors of the ballroom. His nephew's calm demeanor, his decisive actions, and his sharp presence reassured him. 'If only everyone in the family were like him,' Maurice thought. 'Loyal. Strong. Focused.'
He inadvertently compared his son with Alex, wondering why they were both so different.
'Where's he though?' Thinking of his son reminded him that he hadn't seen the guy for a while, but then he just shook his head, glancing at Alex again.
'He's probably thinking about who could've attacked as well,' thought Maurice as he saw Alex's thoughtful expression.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
Alex WAS the one responsible for all the chaos going on.
Even his thoughts were wandering around the plan he'd set in motion. The masquerade theme wasn't chosen by chance. It was the perfect setting for chaos—a haven for assassins. But with the imperial knights standing guard and Vanessa nearby, he knew no one would dare move.
That's why he'd acted first.
The blasts in the city were his doing. Or rather, James's. With his shadow-walking abilities, James had planted the explosives where no one could see him, striking where security was thinnest, and by the time anyone noticed, he would be safely back in Alex's shadow, like he was right now.
"It's time to end the party," Alex had told James earlier. And by "end," he'd meant it literally.
But now, as the minutes stretched on, Alex sighed inwardly. The explosions had done their job of unsettling the crowd, and the reduced knights' presence should've been enough to embolden any assassin. Yet, nothing happened.
'It failed?' Alex thought bitterly.
Alex knew that all the chaos—the explosions and the dwindling presence of knights—wouldn't be enough to provoke the assassins into action.
The real obstacles for them were never the knights nor the Emperor's command; they were just added obstacles that Alex had removed to make their job easier.
The real challenge for anyone trying to assassinate Alex was Vannesa, who was still standing next to him.
But Alex had expected more from those coming for him. He'd anticipated a plan bold enough, clever enough, to bypass even Vanessa's watchful eye.
Yet here they were, probably cowering in the shadows, too timid to strike, or maybe there was no assassination attempt to begin with.
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Was all of his planning for nothing?
For the first time, Alex felt at a loss.
The tension in the room had already begun easing. Even the knights were returning to the ballroom, reporting to Maurice that no casualties had occurred. The blasts had hit empty areas—small mercies in the eyes of the Emperor.
Maurice exhaled in relief. "At least no lives were lost," he said, loud enough to reassure the room.
But Alex didn't share in the sentiment. Standing near the entrance, he felt a shift. A flicker in the bond with Sophie—a ripple of unease. His brows furrowed, and he called out to her silently.
'Sophie, what is it?'
No response came. Making Alex frown harder. He called her again, sharper this time. 'Sophie. Answer me.'
Finally, he got an answer as Sophie's voice filled his head.
[A-Alex! Z-Zahara, she... she...]