I was standing in front of my glass window hazed by raindrops and mist caused by the heavy rainfall. The thunder and lightning became music to my ears as I gazed at the city, shimmering in neon lights.
"What a pathetic world!" I thought. "Funny how people often live a rat- race life and be contented by it, yet they endlessly complain about its tolls."
I instinctively embraced myself as the cold wind blew through my partly open window. A spray of rain touched my already cold face. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, calming myself, meditating to the abyss of the unknown.
"Allondrah! What's bothering you?" Marriane asked as she approached me and handed a cup of warm tea. I shook my head as I closed my window. I took a sip of the tea that immediately relieved my cold body.
"Is it the forsaken castle?" she added as she sat comfortably on the chair beside me.
I stared at my cup. "No, not exactly. I am thinking of expanding my empire. I think it's time for the next chapter to begin," I replied. She looked into my eyes, searching for the truth in what I just said.
"A-are you serious?" Marriane asked. I could hear her heart racing, her blue eyes were gleaming with hope. I smiled.
I turned to the window and pointed at the tallest building beyond the city limits. "That will be my target. I will start from the bottom to avoid suspicion," I explained. Marriane hesitantly nodded.
"Whatever your decision is, I will always be here to support you," she said.
"Anyway, I will be attending Khelij's graduation ceremony tomorrow," I said, diverting the topic.
She chuckled. "You seemingly fond of that girl," she commented. I just smiled faintly. She sighed.
"C'mon, Marriane. Spill it out," I urged, knowing that she's into something.
"I am just worried that your enemies would see her as your Achilles' ankle," she warned.
"She's nothing to do with me," I said. "She's just a servant, willing to do my bidding."
"Whatever you say," Marriane answered before leaving. I was left alone again, contemplating in the cold empty room of my own space. The battle would start anytime soon.
The following morning was a bit welcoming. The warmth from the sun blanketed me when I woke up. I turned my head to see a scarlet long-sleeved tunic and a pair of cream trousers. The upper left of the tunic was embroidered with my coat of arms, a golden dragon embracing a silver phoenix. They looked so alive as they glisten under the beam of sun.
"Oh my god! You came," Khelij happily exclaimed, immediately dashed towards me when she spotted me.
I looked around the vast auditorium, alive in a jovial atmosphere. Graduates, parents, guardians, and professors gleefully chatted away while waiting for the ceremony to commence.
"I might lose an ally if didn't turn up," I casually said, causing Khelij to giggle.
"Thank you!" she said while hugging me tightly. Boredom was actually juggling my emotion due to the long line of graduates but I managed to smile when she proudly received her diploma.
"Where do you wanna celebrate?" I asked after a long and tiring ceremony.
"No need, ma'am. Your presence is enough for me," she humbly replied. I raised my brow.
"Tell me where before I changed my mind, Khelij. Don't waste my thought and my patience!" I grunted. Her smile immediately faded as she told me a restaurant name. The restaurant wasn't so big but it was cozy.
"Don't you like it?" she hesitantly asked.
"I will just eat elsewhere after," I replied. She pressed her lips in a thin line, trying to suppress her laughter. I just ignored it. I really found it fascinating how she wasn't ever scared of me despite my cold and strict demeanor.
"Now that you're educated, what's your plan?" I asked while waiting for our orders.
"I will work as your secretary for as long as you need my service of course. Without you, I wouldn't be able to achieve all this," she replied, slightly horrified by my question. I drank some water.
"I have bigger plans for you," I started as I looked at her eyes, rounded in surprise. "I want you to take up law."
She gasped in disbelief.
"What?!" she asked. "Why? I mean... this is too much already. And why me?"
Before I even answered, our food arrived and I could feel her apprehension across the table as we ate.
"Finish your food and I will show you something," I said. There's nothing else she could do but to agree. We talked about other things while eating to lighten the mood.
"Who's that guy so close to you at the ceremony?" I asked. She blushed.
"Uhm... he's a friend. A close friend," she nervously replied. I nodded.
"We have to talk. Finish your food, I'll pay the bill," I said before leaving her to finish her steak. Sure enough, when I got back to our table, she's done. We went headed to the office. There was a long silence during the drive. I supposed curiosity must be eating her up.
At the office...
Khelij had read the contract a couple of times more before it really settled in. She gave me a questioning look. I fiddled on the table.
"If you agree, I will sponsor your education under one condition. Study and graduate. But never engage in any sort of romantic relationship. All I want you to do is focus and get the job done," I explained. She was literally torn.
"Can you give me time, ma'am?" she said in a rather nervous voice. I smirked.
"It's just a yes or no, Khelij. As simple as that," I said.
"Sorry... it's just... it's too much," she replied.
"What is?" I asked. "The romance abstinence?"
She shook her head. "I can live without a lover. It's just... this is more than I deserve," she explained.
"I want you to be my legal adviser once you graduate. You're smart, your intelligence is something that can't be underestimated," I explained. "If you choose to work for me as a lawyer, you have to sacrifice your personal desires... for the rest of your life."
She was dumbfounded that she was unable to speak and stared blankly at the document in her hands.
"I want your answer first thing tomorrow," I demanded before leaving her still in shock.