Chapter 14 : The King

The highest authority in the land... The King.
Vain stared in awe at the majestic figure who had just crossed the hall's gateway. Every step he took was heavy, asserting its dominance over the surrounding air and causing breaths to slow down in respect and dread.


To his left walked the mysterious mage, "Syphon," with his sharp, piercing gaze and half-closed eyes that seemed to read the hidden depths of souls. His pale blonde hair cascaded softly around his face, revealing pointed ears that Vain had not yet grown accustomed to seeing, adding an aura of ancient mystery to him. And to the King's right, walking with confident steps and a grandeur befitting his position, was the Crown Prince and future king of this icy kingdom, "Marcus Lyth Aetherius."



The King advanced with dignified and steady steps towards the dining table. Amidst this scene, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a strange boy sitting close to his precious daughter; a boy with messy hair and eyes shrouded in a hazy, unclear look. The moment their eyes met, the King's eyes widened slightly in an almost imperceptible reaction. The King realized in that moment that there was no one within the walls of this palace who did not know his appearance, or at the very least, did not possess accurate reports and information about him.


The King returned his gaze straight ahead, maintaining his stern features. With that single, fleeting glance, he knew for certain that this boy sitting before him was the guest of the Great Dragon.

In an expectant silence that heightened the tension in the atmosphere, the King slowly sat on his luxurious, ornate royal chair. The Crown Prince then sat immediately after him on his own seat, while the head of the royal court of mages, "Syphon," remained standing behind the King like an ever-watchful guard.

As the heavy silence enveloped the room, Vain's ears caught the sound of short, rapid footsteps... running lightly behind him, heading straight for the King. No sooner had Vain tried to turn his head to see who would dare run in the presence of the King, than he heard a soft thud coming from the King's direction.


He quickly turned his head to see the source of the sound—

"Father! You promised me you'd let me go out today! Why did you lie to me?!"


Those footsteps belonged to the cute little girl Vain had seen accompanying Lord Karl when he entered the room. That little girl who bore a striking resemblance to Princess Lyva. With her small, ruffled dress, her adorably angry childish features, and her presence here at the royal dinner table at this late hour of the night, it was glaring proof from the start that she was the pampered and beloved child of this icy palace.

But Vain had never expected such a scenario.

Just looking at the King's terrifying aura and his harsh features moments ago made this warm familial situation completely clash with his thoughts or the stereotype he had just painted in his mind.


"You little troublemaker, it is very late at night. You should be asleep in your bed right now."


The King spoke these words with a completely different, affectionate tone, carrying the pampered princess in his arms and lifting her high in the air, while a warm paternal smile covered his wrinkled face, melting all the ice that had surrounded his aura just seconds before.


Vain opened his mouth in sheer astonishment, unable to hide his shock. In this very moment, the boy was absolutely certain of an important lesson: he must not build his initial impressions of people in this world so quickly.


The King lowered the little girl slowly and gently, then tenderly patted her silky white hair and added apologetically, "I am truly sorry, Lenora. Your father was very busy throughout this long day."


The little girl fell silent for a few moments, puffing out her cute cheeks in a childish pout expressing her dissatisfaction, while her father continued to pat her head, trying to appease her.


The King leaned in slightly to get closer to her and said in a warm tone, "Alright, tomorrow I will try to make it possible... What do you think?"


"Really?!"

The pampered princess let out a small squeal of joy, her eyes widening to shine with a gleam of happiness as she looked at her smiling father.


The King nodded in affirmation to confirm his promise, making the girl jump in place out of sheer joy. At that moment, the father turned his head slightly towards the Elf, "Syphon." The King did not utter a single word, but as if they were communicating telepathically in silence, Syphon understood his master's desire immediately. He gave a slight, dignified bow, muttering in a low voice, "Understood."


The Elf stepped calmly towards the princess, bending down to carry her in his arms with the utmost gentleness, saying, "Alright, my little princess, it is time for bed now, as your father is currently busy with some important matters."


The little princess sighed in surrender, and signs of heavy sleepiness began to overtake her features. Syphon let out a soft, muffled laugh; he realized that this little one had been fighting off exhaustion and enduring sleepiness just to have a moment with her father. The instant she settled comfortably and safely against the Elf's chest, she fell fast asleep. The Elf excused himself from those present, indicating that he would escort her to her room and return as quickly as possible.

Syphon moved toward the large doors. However, right before taking his final step to exit, he turned his face very slowly toward Vain. That sharp look from the Elf sent a sudden shiver down Vain's spine. Syphon was looking at him in a way that seemed to question, through his stern features, the reason for his presence at this meeting. Vain felt flustered and didn't know how to respond, so he simply pointed his finger slowly at Princess Lyva, painting a naive smile on his face in an attempt to shirk responsibility.


The Elf let out a soft sigh expressing his understanding of what had happened. He knew Princess Lyva's bold personality well, and he realized there was nothing he could do about this matter now, given the King's presence in the room. Thus, he decided to leave quickly to drop the child off and return to monitor the situation.

(Click!)

The moment the door closed behind the Elf Syphon, a voice pierced the air from the opposite side of the room:

"Oh my... how I wish my relationship with my own children had this much closeness."

The speaker was the Chief Minister, "Shon," who followed his words with a gruff laugh bearing a slight, sarcastic tone.

When Princess Lyva had told Vain earlier that she was taking him to dinner, he had naively thought it would be a simple family gathering of the father, mother, and their children. But now, because of the names and figures present, he was completely convinced that this was far from being just a dinner. Despite his lack of information about this world, he deduced that the presence of a prominent figure with the weight of a foreign nation's prime minister alongside the current King of the realm was no passing event. The first thing that came to Vain's mind was that they were likely on the verge of concluding some treaty, an agreement, or negotiating a specific matter. Although the King had not yet spoken formally with the Minister, the atmosphere was not charged with hostility nor did it show any obvious hatred from either side.



"You exaggerate your praise of me unnecessarily, Minister Shon. Is not your relationship with your daughter sitting beside you already good?" the King replied in a calm and composed tone.


Vain had almost forgotten the presence of the minister's daughter, "Nara," due to her absolute silence and faint presence. Vain remembered that she had maintained this same behavior during his first encounter with Karl; she had stood behind him, and all she did was introduce herself before returning to her complete stillness.


Vain felt a brief flash of pity for her. From what it seemed to him, she was considered nothing more than a political pawn to strengthen ties between the two countries. Despite his lack of information, her betrothal to a member of the kingdom considered the sworn enemy of her homeland seemed like a terrible thing in Vain's eyes, at least on a personal level.


"Of course! Hahaha... It might not seem like it, but I love my children dearly."


This sentence came in a cheerful tone from Minister Shon, creating a stark contrast to the thoughts swirling in Vain's mind.


The King exchanged a light laugh with the minister, making the atmosphere seem milder and less tense.


While everyone was following this friendly exchange between these two great political figures, a bold sentence shot from the King's mouth—a sentence that instantly shifted the mood of the room and snapped everyone into absolute focus:
"Well then... let us get straight to the point."

◇ ◈ ◇ ◈ ◇


The moment the King delivered his words that cut through the silence, Vain noticed a slight change in Princess Lyva, who was sitting beside him. She had tightened her fists slightly beneath the table and displayed a suppressed tension, as if she had been dreading the arrival of this very moment. This sudden shift in her normally calm body language made Vain knit his brows, silently wondering about the real reason behind her evident anxiety.


The King broke the quiet of the hall with his resonant, steady voice, carrying a weight befitting a ruler, as he said:

"Therefore, officially... I, King of the ancient Kingdom of Lyth, 'Gou Lyth Aetherius,' declare for the second time during my reign, the dissolution of the temporary alliance with the Kingdom of Gerland, and the commencement of negotiations to renew this alliance for the third time."

These words fell upon Vain's ears like a riddle. He clearly heard contradictory terms: "dissolution of the alliance" followed immediately by "its renewal." This diplomatic maneuvering plunged him into confusion, unable to grasp the political logic behind tearing something down only to rebuild it again in the very same moment.

The expressions of bewilderment and disbelief reflected clearly on Vain's face, catching the attention of the princess sitting next to him. In that moment, she couldn't help but let out a soft, stifled laugh in her mind. She had been trying hard the entire time to feign calmness and cold composure before this imposing gathering, but seeing Vain's transparent face—who didn't care to hide his ignorance or confusion in front of others—eased her tension slightly.

The princess leaned toward him and touched his shoulder lightly, causing him to jolt slightly, snapping him out of his vortex of thoughts and back to reality, turning to face her.


The princess whispered in a faint voice that could barely be heard: "You look confused."

Then she proceeded to explain the situation to him quietly, her eyes never leaving the meeting table: "Our kingdom is bound by a temporary alliance with the Kingdom of Gerland. Or, more accurately, it is closer to a 'non-aggression' pact than a true alliance."

Vain partially understood what was happening, and he now realized the nature of the cold, strained relationship between the two kingdoms. But his curiosity didn't stop there; he asked her with a quiet seriousness, "And what about this business of dissolving and renewing at the same time?"


The princess turned her head toward him slightly, giving him a mild look of astonishment, as if her eyes were clearly saying: 'Isn't it obvious?'


But Vain did not waver and did not react to her surprised look; instead, he continued to stare at her with the same steady, questioning gaze, insisting on a clear answer. This naive stubbornness made the princess sigh in surrender before she whispered again, trying to clarify:

"I told you it's a 'temporary' alliance. That means it has an expiration date. The leaders of both kingdoms must meet together again at the end of the term to re-evaluate the terms and renew the pact, otherwise, it will be considered void and the state of hostility and vigilance will return. And in our case... the duration of the agreement is a full ten years, and it has ended today."


Vain finally understood what was happening, and he replied with a single word while his eyes remained fixed on the table in front of him like a mechanical robot: "Understood."


Vain refocused his attention on the ongoing conversation, despite fully realizing that he wouldn't gain much from knowing this political information. His focus on the discussion stemmed purely from curiosity; he knew for a fact that his knowledge of this kingdom's foreign relations wouldn't help him fend off the assassins lurking around him, those waiting for the moment he closed his eyes to strike from the shadows. But despite that, he decided to listen intently.

"So, must I introduce myself formally as well? Hah... I have grown too old for these procedures."


The Prime Minister slowly rose from his seat, and in that very moment, the aura surrounding him completely changed. His cheerful, sarcastic smile vanished, replaced by features of utter seriousness and strictness—a sudden and radical transformation that shocked Vain at this political man's ability to switch his masks so quickly. And with a strong, decisive voice that reflected the weight of his position, Shon continued:


"I am the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Gerland, 'Shon Tenson'... and in the name of our ancient kingdom, we accept entering into negotiations to renew the alliance."