Felix's face darkened with concern. He pressed, "Ryan, are you sure you want to take responsibility for what you said?"

After a pause on the other end, Ryan replied, "Nothing happened, so what do you want me to say? This is ridiculous!"

Then, the line went dead, prompting Xena to let out a cold laugh.

"Can't even find someone to back you up. Felix, I finally understand everything now. You're a failure as a person, but at least you can brag about fooling the Warlady once," Xena said before walking away.

Her understanding of "everything" meant she believed Felix's rescue of those dozen kids was just an act to impress her. None of this would have happened if she had not been so moved by that moment.

Especially since Felix admitted that saving those children would not have cost him his life—he would only lose his fighting abilities. Then again, none of that mattered.

Any fool would know it was worth trading combat skills for Xena's affection. After all, being known as the Warlad