Third person POV
While Luke was patrolling the palace grounds, Emi was spying at him while standing on a tree branch, before jumping from one tree branch to another and disappeared into the night.
The next morning, after training and eating breakfast, Robert went out with Sol to shop for some souvenirs like keychains and small canvasses of artworks to be displayed at their homes. Along the way, Sol made some suggestions on the shops they would consider going because he also been in the capital before, and because Luke had given him some knowledge of it through his letters. Robert was amazed by his extensive knowledge and jotted most of them in his notepad with a pencil.
Later, after shopping at a lesser-known souvenir shop, the pair went through an alleyway to shorten their travel time, only to encounter Emi, with her usual cloak on, standing while staring at the wall.
Naturally, the pair became hostile and retaliated by summoning their respective magic in self-defense, with Robert shouting at her, "Hey! You Old Faction member!"
"What are you doing here?" Sol added.
Upon hearing their hostile words, Emi turned around and said with begging, "P-Please! Don't hurt me!"
She then grabbed her weapons, with consisted of 3 daggers, a bow, and a dozen arrows, and tossed them in front of them.
Robert and Sol then got a bit confused by it. But then, Emi removed her cloak, showing her face towards them. She had long, silver hair and red-brownish eyes. She then raised both of her hands in surrendering to them.
Robert and Sol, enamored by her willingness to surrender, lower their guard down, and Robert remembered what Sol said to him yesterday, including her gender.
So, he asked her for her identity.
"My name is Emi Kawabata, of the Kawabata clan in Kita," Emi responded back while looking a bit indifferent towards them.
This really shocked the headmaster and student.
"Kawabata?"
"What? The Kawabata clan?"
Emi then put her hands down as Sol confiscated her weapons away, and stored the daggers and arrows in his dark brown, leather messenger bag, while putting her bow on his back.
He and Robert then dissipated their magic.
"Yes, I am," she replied back calmly.
"Okay, do you know Masanori Kawabata, my weapons instructor?" Robert asked as if he was interrogating her.
"Yes, he's my paternal cousin," answered Emi back honestly.
This shocks Robert a lot because Masanori had said nothing of it at all.
"R-Really?" he commented, before Sol would try to calm him down.
Emi then nodded. "Yes, and I admitted that the reason why I joined this group is that I wanted money and power for myself. They said that if we successfully overthrown the current dynasty, they'll make me the head commander of the army."
"Wow, what a deceiving promise it was," Sol commented as he holds his sack containing their purchases.
"Is that true?" Robert asked back.
"Yes, and when I look at you that day," Emi replied with a confession, "it made me reflect on my past actions. And now…"
She then looked at Robert and continued, "I've fallen in love with you!"
This really shocked Robert at first, but moments later, he said to her, "So you are the one Headmaster Sol was talking about, and who was in love with me."
This really stuns Emi a lot, and she asked, "How did you know that?"
"I can use telepathy to read someone's mind," Sol explained in response. "Yesterday, while we fight, I read your mind, and I found out your change of heart and willingness to surrender to the king."
Now knowing that Sol had found out everything, Emi said to them, "I see. I'll go to the king to properly surrender myself to him."
Eventually, Robert and Sol agreed with her wise decision, and they said they will help out.
And so, they all went to the palace so Emi would surrender to Alexander.
Later on, at the king's office in the royal palace, Emi kneeled before Alexander in surrendering as Robert and Sol watches this from near the door.
Alexander and Stephen, alongside Luke, are very surprised to see an Old Faction member surrendering to them.
"What?" Alexander responded to this. "What's the meaning of this?"
To that Stephen looked at Robert and Sol. "Guys, what is this?"
"She had reflected on her actions," Sol answered back on Emi's behalf, "and she wants to defect to us."
"Why is that?" Stephen asked.
"She was guilty of her selfish desires to have power for herself," Robert replied back after coming forward. "She said that they put her in charge of the army once your government was overthrown."
This mildly shocked the king and crowned prince.
Alexander then looked at Emi, and asked, "Is that true?"
"Yes," Emi responded back, "and I'll do anything to redeem myself."
"I see," Alexander replied back. "Okay, I'll be letting you go…"
Emi then lift her head and looked at Alexander.
"…but," Alexander continued on with a serious demeanor on his face, "only if you cooperate with us and be our undercover spy on the Old Faction. Once this ordeal is over, you're free to go, with no trial whatsoever."
Seeing this as an opportunity, Emi dropped her head and responded, "Yes, I accepted this. Thank you so much. I'll do my best to be your undercover spy."
She then get up from kneeling.
Robert was happy about that, while Sol smiles in approval of this.
Stephen and Luke, on the other hand, was stunned with amazement.