Free Web NovelChapter 16: Alicia’s POV [Part-2]
On the top floor of the academy, outside the principal’s office, Alicia sat on a bench. Her expression remained blank and cold, wearing her mask once again.
*Creak!*
The office door opened. An assistant wearing glasses and a black suit over a white shirt looked at her, holding a handbook.
"You can go inside. The principal is waiting for you."
Alicia stood up, smoothed her dress, and walked past her without saying a word. She opened the door and entered.
The office was spacious. A desk sat at the far end, covered in scattered papers. A beautiful woman in her late twenties with vibrant orange hair and emerald eyes sat on a couch near the desk, busy reading the year’s fresher documents. Two cups of tea rested on the table.
Noticing Alicia, she placed the documents back on the table, crossed her legs, and looked at her.
"So you are Alicia. I didn’t expect you to join the academy too. Orion said you had talent that even surpassed him. It seems he was not bluffing just to brag about his daughter."
She gestured for Alicia to sit. Alicia walked toward the couch opposite her, sat gracefully, and leaned back.
"It is glad to meet you, Principal Alexa. I didn’t expect you to call me. Is there anything you need?"
Alicia looked at her expressionlessly, meeting her eyes. Alexa picked up a teacup and took a sip.
"I should be the one asking what you need. You met my eyes as if you want something from me."
She placed the cup back and leaned on the couch, a small smile tugging on her lips.
"You know, you are just like me, trying so hard to see past each other. You definitely inherited your mother’s genes. She would have been proud of you, wherever she is. So tell me, Alicia, what do you want to talk about? If you didn’t have anything to say, you would never have come here. You don’t seem like the type to waste time chatting if you don’t see any benefit."
Alexa picked up the tea again and drank it while staring calmly.
"Do you remember the incident in the Kalos region? The one where millions of casualties happened... famous as the ’Crimson Massacre’?"
Alexa’s smile vanished. She looked at Alicia with cold eyes.
"Yes, I remember that. Why do you ask?"
Alicia looked at her calmly and said, "You seem to have lost a loved one in that incident, isn’t that right?"
Alexa’s expression darkened at the mention of her loss. The room felt heavier, but Alicia ignored the pressure and continued.
"What if I told you something interesting, or maybe hopeful?"
Alexa narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean by hopeful? What are you trying to say?"
Alicia leaned on the couch. Her mask disappeared, she smiled, and said,
"What if I told you I know about your husband, who was rumored to have died in that incident? What if I told you he is still alive?"
The pressure intensified. The surrounding walls cracked under the force. The tea on the table fell and shattered, spilling liquid everywhere. Alexa ignored the mess. Her world which she had barely held together shattered. Her cold eyes dilated. The SS-ranker, the pillar of Elderia, vanished, revealing the woman who had lost her loved one and barely kept herself alive.
"What are you trying to say?"
Her voice shook as she tried to calm herself. The once strong woman turned vulnerable.
"I am saying, what if I tell you that your husband is still alive somewhere?"
She drank the tea, acting as if her words hadn’t shaken the room.
"Are you saying the truth? Is Liam really alive? Where is he? Please tell me!"
Alicia’s gaze softened. She put down the cup, looked at her, and continued in a soft voice.
"I cannot exactly tell you where he is... but I can say he is still alive."
Alexa clutched her fists, trying to calm down.
"How do you know he is still alive? And why are you telling me this?"
Alicia paused for a few seconds and answered softly.
"I know because I have my own means to find out things. And I am telling you because... at least I don’t want others to lose their loved ones like I did."
Alexa’s expression softened as she looked at Alicia. She remembered Alicia’s mother had disappeared when she was a child. Alicia didn’t even get to mourn her own mother. She stood up, walked over, and sat beside Alicia. She placed a hand on Alicia’s head and started stroking her hair.
Alicia leaned into her hand. Alexa continued stroking while Alicia closed her eyes, feeling warmth after a long time.
"Thank you for telling me. I will try to find him on my own. Thank you for giving me hope. I owe you one. Tell me what you want in return."
She opened her eyes, glanced at her, and shook her head.
"No, it’s okay... I don’t need anything."
Alexa glanced at her, smiled slightly, and narrowed her eyes.
"Don’t try to act like a kind girl and tell me what your aim is... You definitely want something."
Alicia looked at the scattered papers and said, "Yes, there is something. But not now. I need something from you later."
Alexa nodded.
"Okay."
She smiled.
"You know, if I had a little sister, she would be just like you."
Alicia looked at her and said, "Why? Can’t I be your sister?"
Alexa smiled widely.
"Oh? So you don’t mind being my sister? That is good. From now on, you are my sister."
She hugged her and stroked her back.
"Hey, I am not a child. Stop stroking me."
Alexa chuckled, pulled her hand off, and looked at her with a playful face while fixing her hair.
"So tell me, how is your relationship with your childhood friend Kaelian? I heard he sent a marriage proposal to you?"
Alicia’s face darkened at the mention of Kaelian. She didn’t hate her childhood friend, and she still considered him a friend, but marriage was different.
"No... I refused it. I don’t have feelings for Kaelian. He is my childhood friend, but not more than that."
Alexa’s playful expression softened.
"Okay... Well, it’s your decision to choose who will be best for you."
Alicia nodded, considered something, and said, "But, there is a guy I like in the academy..."
Alexa blinked, caught off guard. She straightened her back and looked at her with a hint of protectiveness.
"Tell me, who is it?"
