Chapter 19
A request was a polite word for demand. And from the way Max was acting, it was true. But the strange thing was that in the novel, Asmara was still Adrian's fiancée when it was discussed. How was the matter settled then? I didn't know. However, I also didn't care.
If she wants freedom from me, then she can have it. I also have no interest in her. I glanced at Rose who was still busy absorbing all the crystals. I turned to Max and said, "Tell me where she is, and then try to break through to the next rank."
He was a bit stunned at my lackluster reaction but nodded at my instructions anyway. I had already cemented my character in Max's head. He knew how I was and nothing was changing that now except for me.
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Knock, knock.
I knocked on the door of the room where Lady Asmara was staying. All the royals were given a separate section in the gigantic palace. And the same was the case for nobles of the Cortum empire. And Asmara was a noble of the Cortum empire. Granddaughter of the Grand Duke of the Cortum empire, Richard Hayez. Richard was a war veteran who had accomplished many great deeds for the Cortum empire. He was an SS rank existence which was quite big considering the leader of the central alliance and the academy leader, both were at the rank SSS-.
It wasn't the same for the Lux family though as they were just a family of monsters. I mean, the second prince who had no interest in the crown was at SS+ rank currently and could easily contend against both of the aforementioned entities.
Anyway, coming back to Asmara. She hates me. Asmara has a major role in the novel and she spends almost thirty percent of her time cursing Adrian. But in the novel, she was still engaged with Adrian. It was different for me. I had decided to let go of her.
However, I can't forget the political implications of this divorce as well. If this matter proves to be detrimental to me, I won't hesitate to throw her under the bus.
[How cruel of you]
'It's called true gender equality and I am a firm believer in it.' I replied to Allison's remark just in time as the door was opened by a female servant.
Though disdain appeared on her face briefly, she hurriedly knelt to hide it. This brief action could have her executed if it was any other member of royalty and I was at the peak of royalty status.
"Please inform Lady Asmara that I wish to meet her. She can decide the timing." I said before I turned and left. I noticed the eyes of the servant going wide at my statement but I didn't pay attention for much long.
I didn't know what Adrian's behavior with Asmara was but under my perfect excuse of memory loss, I could now cement a new view of mine but it will be on my terms.
I entered my room and saw Max sitting cross-legged, making faces like he was trying to dump one out. He was never going to break through like that. The law of ranks was simple. The first breakthrough was at the E+ rank. Until E+, except for mana, an ordinary human could do pretty much the same if they put their life into it.
It means that the human limit ended at E+. After that, it was supernatural growth. Right now, Max was trying to break through his limits and forego the title of a normal human and enter the realms of a supernatural human or in short, a superhuman.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and he opened his eyes to look at me. He was about to get up when I pressed him down. "You're not doing it right."
I didn't have much experience with meditation. The power I gained was through tremendous pain. I never gained any by sitting on my a.s.s and breathing in and out.
But I was familiar with the soul. With how we are, me and my father I mean, we have to control our emotions. If we are swept by them, there are not many people who can stop us. I mean in my case there is my father but there is no one in his case.
So from a very young age, I had to learn to control my emotions. Not suppress them as that would make me inhuman. To remain a human being, I must feel. That's what Dad taught me. Without feelings, we become simple monsters.
And to do that, I had to go through a very complicated childhood. Still, I pulled through and that made me a better person and I am thankful to my father for that even though I cursed him a lot then.
For Max, the same approach was impossible. Adding to the fact that I had no idea about all of this, there was no proper guidance I could offer. I could use the methods Eric and other main characters had to follow to break through, but those materials could help him at higher ranks. At this low rank, it was better if he did it on his own without any material help.
So the method I could show him was the calmness of the soul which was closely linked to the control of the emotions.
"Reach deep down but not inside your body. Inside your soul." He questioned me with his eyes but I continued, "The path to your soul comes from your mind. Your heart is irrelevant in every case except for justifying your beliefs. So forget about it. Only focus on your mind. Find that one little thing that makes you calm. Picture it. Materialize it. Make it a reality. That is your anchor."
He closed his eyes and began focusing on my words now. His breathing evened and his eyes no longer flinched nor fluctuated. His body stopped moving after some time except for the process of breathing.
"Good." I said after some time and continued, "Now what you need to do is focus on one emotion. Preferably positive but it's not necessary. It could be anger, hate, or anything negative. A painful memory that evokes a strong emotion inside you. A happy memory that does the same. Anything, that makes you feel, use it."
"Remember what I told you in the cave. Everything has dual sides. Darkness and light, can't exist without one another. Just because you have darkness in your heart, doesn't make you evil. So it doesn't matter what it is, just feel. Feel what makes you human."
I stopped at that point and saw Max going through many phases. He cried, screeched his teeth in anger, then smiled, and then cried again. He kept on doing this for a while before he settled on a smile. He really was naïve but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. This just shows how good his heart is.
I didn't know how long it would take but in the novel, it took seventeen days for Eric to advance from C-rank to B-rank. Considering that, it might take him some time so I turned my focus to Rose who was also meditating just like I had shown Max. Except in her case, her happiness was manifold of Max. Her smile was wider than Max and her pearly white teeth showed themselves.
Her talent was terrifying. Even in the novel, she was the only one who could rival Eric despite not being specially blessed or being an apostle or saint.
I looked at the pile of mana crystals and there were only a few left now. I stored them inside my inventory and took a seat on the sofa. I had no idea how long it would take and I had nothing to do anyway.
[Why not start working on the array?]
'Not yet. First I need to stabilize these two so they can guard me while I'm in there.' The process of the array was very delicate. There were no second chances. Of course, I had other methods even if I failed, but the array was the easiest and the rest were a little pain in the a.s.s.
[So basically you're lazy]
'In a nutshell, yes.' I replied before throwing my head back and closing my eyes. This life wasn't so bad either. The life of doing nothing.
That peaceful life was interrupted by a knock at my door. I stood up and opened the door to see the same girl I had seen earlier with the bulky knight. Now I knew who she was. Asmara Hayez.
"Good evening, Your Highness." She greeted me with a straight face, devoid of any emotion. Only at her greeting did I realize that it was dark outside. I guess I slept for some time.
"Yes, Good evening to you too. Lady Asmara, I presume?" I greeted back and asked. She peered into my eyes for a while before she replied, "Yes."
I nodded and stepped aside to allow her to enter my room. As soon as she entered, she saw Max and Rose sitting cross-legged and smiling. She looked at me questioningly and I replied, "Ignore them. They are currently in the middle of their breakthrough."
She nodded but there was still a question left which she didn't ask. Why were they smiling? I chose to not explain since she didn't ask and led her deeper into my room where my bedroom was. I pointed at a seat and she sat down and I took the seat opposite of her.
"So, Lady Asmara, I heard you were looking for me?" I jumped straight to the point. She remained silent for some time before she nodded and replied, "You heard correctly. And has His Highness also heard the reason for that?" She asked.
I nodded but didn't say anything. If she was here to negotiate, then it was better if she revealed all of her cards first.
"I need you to agree to annul our marriage contract." She also got straight to the point.
"And why do you need my permission for that?" I asked. If she wanted to leave me, she could have easily done it using many other ways. Why would she need me to do it?
"Because unfortunately, this is a man's world." She replied in fancy words but I knew what the real matter could be. Sure, she is a woman and women are mostly undermined, but with her talent and status, that shouldn't be a problem.
The problem must be what her family is given because of this contract of ours. If she breaks the relationship between us, then the Hayez house would also have to return what they were given for this marriage.
However, if I were to do so, there would be no trouble for the Hayez house and the title of divorcee would be given to Asmara instead of me. This would mean that I would be given the title of divorced and in this aristocratic world, it would cause a major dent in my reputation.
[Do you care?]
'No, I don't but I don't like the fact that she is trying to use me.' She should have kept it straight but from her wording, it is clear she is trying to trick me.
Anyway, first and foremost, I am a businessman. Let's first hear her complete proposition.
"And what do I get out of this?" I asked. She didn't reply. Instead, she was confused. It was clear what she was expecting. She must have been expecting 'the why?', 'the tears' and maybe 'the begging'.
[Yet you are one shameless person]
'No. In this case, I'm not a simp.' I replied to Allison's remark.
"I don't understand." She replied. Now this is disappointing. She came here without covering all the scenarios. This is the same as handing all the cards to me.
[She never expected you to treat her like this]
'Well, she should have.' Exactly. Doesn't she know, I have lost my memory? She should be careful. Anything could happen.