"Your highness, keep your voice down," Felicia hissed. "We don't know if Helena, Tyren or any of their stooges are standing outside the door trying to listen."
All eyes briefly flashed to the door.
Alex stood up and went to check. He was careful not to do more than poke his head out as he did not want anyone to see that Felicia was awake until after they concluded their discussion. He saw that the guards he had assigned were gone, but he had expected that. Naturally, Helena had convinced them. He would make sure they understood the consequences of defying his orders to appease her. And if not, then he would have them replaced.
There were a few servants walking in the hall, but none of them came near the door. Unbeknownst to Alex, the runaway guards had warned the rest of the workers not to go near the door as Master Alexander demanded privacy. They felt they had to relent at Lady Helena's continued insistence, but they could keep the other servants away. They suspected they would get in trouble, but it was difficult to discern authority between siblings. If the Duke had commanded them, then they would have refused Lady Helena outright, but since it was Lord Alexander it was a grey area.
They hoped the Young Master would not get too upset with them.
Twisting his head left and right, Alex closed the door and locked it.
"Well, there's nobody eavesdropping but we should still communicate in lowered tones." He stated, taking a seat once more.
Constantine felt frantic. Even though Felicia had assured him that what she saw were the events of another lifetime and it did not mean it would happen again, he could not hide his anxiety. The very thought that Elysium would fall in its leadership and be taken over by the bloodthirsty empress of Imperium unsettled him, greatly. His mind could not imagine such horror.
He had limited interactions with his aunt before she'd left for the frozen tundra. But the things that she was rumored to have done after her husband passed and she'd obtained supreme authority, made him shudder. Empress Matilda was said to be a monster. A battle hardened queen who beheaded people at the slightest disrespect or provocation. He could not fathom how his father could have a sister who was completely different from him. Didn't blood ties come with similarities?
"Your highness? Your highness?!" Felicia voice went unanswered until Liam gave him a light kick.
Constantine snapped out of his reverie.
"Are you alright?" Felicia asked.
Constantine nodded. "I am, my lady. It's just you mentioned my estranged aunt and...well, she's quite a frightening figure in our family. Even my father rarely speaks of her."
Felicia's brows furrowed. "I think the Emperor needs to reassess his judgement. His sister has been slandered greatly. She is indeed a ruthless woman, but she is not the monster she is made out to be. She has had to adjust to ruling in a world where men occupy all the top spots and women are made to simply take care of the home, raise children and not be heard."
"How do you know this about her?" Constantine was confused. He doubted Lady Felicia had ever met the heartless empress, let alone been to the frozen tundra.
"I have received enlightenment from the Goddess. The entire time I was sleeping I collected all the information I lost after walking into my second life. About 500 years from now."
"My lady, I am so confused." Hildegarde spoke in her soft tone.
"Indeed, so I am. I believe all Alex has said and I believe you, but this is making no sense." Liam added, rubbing his eyes.
Alex crossed his arms. "Felicia start at the beginning. And tell us everything."
Downstairs, the royal knights and the knights from the house of Marquis Del Findel were feeling a bit restless. Their prince and their Young Marquis had both been gone for hours. Daylight had all but faded and it was dinnertime. What was keeping them? Did they intend to spend the night at the Del Montague manor?
The men received word from three of the family knights that Lord Alexander had led both Prince Constantine and Marquis Liam into Lady Felicia's bedroom and locked the door. He had given explicit instructions that they were not to be bothered.
Another hour passed and the Butler approached them from where they were seated in the drawing room and offered to escort them to the knights dinning hall, which was separate from the manor. Since it was already dinner time, it would be rude not to take them into consideration.
"Should we also untie our horses and lead them into the stables for feeding and watering?" One of the royal knights asked one of the Del Montague knights.
"It won't be necessary!" A commanding voice came from the landing of the grand staircase.
Prince Constantine, Liam, Alex and Felicia were all standing together. The servants all lowered their heads.
"Lady Felicia, we are so pleased to see you awake!"
"Indeed, that was quite a nasty bit of business," Felicia drawled.
"Your highness, we were not certain till what hour the visit would extend." The knight bowed. "Are we leaving now?"
Constantine took a step towards the dining room. "We will leave after supper. Go on, fill your stomachs. I can't leave yet as I have a lot to discuss with the Duke."
"Yes, your highness."
They walked off with the Butler guiding them as the newly established team entered the warm dining room, which was already laden with aromatic dishes. The Duke was there and so were Helena and Tyren. All three stood up at the entrance of the quartet, surprise on their faces. Nobody had informed them that the visitors had left the Emerald room or that Felicia was awake.
Felicia yawned into her palm. She was feeling very exhausted and sleepy. She had been sleeping for days, yet felt very worn out from all the intense dreaming. The lengthy discussion she'd had with her newly acquired allies also tired her out. She snickered when she remembered the utter shock and horror on their faces when she had told them of all she had seen.
An impossible set of circumstances that simply could not be understood! But they now knew what their common goal was and that made matters easier for Felicia. She did not wish to tackle this alone. She was glad that in this life, the ones who had abused her had now become her allies.
Alex hadn't been as surprised. Her memories were his memories as well and each word she had spoken triggered long suppressed emotions and images in his mind. It had rushed into his mind without stopping. Now he also felt worn out and a bit dizzy.
Much like his sister, he just wanted to stuff his face and hit the hay!
The Duke spoke first. "Felicia, you are awake!"
Felicia stepped away from her brother and spread her arms. "I sure am. That hideous attack wreaked havoc on my mind. But I'm fine now. The physician checked me and all my vitals are in order. I'm sorry for causing you any distress, your grace."
The Duke waved his hand. "No matter. I am just glad you are awake."
'"So am I sister," Helena chirped. "I was so worried you got hurt really bad."
"Indeed. Welcome back to the land of the living," Tyren added.
Alex rolled his eyes. He could tell that both women were struggling to keep their expressions neutral and their words sounded so forced.
The two of you were obviously hoping I was hurt real bad and would die in my sleep, Felicia thought as she took her seat. This mother daughter pair reeked of insincerity. How did they fool anybody?
As everyone sat down and after the sound of scraping chair legs faded, another intense conversation started. Barely a few bites had been taken before provoking questions were flung around.
Felicia stuffed her mouth with salmon and wished she could turn off her ears.