[BL] Alpha, You've Got the Wrong Mate!

Chapter 321 — As Cunning As Ever

Zayden entered the courtroom, and silence fell—as though the room were mourning a death. He swept his gaze across the assembled figures before finding an empty seat and taking it.

The meeting dragged on for more than three hours. By the time it neared its end, a dull ache had settled into Zayden’s body, his limbs stiff and sore from remaining still for so long.

At last, the Emperor noticed him, his sharp gaze landing on the lone figure seated before the throne.

A pause followed—brief, yet heavy enough to make several officials lower their heads.

"General Zayden," the Emperor called, his voice calm but edged with authority. "You rarely attend court sessions unless summoned."

Zayden straightened at once and rose from his seat. He placed a fist over his chest and bowed, his movements precise and disciplined.

"What brings you here today?"

For a moment, Zayden hesitated. Dozens of eyes were fixed on him now—watching.

Listening.

"There is a matter I must report directly to Your Majesty," he said at last, his tone firm. "One that cannot be delayed."

The Emperor studied him in silence, his expression unreadable.

"Speak," he commanded.

Zayden lifted his head, meeting his father’s gaze without flinching.

"It concerns the recent disturbances near the border," he began carefully, "and the presence of something that should not exist within our territory."

A murmur rippled through the ministers still seated at court. Unlike the others who had already departed, they remained frozen in place.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Very well. This session is adjourned," he said coldly. "We will discuss this in private."

Zayden bowed once more.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

He turned on his heel and exited the courtroom. Soon after, the ministers began to disperse, their footsteps echoing against the marble floor.

Zayden leaned against the wall just outside the chamber, arms crossed, closing his eyes as he waited for his father to emerge.

It took no more than fifteen minutes.

The Emperor stepped out, his expression softening the moment he spotted his son by the entrance. The warmth in his gaze was nothing like the sharp, unyielding stare he had worn inside the courtroom—it was as if two different men resided within the same body.

He halted a few steps away.

"Zayden," he called—not as a ruler addressing a subject, but as a father calling his son.

Zayden opened his eyes and straightened immediately, uncrossing his arms. He bowed out of habit, though the gesture was slightly clumsier this time.

"Father."

The Emperor waved a hand dismissively, signalling the guards and attendants to move farther down the corridor. Only when they were out of earshot did he turn back to Zayden, his expression unreadable yet unmistakably concerned.

"You look exhausted," he said quietly. "Court has never suited you."

Zayden exhaled through his nose. "Nor has waiting," he replied. "But this matter couldn’t wait."

The Emperor studied him for a long moment, his eyes tracing the faint shadows beneath his son’s gaze, the tension coiled tightly in his posture.

"You mentioned disturbances at the border," he said at last. "And something that should not exist."

Zayden’s jaw tightened.

"That was only to divert attention at court," he admitted. "The real matter is different. During our recent mission, what we encountered wasn’t a simple rogue beast. It was intelligent. And it used methods no ordinary monster could—should—possess."

The Emperor’s expression darkened, his earlier smile fading completely.

"Mind-affecting entities," Zayden continued. "Illusions."

"I suspected as much," the Emperor murmured. "The reports have been... inconsistent. Soldiers claiming to see loved ones long dead. Others are unable to distinguish reality from memory."

Zayden clenched his fist.

"It nearly cost us lives. If not for sheer discipline—"

"—You would have lost control," the Emperor finished gently, yet firmly.

Silence settled between them.

"So this is what brought you here," the Emperor said softly.

Zayden met his gaze.

"I came because if this spreads," he said, his voice low, "the capital won’t be spared. And neither will the people you’re trying so hard to protect."

The Emperor closed his eyes briefly, then nodded.

"Come," he said at last. "Let us speak somewhere more private."

***

Once they were seated in the audience hall, Zayden lifted his teacup and took a sip of the warm tea the maids had prepared before granting them privacy.

"I smelled something... strange," he began.

Zaphyr narrowed his gaze.

"What do you mean?"

Zayden hesitated, then exhaled sharply.

"I smelled... her." He bit the inside of his cheek, struggling to rein in his emotions.

"Her?" The Emperor raised an eyebrow.

"Princess... Siera..." Zayden managed, though his entire body burned at the mere act of speaking her name.

The forbidden name had been uttered after centuries.

Zaphyr’s eyes widened. He hadn’t heard that name in a long time.

"W-What?!" he exclaimed, his pulse quickening. "If this is some kind of joke, then please, Zayden—"

"Father!" the General snapped. "I would never joke about that child!"

"But how could this be?" the Emperor murmured, deep in thought. "She is forbidden from entering this land."

"She didn’t come," Zayden said coldly. "She sent a monster in her stead." His fist tightened at his side. "As cunning as ever. And as cowardly of her as one could have expected."

"However... why? After all these years?" Zaphyr exhaled sharply. "Have you told Soren or your mother about it?"

Zayden shook his head immediately.

"Am I crazy?"

"You can be, sometimes..." Zaphyr breathed, voice low. "At least you didn’t reveal it to them. They would be shaken to know she has returned."

"You mean... she is in the empire right now? Near us?" Zayden’s brow furrowed.

"Perhaps. I am not certain, but her powers can be used from a distance, right? Like that time when—" Zaphyr stopped himself mid-sentence.

"No, no. By all means, continue. Put some salt on my wounds," Zayden interrupted, his tone mocking, sharp. "Like the time she had my friends killed."

The Emperor swallowed hard. He said nothing. He knew Zayden’s emotions had taken full control, and no words could pierce through the storm raging within his son.