Chapter 225: Cruel Wasteland

After my brief audience with the emperor, Deimos, I left him with a heavy heart. I looked back at the door, letting out a shallow breath. My eyes softened at the memory of the vulnerable sovereign, at the fact that one of his children truly betrayed him and their kind.

It was happening, and this was only the beginning. Things would only escalate now that Niall ascended the throne, gaining full control over Hendrik Empire. 

'My heart is always with you, Father,' I whispered in my head, peeling my eyes away from the door before I walked away.

My footsteps echoed, sounding overly loud in my ears. Ever since that time months ago, the deafening silence in the hallways of the imperial palace had grown distinct. Perhaps the walls knew. Hence the odd silence. 

As I waltzed through the silent hallway, my steps came to a full halt as I reached the end. My eyes fell on the person leaning against the wall, arms crossed. She carefully set her eyes on me, flashing me a gentle smile. 

"Rinnie," Alice called gently as she retracted her back from the wall. "May I have a moment with you?" 

I gazed at her pair of gentle eyes before I nodded slightly. "Sure." 

"Great." She pressed her lips but kept its corners hooked up. 

We didn't have the usual cozy time together as I followed her tracks, walking a step behind her. Even with both our footsteps chorusing across the hallway, it wasn't enough to squash the stifling silence. The palace... was almost suffocating. 

While following her, I glanced around. It still looked the same. The portraits hanging on the wall were the same: furniture, the carpet, and cleaned windows. But it truly differed from the usual ambiance from three years ago. Back then, everything seemed so bright and cool in the eye. 

The faint laughter and giggles from the princess that could be heard through the walls were now gone. They were just footsteps and grim, grey and dull. An obvious indicator of this was no longer the palace that sheltered the carefree werewolves. 

I didn't realize we reached the inner garden while studying the hallway, eavesdropping on the faint conversation through the walls out of habit. Alice looked back at me and smiled, tilting her head, telling me we should have tea in our usual spot. So, I followed her to the pavilion deep in the garden.

"I'm really glad that you accepted my invitation, considering what is going on right now." Finally, Alice broke the silence between us, dragging the intricate marble chair, and perched on it. I sat opposite her.

"It's crazy, I know. With the war that is expected to happen anytime soon." She let out a deep sigh, leaning back, eyes on me. "It feels different now, right?"

"It is," came out a soft voice, nodding in agreement. "It feels sad."

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Alice smiled wearily, leaning her arms against the edge of the round table. She massaged her nape, letting out another deep exhale. 

"It does feel lonely now," she muttered, softening her eyes as she gazed at the flowers surrounding the pavilion. "Everyone can feel that. Which makes one wonder when did it start? Or... has it been like this all this time and we simply ignored it?"

There was a moment of silence between us as I studied her. Alice was a gorgeous and graceful woman. Not only she was beautiful, but she was as well, strong, kind, and smart. She was almost the perfect representation of a strong, independent woman one would look up to. 

She was amazing. 

"You know Rinnie, although Ronmin looks bright and elegant from afar, behind and underneath its soil were countless bones of those who once walked the land," she continued in the same soft and melancholic tone. "Hugo, Daniel, Father... everyone in here was murderers whose hands were soiled. But we all justified all the killings behind the reason we're fighting for our people, for our rights and peace, and for our lives. It's true, though."

She paused, running her fingers through her hair. "But no matter how we justified our actions, the innocent paid for the price. Small or big numbers, they were all called casualties for the great cause. And again, we're about to enter a war that could destroy small countries."

"It's inevitable," I replied casually.

"I know." She rocked her head as she set her eyes on me. "Fighting means there will be disastrous casualties, but not fighting at all will cause our entire kind. We are all fighting for what we think is right. A fight for survival. After centuries of peace... it's funny how the peace we worked so hard to attain can break so easily with just a simple provocation or an act of love."

I studied Alice in silence, lost for words about how I would respond to her. She had a point. This war that would soon happen was simply a fight for survival. Although there were personal interests involved, she was spewing facts. 

"I guess the world would always be a wasteland as it should be." She laughed with a touch of slight sarcasm in her tone. "A wilderness where there are monsters worse than bears and snakes. If one isn't careful enough, they would die without them realizing it."

"Do you know what's scarier being in this wasteland, Rinnie?" she inquired after a quick pause. "Not knowing a thing while lost in this cruel jungle."

"You're not one of them." I pointed out while staring at her straight in the eye. "You're not one of those terrified individuals who were clueless about this world."

"Because I know a thing or two." She smiled and smacked her lips, leaning back comfortably. "I can fend for myself."

"Is that why... you chose to side with Niall?" I inquired and this time, she froze momentarily. When Alice set her eyes back to me, she smiled without showing a hint of shock. 

Her eyes once again softened as a hum slipped past her lips. "Mhm. That is why I want to talk to you because.... this might be the last time I will talk to you in this lifetime."

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