"I'm all right," Emma said. She finished her wine and was ready to leave. "I am done. I want to rest now."

She did not want to linger there.

"You don't want to hear more stories about your mother?" Therius asked her attentively.

Emma had heard enough, and her heart was a mess. She wanted to take time to process many things that she just learned today. So, she bowed slightly to Therius and Xion as a form of courtesy.

"Hmm ... I'm kind of tired. Thank you for the chat. Later, we can talk again."

After that, she rose from her seat and left the lounge Therius and Xion could only look at her back as she was walking out. None of them could talk her into staying.

"Is it true what you said earlier that you will grant whatever she wishes when you become the king?" Xion asked Therius after Emma left. He had told all the staff to empty the lounge because he did not want their conversation to be heard by others.

"Why is it so hard for you to accept that I can actually do that?" Therius asked him back. "I really mean what I said. I think Emma is a smart girl, and she won't make any unreasonable demands."

"Hmm ... I hope she can see your sincerity," Xion commented with a shrug.

***

Emma finally finished writing the 50 letters she had learned this week. She also managed to write 100 random words using all the letters. She then handed her notebook over to Therius for checking.

"Hmm ... very good. I think I can now give you very simple reading material," commented the man. He took Emma's tablet and fiddled with it before he handed it back to the girl. "I've put a few reading books for children in it. You'll begin to recognize the words in them."

"Hm ... okay," Emma said.

She was amused to imagine that she, a genius, will start reading children's books because she had to learn the alphabet. She then took her belongings and walked out of the library.

When she opened the door, Emma saw Saul standing in front of the library, as if he was waiting for her to leave so he could come to see Therius.

"h.e.l.lo, Miss. Nice to meet you," Saul greeted Emma respectfully.

"Hmm ..." Emma just nodded. She continued her journey, but after several meters, she stopped her steps and turned around. She remembered Saul was never there after she finished studying. So, today, there might be something important or special that he came eagerly to see Therius. Emma wanted to know what it was. "Did something happened today so you came to see Therius immediately?"

Saul had been told that Emma was Therius' special guest, and everyone in the s.h.i.+p had to treat her with respect. That's why he responded to her question truthfully.

"That's right, Miss. Sir Therius told me to let him know when the messenger s.h.i.+p arrived."

"Messenger s.h.i.+p?" Emma immediately remembered that this week Therius was waiting for a messenger s.h.i.+p that would bring the latest news from Akkadia. She became curious and wanted to know how things were in Akkadia now. She also hoped that there will be news about her parents.

Emma decided to walk back into the library.

"You're back?" Therius asked when he saw her presence. "Did you leave anything?"

"Uhm, no. But Saul said that the messenger s.h.i.+p has arrived. Can I come with you to see what news you have?" asked Emma. She was trying to talk to him in a civil tone, not curt as usual.

She wanted Therius to give her a chance to come with him and watch all the news.

"Of course," Therius answered without hesitation. "You can come back here in two hours. I'll take care of a few things and watch the news after dinner."

"Uhm ... okay. See you later."

Emma was very happy. She didn't think it would be that easy to ask Therius to let her watch the contents of the messenger s.h.i.+p that brought news from Akkadia. The prince did not even ask her reason.

Emma was thinking about what else she could get if she asked Therius. The man seemed happy to grant all her wishes. Should she test how far she could go?

"Ahh .. what are you thinking, Emma?" The girl scolded herself. She realized that she must not push her luck or owe Therius anything.

So what if he was nice to her? She shouldn't sway from her goals. She must focus on her target, which was to defeat Therius in five years and get away from him.

Emma decided to rest in her room and wash up. After that, she went to dinner. She made time to visit Haoran in Doctor Salas' clinic and made sure his condition was still fine. Finally, Emma headed back to the library.

There she saw Therius already waiting for her. There was a small tablet on the desk, and he already connected it to the screen in the library.

"Are you ready?" asked Therius. He pointed to the couch and signaled Emma to sit, while he began to turn on the screen. "We can watch it now. I've got a lot of news coming and they are quite long. If you got bored, you can just leave on your own. I have to watch everything."

Emma nodded. She sat down elegantly and made herself comfortable on the couch.

BEEP

The big screen on the wall was turned on. Therius and Emma started watching various reports and news clips, which were compiled efficiently. They covered various events and the current situation in Akkadia and its colonies.

There was no news about Princess Arreya and General Kaos.h.i.+n Stardust. But there was some news about rebel attacks in some Akkadian colony.

"Tea?" Therius pour some tea into two cups and gave one cup to Emma. The girl automatically accepted it, only to realize seconds later that how awkward it actually was.

She felt like they were relaxing together and watching some shows on TV. But instead of a movie or TV show, the one they were watching was news reports.

She coughed violently when this realization dawned on her.

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