Curse the Mainframe! 225 Capital City, Rhys

fThe land in the middle of the Kaoriht continent, Capital.

Capital City, Rhys.

The Kaoriht continent was ruled by a single power, the Rhys Royal Family, and at the head of the family was the emperor, Louis Emery Rhys.

Emperor Rhys governed the entire of the Kaoriht continent, and there were four kings under his rule.

While he left the North, South, East and West to the Kings, the Capital was untouched by anyone except the Rhys Royal Family.

It was a delicate balance of power that was more precarious than it appeared.

Emperor Rhys had to continuously balance the scales of power, whilst not allowing the Capital to seem weak. Not only that, he had to make sure that the Kings didn't get any ideas of making an alliance to take out the Capital City, Rhys.

While the kings were technically under the Emperor's power, if the royal family pushed too far, the kings would rebel against the Rhys Royal Family.

So, while the Rhys Royal Family was indeed in charge on paper, their position was a lot more delicate than it appeared on the surface.

As such, not much was heard about Emperor Rhys, and he was shrouded in mystery. For various reasons, it was easier for the emperor to hide than show his face to the public, both for his safety and the continual safety of the royal family.

The emperor was not young, but throughout his years, there was no one who could say that they remembered his face other than the direct members of the royal family.

In a strange turn of events, even those that had directly seen the face of the emperor could not describe it for you, as if all memory about the emperor's appearance left their minds from the moment that they left the emperor's vicinity.

Even the servants that were employed there for years on end could not say that they were different.

Many speculated that there was a special type of Magitype that was shared in the royal family that allowed them to alter memories.

Alec frowned at the various reports that was being relayed to him about the royal family's rumours.

Having split up from Thea even before they entered Rhys City, Alec was moving around on his own to collect information, while Thea was doing her own thing.

By all accounts, Thea and Alec were not related in any way.

Sitting in the middle of a crowded café located in the heart of Rhys City, Alec appeared slightly out of place, but he acted as if he didn't notice at all.

Amongst a crowd full of noblewomen and young ladies, Alec's figure was seated casually on his own, making him the centre of focus in the place.

Even if males came here, they were usually too concerned with their useless pride that held them back, so many of them got private rooms to enjoy themselves instead of being casually seated in the shop with the other ladies.

As such, Alec, who was on his own, and not in a private room, became the centre of attention for the various ladies in the place who were having their tea and desserts.

There were hushed whispers and giggled as they stole glances at Alec's face, and the gentle aura he gave off when he sipped at the teacup.

He had such elegant manners that his every action appeared graceful and natural, unlike the stiff manners of many noblemen who tried too hard.

He wasn't doing anything other than leafing through a book with a cup of tea at the side, but the women all felt their hearts beat faster at the gentle feeling his silhouette gave off.

Even though they were used to the many so-called 'elegant' and 'handsome' men that toured their circles, this was the first time they were seeing someone that was so lovely, that made their hearts beat uncontrollably without faltering.

He wasn't even doing anything that attracted them, but for some reason, when they looked at the quiet serenity that he gave off, they felt as if they were falling for his charms.

The curve of his smile pierced into their hearts, and they couldn't help but fantasize when he brushed the fringe of his black hair out of his face.

Even though his hair wasn't styled, they felt as if it was better that way, and when by chance, one of them caught his eye, the smile that he gave them made them feel like they were melting.

Alec who assumed that they were acting that way because of his 'gentle type' persona, didn't care about the effects that he was having on them.

They had nothing to do with him, and he regarded them as ornaments, as they weren't his target.

While he could have requested a private room, it easier to use the crowd to hide his presence, as well as establish an alibi in the future. Also, this was an easier way for him to meet his target without drawing attention to himself.

While Alec read through the book, he was also listening to an earpiece that was small enough to be hidden in his ear. The earpiece was covered by his hair and wasn't visible.

This was the way that the Cookie Sect relayed information.

Instead of having written copies of reports, information was only ever relayed verbally, and the earpiece could only work within the vicinity of the shop.

There was another person that was relaying information in the kitchen while they prepared desserts.

Writing down the information that was given to you was a 'no' as well, even if Alec was supposedly the sect leader.

This was part of their policy.

Still, having a good memory was something that he prided himself in, and Alec absorbed the information being relayed to him as he ignored the giggling of the females around him.

He didn't feel out of place in this dessert shop at all, as he drank tea and ate cookies.

One of the girls nearby sighed quietly in appreciation. Where would she ever find someone that managed to capture her heart at first glance like this again?

Her friend fanned herself with her fan, looking at him with just as dreamy eyes.

The two exchanged glances and giggled, realizing that the other was appreciating that fine specimen as well.

Yet, no one in the shop dared to disturb the quiet peace that surrounded the young man, almost as if they felt that they were sinning if they did that.

They were happy just looking at him read the book in front of him with a quiet serenity.

Compared to the other nobles that liked to boast about themselves and their exploits, Alec's form was a hundred times more captivating to these young ladies that were still dreaming of a fairy-tale romance.

Alec eventually shut the book that he was reading as the tea in the teapot finished.

He stood up and kept his book, brushing his hair from his face again, before leaving.

The ladies that were left behind gave quiet sighs of disappointment.

When would they ever see him again?

None of them had been able to muster up the courage to approach an unknown gentleman, as it wasn't done in their circles, but when Alec left, they couldn't help but regret their inaction.

Maybe one day, they would look back and regret that they hadn't been brave enough to take the first step.

Meanwhile, Alec was quietly organizing the information about the royal palace and its members into his mind, forming a plan.

According to Sarah Neil, the traitor, the Royal Family would not be taking action that soon, but their plans were vague and entirely up in the air.

The only good thing was that the two were no longer in contact any longer, as Sarah had cut off contact before the clan realized what she was doing.

Now, whether or not they were still going to take action against the Neil Clan was uncertain, but Alec leaned towards the possibility that they were going to attack.

A small smirk hung on Alec's lips before he wiped it away.

If they dared attack, they would be in for a surprise.

The Neil Clan was not as weak as they thought.

Still, there was another mission that Alec was on, and his blood was heating up at the thought of a challenge.

How was he going to successfully infiltrate the royal palace when Thea, who was supposedly at the peak of thievery, had failed in her infiltration?

No, that wasn't quite right either.

Thea had not failed, but she had grown lax when the shock hit her, and her control over her magic slipped, allowing the hidden guards that were guarding the prince to attack her.

This time, they would probably have their guards raised as a prince had almost been assassinated in what should have been the safest place, and they would be guarding against females who wanted to enter the palace, so Thea was safer staying outside.

Information was power, and Alec quite appreciated the amount of effort that the Cookie Sect had put into this aspect.

While he may not want to be in control of it, he was more than willing to use it as he pleased.

Chapter end

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