Sera, as if taking a jab at her throat, was unable to reply; she knew it was already time, but Alex was different; he had not crossed level 1 even after all this time. They have tried to search and even asked Morgana, one of the grand duchesses, but nothing went well, and they found nothing. They have not given up, but the result has been fruitless so far.
Alex looked at his mother's azure eyes, which were hesitantly looking at his father, Shane's eyes, not knowing what to do. They have postponed it to next year, thinking they would find a solution by then, but they have not.
Shane met his wife's gaze and nodded reassuringly. "We've thought about this a lot, and we believe it's best for him to learn on his own. I'm a level 720 paragon rank—wouldn't it make sense for him to learn from a paragon, rather than from those who haven't reached that level?"
Empress sighed at Grand Duke's answer. "Grand Duke, I understand your concern for him, but remember—a bird kept in a gilded cage will never soar as high as one raised in the wild. It is for Alex's well-being. The academy's entrance will start soon, and Alex can't miss it."
The grand duke knew and understood well enough that the experience of the academy would be very helpful for Alex, but they had never allowed Alex to go outside the gate, and here they had to send him very far, extremely far away from their estate to a place where he would have to live without them, and he was still level 1.
Grand duke shook his head,"No, I can't risk my son's life for some experience and adventure. I will train him and level him up." He stood up immediately, not wanting to prolong the discussion.
Sera looked at her husband's disappearing figure and sighed, knowing well enough what must be going through her husband's mind. They both had the same plans and worries regarding Alex.
Empress looked at her friend, Sera. Their bond was strong, and she hesitated to push further, but for Alex's future, she had to. Empress softened her voice. "Sera, I know you're worried someone will hurt him or his life will be in danger. But Silverine has one of the strongest forces at their arsenal. Their headmaster is already one of the top ten strongest people on the continent."
Sera knew all this well; the power of Silverine Academy was not to be trifled with, and it was stationed at the heart of the different empires, very far away from the Demon Empire. But she shook her head at Empress,"No, we can't send him yet, but maybe in the future."
Empress got angry at Sera,"You keep on postponing it. How long will you keep Alex in this cage? He needs to explore the world, and he is powerful already; his strength is already around 15-20 levels, even though he might be level 1 technically."
Sera stood up, looking at the Empress's eyes with a sorry face,"We can't put him at risk. We will find a solution to his leveling-up problem and then send him to the academy."
Empress also immediately stood up and grabbed Sera's hand before she could leave,"You can't do this, this will hamper his future, a caged bird will never be able to fight against birds that grew up in struggles and fights. How long can you keep on protecting him? You can't protect him all his life; you need to believe in him."
Sera shook her hand violently and left them alone in the drawing room. Alex had listened to their entire conversation and remained silent the whole time; Ariana had already been sent back to her room after lunch.
Princess changed her seat and sat beside sulken-faced Alex, putting her hand on his shoulder,"Do you want to go to the academy?"
Alex stared at the marble floor, elbows on knees, and replied quietly, "I do want to go. I've always dreamed of it. After hearing your stories and reading about it, I only wish for it even more. I want to meet new people. But I know I'm weak compared to the others—I haven't unlocked any class yet like everyone else."
Princess did not know how to comfort Alex. She hugged him from both sides; his bent body felt the warmth, and his eyes became wet with tears as he felt weakness and inability to level up. He was thankful to her and grateful for her friendship; else had it not been for her comforting him, he would have broke out already.
Empress looked at her daughter and Alex, seeing them quiet, she left them alone, not wanting to disturb them. She had seen their bond getting stronger and would love to see them marry one day. That was the very reason why she wanted him to attend the academy.
But the result of today led nowhere. She could only sigh and applaud the grand duke and duchess's love; even though it caged him, it had also protected him so far from scrutiny and the outside world.
- - -
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