Chapter 262: Side Story 2: Fireplace Comfort

Sitting alone in one of the palace’s rooms, Alfred sat with a glass of alcohol, a near-empty bottle by his feat, in front of a burning fireplace. The door behind opened, and Isra walked in, sitting beside him silently. Looking down at the bottle, she silently shook her head, grabbed it, and took a swig. Her face scrunched from the strong burn, but she leaned on his shoulder, pushing it aside.

"You okay?" Her voice was soft but full of care, and as she felt Alfred take a deep breath, she grabbed his hand.

"I like this room." Alfred took another sip of his drink and wrapped his arm around Isra, bringing her in closer. "No one disturbs me. The endless issues feel like a far-off worry, and my head finally is clear."

Isra looked up at him and chuckled. "They aren’t actually gone."

Alfred smiled and shook his head, tapping his glass on the bottle. The two had a drunk. "I know. But it’s a momentary peace. How about you? Are you fine?"

Isra sighed and looked into the fire. Her eyes flashed with many emotions, and she wished to say she was fine but couldn’t bring herself to. "No. Honestly, I haven’t been fine since those two came here."

"Isra..." Looking down at her, she tried to hide her face and drown in the bottle. Feeling it run empty, she let it slip out of her fingers and roll on the ground.

"I wish I could forget they exist. They could live in the palace, grow older, or whatever. But I just can’t forget they exist. Every part of me wishes to remove them, but at the same time, I can’t bring myself to. Not knowing how it would hurt you."

"I’m sorry," Alfred sadly said, looking down at his glass. You don’t deserve this."

"No. It is not your fault. It’s hers." Isra boldly said, "If she never existed, it would all be fine. I wouldn’t feel like this, and you wouldn’t have suffered. You wouldn’t have felt that you had to do something so cruel."

"It’s done." Despite his words, Isra could hear the deep unwillingness that was suppressed. As much as she did, Alfred hated it all aswell. Even now he still felt like he lost. He couldn’t get revenge, nor could he kill his children and be rid of the past.

"It’s cruel," Isra muttered under her breath, and Alfred scoffed, finishing his drink.

"Maybe. Maybe I deserve this."

"No, no, no. Don’t say that. You are a good man, Alfred. You were simply forced into a shitty position."

His sudden laughter confused her, and leaning down, he grabbed his face. "You know. I heard something like that before. ’You’re the greatest victim.’ The thing was, I couldn’t say |I don’t think that because it was me or my subconscious telling me. But I’m not a victim, Isra; I refuse to be one. I dread and question everything about this world, but I don’t want to be a victim of it."

"You’re not. How you came to this world was unfair. You never got to experience the bliss of a full life, but not anymore." Isra looked up at him with a proud smile and eyes full of love. "You are the man who carved an Empire when you should have died. You are the one who Sol blessed. And in the future, you will be known as one of the Greats. A man who challenged the world and won."

Alfred laughed at her words but said nothing, only bringing Isra closer to him. The two silently looked at the burning fire with thin smiles, slowly dozing off.

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"Your Majesty." A servant walked in, gently awakening him. The sun piercing through the curtains was blinding, but Alfred paid it no mind and quickly got up. Looking down at Isra, who was still sleeping, he chuckled and carefully picked her up.

"Tell the servants to be quiet in the corridor whilst I take the Empress to bed." The servant bowed and quickly left. Looking down at Isra, he smiled and pulled the hair that was bothering her from her face. Giving it a minute, he walked towards their room. All the servants made sure to steer clear and be absolutely silent as he did so. It was a quick walk, and putting her into bed, Alfred quickly got ready and sighed, quickly running off to work.

Entering the council room, they all got up and bowed before sitting with Alfred at the head. Looking at their nervous faces, he wondered what they wanted to say. He tapped the table in annoyance, trying to speed them up. A part of him hated this council. Whilst they were there to help him with tasks, they didn’t have the same connection with him as his inner circle. They were always scared to give reports on things or bickered constantly.

"What is it?" Fed up with their silence, Alfred coldly asked. They all looked towards Charles, knowing he was close to Alfred, but the man smirked and shook his head, leaning back.

"Your Majesty." One finally felt brave enough and spoke up. "The nobles have been asking about certain rumours and are wondering what shall be done with the..." Stopping, he gulped and lowered his head. "The two children."

Looking at Charles, he raised his hands. "They discussed it themselves. I had nothing to do with it." Alfred looked at him for a few seconds and nodded.

"How did this get out?" Getting up, he walked behind one of the council members. "Was it you? Spreading rumours." The man shook his head, and Alfred went to another, grabbing his shoulders and giving a rough massage. "What about you?" Once more, the man shook his head fiercely.

Alfred looked at them all and frowned with a deep chill in his eyes. "Tell these people with questions that they do not need to question about the Imperial family. They don’t deserve an answer and can wait." Alfred scoffed and retook his seat. Leaning on his hand, he patiently listened to the next topics. Each one was menial and could be solved at the lower level.

It made him wonder why they even were knocking it up to him. Had his administration failed to a degree, and he had to solve every issue or were his vassals trying to bog him down with work to slow down his reforms? Reminding himself to have someone look into it, Alfred sat for an hour, listening to the reports, muttering a few words.

"That is the final report, Your Majesty." The council got up and bowed, and with a wave of his hand, he sent them all away; only Charles remained.

"You have something to ask?" Charles asked with a small smile, getting one from Alfred in return.

"It’s obvious that you didn’t have anything to do with that bullshit about my kids, but I wonder. Where has the rumours come from."

"Honestly, it could be a lot of sources. But if I were to guess, it would be the soldiers in the throne room that day. The story of what you did to that woman has become known, and only the people in the room or close confidence know."

"The Unyeilding?" Alfred asked, getting a shake of the head from Charles.

"Don’t get me wrong; there is a chance, but it is doubtful. They have been moulded to follow you above all. Besides, they have no friends other than their comrades. They can’t be brided and all that." Alfred chuckled at Charles’s words. He could hear the deep pride he had in his creation, and it was something Alfred understood. The Unyielding had been created to be the best of the best. As its creator, of course, Charles would be proud of them.

"Whatever, it doesn’t really matter. I just needed those guys on edge about this." Scratching his head, Alfred sighed. "Charles. I need you to be honest with me now. What should be with them? You know better than anyone how they came about."

"Can I be honest, Alfred, without you getting angry?" Charles pulled his seat closer to him, and getting confirmation, he took a deep breath. "As a friend, you should do what you feel is best for you. Everything about them will always be a grim reminder of that night for you after all."

Alfred dropped his head and bitterly smiled. He understood better than anyone. "Now, Your Majesty. As your loyal servants, there are two ways to look at it. I hate to say it, but Crown Pricnes’ ability to have children is still in question. The bastards provide a way forward for the Empire. If the Crown Pircne can have children, this is fine, but if not, then you should consider allowing them to take the throne afterwards."

Alfred clenched his fists and took a couple of deep breaths, but understanding Charles’s point, he didn’t lash out. "So, legitimize them?"

"No. Not yet, at least. That will put the Crown Prince in more danger. But have the possibility in the back of your mind." Alfred smiled and got up.

"Thanks, Charles." Patting his shoulder, Alfred walked off.