Chapter 421 The Tower Sage
The Tower Sage gently marched into his receiving chamber, sort of like a lobby. The interior was marked with soft, exquisite chairs, with an aura of majesty that accentuated the aura of this man.
On the single and lead chair in the room was seated a young handsome man. His eyes were fierce and shaped like the gaze of an eagle, his hair was ashen white, and his face, although angular, was brimming with charm.
He raised his striking maroon eyes as the Tower Sage bowed before him, softly greeting.
"Your Highness."
"Guillever, take a seat. I have some pending matters to discuss with you." The prince gestured his hand towards the two-seat couch on his right-hand side.
As requested—even though it was his chambers—the Tower Sage, Guillever, moved towards the prince and sat exactly where he was asked to.
The prince wore a gentle smile upon his face as the two of them dined in silence for a couple of minutes.
His demeanor was soft and graceful, and Guillever was well composed in front of him, a testament to the kind of authority and respect the Prince commanded.
The prince finally opened his mouth and spoke, "Andre entered some kind of business with the outsiders. Were you aware of it?"
With unchanging calmness, Guillever responded, "Yes, Your Highness, not directly."
"He even made number ten and number nine do his bidding. Were you aware of that also?"
"I tried to inform His Majesty about that, but the Emperor cared too little about what you guys are up to."
Prince Rhazakar sighed and leaned into the couch, his hands elegantly resting on the armrest.
He spoke in exasperation, "I can feel my family, and everything that held us together breaking apart. Our father sees us as enemies, and my two brothers are contacting outsiders just to do their bidding. The sad part of all of this is, I don't even know what they are doing."
He paused as he strained his voice, breathing gently before he continued.
"You, Guillever," he matched his eyes with the Tower Sage's, "You know everything. You can help me save my family."
The Tower Master, for once since their conversation started, raised his eyes confidently, looked into the eyes of the prince, and retorted.
"As a member of the Tower, I have a responsibility that does not conform to the will of the imperium, but rather, matters to the empire at large. The Tower serves and protects the people and the imperial family."
"You say that and yet you hawk over my aunt every moment. You protect and shield her from our disputes. You think I would never know?" The Prince's voice, although subtly, was growing irritated.
Guillever faltered, but he suppressed the slight anxiety in his face and responded without any visible attachment—not on his face nor his voice.
"Lady Henai deserves better. She is a core important part of this Empire, my responsibility as much as every other citizen is."
The prince chuckled, relaxed, and pointed a finger towards the Tower Sage.
"You, Guillever, are one smart man."
"You are just doing the same thing that your other brothers and father have tried to do to me: win me over to your sides. But there's a reason why the Tower has never taken sides, not even the Emperor's. The Tower is an independent principality in this nation. Please leave us out of your family war."
Prince Rhazakar smiled and tapped the armrest softly, smacking his lips as he conceded with the Tower Master's words.
"Okay, Guillever, okay. I like your determination. I just wanted to be sure that your mind is not changing. New tides are rushing towards us, I am sure of it. Something is going to happen soon, and we need to brace ourselves for it.
"While father is caught up in this solitary rift training to break through the limitations of a Paragon and become a Luminary, and my two brothers are more focused on the throne than the actual nation itself, it is left to me, the first prince, and you to protect this land."
Guillever bowed his head and said, "Be rest assured, Your Highness, should there be any situation that poses danger to the nation as a whole, I will step in without a second thought because that is the purpose of the Tower."
With that, the prince nodded in agreement and stood up. His brilliant face broke out in a sincere smile once again. But behind those calm eyes was a suppressed maroon demon.
The Tower Sage smiled and saw the prince out as he walked away.
On getting to the entrance, the prince stopped and turned back, saying, "Oh, and I heard there was commotion at the gate. I never imagined that monsters would make it this far, under the oversight of your Tower."
Guillever bowed his head deeply, "The matter has been resolved as we speak."
Prince Rhazakar smiled and nodded, "Of course, of course, my dear Guill. You are a very capable young man."
With the final word, he left the Chamber.
Immediately after he did, the Tower Sage, Guillever, heaved a sigh, almost as if his heart had wanted to pop out all this while.
The atmosphere commanded by the prince was no joke. If he had shown just a slight weakness, the prince would have hammered further than he did and perhaps even gone to extremes.
Of course, this was the kind of thing Guillever had to endure daily because he chose not to side with any of the imperial family in their feud.
Save only Lady Henai, whom he swore to protect due to her lineage, delicacy, and importance.
Of course, there was more to that story than Guillever was ever willing to admit to anyone except himself.
He exhaled one more time and suddenly remembered the person he had brought inside.
Guillever went through the door and hastily made his way to the infirmary within the same Tower building.
He was met by the same knight called Shambles who greeted with a slight head bow and led him into the room where the boy was.
By the time they entered into the infirmary, there was no boy anymore.
No one was there.