A Lord's Feast

“I’m sorry, Mr Aizawa, but I was instructed to only bring you,” said the guard in rusted chainmail outside the familiar iron gates.

“Then I’m sorry, I won’t be able to attend,” I said, waving my arm at him.

“But Lord Remus is expecting you at this very moment!” he replied, clenching his jaw and tightening his grip around his spear.

“Then surely the benevolent Lord Remus will have no problem with one more person.”

His eyes twitched as he let out an aggressive grunt at my response but maintained his posture. Before he could respond by smacking me across the face, a much older uniformed guard walked up to the gates where we stood.

“What seems to be the hold up?” he questioned the guard at the gate. “Why aren’t you letting him through?”

“He won’t go in without the maiden,” he responded, gesturing towards Amber.

The officer inspected the both of us and then gave a polite smile from underneath his heavy moustache before instructing the guard to let us both through.

Soon, after walking across the cobblestoned path surrounded by lush greenery, we were met with Lord Remus at the marble staircase leading up to the red-bricked manor. We were surrounded by multiple Elf workers, the chain on their collars reminding me of the brutal existence of slavery.

“Mr Aizawa,” he shook my hand and then shot a nervous glance at Amber, choosing to remain silent about it. “Please, this way.”

He led us through corridors, each furnished with high-quality marble flooring and adorned with various paintings, our footsteps echoing across the manor until we finally reached a door. It was opened by two guards, revealing a dining table that could seat nearly 30 people and a roof so high it would put even mansions in Tokyo to shame.

“A bit much, don’t you think?” I whispered to Amber who nudged me with her elbow in response.

The two of us were led to our seats by the “maids” from earlier while Remus himself took the head chair closest to us.

Before we could exchange pleasantries or comment on the weather, more maids, this time some humans as well, brought forward large meals and placed them in front of us.

Remus, without hesitation, broke off a leg from the roasted duck in front of him and started eating away at it.

I shot a glance towards Amber who looked back, her eyebrows raised, as if asking me if he really was the one responsible for managing the entire city.

“So, Aizawa,” he spoke, chewing away at the duck, “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“No, my lord,” I responded, taking a sip of the wine placed in front of me. It’s taste reminding me of cheap liquor you’d find in corner stores.

“I’m from the East,” I lied through my teeth, but I had to go with it. That’s what Amber, the inn-keeper, and pretty much everyone knew about me.

“You’ve made quite a name for yourself,” he snarked, gulping all the wine in one go, gesturing for one of the maids standing by to fill it up.

“Well, I suppose so, yes,” I responded, still wondering how someone from such nobility could act so crudely.

“I want to request a favour from you,” he said, his demeanour shifting as he straightened himself and pulled his chair closer to the table.

“You see, the King, Fredreich, my cousin, has just doubled Luxion’s taxes,” he said, before tightening his jaw.

“Do you know why Luxion is the most wealthy city in Mittengrad?” he asked, placing both elbows on the table in front of him.

Before I could respond, Amber spoke up, catching both myself and Remus in surprise. “Because it taxes businesses the least in comparison to the other major cities,”

“Plus, the coastline makes it the perfect hub for merchants from other continents to conduct trade,” she continued, her voice dignified and confident.

Remus’ lips curled upwards as he slammed the table “Exactly!”

“However, should these new taxes be implemented, that would mean more burden on my people, and my city,” he said, the air of disappointment and frustration taking control of his voice again.

“So,” I finally spoke up, “I’m assuming you wish for me to negotiate on your behalf?”

“My, aren’t the two of you smart?” he smiled looking at both me and Amber.

“Of course, your expenses would be covered and I will ensure you have everything you need,” he said, going back to his unfinished duck leg.

Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, this was it. This is what I had been waiting for all this time. “To bring justice in this unjust world, to bring law and order into this lawless world,” I thought to myself about the words my ‘observer’ had engraved into my consciousness.

My journey into the capital could be the perfect way to get a close look at this Kingdom’s operations and weasel my way in.

“I’ll be honoured, Lord Remus,” I replied.

Amber shot me a look, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth opened for a split second, but she just sighed and looked down at the food placed in front of her.

“Fredreich, that young fool, he has his head way up his ass,” Remus remarked, picking at a piece of food that seemed stuck in between his teeth.

I choked on the wine that I was sipping on and pounded my chest to help it go down as Remus let out a hearty laugh.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that,” he roared, “you won’t throw me in prison for calling the old dog senile now, would you?”

He laughed once more before raising his ruby studded goblet in the air. “To new beginnings!”