"Explain yourself!" Felicity demanded with both hands on her hips and a strong scowl on her face.
"…"
The king had lost all his crippling edge all at once.
He didn't even respond for a bit, prompting another angry scoff from his teenage daughter. "Well?!"
"…"
Nothing.
It was outright surreal. Just moments ago, he'd radiated the kind of soul-flattening menace that could break almost anyone's mind in seconds.
Now he looked like he was being scolded by his governess.
Aurora blinked a million times. Kitsara tilted her head to an unnatural degree. Seraphiel straight up mouthed the word, "What?"
This wasn't the same man who nearly made them pass out from sheer presence. Where was the thunderous monarch? Where was the tyrant of the human kingdom?
Alexios finally spoke after a few seconds of silence, revealing his answer with a flat tone. "I tested them."
"Tested?" Felicity's eyes narrowed. "Why would you do that to my friends?!"
"Because you are my daughter."