Louise grinned smugly, her red eyes glinting with satisfaction and frustration.
"Word travels, idiot. You think no one would've noticed a boy stumbling out of a royal's dorm?
Elizabeth, you are so blinded you didn't even consider the implications."
Alexander's opened, then closed.
His mind raced to find an explanation.
Technically speaking he had no control over what happened.
But that doesn't mean much when it comes to optics.
Not to mention he didn't know how much Louise knew.
As such, he went on the defensive.
"Oh yeah? Why do you even care?"
He replied, puffing out his chest.
"Nothing happened, but I guess that doesn't mean much when you're jealous."
Louise's expression faltered briefly, her face flushed a deep crimson.
"I am not jealous!" She declared, "You're delusional if you think I want your attention."
Alexander grinned.
"Oh, I'm delusional, huh? Where's your cryptic truth bombs now?"
He leaned forward, dropping his voice to a whisper. "Lost in that red haze of yours?"
Louise's hands balled into fists, her nails digging into her palms.
"You're insufferable," she hissed, stepping closer—bringing them nose-to-nose.
"I came here to talk, not play your childish games. Don't confuse me with Elizabeth."
Alexander's grin faded as he felt Louise's warm breath tickling his lips.
He hadn't meant for things to escalate this far, but now that they had, he needed to choose his next words carefully.
He thought back to Andre's advice.
You could either choose to listen or walk away.
Alexander hesitated, "Okay, I'm listening."
His voice softened, the edge of his defensiveness melting as he took a step back.
Louise blinked, caught off guard by his sudden calmness.
She crossed her arms again, as if to shield herself.
"Uncle André sent me to discuss rebuilding your house. He said you needed my help."
Alexander paused, his eyes widening as he realized what had happened.
That entire argument was pointless.
André's words echoed in his mind.
"They'll gloat and mock you… But if you stay long enough, you'll get the help you seek."
Alexander shook his head, "You mean to tell me, we had the whole heated debate, and it wasn't even necessary?"
Louise shrugged.
"You didn't let me get to the point—too busy whining like a child."
Her tone was sharp, teasing, but not unkind.
Alexander let out a long breath—running his fingers through his hair.
"Fine, I guess I did jump the gun, again."
He sat on the edge of his bed, gesturing for her to sit with him.
"So, André told you about my plans, what are your thoughts?"
Louise hesitated, her posture still rigid.
She eventually uncrossed her arms with a huff, crawling into bed beside him.
She perched like a bird prepped for flight, uneased and vigilant.
"They're messy."
She admitted—causing Alexander to flinch.
"But not entirely hopeless."
She shifted slightly on the bed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"The Fallen Kingdom has always been a mess—only recently unified in the last hundred years.
Before that, it was a preamble of rogue states, bickering clans, and refugees escaping persecution from the Jafren kingdoms."
Alexander nodded, "Right, I heard that our people were pushed from the main continent."
He leaned back on his hands, "Though, I haven't dabbled much into the history."
Louise rolled her eyes.
"You should, maybe you'd realize your kingdom was a web of problems from the start."
She pointed a finger at Alexander.
"They couldn't even pick a name for the union. People mocked your country by calling it the failed kingdom."
"The name stuck, by the way."
She gestured with her hand.
"It's the only thing you people could agree on, so to think you could just waltz in and fix up a house is laughable."
Alexander sat forward—his expression hardening.
"Okay, but my dad did it before, why can't I?"
Louise snorted.
"Your father? That man pulled off a miracle, and the Fallen kingdom was less of a mess back then."
She paused, her voice softening as she crossed her arms.
"Though, if you're serious…"
"I am," Alexander affirmed, cutting her off.
Louise shifted to face him more directly.
"…then you need to put that aside and focus more on building a name here, in Ambur."
Alexander leaned forward, resting with one hand pressed into the mattress.
"Why?"
Louise gave Alexander a deadpan stare.
"Do you lack a brain entirely?"
She jabbed.
Alexander frowned but held his tongue, remembering André's advice.
"Imagine you're buying from a merchant and your funds are limited. Would you buy from an unknown peddler or a trusted trader?"
Alexander rolled his eyes.
"Louise…"
She continued.
"That's your precious Fallen kingdom.
Broke—with the need for trusted Pathfinder houses.
Not boys waving burned banners."
Alexander recoiled, Lousie's bluntness stinging like a slap.
He tightened his jaw, fighting the urge to snap back.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to listen.
"Okay," he replied, "so I need to build my reputation, how do I achieve that?"
Louise raised an eyebrow, surprised he didn't take the bait.
"Well, it's rather simple."
She leaned back, her expression shifting.
"You need to study more about our history, geography, and the political state of the world."
"How does that translate to building a house?"
Alexander asked.
Louise scoffed, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Can you build a ship without a blueprint? No, you can't. The same principle applies here, you can't build a house until you understand the foundation."
Alexander paused, processing her words.
"So what? I just read a bunch of maps and history books, and suddenly I'm a genius?"
Louise tapped a finger to her chin.
"Technically? Yes, history doesn't repeat but it certainly rhymes. Learn how the others did it, then apply the knowledge for yourself."
Alexander groaned. "But what about becoming a pathfinder? Shouldn't I win matches and—"
Louise shook her head.
"That's how you become a valuable asset, not a leader.
You need to learn who holds what, why, where, and how.
Power is knowing where to strike, not jumping in and swinging a sword."
Alexander blinked—thinking back to the earlier match with Raphael.
Raphael waited, controlled the board, then struck when necessary.
He played like a commander, not a pawn.
"So today's match… was an example of that?"
His voice was tentative as the pieces clicked into place.
"Raphael waited, assessed the field, our positions, then struck when it mattered most."
Alexander continued as his golden eyes shone with newfound clarity.
"He didn't react to the flow, he controlled it."
Louise uncrossed her arms, her red eyes reflecting mild surprise and approval.
"Finally, something intelligent from that brain of yours."
She spoke with a sigh that carried no bite.
Alexander chuckled, for once her words didn't feel like an attack.
It was like a map, pointing out the pitfalls he'd been stumbling into.
"So to rebuild my house I need to study the board, and to learn the board I need to study."
Louise nodded. "Precisely."
"So where do we start?" Alexander asked eagerly, his eyes burning with fire.
Louise smirked, "Tomorrow, meet me in the academy library at lunch."
She slid off the bed and headed towards the door.
"Oh, and one more thing." She stopped at the door—looking over her shoulder.
"Yeah?"
Louise narrowed her eyes. "If you're serious about this, stay away from Elizabeth. She's dangerous."