'FUCK' That was the only word that encircled around Nash and Ashleah's mind the moment Rowen was no longer in front of them. Her brown eyes slowly turned to Purple as her hair that was braided slowly flew up high, she gritted her teeth and snapped her fingers "Prescott, try and find him. Do not let him go this time."
"W-What is happening right now?" To those who saw what happened was escorted by the knights. Ashleah sighed and shook her head as Prescott disappears through thin air. "P-Please do explain us why were you going to arrest the High Priest!?" The man blurts out, Ashleah turned around and with her glaring purple flaming eyes she looked at the man with her furrowed eyebrows, a forehead that was slightly creased.
"Wait for the official announcement from the Emperor himself, please do keep your mouth shut for now. I do not wish to cause any chaos right now. I also know that you've seen how he can be dangerous to all of us, please do go with my Knights, it is for your own safety." Her voice held authority, with that she turned around and gave Cason a look. "Please do not let anyone go inside here for now."
"That damned Rowen." Axis whispers to himself but what he said caught Ashleah's attention as her eyes widened, suddenly her face beamed and she quickly walked to Axis and held both of his hands and smiled. "A-Are you feeling alright?"
"You are going to have your coming of age ceremony next week right?" Ash;eah asked Axis, the man who had his eyes wandering around, eyebrows were almost touching each other's end, lips were pressed together. "Great! Congratulations, Axis. Your schedule will definitely be a lot hectic after this." She giggled, Blake shook his head for he saw how everyone was confused due to what the Princess reaction.
"Axis you seem have to be forgotten that the moment you turn 16 you'll have your ceremony to be the newest High Priest, do you?" Nash blurts out with a small smile plastered on his face with that their eyes slowly widened and some even gasped but soon then covered their mouths. "But before we do celebrate, go to your groups and find Rowen, he could somewhere near here."
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"He got away?" Emperor Adler blurts out the moment Prescott with Ashleah finished explaining what happened. Cason, Axis, and Nash were standing there silently meanwhile Prince Blake, Raven, and Lovis were outside with Enver and Akriel. "I should have known that he might do this."
"The next time I see him, I will probably kick him-" Ashleah could not even finish when suddenly her Father interrupts her with what she was talking about.
"Well then, please do release the official statement around, Cason can you please help Prescott and Gab with Kian for doing so?" His eyes landed on Cason, the Master of the White Magicians quickly responded by nodding his head. With that the Emperor stood up from his throne and smiled at Axis. "I will talk to your Father about the matters, do not worry and be prepared–Future High Priest, Axis."
As those words left the Emperor's mouth he really felt the responsibilities and how hard it must have been being the High Priest–yet, he knew that he was born for this. "Thank you, I will Your Majesty." He smiles that almost you cannot even see his eyes.
Ashleah took a deep breath and sits down on her throne with a warm smile plastered on her lips. "I am very much excited with your Coming of Age Ceremony Axis!" She giggles and looks at her Father. "Do you have any orders for us?"
"None for now. The meeting is dismissed for now, please do take care of yourselves and take a lot of rest for this week will be stressfull." He smiles before sitting back to his throne.
With that the moment they left the throne room, Ashleah groans loudly and massages her forehead with her right hand, fingers moving smoothly on it while pressing her lips together. "That Rowen is getting to my bones, Father."
Emperor Adler did the same as he slowly took off the heavy and golden crown above his head and sighed heavily with a disappointed look plastered on his face for his eyes were now no longer alive, lips were pursed, eyebrows were low down. "I really thought you'll get him, I thought. I should have thought that this will happen. I deeply apologize for–"
Ashleah furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes landed on her Father's eyes, a deep creased forehead, her right hand was now on her neck massaging it smoothly. "You do not have to say sorry Father, neither one of us saw this coming. We thought he has no powers–actually no, I think he really has no powers but he has protection but why? Is he really that important to them that they will protect him in every way they can?"
"I think that you have to calm your mind down for now. I told you that you have to rest right? How about spending some time with Duke Deoncan–" Blood quickly rushed to her cheeks, widened eyes, lips were gaped widened, she was surprised.
"Father!"
"Ashleah, stop denying it anymore, I know and almost everyone knows that you feel the same way for the Duke Deoncan. You can actually be lovers for now–But I do know that you want to focus on this first but my daughter please do know that you can't always run away from your feelings it might bring you pain in the end, and I do not wish for that to happen to you. I can see the way he glances at you he really is deeply in love–"
He stopped mid way to what he was saying when he saw his daughter blushing to the point that her ears were also kind of reddish, he chuckled and shook his head and remained silent for the rest of the afternoon.
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As the official statement of the Emperor became the talk ot the Empire and even neighbouring Empires were talking about it. The known High Priest Rowen was helping the black magicians and has now finally lost his position. The chosen child was now having his Coming of Age Ceremony in the next few days.
"Uncle Axiss!!" Aziel ran around with Axis inside the indoor garden of the Imperial Palace, Ashleah chuckled and thanked her Nanny who gave her a cup of tea. "Princess! Princess! Look at me and Uncle Axis!" She nodded her head with a smile. "–Uncle Nash!"
Her eyes widened, almost choking on her tea, she slowly glanced up to her side and saw Nash who just came from his work. Blinking her eyes she took a huge gulp from the tea before placing it back to the tray where it belongs.
"Seems like Aziel's having so much fun now huh?" He whispers to Ashleah, the Princess silently nodded for the phrases what her Father said kept on replaying inside her mind. Ever since that talk she did everything she can to avoid Nash in any circumstances. "And, I also know that you are ignoring mo Ash. Do not try and hide it, seriously ever since you've been so bad in hiding or trying to hide what you are feeling. Tell it to my face that you do not wish to–"
"–It's not like that Nash, you know it's not like that. And even if you do annoy me sometimes I will never avoid you."
"Then what are you doing now, Ashleah?"
"I am currently keeping my distance to you, I want to think of it properly for now Nash, I do not wish to tell you what I really feel when I myself cannot even fanthom if I–fuck, it's nothing." She aggressively shakes her head and turns her back to Nash and quickly walks her way to Axis who was cluelessly looking at them, Aziel clapping his hands when he saw the Princess closer to them.
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Everyone was here, every single one of them looking up to Axis. They were here to attend his Coming of Age Ceremony and the fact that the Princess herself took care of everything, it was too much of a pleasure to them to see what the Princess can show.
As the large doors of the ball room that was now connected to an outdoor garden was still closed, Gab and Kian slowly opened it and to the guests surprise, it was breathtakingly beautiful, it was stunning, it was–Amazingly prepared by the Princess herself for THE SOON TO BE NEW HIGH PRIEST.