Kapitel 14: The Silent Voices

Izekiel paused when he reached the end of the lake. The splashing sounds of water had become silent, and soon the silence inside his mind was disrupted. It was strange, something he couldn't quite understand.

Why did she silenced the demons inside him? How?

Izekiel turned towards the shattered ice.

Johanna seemed like a strange creature, whenever she was close, those voices left him alone, the darkness recedes for a while.

He couldn't remember when exactly those things entered his life, but they have always been there, they have become a part of him somewhere in time. When everyone left, they always stayed with him.

The relationship they had was different, the voices were his friend as well as foe. They were his demons that he once tried to suppress, and then let them lose wild.

A pair of quick urgent steps hurried over the pavement in front of Izekiel, Jeremiah was coming followed by a frightened young maid. She hid behind Jeremiah when Izekiel saw her.

"Your majesty," Jeremiah spoke with uncertainty, "Where is Princess Johanna?"

The maid behind him was on the verge of tears as she shrunk herself behind Jeremiah even more. Izekiel realized what had happened, he simply looked towards the shattered place over the lake.

"She should know how to swim,"

Jeremiah's face turned pale, a frustrated sigh left him. He quickly removed his cloak and coat, after handing them to the maid he rushed over the lake with swift certain steps.

The maid embraced the clothes tightly and lowered her head, refusing to meet Izekiel's eyes.

Izekiel glanced towards Jeremiah, his eyes were distant as he thought about Johanna.

He had thought she would be a naive innocent princess.

However, she had risked her life to save the exiled prince. If Izekiel hadn't stopped the mana formation around his hands in time, then Johanna would have suffered severe consequences.

Later, she dared to deceive him and went to help Eugene. She said she trusted Izekiel's judgement and went after that exiled prince when her health was delicate.

Izekiel should have expected this.

Eugene was her childhood sweetheart after all.

But Izekiel was the emperor, and no one dares to deceive him can get away with it that easily. He hated lies and so a lesson was necessary.

Jeremiah gasped for air as held Johanna in his arms and carried her towards the pavements.

"I can't believe it!" he bellowed, "Which husband tries to kill their wife on their first night??"

Izekiel blinked his eyes innocently as if he was wrongly accused.

"Killing her was not my intention."

"You didn't save her either!"

Izekiel looked unbothered by this.

Jeremiah didn't know what to say anymore, he carefully laid her down on the pavement, and tried to understand her situation.

She seemed to be breathing normally, the mana inside her probably acted up in time and put her in a sleeping state to conserve the energy. But her body still needed immediate treatment.

Besides her health, the only thing that made Jeremiah uncomfortable was her wet clothes. The wet fabric was almost translucent in some places, but that was not the issue; the problem was that she might catch pneumonia like this.

Jeremiah almost flinched when he met Izekiel's dark gaze. But Jeremiah was angry himself, he held Izekiel's gaze with stubbornness and asked bitterly,

"Is his majesty not going to do anything?"

"Why are you so worked up? She is alive, isn't she?" Izekiel's lips curled into a humorless smirk.

"Fine, then." Jeremiah laughed drily, "Your majesty won't mind if I perform the emergency mana transfer on her highness, right?"

The process required a mouth to mouth transfer of mana.

Izekiel's lips twitched as he heard those words, the temperature dropped down to several degrees as he watched Jeremiah with narrowed eyes,

"I would like to see you try,"

Jeremiah stared right back at Izekiel.

He gently took Johanna's hand in his, for he was born with the element of fire, he easily sent a wave of warmth across her. Gradually, the wetness evaporated from her clothes. He kept his gaze over Izekiel, and proceeded onto the next step.

The smirk faded from Izekiel's face.

Just as Jeremiah leaned towards Johanna, Izekiel's hand clasped over his mouth and he was pushed away. Jeremiah staggered back on the ground, there was a lost look on his face and then a slow smile appeared on his face.

"You are dismissed," Izekiel stated plainly,

"Make sure to call her maids and the physician,"

Jeremiah said nothing after that and simply left with the maid.

His eyes lingered at the frozen lake for a brief second.

Izekiel closed Nesrin's cold lips with his. As the mana was transferred, some of the colors returned back to her pale skin. A small whimper left her, her eyebrows creased together and Izekiel wondered if she was having a bad dream.

He lifted her in his arms and walked towards her room.

A foreign peace settled in his mind as well as in his soul once again.

Izekiel didn't know if he should welcome or reject this change. But he certainly didn't like it.

To not know how a princess of a small nation has such effects over him was not a pleasing thought for Izekiel.

He was crossing the corridor, when a knight urgently rushed towards him. The knight bowed and quickly said,

"The priest has woken up, your majesty."

Izekiel paused for a brief second and then resumed walking. The knight panicked and hesitantly added,

"He is furious. The priest demands that his majesty sees him right now."

"Silence him."

"We can not go against The Holy Council-"

"I don't care what state he is in as long as he stays alive. Make sure that he does not forgets his place."

"Y-your. your majesty..."

"He will see me when he learns to behave."

Izekiel was losing his patience.

The knight was sharp witted and quickly saw the sternness in the emperor's reply. He bowed and left. As he rushed down the corridor, his heart was unsteady.

The priest had made claims that could change everything.

If they offend him and the priest decides to speak to the public, everything would be changed. The empire of Elysia could witness another great turmoil

That is, if Izekiel allows the priest to see the sun ever again.

The emperor is known for committing all sorts of sins, the knight hoped he wouldn't add the sin of killing a sacred man to his life.

Izekiel can feel the hints of an upcoming storm in the air.

The priest won't stay silent after this he knew, The Holy Council was the only thing that was superior to the throne.

But Izekiel had not struggled for all those years and become the emperor to be controlled by those from the council.

The guards opened the door to Johanna's chamber.

Izekiel glanced at the sleeping face of his bride, to have pulled such a stunt on the day of her wedding he wondered if she was brave, or stupid.

Izekiel carefully placed her down on the bed.

His mind went back to the priest, he had answers that Izekiel had been searching for many years. The sooner he knows them, the better it will be. Perhaps he should....

Nesrin creased her brows together when he tried to get up. One of her hands was tightly clutching his shirt.

Izekiel laughed drily and clasped his fingers around hers.

"If you see me first thing after waking up," he uncurled her fingers and his voice lowered, "You would be scared, princess."

He was very well aware of how he made people feel. There was no guilt in his heart, fear was required to rule and enforce laws.

Nesrin pressed her fingers around his hand softly. Her sleepy voice mumbled.

"Don't…"

Izekiel raised his brows, then he creased them and his eyes became darkened. He clutched her hand tightly and demanded an answer.

"Are you thinking about Eugene?"

Nesrin pressed her lips together. Her face has started to become pale once again and her breaths turned erratic. She nestled close to him and whispered in a soft sleepy voice.

"Ezra… don't go there…"