Chapter 392: A Wifes Troubles

The sunlight pierced through the curtains of Isaac’s room. Waking up full of annoyance, he sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, hunched over, a deeply confused look on his face. Despite everything he had said to Alfred the night before, it had been a lot to take in and kept him up most of the night. He had always known that Alfred was a peculiar person since the moment they first met. When he was proven to be a Blessed one, he assumed it was something to do with that, something to do with Sol’s divine knowledge being passed on to a child.

But lying in the bed, deep into the night, he contemplated what Alfred said, the truth he had been allowed to hear. And it terrified him. He didn’t understand what another world meant, he couldn’t fathom what it would be like, especially after the outrageous claims Alfred made about it, but Issac knew he wasn’t lying. Years of seeing through the lies of the nobility had allowed him to know.

He couldn’t understand the meaning of what Alfred said, nor could he imagine the world that he painted, but Issac knew one thing. Everything about Sol, the scripture of the story of creation, the origin of the world. All of it was a lie. Alfred was the living contradiction to everything preached by the priests.

He had always known that Alfred used religion for his power. The creation of the Pantheon was the most blatant power grab there could be. But before, part of him felt that Alfred had a connection to Sol and the other Gods. To know it was all a lie, painted his Emperor in a new light.

Isaac sighed and grabbed his head. It was a hard thing to comprehend. "Issac." From behind, he heard the covers shuffle and Johannas warm body wrap itself around his back. "What’s wrong?"

"Sorry for waking you." Grabbing her head, Johanna’s long hair tickled his back as she shook her head. "It’s nothing."

"Are you sure?" Johanna said softly, and Issac stiffly smiled.

"It’s work, my love. His Majesty has created something new again, and I need to prepare for it." Johanna sighed and fell back into bed. She knew Issac lied to her, but at the mention of the Emperor, he told her it was something she wasn’t allowed to hear. It annoyed her that she was kept in the dark about many of Isaac’s thoughts about his work, but she understood. Unlike any of the other ladies in the Empire, she wasn’t Ammary. She was a foreign princess who couldn’t be trusted completely. It just hurt that her husband treated her the same way because of orders from above.

Watching Issac get up, she admired his body as he slowly got dressed. With a soft kiss on her forehead, he left the room, the door to the room opening and closing in parallel. Wrapping herself in the covers, Johanna deeply exhaled and closed her eyes again, trying to get back to sleep.

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Much like Issac, Alfred hardly slept in the night. After repeatedly falling asleep and waking, he gave up and went to his study, pouring himself glass after glass of alcohol, drinking until the sun rose. He had watered it down, but his mind spun, and he knew she would have a headache later in the day, but Alfred needed it to calm his nerves.

The door opened and Isra walked in, covering, scrunching her face at the heavy smell in the room. "Have you slept?" Her annoyed tone failed to mask the worry in her voice.

"Hardly," Alfred replied in a quiet tone as he took another sip. Walking over, Isra took the glass from him and downed the contents before handing it back.

"No more. You have work later." Alfred groaned and covered his eyes, blinded by the full might of the rising sun after the curtains were thrown open. "If you don’t want to make the weapons, Alfred, I wo..."

"It’s not that, Isra." Alfred cut her off and moved over, letting her sit next to him. Cuddling closer to him, she relaxed and took a few deep breaths. "I told Issac."

"Told him what." Her voice was relaxed as she listened to his heartbeat. It confused her as it suddenly rose. With worry, she looked into his eyes, wondering if Alfred had done something she didn’t know about.

"I told him the truth about me. About where I came from." It was time for her heart to race. Her eyes opened widely in shock that Alfred would actually tell another living soul other than her.

"Why?" It was the only thing she could ask. She knew the truth and knew what danger it posed. If anyone found out and Alfred couldn’t give a justification that could ease the masses, there was no doubt that a civil war could start.

Grabbing her hand, he lowered his head and took a deep breath, "I trust him, I need him to understand why I am able to do and think of the things that I have. But most importantly, I needed someone else, other than you, to know. If Chris were still alive, I may have told him, but right now, Issac is the only man I trust who works closely with me. William is retired, and he deserves to know, but I don’t wish to burden him with the truth that the afterlife taught in scripture is a lie. He has had enough surprises in his life."

Isra took a deep breath and nodded. "If..." she paused and bit her lip. "If this is what you want, then it’s fine. But let’s hope we can trust him with the truth." Her worries were real, and Alfred knew it. He had practically handed his biggest weakness to Issac without asking anything in return. It was a moment of extreme trust.

"If Issac betrays me, Isra, no one can be trusted," Alfred said gravely. "We can trust him." His words were directed at himself, as he convinced himself it was the correct choice.

"I know. I’m just scared. It’s a secret that undermines everything he was taught. Crushing what a man knew can make him bitter."

"History is full of lies, and what we are taught always changes. Issac is old enough not to lose his mind over it." Alfred said coldly. He trusted telling Issac because he wasn’t heavily religious. Like him, the man lived for real-world power and benefits, not a chance at the afterlife. Alfred gently squeezed Isra’s hand and stared into her eyes. His voice became softer. "Someone had to know. I just needed someone other than you whom I could trust. Someone who knew my deepest secret."

Isra clenched her fist that wasn’t holding Alfred’s and turned away from him. Her nails dug deep into the skin on her palm. "I understand." Her voice shook slightly, and getting up, she walked out. Alfred quickly followed behind and grabbed her from behind.

"Isra..." Isra stumbled slightly at the overwhelming fear and care for her that lathered his shaking voice. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head.

"I know Alfred. It’s stupid, I’m annoyed at this. It doesn’t make sense, but part of me wanted this for myself. A secret that only you and I knew." Isra turned around and pushed Alfred off of her. It was stupid that she was mad, something she didn’t understand herself, but it felt like she had lost something that made their connection special.

Alfred watched her leave and lifted his hand to stop her, pausing at the last minute. He wanted to chase after her, but he knew she needed space for the day. Their relationship wouldn’t be destroyed over something like this.

With a deep sigh, he left the room and looked down the corridor. He saw Isra’s back disappearing into the distance and once again held back the urge to chase her, deciding to go to Isaac’s office instead. Letting himself in, he saw Isaac hunched over his desk with his head in his hands. Peeking through his finger, he softly smiled.

"You haven’t slept," Alfred said kindly. Issac scoffed and shook his head.

"Neither have you." An awkward silence, the two rarely shared, followed. Both of them looked at one another, deeply conflicted, but Alfred sighed.

"Shall we get to work?" With a small, playful smile, he chuckled, "Or shall we sit in silence?" Issac chuckled and opened a drawer, pulling out a stack of documents. Slyly smiling, he handed half to Alfred.

"Payment for keeping me up at night." Taking the papers, Alfred laughed and put the documents down.

"Let me sober up first. I don’t want to make a mistake." Turning around, he ran his hand through his hair and felt quite disgusted at how greasy it felt.

"You make one, you fix it," Issac called out from behind as Alfred left to clean himself up. Despite the annoyance that Issac felt toward Alfred for dropping the burden on him, he knew it was partially his fault for not stopping Alfred before he said anything.

"You should be respectful when talking to the Emperor," Alfred said with a smug smile, making Isaac roll his eyes and plunge himself into work. They had a close relationship before, able to talk freely in private, but without saying anything, both men knew it had deepened, a friendship forged that they didn’t share with anyone else.