The Divorced Duchess

Chapter 4: THE MYSTERIOUS MEETING

"ANY progress?"

A splendid man strode into the room, keeping his bold supremacy. His gaze attentively wandered around, engrossed in the surroundings, then glanced at the man, who was busy flipping a book, an alchemy enchantment manuscript.

"Seems you're in a good mood, Your Majesty? I guess something had caught your interest," the man studied his countenance.

That hit the nail on his head; it was true. He grinned like a Cheshire cat as he remembered the lady in the alley. That woman has a conceited temperament. She may be part of a noble family, as she could act like a proud master.

"Am I? I've been bored lately, yet an unexpected stray kitten has captured my eyes. Right, have you found anything about the owner of Hiax?"

"Still exploiting my nerves on this matter, Your majesty. Anytime soon, The Goddess daughter's awakening will radiate throughout the whole empire. You have to be patient before we find her whereabouts."

"Kayne, how much time do I need to wait? The curse has been devouring my senses. We must find her no matter what it costs. The Hiax is my only refuge to undo this curse, and if we can't find Enah's daughter, the Empire will also collapse with me."

Kallixto Imperial IV is the current emperor of Claverence. People of the Empire admired his excellence and wisdom for ruling the entire kingdom after his father subjugated other territories. His sovereignty and fair justice were far from his father's. They respected him more than the late Emperor. What the late Emperor did to the people affected their lives. That was one reason why the late Emperor died at the hands of the rebels. Fortunately, they didn't hold a grudge against Kallixto as they let him take the throne at a very young age. He couldn't repudiate the fact that his father was the reason for his curse and the late Empress's death, which he was appalled by. Even when his father died, he never shed tears, for he loathed him.

"Do the pills I gave you not work on you?" Kayne gave him an empathetic gaze.

Kallixto shook his head. "Your skills are getting rusty, great Mage."

"Are you insulting this great Mage, Your Majesty? Let me remind you that I have inherited the beast's fangs, and people admired my greatness."

"Really? Then who ran off every time he saw his beautiful admirer?" Kayne's sour face explained how he has caligynephobia, in which he avoids beautiful women because he believes in their cunning facade.

"Women are scarier than monsters."

Kallixto laughed until tears started in his eyes. They had been friends since he could remember. When the kind and gorgeous late Empress took the aloof great Mage, he was in the academy. His mother didn't utter any words about Kayne; even his past was unknown. Yet, Kallixto's mother had given Kayne the trust to the point of giving him everything, like shelter, clothes, and sending him to the academy. That was how compassionate the late Empress was. For Kallixto, his curiosity about the great Mage was secretly buried but waiting to unfold.

"How about Fayette? Men are lining up for her because she is a beauty."

The great Mage frowned upon mentioning Fayette, the only daughter of Count Lamis.

"Don't bring up that tomboy's name because, in my eyes, she looks like a gorilla."

"You're sav－

"Gorilla, you said?" A scornful voice echoed. Meanwhile, a sophisticated lady barged into the room with another lady behind her. Her arms crossed sternly across her chest.

"I couldn't believe it came from your mouth… you, annoying Mage."

Kayne arched his brows. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Fayette."

"I really hated your boldness," Fayette began squabbling with Kayne as Kallixto noticed the lady at the entrance. She silently stood there, watching the two scuffling. Shortly, she interjected, cleared her throat, and looked at them. Fayette slowly withdrew her hands from Kayne's hair and then smiled. "My apologies, Duchess. You have to witness my affection for the self-proclaimed GREAT MAGE."

Chauverthier? Wife of Duke Noxton? Kallixto's initial reaction was quite overwhelming.

Rumors circulated among the nobles and aristocrats that Noxton had an affair with a commoner. Kallixto was not fond of infidelity since held a strong viewpoint of his mother's memories; women should be given love and respect because they had a fair share of the burden with their husbands, although it contradicted his parents' relationship.

"Hey, hey－What affection are you talking about? It's your hobby to torture me, gorilla!"

Once more, Fayette wrestled with Kayne until he surrendered. He couldn't win with the daughter of Count Lamis, who was known as the second sword master.

Kallixto was now sitting on the sofa with them. He couldn't look at the Duchess's eyes because of a skeptical look on her face. When they settled down, the Duchess kept in sight of him.

"Do you know him?" Kayne asked the Duchess.

"We met in the alleyway last night." She replied, then fixed him with a stare. "Fancy meeting you, Mister Kallix. Are you perhaps a friend of the great Mage? It is so rare to meet a mercenary who is close with a mage."

A sudden silence enveloped the room; their jaws dropped when they heard the Duchess's remarks. Fayette, who recovered from the shock, pointed out to Kallixto.

"Pardon? Mercenary? Him?"

"Yes, isn't he?" Duchess Chauverthier was puzzled as she looked at them.

Later, Kayne and Fayette laughed in unison, glaring at Kallixto with a cheeky grin. On the other hand, Kallixto gave them a death glare, yet they continued teasing him. It wasn't his intention to lie nor pretend to be someone else; thus, nobles usually disguise themselves outside their abode.

"My master had appointed me to discuss something with the great Mage. You can even ask him."

Duchess Chauverthier gave a lopsided grin. "I'm not asking for validation, Mister mercenary."

Kallixto turned crimson and inclined his head to avoid her gaze. He couldn't meet the Duchess's eyes. Dang, he didn't have to be ashamed of her.

"So," Kayne drawled. "What services can I offer the Duchess?" Kallixto hinted at the seriousness of Kayne as he rose to his feet.

"I guess my negotiation with the great Mage has ended. Until next time."

"Either I am." Fayette followed him, leaving the two people in the room.

****

Thalia heard the clock ticking away in the room as she awkwardly observed the Mage sitting opposite her. Feeling pretty weirded out by his outrageous stare, Thalia snapped her fingers momentarily.

"I don't know how you treat your guests, but hospitality is the number one etiquette of humans."

The corner of Kayne's mouth quirked up. He then rang the tiny bell on the table. Later, a young boy entered with a tray of refreshments and some cookies. He was around ten years old, though tall, and had an innocent angel face unless she was mistaken. There was a pinch of pain she felt at that moment. How would it have been better if Thalia had seen her child in the past? The young boy served the snacks to them before politely leaving the room. Thalia wondered how great a teacher Kayne was to his students.

"Stop staring at me as if I have committed a crime," Kayne clucked his tongue with dislike. "He is Aiden, my apprentice. And I never exploit him to do evil."

"…. I never intended to think that way."

"Whatever… So, Duchess, what favor do you want to ask?"

"Are you really the great Mage?" Thalia unintentionally questioned him. At first glance, she could not expect him to be the Mage as Fayette described him. With braided, vibrant red velvet hair and striking light, a hazel orb carried a mysterious aura — of course, his left eye, covered with a patch, was said to be the core of a mage's mana. Yet, his appearance was somewhere between refined and flamboyant. In any case, he was actually quite muscular.

Kayne looked dumbfounded to speak; he even spilled the glass of juice on the table. "What? Where have you been all your life? The whole Empire knew my existence as the powerful Mage of the Tower. I wonder why the Duchess couldn't recognize my greatness."

"I'm surprised too. You're proud as a peacock."

"What can I say? That's how I am." He lifted his chin, oozing with confidence.

Thalia gave a deadpan reaction. "I am certain you heard the name, Leaf Avery."

"Yes, and we were friends even until now. A friend with rights, I guess?"

"You're awful!" She exclaimed.

"The Duchess has indecent thoughts. I don't mean that way."

"Phew, anyway, I need your help."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Her mouth curved into a smile as she placed a total of seven pouches on the table. "My apologies for declining you, but mages are rich."

"What else can I do? How about you name your price?" For Thalia, spending money lavishly wasn't a significant matter. She always had an allowance to spend.

Kayne held his chin, then caressed it while thinking deeply. "Hmmm…. Let's see. Since you are the Duchess, and you own the dead mine in the East Terra. Give that land to me."

"Pardon!"

"I heard that mine is full of concentrated mana, yet the owner doesn't know the true value of it."

It was true that East Terra was a dead land which Noxton had never visited. He even planned to dispose of that land as it doesn't profit. However, Thalia was consciously aware of its precious worth. Since she came back from the past, the East Terra land became a legend because the Emperor acquired the biggest mana that was found on the ground. For this reason, how did the great Mage know the information?

"I will send the authorization for the land and the other documents tomorrow."

"Great! So what can I do for you?"

Thalia straightened up in her seat, then she pulled her gloves off. A crystallized blood-red in an oblong form, like a ruby stone, radiates in the room. Kayne lowered the curtain in a snap of his fingers, dropping the room into darkness. Wearing gloves was the best decision she had ever made. For her sake, Count Darvan had decided to hide their family secret from the public's knowledge. It was the first time in the Psycheberg household to have such a rare condition. Her father had been spending time searching for the true purpose of Hiax, but none of these gave an accurate answer.

Kayne grabbed her right hand and stroked her palm, where the stone-like beaded figure was embedded. "Doesn't it hurt? Have you had this since birth?"

"I can endure it as long as I wear gloves." Her childhood had never been on cloud nine because of the Hiax. It gave her tremendous nausea, and suffocation had poisoned her system.

"Gloves?"

"My father had procured these gloves to suppress my mana for the time being. He is still looking for medication to seal the Hiax."

"No. Your father is wrong. He must not tamper with the prophecy of Enah because it will lead to obliteration."

"What are you trying to say?"

"The person cursed by Enah and your Hiax is connected with a primordial guardian. Your interconnection with that person has been tangled ever since you were born. However, everything comes with a price. The future is uncertain, but you are the only one who can save the empire."

Thalia's face was weary beyond description after she heard the prophecy. What did they think of her? A puppet? As far as she could remember, the Hiax had nothing to do with her until she died. Is this the consequence of returning to the past? To die for others while forgetting her broken affliction.