On the other side, at Skystead, Alicia(Kaitlyn) boarded the carriage with the Madrid family and left for the Mage District. After two days of waiting and making small talk with the Madrid family, they soon reached the Mage District. The Madrid Family dropped her off at the front gate as she requested and drove towards the back gate, which was reserved for suppliers.
Alicia went near the gate, and the guards, who quickly stopped her, asked for her verification. Alicia pulled out a letter, which was given to her by the Count with the Magic Emperor's seal on it.
One of the guards went to the Guard station to verify the seal and, after a few minutes, came back and said,
"Ms. Kaitlyn, is it? We have verified your letter and seal, and the Magic Emperor has been notified. He has requested you to wait in the guard's station while he sends someone to collect you."
Alicia nodded and went inside the guard's station and waited. After five minutes, a servant came and introduced himself as a servant of the Magic Emperor. She went with him, and along the way, she saw some wonderful magic tricks, practiced by some mages, and was amazed by that. She soon reached the Starlum Castle, the residence of the Magic Emperor.
She was escorted to a private room, where the Magic Emperor was waiting for her. The Magic Emperor asked her to sit down and signaled the servant to leave the room. Staring outside, lost in thoughts, he murmured,
"Today is beautiful, isn't it? Getting to meet Isa's child for the first time. Certainly, didn't expect to meet in this situation... (Looking at Alicia, speaking audibly) Oh! Where are my manners... Hello Alicia, I am Arthur Byron, the Magic Emperor. (Alicia, looking quite urgent) You look quite bothered..."
Alicia spoke,
"I am sorry, Your Majesty, but I have some urgent news I need to deliver to my Grandfather as soon as possible. May I ask for your help in that?"
Arthur agreed. What Alicia told him next made him go speechless and angry all at once. He called a mage and asked him to deliver that message by magic. After that, Alicia spoke,
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty. But if I may, can I ask why you are helping our family this much?"
The Magic Emperor replied,
"Oh! The Count didn't tell you? Well, I owe the Count hugely. I actually belong to a branch family of the Herberts. I am a distant relative. My family wasn't that rich, and at that time, my developing magic powers only added more worries to my Father. Our fief is in the far north, and it is covered in snow most of the year. It would take about three weeks by carriage to get to the Capital. Travelling this distance would have cost my family an entire month's budget. So, my father asked the Count for his help, with no expectation of a reply. But one day, the Count himself came to our fief and talked with my father. He agreed to take me to the capital himself. And suddenly, I, who thought I would never use my talent, was here in the mage district learning magic. By becoming a mage, I was able to help with my family's financial struggle, and now my family is doing fine. I owe every bit of my success to the Count, so of course, I would help him at a time like this..."
Alicia felt relieved by this answer. Her suspicion of the Magic Emperor was much less than before.
The Magic Emperor continued,
"You look quite tired, and it is already this late. Shall we continue tomorrow?"
Alicia nodded in agreement.
Arthur called a servant, who escorted Alicia to her temporary room.