Chapter 103 Shocking secret

Chapter 103: Chapter 103 Shocking secret

The students were utterly confused as they watched the man they had all been waiting for suddenly stop in his tracks. Nobody understood what had happened. The emperor had only just stepped out of his car, yet he was standing completely still, his eyes locked on someone in the crowd.

Mrs. Danielle was equally confused. She looked between the emperor and the person he was staring at, trying desperately to understand the silent exchange. Then she turned around. The moment she realized who it was, her entire body stiffened. Her fingers immediately began fiddling nervously with the fabric of her dress. Not the emperor. Please. Not him. God, anyone but him.

The man standing before them was nothing like the image Noah had imagined in his mind. The emperor had an enormous mass of golden hair that almost reached his knees. Each strand seemed to shimmer beneath the sunlight, blending perfectly with the magnificent golden robe draped over his tall frame. And then there were his eyes. They were the color of sunlight itself. Bright. Radiant. Yet terrifyingly cold. He looked less like an ordinary human and more like some divine being who had accidentally stepped into the mortal world.

Lamia slowly pointed toward him. "He’s still staring?"

Noah swallowed. "Apparently." He couldn’t stop staring either. Something about those eyes had trapped him. It was as if he were bound to them by an invisible thread, unable to look away even though every instinct inside him was screaming that he should.

Then Slyvia moved. She had been standing among the staff members, but the moment she saw the emperor, she rushed forward and threw herself into his arms. "I missed you so much!" she whined. "I can’t believe you took so long to get here!"

Noah’s eyebrows rose. Again? She was doing this again? What shocked him even more was that she could casually grab the emperor like that and apparently get away with it. The emperor didn’t push her away. He didn’t respond to her either. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on Noah. Even while Slyvia clung to him, his attention never left the young alpha sitting among the students.

Noah’s stomach twisted. "Okay, Lamia." He took a shallow breath. "Now I’m really scared. Why the fuck is he still staring at me?"

Lamia slowly shook his head. "How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"You’re the one who brought me here."

"And?"

"And you’re supposed to know what to do!"

"I don’t know what the emperor is thinking!"

Before they could continue whispering, Slyvia began pulling the emperor forward. "What are you staring at? Come on. Let’s sit." She grabbed his hand and started dragging him away from the staff members while dismissing them with an impatient gesture.

The chair prepared for the emperor stood at the center of the decorated stage. Slyvia was already leading him toward it when one of the older men carrying a staff stepped forward. "Stop gripping him like that." His voice was firm. "This isn’t a child’s game." The man was a high-ranking sorcerer who accompanied the emperor wherever he went. His authority was obvious from the way the surrounding staff immediately quieted.

Slyvia turned toward him. "But I have the right to do this, don’t I?" She tightened her grip on the emperor’s arm. "He’s my guardian. Can’t I spend time with him? He hasn’t been around me for so long. I missed him." She moved even closer, resting herself against the emperor’s arm.

Noah shook his head. She really didn’t listen to anyone. From everything he had seen, Slyvia had been spoiled her entire life. This behavior wasn’t even surprising anymore.

Lamia sighed. "We’re wasting time. Let’s go get Rose."

Noah immediately grabbed his arm. "Wait."

Lamia looked at him.

"We can’t just go over there."

"Why not?"

"In case you forgot, she killed me."

The words immediately wiped the impatience from Lamia’s face. His blood seemed to freeze. "But that’s not possible." He stared at Noah. "You’re a pureblood. Purebloods can’t die."

Noah gave him a dry look. "Apparently, I can."

Lamia opened his mouth but couldn’t find a response. Noah had no explanation for it either. He knew he had died. He remembered the sensation of his consciousness floating through an endless abyss, completely detached from his body. Then something had snatched him back. He didn’t know what it was. He didn’t know why it had happened. But he knew one thing. He had died.

"If the dead are helping her," Noah continued, "then they’re going to make their move right here." His eyes moved toward Rose. "So we stay here. We lay low and stop whatever they’re planning when it happens."

Lamia slowly nodded.

"As for walking straight over there and creating a scene, it’ll only cause more trouble."

"Exactly."

Lamia turned toward the front again, but his eyes secretly remained on Rose. His palms curled into fists. He still hadn’t forgotten what she had done to Noah. Even though Maria had been the one who possessed Rose, the thought of Noah being killed still made his blood boil.

"I’m going to end you," Lamia muttered. His eyes narrowed. "And your stupid ancestors too." He had been learning spells specifically for situations like this. If some supernatural entity wanted a fight, he was no longer afraid of one.

The commotion at the front continued. Slyvia and the older sorcerer were still arguing. "I know you’re a respected member of the circle," Slyvia said boldly. "And you’re a mage and sorcerer, just like your friend over there." She pointed toward the other older man. "But don’t make me invoke my powers and get you killed."

Her confidence was almost unbelievable. Noah sneered quietly. She was already acting like she ruled the entire world. Yet she wasn’t even the ruler of this place.

The emperor remained silent through the exchange. He stood near the massive decorated chair prepared for him, seemingly waiting to ascend to his position. Meanwhile, the Moonlight Alphas were positioned at the front of the stage, only a few meters away from the emperor. Danielle had originally intended to use them as part of the welcoming ceremony. But Killian clearly had other priorities. He remained seated. His eyes were fixed on Noah. He didn’t seem to care that he wasn’t doing his assigned duty anymore.

Eugene noticed. Then Noah noticed Eugene noticing. He frowned. Were they doing this because of him? As much as Noah appreciated having someone watching his back, he desperately hoped it wasn’t because of him. The emperor had already noticed him. The last thing Noah needed was for more attention to fall on him. Especially now.

At that moment, the second older mage grabbed Slyvia by the other hand. She glared at him. The man looked completely unimpressed.

Lamia leaned closer to Noah. "That’s Azriel." He subtly pointed toward the first old man. "The one wearing the white cap and carrying the staff."

Noah nodded.

"He’s the one throwing the tantrum?"

"Yeah." Lamia grinned faintly. "But despite that, he’s apparently one of the most beloved members of the circle. He’s also rumored to be one of the strongest. Surprisingly friendly too."

Noah glanced at Azriel. That was certainly not how the man seemed at the moment.

Lamia continued. "And the second old man holding Slyvia? That’s Hezznine."

Noah looked over.

"He’s the reserved one."

"The most reserved. But also the most malicious." Lamia’s voice dropped. "They call him the snake in the green grass."

Noah raised an eyebrow.

"Which tells you everything you need to know."

Noah looked around. At this point, he was starting to lose count of the number of powerful people surrounding the emperor. "How many people are even here?"

"Those two are the last important ones."

"Hopefully."

Lamia gave him a look. "Don’t jinx it."

Noah sighed. Unfortunately, his nerves were already getting worse. There was something about this gathering that made his instincts scream. He didn’t know what was going to happen. And that was precisely what terrified him.

Then his attention shifted. Two more figures stood nearby. A woman wearing a blue robe with long dark hair held hands with a man who had black hair and wore magnificent robes covered in enough jewelry to make Noah worry the poor man might collapse under the weight. But it was the woman’s expression that caught his attention. She was glaring at Slyvia. Not casually. Not politely. It was a venomous glare. And Slyvia was returning it.

Noah narrowed his eyes. "What’s that about?"

"They don’t seem to like each other." Lamia glanced at the two women before looking back at Noah. "You forgot again?"

Noah frowned. "Forgot what?"

"That’s Irene." He pointed discreetly. "Irene is the emperor’s direct sibling."

Noah’s eyes widened slightly. "She’s his sister?"

"Yep."

Noah looked at the man beside her. He expected him to have some connection to the emperor as well, but Lamia shook his head. "That’s her lover."

"Lover?"

"At least that’s what they show publicly."

Noah looked more closely. "They don’t look old."

"They’re not supposed to." Lamia lowered his voice. "They’re actually much older than they appear. Somehow, through magic, they’ve stopped aging."

Noah’s expression became more serious. "Immortality?"

"Pretty much."

"And no one knows how?"

"No one knows the secret or what magic was used." Lamia paused. "And there’s one more thing."

"What?"

"Irene is older than the emperor."

Noah stared. That revelation hit him like a bomb. There was too much information. Too many hidden histories. Too many supernatural secrets. And somehow, Noah could feel that all of it was connected to the school. He had to know more. This was exactly the kind of thing that had never appeared in the novel. The novel was becoming less useful by the second. Everything happening before him was different. Things that were never supposed to happen were happening. Characters who shouldn’t be involved were here. People with secrets he had never heard about were appearing one after another.

And then there was Ashton. Motherfucker. That man was a mystery wrapped inside another mystery. If it wasn’t his strange memories, it was the way events around him refused to follow the original storyline.

Noah rubbed his forehead. "So let me guess." He glanced toward Irene. "Irene doesn’t like Slyvia."

Lamia nodded. "Not even a little."

Noah sighed. It didn’t concern him. At least, he didn’t want it to. He hated politics. He hated complicated relationships. And he especially hated getting involved in supernatural power struggles. Something about the emperor’s arrival told him this place was filled with exactly that. Deep political dangers. Ancient grudges. Powerful people with hidden agendas. The kind of things that could swallow an ordinary person whole. And Noah wanted absolutely nothing to do with any of it.

Maybe he should stop being interested. Maybe he should simply keep his head down. Unfortunately, the universe seemed determined not to let him.

Hezznine tugged Slyvia farther away from the emperor. "Don’t go up there, girl." His voice was stern. "This is your warning."

Slyvia looked toward the emperor. For the first time, she seemed unsure whether to continue. The emperor had stopped moving. Then he turned around. His golden hair flowed behind him like sunlight. His eyes traveled across the assembly. Every student was already on their knees. Teachers. Staff. Visitors. Even the Moonlight Alphas. Everyone.

Lamia suddenly grabbed Noah’s arm. "Bro."

"What?"

"Get down."

Noah blinked.

Lamia pulled harder. "Nigga, would you just fucking kneel? You’re going to get us killed!"

Noah finally looked around. His stomach dropped. He was the only person still sitting. Every other person had already lowered themselves. And now everyone was staring at him. The emperor’s entourage. The teachers. The students. The Moonlight Alphas. Slyvia. Irene. Even the two sorcerers.

Noah slowly swallowed. "This is bad."

"Very." Lamia tried pulling him down again.

But before Noah could move, something strange happened. The emperor’s lips twitched. Barely. Almost like he was amused.

Noah froze. The emperor had noticed him. Again.

Mrs. Danielle’s face went pale. She had been praying silently. Please don’t notice him. Please don’t make this worse. Because if the emperor discovered Noah was here and something went wrong, she could already imagine the consequences. Her position. Her school. Everything she had worked for. Gone. She clenched her teeth.

Then the emperor finally spoke. His voice was deep, powerful, and carried effortlessly across the entire assembly.

"Son."

The single word froze everyone. Noah’s eyes widened.

The emperor continued. "Stand up."

Noah’s feet refused to move. Lamia stared at him.

The emperor’s golden eyes remained fixed on him. "How come I just realized that you’re alive?"

A murmur rippled through the assembly. Noah’s heart slammed against his ribs.

The emperor took one step forward. Then his expression softened in a way nobody had expected. "I never knew." He extended a hand. "Come here."

Noah’s entire body went rigid.

Then came the final blow. "Come to Daddy."

Silence. Absolute silence.

Noah’s feet froze completely. He slowly turned his head toward Lamia. Lamia was already staring back at him with the exact same expression. Pure terror. Neither of them spoke. Because there was nothing to say.

The disaster had arrived. And Noah had a horrible feeling that whatever happened next was going to change everything.

NOTE: A serious error at the next two Chapters. Please be patient with me as I try to change it.