Chapter 6

Emilia soon left Alexis who still sat in her seat staring drearily at the pile of books left in Emilias wake. She shook her depressed feelings away and turned to the dwarfs.

'If dwarfs couldn't apparently think for themselves then how did that one maid come up with the idea to make tea? That was enough of a thought!'

"Excuse me? Miss maid?" She called the dwarf from earlier. The dwarf maid noticed and obediently walked over, "Can I ask for your name?"

The dwarf maid looked stunned for a bit and then seemed to recover as she gave an adorable curtsy while speaking, "Angela, My name is Angela".

"Angela..." Alexis stared at the maid, with her blonde hair and brown eyes, she did pass as an Angela. "Is it alright if I ask you a question?"

"Oh I'm not good with questions, Ma'm. But I will do my best!" She beamed at Alexis.

"What made you think I needed tea earlier?" Alexis realised the question was pretty rude and unlike how she didn't care with the Emperor, she felt bad as she stared at pale faced dwarf whose legs trembled.

"Did you not want any tea?", tears glistened the dwarfs eyes, flustering Alexis.

"No, no!" She waved her arms hoping to calm what looked to be an upset toddler, "I heard dwarfs struggle to think on their own, I'm sure it's a lie since you proved otherwise!" She rushed out hoping she didn't make a bigger mess of the situation.

"Oh." At this, the dwarf calmed and looked much more reassured, "Miss Emilia sent me a telepathic message since you didn't say anything".

Alexis felt stunned, as if she had been slapped in the face.

'Of course Telepathy exists...’

"So you didn't think of that on your own?" She questioned in shock.

"No, Ma'm. Dwarfs struggle to think for themselves. Some people say we must have been cursed, but it's been like this for generations and we don't mind as long we don't end up going mad like our ancestors." Alexis shivered at the reply.

'So it wasn't a lie or some sort of racism. Well, that was reassuring' she shook the frightening thought away and asked the question she couldn't get an answer for from Emilia.

"Alright Angela, I know you don't like questions, but there's something else I want to ask you. What do you think of his highness? Please be honest! I'm supposed to help him and I need a genuine answer for this" Alexis prayed the dwarf wouldn't give a sugar-coated answer.

"His highness?" The dwarf asked, surprised by the question, "he is very competent at his job and although he's scary he's someone who doesn't treat other apparitions badly like most humans”. It seemed like she spoke the truth, like an innocent child answering a question to the best of their knowledge.

Alexis frowned and turned to the other two dwarfs.

"What about you two? Is it the same for you?" She eagerly awaited refutes but only got nods in return and slumped forward.

'So dwarfs like him then? That guy? No way!?' 

She thought brainwashing might be a possibility and realised if she wanted a genuine answer she had leave this room and find out what others thought of him.

So she asked the maids to give her a tour of the palace. It was the same palace his highness resided in so she would be able to get lots of genuine answers.

But no matter how far they walked only other dwarfs were sighted; Gardening, cleaning or rushing food about, like little kids given tasks they seemed to earnestly take part in. Alexis frowned again, they had been walking for an hour and it seemed she was the only one exhausted.

"How much of the castle have we seen already?" She gasped as she leaned against a pillar.

"Only half of the third floor ma'm. We still have the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th to finish." A red headed dwarf maid spoke. 

"Are there any other types of magical creatures here in this palace?" Alexis whispered out, amid her pants for air.

"Magical creatures? You mean dwarfs?" Angela replied this time, "No, except for Master Agathus by his majesty and, of course, Emilia who sometimes comes to visit since she's like a mother to the Emperor." 

That was news to Alexis.

"Emilia is like a mother to the Emperor?" She asked curiously.

"That's right." Added the third maid who had hair so light it was probably white instead of platinum blonde, "she raised him since he was a child." 

Alexis frowned at that. That meant Emilia had the most knowledge of the Emperor, but another question pestered her.

"What about his mother?" She realised she shouldn't have asked when the dwarfs got all silent and looked anxiously at each other. She sighed and spoke again, "don't answer that." 

'Why was I so weak to these adorable little things?' She internally groaned at her weakness to cute things.

"What’s the shortest way out of this palace?" She asked.

"Down the flight of stairs through the hallway on our right" Alexis didn't wait any longer and rushed down the hallway were she came to stairs made from ceramic. 

She gulped slightly at the dangerous material the long stairs case was made of, but she could see the ending surrounded by grass and beautiful orchids made to look like wild flowers.

"Wait! Miss Alexis! Please those stairs are made for dwarfs and not humans so you might fall!" Angela called behind her, but it was too late.

Alexis already realised the steps were much too small for her and sat on the smooth top of the railing. She shut her eyes and pushed herself down.

'Here's to common sense' she thought and sped down the long straight railing that stooped lower and lower, after she got to the second floor she could've sworn she saw a familiar head of sparkling blonde hair on a tall body, but didn't bother to linger on it as she held on for her dear life.

It was just her luck that there wasn't a single dwarf coming up or down the stairs.

Soon she saw the orchids and patches of grass come closer and closer and realised something very stupid.

'I don't know how to slow down?!' She panicked.

Grabbing onto the ceramic was impossible since it's glossy coat slipped right through her fingers and instead she braced herself for a rough landing.

Her body crashed onto the grass which grunted in response to her weight. 

'Wait! grass doesn't grunt?' Her body which seemed unharmed from the fall easily lifted her head and she found herself staring into angry red eyes. 

'Oh no' she thought as she realised that the grass didn't have any face much less one that was so ridiculously attractive.

That's right. She was currently sprawled all over the tyrant Emperor.