Chapter 222 - Warm and Safe (3)

"Oh, yeah. About the kidnappers."

"What about them?"

Harrison was still inside her room, sitting on the couch in front of her or more like his head and upper torso dangling over the couch with his lower torso and feet up, leaning against the couch. His forehead was exposed. He has his coat removed and placed beside him with a book on top of it, the one that he was reading earlier. What is he even doing? I'm the one whose head is hurting just looking at him like that, he has been in that position for like minutes already.

Alexandra has her shoes removed as she was laying down on her stomach on the couch while holding a book as she glanced over his direction.

"Your father and a few people interrogated them, I was with them during that time when it happened so I pretty much know everything about it. Though at first, they resisted and doesn't want to answer so we have to use such methods to make them speak."

"Interrogate? What did they ask?"

Alexandra arched up an eyebrow as she looked at his direction, curiosity lacing her tone of voice as she spoke. She already has a clue on what kind of methods they use. When the prisoner or someone they captured doesn't want to answer their questions or refuse to hand over the information that they want, they torture them. Just thinking about it and the cruelty and ruthlessness of her father, she knew that the kidnappers suffered too much just to make them speak.

"Remember that collar placed on our neck? I told you that this empire doesn't have that kind of item, right?"

"Well, yeah," Alexandra responded as she became more curious about what he is going to say next, she closed her book and all of her attention was focused on him.

"Remember the archenemy of the Queenilia Empire?" He said as he continued to dangle over the edge of the couch as he looked at her. Alexandra felt dizzy just by looking at him, however, she responded to his question.

"The Empire of Apollo, ruling over 7 kingdoms whose names are the 7 Deadly Sins."

"Yes, them," He said before he lifted his upper torso and sat properly, there were wrinkles on his clothes and his hair was messy so he fixed it after. Straightening up his shirt in the process. Alexandra blinked multiple times as she tried to understand what he was trying to say and when she did, the realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.

"Don't you mean…"

"Yes, they were the ones who manufactured and made that item. It also turns out that the kidnappers came from their empire and were able to infiltrate this empire. They were planning to sell you along with the other kids kidnapped in their empire, it looked like some of them bore a grudge against our empire that's why they did it. Though they weren't planning on kidnapping a royalty yet you end up being with them."

"Are they declaring war against us? The Great War between our two empires is already finished and we signed a peace treaty with them after that as to not let another war happen again. Even though our empire won, there were many casualties, and lives were taken, it took some time for both of the empires to recover from it all. And when they did, that's where they signed," Alexandra said slightly annoyed about what she heard. If another war breaks out, I don't know big the damage would be.

"That's why your father is going to have a negotiation with the Emperor of Apollo Empire next week, I'm sure they have sent a letter about it and they already know about the issue. I don't where though, it will probably be held there. I'm sure your father will tell you about this later during dinner, your eldest brother also doesn't know about it," Harrison said as he crossed his leg and propped his head up with the palm of his hand and his elbow resting on top of his lap, he looked at her who was still laying on the couch on her stomach, holding a book.

"I just hope that it will go peacefully or else, we will have no choice but to declare war. After all, kidnapping, hurting, and threatening to kill a royalty is a heinous crime along with that, slavery and child trafficking is equal to that. If they were from this empire, they could have been executed but they came from the opposite."

"I'm sure they will be executed for their crimes. I also heard that they have been doing it for so long already, on the other parts of the empire and this was the first time that they got caught."

"God, so that means they already sold many children to their empire? Does their emperor knows about this?"

"I don't know about that. That's why your father is going to negotiate with them," Harrison took his coat as he removed the book on top of it before he stood up and stretched his arms.

"It has been almost 200 peaceful years and now they are doing this."

Harrison was about to say something when they heard a knock coming from the door and a voice coming from the outside. Alexandra sat up from her position to look at the door as she listened to the voice.

"Princess, I'm coming in. I'm here with some freshly-baked cookies and macaroons," It was Diana and she immediately heard the sound of the door opening, she panicked and turned her head to the direction where Harrison is standing earlier but he wasn't there anymore, thankfully. I guess he left since Diana arrived.

Alexandra turned to look at Diana again and she smiled as she watched her walk towards her direction, stopping by the table to place the plate of cookies and macaroons down along with the scattered books. There was also a glass of juice.

"You shouldn't just let your books scatter everywhere, princess."

"I apologize, I was reading and looking for a good one that's why they are all scattered on the table."

Alexandra responded before she took one cookie on the plate and took a bite from it, she let out a satisfied hum and the smile on her face widened. Even though she just ate earlier during the tea party with her friends, she suddenly became hungry because of what Diana delivered to her room.

When Diana saw her reaction she just smiled and slightly bowed and spoke, "I'll be taking my leave now, I don't want to disturb your private time," Diana said then she turned around and left the room before Alexandra have the chance to thank her. I swear, I would get fat because I kept on eating this kind of sweets almost every day, she thought to herself as she took another cookie.

Too bad, Harrison wasn't here to eat these cookies.

"Is that cookies?"

"Jes—Gosh, you startled me!" Alexandra almost screamed when Harrison popped up behind the couch, looking at the plate of cookies and macaroons on top of the table along with a glass of juice. He just grinned and went around to sit on the couch before his hand reached out to the plate and took a cookie, taking a bite from it as Alexandra just stared at him with disbelief in her eyes.

"What?" He asked when he noticed that she was only staring at him without saying anything. Alexandra let out a sigh before she replied, "Were you hiding behind the couch the whole time?" Was what she asked him and Harrison gulped down his throat what he was eating before he spoke.

"Yes."

"Here I was thinking that you left and I would be able to eat all of this alone."

"You'll get fat."

"I have no regrets," Alexandra said in a serious voice but then laughed afterward as she took another macaroon from the plat and took the glass of juice. Harrison might be the one who will take it so she has to secure it.

"Do you know how the Great War started?"

"Our empire had enough of them and declared war to end it all."

"Something like that but there is a much deeper reason to that, I'm sure that you will rarely find this in the books. Not everything is written on the books, your knowledge should not only be based on what you learned and what you read."

"What is it then?"

"They were smuggling such things from their empire to this empire and the current emperor during that time doesn't know it, trespassed and claiming property and territories that aren't theirs, and doing such things that would greatly affect our empire and that made us angry. Aside from that…"

"What?" Alexandra's curiosity overwhelmed her and she waited for what Harrison is going to say.

"…They took the youngest prince and executed him publicly in their empire, that's where they had enough and the people became really angry that they declared war though, in the end, we won. The emperor during that time was executed the same way the prince was. That marked the end of the dark and cruel days and sufferings both the empires went through. Though they signed the peace treaty afterward and his eldest son took the seat, it became peaceful."

Alexandra blinked multiple times as she processed the information that she got from Harrison, that's the first time that she heard of that though she knew that the emperor during that time of Apollo Empire was executed. That was really dark and shocking.

"How did you know about that?"

"I'm a wizard, wizards tend to live longer and I am probably much older than you think," Finally, she was able to confirm that Harrison was probably hundreds of years old. Well, that's pretty normal for him since he is a wizard, she thought to herself. But does that mean that he also went through that time or was able to experience it?

"Right," Alexandra could only say before she reached out to grab another cookie but she grabbed nothing. Alexandra looked down and saw that only a few macaroons were left on the plate.

"I just hope that history won't repeat itself," Harrison said as he continued to munch on the cookie on his hand. Alexandra lifted her head to look at him, narrowing her eyes on him as her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. An irk mark appeared on her forehead as she looked at him. It looked like he was either purposely ignoring her and the glare that she was giving him or he probably didn't notice it.

"Harrison, how many cookies did you ate?"

"It would be bad if it really does repeat itself because many people would suffer and we would be forced to fight them. My mana still hasn't fully recovered and it was greatly reduced thanks to the kidnapping incident."

"Harrison, where's the cookies?"

"You know, I'm sure that old man, I mean, Sir Friyedor went through a lot during that war since he was one of those wizards who participated. Aside from that, he was also one of the few wizards who were left. All of the wielders of dark and holy magic participated and only a few of them were left too."

"Harrison, the cookies," Alexandra called out to him once again. It looked like he was really ignoring her as he just kept on blabbering and going on and on about the Great War while he ate the one last piece on his hands and chewed before he gulped it down his throat. He wasn't even looking at her.

"History shouldn't repeat itself."

He said and Alexandra was about to open her mouth to speak again when he stood up from his seat. "Ah, I must leave now. It might look suspicious if I stayed here for too long and Arthur might be having a hard time looking for me. Thanks for the cookies though," He said before he disappeared, vanishing into thin air. Alexandra only let out a groan before she leaned back on her seat.

Geez, Harrison.