The very next day, an emergency conference was called. He got ready after bathing, and wore his usual dark clothes. An armor ,right now, wasn't needed. He walked through the foyer, only to find someone he didn't want to see. The elder Edith.

             He made confident eye contact. She lowered her gaze while taking a lump down her throat. She loved him like her own son, or maybe more. She was saddened by his crude and harsh words, but it was reality she was forced to experience. His footsteps came to halt for a moment before going to the meeting room.

            His grand advisor , and general were already present. A frown on their faces was telling him that something wasn't right. They stood up in respect and sat down after he did. "Speak," he said. "Sir blacknight, the trade route from the east was attacked." the general spoke. He lowered his face. He nodded. The other men glanced at each other. "The western was ambushed too." the general continued. "It was pre planned, sir. They are doing something behind your back." the grand advisor finally spoke. "..many people ,who were traveling, and merchants have died." Just as he opened his mouth to say something, someone tapped the door interrupting his speech.

           "Come in." a small heighted man came in informing about a small rift in the market.
As someone who took small matters of his town next to his castle, he stood up giving priority to his responsibility. The irony here was that he killed many men too yet he took a small part in justice for their sake. His father did it too. But most people didn't come to him, they were too scared to do so. almost all of their matters were solved by the common judge of their area. And they did come, they had the most ridiculous timings.

              He went outside to see two soldiers, one had a black and bruised forehead and the other a black eye, and a common man. And a girl held by the soldiers by her arms. He frowned at their pity state. "I am sorry ,sir, but the judges had their room filled with many people, and you were the last man who he could come to." he said in one breath.

             Xavier just looked at him while turning to the poor man. "Yes?" he said enough and the man went on like a river. "This woman stole from my stall..." he went on. "Who stole?" he asked as the man pointed at her. He nodded in acknowledgement, "And she stole what?" "An apple." he said as if she had stolen gold from him. He looked at him... or maybe his stupidity. He blinked. not wanting to deal with this at a critical time, "Arman." he called out to the man with a black eye. "Yes sir?" "Buy him a crate of apples." The man was happy and immediately left the place, as his work was done.

          He asked the men why they were injured. They, too, pointed at the girl. Two trained men for combat had been beaten up by a petite girl. The girl whose head was bleeding and was in a thick cloak and was waking up. 
She raised his eyes up to him, frowning at an unfamiliar place. As the little sun rays fell on her face, the breath was sucked out of his corrupted lungs.

 
                                                       ────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

.  To him, she looked like the rest of his life.

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. I hope you had fun.;)