1160  Women Are Scary

"Regardless of your enemies, one must always be prepared for an ambush," warned Hazel with a frown. "If you are not careful enough, while you would remain unharmed, the same could not be said for your comrades."

"Where does the Tanera Kingdom stand on this subject?"

"Even as the princess of Tanera, I don't get to participate in important meetings. The sole reason that I reached this position is the legacy that you gave me."

"Erin Voldor did not attempt to ruin it for you?"

"Jin betrayed you for that reason," said Hazel, looking at the ground with shame. "Although I hate him for what he did, it was still the reason the seven families trusted me."

Arthur was silent for a bit, seeming to think of something. As Hazel tried to look into his eyes, she found him looking at the table before them. In the vase was a single blue ice lotus, which absorbed the coldness of the surrounding through its vase.

As the hissing of trees came through the window, the sunlight cast numerous shadows between the two. Hazel looked out from the window in the dead silence of the hall before rising to open the window.

*Clank!*

A cold breeze rushed into the hall, fluttering her dark hair. Hazel then turned toward Arthur with twinkling blue eyes as the sunlight seeped from behind her. "Tell me, Arthur," she began by calling for his attention, which she obtained. "Do you still love me?"

Arthur looked at her with his golden eyes and black cracks running through his face. His face betrayed no emotions that might reveal an inkling to his thoughts. Hazel stood there, as confident as a goddess and just as beautiful.

"Love?" muttered Arthur as he tilted his head. "What we shared was affection and curiosity, but I can never call it love. However, what I feel towards someone else is a definite form of love, where I would kill millions just to see her."

It was not a metaphor.

It was a confession.

Hazel did not know that, and she assumed that he was expressing how much love he holds in a twisted way. Her blue eyes looked at him with disappointment, to which she sighed and sat down again in her seat. This time, she looked like a bird with broken wings.

"I knew that you would find someone else."

"I don't think we were ever in a relationship."

"You kissed me and moved on? That's it?"

"I do appreciate the time we spent together, but that's about it," rejected Arthur with clear intentions, like a sword that allowed no room for misinterpretations. He axed her delusions before they could worsen.

"I guess it was inevitable, since it has been almost a year and half since we met," said Hazel with a smile that bordered on self-pity. "I will take my leave now. You can contact me through this," she produced a small pin from her pocket. "I will take my leave now."

"Thank you for everything," said Arthur as he rose from his seat. "I will keep your words in mind."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know what the Yalen King desires, the same thing as his son, Sier. The ruins hold the Isotox, the connector of worlds. The Yalen built their kingdom using their abilities to find hidden treasures and artifacts that could strengthen them. The only thing stopping them before was the dungeons."

Arthur raised his eyes in surprise, making Julia flash a victorious grin. Then, she rose from her chair and pulled out some files, documents upon documents of scout reports. Julia spread them before him and pointed at several ones.

"We have noticed that the Yalen Kingdom always had a weak relationship with Runera because they relied on knowledge uncovered from ruins. It was odd that they would always find those ruins, until I remembered their abilities."

"Everyone who knows their abilities knows what they do it for," said Arthur as he pressed his lips together. "What would they need the Isotox for?"

"If the seers can foresee where a treasure lies in Alka and the place connecting to it on Earth, they would not even need to open dungeons. They can just summon the treasure using the Isotox. This is an entire unexplored world!"

"…it does make sense," said Arthur as he averted his gaze, refusing to give her the satisfaction of being right. "Sier has made more than one attempt to enter the ruins and take the Isotox. It does make sense that his attempts would start after the ruins opened a year ago."

"Sier never obtained the artifact thanks to your sister, who had the shard from the holy crown," said Julia in relief. "I always thought that the Ghost Ruler was our enemy, not a protector of the most valuable artifact in Runera."

"I need to thank her later," said Arthur as he leaned back in his chair. "I never had an older sister before, so it's a bit weird."

Dead silence. Arthur received no reply. As he turned his head to see what was happening, he found Julia glaring at him with furious eyes. It was at that moment that he felt threatened for the first time since he returned.

"I meant… I meant that…"

"I always thought of a brother, but it's fine if you don't think of me as an older sister," said Julia as she slammed the files on the desk, shaking the entire room. "I need to sleep now."

"Can I just explain?" asked Arthur as he jumped from his chair. "Jasmine is someone who just appeared as my sister, so I don't know how to handle it. You have always been there for me and helped me, so before I knew it, I treated you like a real sister."

"…aha," said Julia with a half-convinced face. "Sounds like you are lying to save your skin. How would I believe you after this?"

"…do I have Jasmine managing my city and guild?"

"…sounds like too much work now. I might just quit."

"What? No?"

"If you think of me as a sister, then you shouldn't overwork me. Help me establish a new runic organization in Runera so that we could profit from their sales. You can give them your runic machines too. You would do that for your older sister, right?"

"That sounds like an easy task, no problem," said Arthur with a nod as Julia grinned, thanked him, and led him outside. Once the door was slammed shut behind him, he realized that he came here to take a leave of absence but was instead given more work.

Women are scary.