|| Charming (Part 2) ||
|| Chapter 2.5: Charming ||
The room grew heavy when the Emperor mentioned 'pests', referring to the enemies that dared to eliminate the ravenette whenever they had the chance. "Rest assured, Your Imperial Majesty," The ravenette reassured as he sat down and folded his hands on the table, "There were no sorts of 'pests' that you speak of." Instantly, the Emperor's mood brightened, causing the heavy atmosphere in the room to vanish in seconds.
With a satisfied smile, Ascian leaned back in his chair and tilted his head at him. "That's fortunate to hear then," He hummed before coldly glancing at the young man sitting across from the ravenette, "I also heard from the report that there were no casualties in the First Order during the subjugation." The young man looked almost identical to Ascian, however, he had short wavy platinum hair and sharp lavender-coloured eyes.
"I'm relieved to know that it was Commander Malefic who led the First Order Knights this time," Ascian stated in a light tone before a sinister frown appeared on his face as he sneered at the young platinum-haired man, "Unlike a certain ignorant son of men that led the previous First Order to their deaths because of his foolish decisions." The man's face immediately turned red with embarrassment and shame at how his father openly humiliated him in front of the parliament.
Grimacing, the parliament recalled how this young man - the Third Prince, Kaiden Aeonian - abandoned the First Order Knights to flee to the Capital when more than seventy-five per cent of the squad was killed because he didn't check the route to the Demonic Beasts' nests. It was a shameful incident where the Emperor had to compensate the victims' families and hold them proper funerals.
Ashamed, Kaiden gritted his teeth and gripped a fistful of his pants, lowering his head with a vicious glare. Silently, the ravenette glanced at the trembling prince with his lips in a thin line. This sort of verbal abuse was normal in the imperial palace, especially between the Emperor and his offspring. He had no shame in degrading their mistakes and comparing their faults - especially when it came to politics and military influence - to Erix's successes. This caused half of the nine royal kin to despise the ravenette's existence, seeing him as a greater threat than ever.
It also didn't help that Kaiden hated him the most and they were both in the parliament. Tired of this mentally exhaustion verbal abuse, the ravenette loudly cleared his throat before the Emperor could go into his rant about how Kaiden was useless. The sound caught the Emperor's attention, causing him to look at the ravenette with a raised brow. "Your Imperial Majesty," He stated with a stern smile and his eyes were filled with annoyance, "We should proceed with the meeting now."
The Emperor furrowed his brows at his stern words and seemed a bit displeased at his actions. Meanwhile, the ministers were mentally crying in relief that they had someone like Erix to stand up against the Emperor's childish yet annoying tactics. They kept composed expressions as the Emperor glanced at them before smirking. With a snap of his fingers, an amber-coloured magic whip appeared from behind him and wrapped itself around a thick folder before slamming it in front of Erix.
"Fine then," The Emperor playfully clicked his tongue and yawned, folding his arms over his chest with a sulky expression, "For context, I summoned you because those devotee bastards from next door are getting on my nerves again... Especially that Isidore-swine bastard." Erix held back an eye-roll at his pouting and picked up the folder, flipping it open and reading through the reports.
A comfortable yet slightly tense silence filled the room as everyone stared at the Emperor and the Chancellor, who was casually reading the reports. "The Holy Empire and its allies wish to discuss peace treaties with the Aeonian Empire?" The ravenette suddenly asked with a raised brow, glancing at the Emperor, whose face turned sour at the mention of the Holy Empire. "Correct," One of the ministers answered him with a nod and explained, gesturing to the folder, "In the reports, it mentioned that they would like to have a negotiation between the two Empires to discuss what they'll be offering each other in exchange for peace."
"When do they wish to hold this negotiation?" The ravenette questioned with his lips in a thin line and his eyes darkened with annoyance. "Precisely in three weeks," Another minister answered him with a cautious gaze. "The Holy Empire also sent the Empire a formal letter requesting assistance with the Demonic Beasts' nests in their territory," The first minister added with a crooked smile and hid his trembling hands underneath the table when he noticed the sinister look on Ascian's face.
"T-They specifically asked for the First Order Knights and its Commander to assist them," Another minister unconsciously stuttered out with a pale face, refusing to look at the Emperor's and Chancellor's expressions. Both of their faces were filled with annoyance and disbelief at the Holy Empire's audacity. "They're requesting my presence, along with my knights?" The ravenette sneered with a snarl, revealing his sharp canine-like teeth that hid under his lips.
"For what foolish reason do they seek my presence in their wretched land?" He snarled, slamming the reports shut as he folded his leg over his thigh while gesturing to the documents with a merciless gleam in his eyes, "They have their God on their side so they should be able to handle those beasts on their own." A chill ran down the parliaments' spines at his heartless yet sharp words and they lowered their heads with trembling eyes.
"I agree with you, Chancellor Malefic," The Emperor playfully mused as he agreed with him, his eyes holding the same gleam at the ravenette's eyes. One of the ministers - Duke Zeno Oryn - sweatdropped as the two men started menacingly cackling with each other, causing them to look like tyrants. "Then what about the peace treaty?" Kaiden suddenly asked, interrupting their weird moment.
Immediately, the two of them bluntly answered him in unison, "We'll think about it when it's important." An awkward silence filled the room at their words. "What if they get impatient with the lack of response?" Kaiden pressed again with a stubborn expression, furrowing his brows at them. "Let them get impatient," Ascian shrugged with an 'I-don't-really-care' look in his eyes and lazily waved his hand around in the air as he slumped in his chair, "That Isidore-bastard can get angry for all I care - they won't be getting Erix for such an idiotic reason."
"But we can't afford to start another war with the Holy Empire...!" Kaiden yelled in anger, pushing his chair back with a loud screech as he stood up while slamming his palms against the table, "We barely regained our outer territories five years ago! If we-" Before he could continue, Ascian sent him a fierce glare, forcing a heavy magic aura to press against everyone's shoulders. Some ministers gasped in pain as their heads got pushed down against the table while others resisted it with agony across their faces.
Kaiden was barely on his feet as he tried to resist that heavy magic atmosphere, panting with cold sweat dripping down his face. Shakily, he glanced at the ravenette from the corner of his eye and almost scoffed. The ravenette still had a straight posture - he was completely unaffected by the Emperor's bloodthirsty aura. "You will not speak of that horrid war in front of the Chancellor," Ascian warned his son in a low yet menacing voice, his ferocious eyes narrowed into a cold glare.
"I'm quite alright, Your Imperial Majesty," The ravenette calmly reassured him with a small closed-eye smile, slightly catching the Emperor off guard, "I see my participation in that war as an achievement." Quickly, the heavy atmosphere was lifted, much to the ministers' relief. "Then," Ascian hummed with a relaxed expression and ignored his son, who looked infuriated, "Let's move on to the real issue of the day." And so, the meeting amongst them continued.
The topic of the meeting was whether the Empire would benefit or not if the parliament raised the tax and inflation rates amongst the citizens. Of course, some ministers suggested raising the taxes on the commoners while others suggested taxing foreign tourists. This created an extremely heated argument amongst the parliament. Throughout this, the ravenette silently listened to these grown men argue like toddlers.
"The numbers for foreign tourists will pummel if we increase their taxes!" One minister shouted with a clenched jaw, slamming his fist against the table, "We can't afford to lose that sort of income!" Another minister scoffed and sneered, waving his hand around in a carefree manner, "Then, what about the common folk? Especially those outside the Capital." The ministers around him seemed to like his suggestion and mentioned how the commoners wouldn't be able to do anything against that decision.
"Unfortunately, we can't afford to tax the common folk more than ever," The ravenette suddenly interrupted them, causing them to tense up with wide eyes. A tense silence fell over them as his bored gaze flickered over them. Some ministers were displeased at his words but hid their true emotions with confused expressions. "May I ask why you say that, Your Serene Grace?" Duke Oryn asked with a stoic expression, folding his hands onto the table.
"I'm a bit disappointed that you don't know why, Duke Oryn," The ravenette retorted with a side smirk, crossing his arms over his chest as he slightly tilted his head down, showing off his alluring eyes. Embarrassed, Duke Oryn cleared his throat and quietly apologized, causing the Emperor to click his tongue in distaste. "...The common folk would revolt against the Royal Family if they can't afford to pay their taxes to survive," The ravenette revealed to them in a bitter tone, narrowing his eyes as he recalled seeing children barely surviving outside the Capital.
"What are you suggesting then, Your Serene Grace?" Another minister questioned with his lips formed into a thin line, feeling his gut churn in nervousness. "Quite simple actually," He mused before explaining with a straight posture, "We should start taxing the Empire's noblemen and noblewomen." It wasn't even a second later before the entire room burst in disbelief and anger, yelling at him for his suggestion.
"T-That's absurd, Your Serene Grace!" One of the ministers - Duke Philip Faris - screeched in fury, clenching his fists until they turned white, "Tax the nobles?! Have you gone insane?!" Realizing what he just said to the Grand Duke, his shoulders tensed up and a horrified expression appeared on his face. "Funny," The ravenette sneered a bit as he taunted Duke Faris with a wide smirk, "I'm quite sane at the moment, Duke Faris."
A small shriek escaped the older man's mouth before he covered it with his hand. "But," The ravenette continued with a business-like smile, tilting his head at all the ministers, "I'm quite perplexed as to why you all are against getting taxed." They tensed up when they heard his words. "Don't tell me that such wealthy men as yourselves are too greedy to give our beloved Empire a few gold coins from your vaults?" He taunted them as his eyes were half-lidded and a sinister grin appeared on his lips.
His taunts were as slippery as a serpent, both dangerous and venomous. It was clear that he knew who was committing tax fraud in their territories because of their greed. Those who secretly committed such acts pressed their tongues against their clenched teeth. Suddenly, a chuckle interrupted the tense atmosphere. "Of course not, Your Grace," A low yet teasing voice mused with a chuckle, causing everyone to turn in that direction.
The voice belonged to a handsome tanned man, who was in his mid-forties. He looked to be around 6'2 or so and muscular. He had short caramel-coloured hair that started to turn grey at their tips and his slightly sunken silver eyes had small wrinkles around them. A mischievous yet sinister smile was permanently attached to his lips. "I would gladly empty my vaults for the Aeonian Empire if it was necessary," He declared, sneakily hinting that the ministers, who were displeased, were protesting against the Emperor's ruling.
The ravenette could feel a pissed-off smirk approaching his lips but he pushed it back, showing the mischievous man a composed expression. "It's reassuring to know that the former Commander of the First Order Knights is still so loyal to the Empire," The Emperor mentioned with a cocky smile, amused that he openly yet secretly accused his colleagues to be disloyal. Silently, the caramel-haired minister bowed his head to him in gratitude for such praise.
"Then it is decided," Ascian added in a carefree manner, leaning his chin against his fist as he stared at them with boredom written across his face, "Nobles from all across the Empire will be taxed in order to prevent the common folk from revolting against my Empire." Just as the ministers were about to protest or try to pursue him, he continued in an icy tone, his eyes narrowed in ridicule, "If anyone dares to refuse by not paying their tax, their heads will hang on the palace's gates as a warning to others."
He gestured to the ravenette, who automatically bowed his head towards him. "Suzerain Malefic will be in charge of hunting down and punishing anyone who disobeys my words," He declared with a vicious smirk, causing goosebumps to appear on everyone's skin. Just like that, the meeting ended with a cold atmosphere. As soon as the Emperor left the room, all the ministers - excluding, Erix, Kaiden, and the caramel-haired man - scurried away at the speed of light.
"You've been quite in a bad mood ever since you arrived, Your Grace," The caramel-haired man teased him as they stood up from their seats and pushed in their chairs, "At some point, I feared that you might've bitten off Duke Oryn and Duke Faris's heads during the meeting." At his words, the ravenette rolled his eyes and retorted while picking up the thick folder from the table, "Honestly, I was about to do that if they kept whining about such simple things."
Both of them were oblivious to the stare of disbelief they received from Kaiden when he overheard their conversation. It was like they didn't just humiliate some of the most important figures in the Empire a few minutes ago. "My, oh my," The caramel-haired man mused in excitement before walking out of the room alongside the ravenette, "You're truly living up to your name, 'Emperor's Hound'!"
"And you're still the old sly fox that you ever been, Duke Bicea," The ravenette playfully retorted with a childish smile, chuckling softly. Silently, Kaiden watched them leave the room, however, he furrowed his brows when he caught a glimpse of the caramel-haired man glaring at him - as if was warning him about behaving. Klaus Bicea - better known as Duke Bicea or 'The Trickster' - was widely known across the Aeonian Empire for his taunting personality that he used to rile anyone up for his sick entertainment.
He was the previous Commander of the First Order Knights until three years ago. Now, Erix was the current Commander of said knights. Klaus became the official Minister of Finance after he retired as a commander. The moment those two met, Klaus immediately declared that he would befriend the gloomy brat and become his tea - as well as sparring - buddy. It took a few months for the ravenette to give in to his childish advances and become his so-called 'tea-and-sparring-buddy'.
In the end, both of them grew to be quite friendly with each other. "By the way," Klaus mentioned, folding his arms behind his back as he leaned his head slightly, glancing at the ravenette's attire, "Aren't you getting uncomfortable in this weather wearing that?" They were walking through an empty hallway, and no one was seen. With a small yet strained smile, the ravenette sent him a knowing look from the corner of his eye, hinting at something.
"Ah..." Klaus hummed wth realization before patting his back, silently reassuring him that it would be fine. The ravenette mentally thanked him for his kind gesture before they continued strolling through the corridors. It wasn't long before they arrived at a slightly crowded hallway. They admired the beautiful scenery of the outer gardens next to them as they walked through the outdoor corridors - which were located on the second floor.
A few nobles were seen in the outdoor corridors and they whispered to each other when the duo walked past them. Out of nowhere, the corridors were filled with a ruckus. The ravenette and the older man paused in their steps to look at the noise behind them, raising a confused brow. The source of the chaos belonged to a young gorgeous woman - who was 5'5 and eighteen years old. She had long wavy strawberry-blonde hair, porceilen peachy skin, and beautiful round rose-pink-coloured eyes.
She was dressed in an immodest white dress that showed off her cleavages and calves, making several nobles look away in shame and embarrassment. Behind her, several out-of-breathe ladies-in-waiting and knights rushed after her. She was bulldozing through the crowd, heading towards Erix and Klaus with a fiery gleam in her eyes. Her gaze was pinned onto the ravenette, who visibly got goosebumps across his entire body upon seeing her.
"Oh no..." He mumbled when he saw the wide crazy smile on her lips. As she took a deep breath, she squealed loudly, almost causing everyone's eardrums to burst at the high-pitched sound, "Darling~! I missed you so much~!" Klaus tried not to laugh before failing miserably when he saw the deadpanned yet disgusted look on Erix's face when he heard her squeal. "My deepest apologies, Duke Bicea, but it seems that an issue has appeared," He stoically stated as he watched the teen get closer with a terrifying speed.
"I'll invite you for a cup of tea as an apology," He added as he sent the laughing man a gentleman-like smile before grabbing the balcony railing next to them. Without another word, he leapt over the railing and fell to the ground, causing screams of shock and horror to be heard from the corridors. "Nooooo! Don't leave!" She screeched with tears streaming down her face as she watched him skillfully land on the ground with ease.
"I have to tell you something really important!" She yelled at him through sobs and tried to jump over the railings to follow him, however, her knights and ladies-in-waiting grabbed her and pulled her back. She struggled against their grips, repeatedly pleading that she needed to talk to Erix. From the sidelines, the nobles could only watch in silence as she was restrained by them.
Meanwhile, the ravenette dusted his attire off and neatened his collars before casually walking away. He ignored the woman's wails and pleas as he left the area with a dreaded expression, feeling completely drained from that situation. A headache pounded against his head, causing him to sigh in exhaustion.