Heroism

Chapter Fifteen: Revelations

Upon hearing her question, Solomon pondered for a moment. "I don't know... But whatever it is, we'll face it together. I'm with you in this until the end." He sounded so sure of himself, not like the stuttering mess he usually was. It was strange seeing him act like that, but she'd be lying if she didn't find it appealing. "I don't know what the future holds for us, but no matter what, I'm going to be by your side throughout it all. I made a promise to help you save your sister and that's what I'm going to do." Placing a hand over his chest, he nervously averted eye contact from her.

Before she could even respond to him, the doors opened and Augustine stood with his head lowered. Closing the door behind him, he stared at Alice and Solomon with a cold expression. His eyes seemed to be solely trained on them both as he hadn't seemed to even notice anyone else there. Swallowing nervously, Alice avoided eye contact with him while Solomon lowered his head slightly. "What the hell happened to you all?" He whispered through gritted teeth. Noticing the tears in Alice and Declan's clothing, he furrowed his brows, but before he could question them, Declan spoke up.

"We were attacked by someone sent by King Detsoldue. I believe he mentioned his name was Jackson. Alice and I were outside, when he just attacked. Thankfully there was only one of them, but we struggled to keep up with him." Alice avoided Augustus' stern gaze "Please don't blame Alice, she didn't do anything wrong. In fact, she protected me. So don't get angry at her at her, okay?" Augustine's eyes narrowed as he looked from Alice to Declan. Pursing his lips into a thin line and turned his attention back to Alice. After a couple of seconds, Alice finally spoke up.

"I don't think I really did anything worth note. It's really thanks to Declan why I even survived. The attack was so out of the blue that we didn't really have time to react but Declan... He noticed the attack before I ever could. Without Declan, I would have died. I owe a lot to him..." she scratched her wrist. Augustine frowned as he folded his arms to his chest and looked down at her with a cold stare. Alice chewed her lips and averted her gaze from his. She could feel his gaze burning into her skin, she felt uncomfortable and her skin crawled. She felt sick to her stomach.

Augustine frowned "Jackson you say? I know the name. I don't even have to hear the last name to know you're talking about Jackson Roves. Jackson Roves is one of the most skilled assassins for hire. For the years I've been the White King, I've tried to have him arrested for his crimes. However, he always escapes. Every single time, he evades the law. He was born in Athlina, though I don't know he still lives here or if he moved countries. That man is dangerous, he has a body count in the thousands." Looking at Alice, his lips pulled themselves into a grimace, but he remained silent.

Alice frowned "Well now he knows where I am and he clearly wants me dead, so what now? What happens if he comes back in the middle of the night and tries to kill me?" She frowned. As much as she hated to admit it, without Declan there, she would have died. She just wasn't strong enough to take on that level of a threat just yet. Looking over at Declan from the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but see the concerned look behind his eyes. While his face managed to remain completely composed, despite everything, she could see the true emotions pooling behind his eyes.

Augustine frowned "We'll discuss this tomorrow, but for now, I want you by my side for the rest of the party. I should have known not to let you out of my sight. As for everyone else... The rest of you are dismissed, I'll speak to you all later tonight when the gala ends. You'll be there as well. There is no ifs or buts about it, you will be attending. Understood?" He looked at Alice with a cold stare. Alice shifted her gaze down to the ground and avoided his harsh stare. Noticing Alice's shift in demeanour, Solomon frowned before speaking up and placing a protective arm in front of her.

"Please... Don't be mad at her. If anything, you should be angry at me. I wasn't around to keep her safe like I should have. So don't get mad at her, when it's all my fault." Alice looked over at Solomon with a shocked glimmer in her eyes, not only had he stood up to the King, but he also stood up for her. Just when she thought he couldn't surprise her anymore, he managed to impress her. She wasn't sure why, but she found a small smile creeping onto her face. "So, if you're going to yell at anyone, then yell at me okay?-" Augustine cut him off with a sharp whisper yell.