CHAPTER 225: CHILD

Soon after, Carlotta decided to pay a visit to Emperor Alex.

Although her various exploits in the Bass Archipelago had already reached the Wendell Empire, resulting in the Empire lifting her wanted status, thus no longer making her a fugitive, she still felt it necessary to meet this Emperor in person.

Back then, he had casually allowed the Carlisle family to persecute her, even providing them certain assistance. She couldn’t simply pretend that never happened, nor could this be resolved merely by revoking the prior warrant.

Some actions, once taken, naturally require one to take responsibility for them.

"The weather is nice today."

Sunlight spread everywhere, falling in delicate threads upon the imperial capital, Kestholm, clearly outlining the city’s silhouette.

Streets bustled with people coming and going, appearing exceptionally lively.

Carlotta walked out holding Amelia’s hand, calmly strolling through the streets, her destination simply the Imperial Palace.

She did not hide her appearance, boldly presenting herself openly before everyone.

Thus, as she walked down the street, several pairs of eyes inevitably fixed upon her, and soon the entire street fell into silence.

With Carlotta’s fame spreading across the continent, her appearance was naturally no secret.

"It’s her!"

Many were shocked, their eyes narrowing, faces shifting expressions repeatedly, unable to believe they could see the recently announced Carlotta White up close like this!

"When did she return?"

Many didn’t know Carlotta had arrived in Kestholm, so suddenly encountering her was quite startling.

"Why do I feel an ominous, hostile aura emanating from her?"

"Look at the person beside her, that’s Amelia Fenwick, isn’t it? They’re actually holding hands... The rumors are true, they’re in a relationship. The previous story about Carlotta kidnapping Amelia must’ve been false after all."

"The direction they’re heading... seems to be the Imperial Palace?"

When people realized Carlotta’s destination, many faces changed once more.

Everyone knew that Carlotta, once a fugitive, had some strained relations with the official authorities of the Wendell Empire. Even though the wanted order had now been lifted, the conflict between both sides didn’t seem like something easily resolved.

And now Carlotta was headed straight toward the Imperial Palace, this made it hard not to speculate, giving the impression that matters were about to become complicated.

Wherever Carlotta passed, the surroundings grew quiet. All discussions about her occurring at a distance. No one dared approach her, after all, her reputation paints her as decisive, ruthless, and extremely terrifying.

The news that Carlotta was heading toward the Imperial Palace quickly reached Emperor Alex Lencester.

This man, whose appearance already seemed somewhat aged, wore splendid attire and exuded an imposing aura, his single word could decide the life or death of many within the vast empire.

He sat in his study, reading the recently submitted report. The imperial majesty that belongs to him, in this moment, seemed to deflate like a leaking balloon, causing him to appear utterly dejected.

It had finally arrived, the inevitable.

"There are always unexpected unexpected events in this world... Sigh..."

Alex sighed.

In the past, he would’ve never imagined that a mere apprentice could, in present times, become a shadow looming deep within his heart.

Rubbing his temples, Alex called out to the guards outside, "Quickly summon Miss Elora Thorne."

Soon after, Elora Thorne arrived.

Long ago in the Wendell Empire, Elora Thorne had already gained fame. Although she was no longer young in age, her appearance remained extremely youthful, almost... childlike!

She looked just like a young girl, with delicate skin, long light-blue hair, and eyes of the same color, translucent like glass.

She wasn’t tall, even somewhat short. Wearing a swordsman’s uniform, she gave off a slightly adorable impression.

Everyone knew the name Elora Thorne, yet few outsiders actually knew what this powerful human looked like.

In ancient times, during her explorations of the Central Ruins, Elora had made an accidental discovery and gain, allowing her body to undergo a certain degree of reverse aging, eventually stabilizing into this youthful, delicate appearance.

Alex dared not treat Elora lightly. Upon her arrival, he immediately stood up and politely greeted, "Miss Thorne, I must trouble you again."

Elora calmly said, "Regarding your situation with this Carlotta White, when your people came to find me earlier, they didn’t explain it clearly. Now, please recount to me exactly what’s happening."

Alex smiled bitterly and summarized the situation he now faced.

Of course, he wouldn’t say too much about his own faults, only that he had been deceived by Achilles, failing to understand the true circumstances, and thus helped Achilles issue the wanted order.

As for sending Carlisle family members to the Francis Duchy, that was merely a coincidence. At the time, his objective was to launch a surprise attack on the Velmoria Empire. He claimed the Carlisle family members had merely seized an opportunity to teleport along with the army.

In short, he portrayed himself as completely innocent, worried that the Exalted behind Carlotta might come after him, thus requiring Elora’s assistance.

Elora asked, "Just who exactly is this Exalted behind Carlotta?"

Alex shook his head: "I don’t know. Precisely because I can’t figure it out, this matter is extremely serious. In this world, there are only a handful of Exalted. Yet suddenly, another one appeared, this is highly unusual, indicating a major problem."

His expression was solemn, and his words were not spoken recklessly.

The sudden emergence of an unknown Exalted was indeed highly abnormal. No one could afford to ignore this issue, as it undoubtedly involves something far from trivial.

Elora pondered and said, "I’ve explored the Central Ruins for a long time. Judging from the traces left there, I believe this starry sky may not shelter merely our single world, there’s a very high probability that other worlds exist. And if these numerous worlds were to establish contact, then the Tower of Babel would be the most suitable bridge. This Exalted behind Carlotta never appeared before, yet emerged exactly after the Tower of Babel opened. This suggested that this individual likely came out from the Tower of Babel, an Exalted from another world."

Hearing Elora’s analysis, Alex couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

Such a hypothesis makes the shadow in his heart grow even larger, for it implies that behind Carlotta, it might not merely be a single Exalted, but an entire world!

Soon after, news arrived that Carlotta had reached the palace gates.

Alex didn’t dare delay. He immediately implicated his subordinates, "Don’t block her entry. Let her come straight to me."

"She’s coming in directly. She didn’t wait for permission or announcement," the guard reported.

She’s already inside?

Alex couldn’t help but glance at Elora. That tiny figure, that childish, delicate face, it strangely made one feel a bit more at ease.

"No need to be nervous. Sit down," Elora said calmly, as if she were the true master of this place.

The study was filled with a rich scent of books.

Alex took a deep breath and sat down beside her. Elora settled into the seat on the opposite side, waiting unhurriedly.

Not long after, Carlotta arrived at the study, hand in hand with Amelia.

As soon as she stepped inside, her gaze swept across the two people in the room. However, she only briefly gazed at Alex, the Emperor, before shifting her attention mainly to Elora Thorne, this legendary human expert she’d heard so much about.

Through intelligence, Carlotta already knew the specifics about Elora Thorne; she knew that thanks to certain rare opportunities, the woman could still appear as a delicate young girl despite her advanced age.

Suddenly, Elora asked in an adorable voice, "Big sister, this grandpa here said you two have some conflict. What’s that about?"

Thinking Carlotta didn’t recognize her, she straightforwardly adopted the act of an innocent little girl, blinking her eyes curiously.

Seeing this, Alex silently took a sip of water, trying not to let his expression change.

Carlotta’s expression also became slightly awkward.

Someone so old, actually... acting childish!

But Carlotta didn’t expose her, instead smiling amiably and saying, "Yes, I do have some dissents with this grandpa, but really, the fault lies with him."

"What happened exactly? I’m really curious. Can you tell me?"

Elora put on the expression of an inquisitive child.

"Of course I can."

Carlotta stepped forward, raised her hand, and placed it on Elora’s head, ruffling her hair back and forth.

Elora’s expression stiffened slightly, but since she was already playing the role of a little girl, it wouldn’t be appropriate to react. She could only endure it for now.

’Carlotta, Carlotta... Do you know whose head you’re patting right now? When I speak to you with my true identity, I’ll scare you to death.’

Elora thought darkly.

Seeing that Elora had endured it, Carlotta gasped and said, "Little sister, you look even younger than me. Where do you go to the academy?"

Elora forced a smile and replied, "I go to Audrey Academy. Big sister, you still haven’t told me about what happened between you and Grandpa Alex. Fighting and killing are so scary. I wonder if you two could just be more peaceful?"

Carlotta ruffled Elora’s head for a while, seeming satisfied, as if having tormented an Exalted being had greatly improved her mood.

She released Elora’s head and, in a calm and unhurried manner, recounted her side of the story.

Although she had High Priestess, an Exalted being, supporting her, and the second-tier New Moon capable of fighting Exalted opponents, Elora had already come here. She had to give her at least some face and explain the matter clearly.

Of course, the matter wasn’t overly complicated. Carlotta summarised it in just a few words.

"I feel I’m the most innocent one here. A noble lady persecuted me. I had no choice but to eliminate her. After all, places like the Security Bureau are often unreliable. Sometimes, the only thing you can rely on is your own hands. Everything happened for a reason."

Carlotta spread her hands helplessly.

Elora asked, "How do you know the Security Bureau couldn’t help you? Maybe you didn’t have to kill Soren. Couldn’t you have let the Security Bureau handle justice?"

Carlotta smiled and pinched Elora’s cheek, saying, "After I killed Soren, didn’t the actions of the Security Bureau and the Empire prove my judgment right? If I hadn’t chosen to kill Soren from the start, but instead asked the Security Bureau for help, can’t you imagine what would’ve happened? The noble lady would’ve gone unpunished, learned of my resentment, and targeted me even more. The Security Bureau can’t protect people in front of nobles."

She also pointed out what followed.

After the Carlisle family, through the Seer magic user Selena, discovered she was the culprit, did the Empire ever investigate why she had acted?

Not at all. The Empire immediately issued a warrant for her arrest, aiming to kill her outright, completely disregarding her perspective.

"This world is like an ocean. People like us, without powerful backing, are just insignificant drops of water. Nobles are the islands. They don’t care whether one more or one less drop exists around them. To the islands, a drop’s life holds no value."

Carlotta spoke calmly. She had never regretted anything she’d done.

Elora pondered, then glanced at Alex.

Actually, what Carlotta said was largely the same as what Alex had said earlier. Only because of minor differences in details, each person’s account naturally leans in their own favor.

But in any case, Elora roughly understood the meaning.

"Grandpa, do you have anything to say? Is the situation really like this?"

Elora turned to ask Alex.

Alex replied, "More or less, yes. Sigh... As an Emperor of the Empire, I have far too many things to deal with every day. It’s difficult to notice everything. Many matters are left to subordinates to handle on their own. I can’t possibly supervise everything perfectly. When those below fail, I can only helplessly bear the blame."

He sighed, almost shedding tears, feeling truly, truly innocent.

Elora was slightly speechless. She said, "Regardless, things have already come to this point. One must take responsibility for what’s already happened. Grandpa, give her some compensation, and let’s settle this matter."

"I have no objections," Alex nodded.

Elora then turned to Carlotta, flashing a cute smile. "Big sister, what do you think?"

Carlotta knew that, with Elora present, she couldn’t really do anything to Alex anyway. Getting some benefits was already not bad.

She pinched Elora’s cheek and smiled, "Since you’ve said so, I have no objections either."

Elora nodded. "Then it’s settled. Now let’s discuss what kind of compensation should be given."

Only then did Carlotta begin negotiating with Alex, putting forward various demands, and a new round of bargaining "battle" began.