31 Meeting
Liam furrowed his eyebrows.
From his position leaning by the heavy wooden double doors outside of the council chamber, he attempted to learn any valuable information inside but it was close to impossible.
Muffled whisperings and grunts were all he managed to hear even with his heightened hearing.
The Light King together with the five members of the Light Council gathered inside the council chamber to discuss what Liam anticipated as a confidential matter.
Liam would put all bets that the Princess's death would be brought up inevitably at some point and he needed to hear everything about it.
Cursing at the thick wood of the door that protected the same chamber he was just at with the Light King as they went through the pleas and letters of gratitude from the people, Liam gritted his teeth.
He was tempted to simply pushed the doors open and involve himself in the discussion somehow.
But, logic-wise, that was not a very bright idea.
His bodacity already allowed him to become a Paragon Knight Commander but that was it.
He couldn't create another scene or else they would become too suspicious about his intentions, pressing on matters he shouldn't.
'This wouldn't do,' thought Liam.
The brief exchange with King Paragus did not reveal anything regarding the mysterious death of the Princess.
He was unable to gather any clues aside from the childhood memories the Light King has of her.
It wasn't that bad, but for his mission, it was.
They were precious memories of the Light King's past which Liam appreciated but deemed to be useless.
The next option Liam has required strategy and stealth.
Backing away from the door, Liam began to silently pace back and forth outside the council chamber.
He needed to figure out a way to sneak inside without getting caught.
That or if only the door would be opened with just a tiny crack.
It would be enough for Liam to at least hear what the conversation was about.
Damn, how could the greatest detective become like this?
Attempting to eavesdrop like a child.
Liam abruptly stopped pacing upon noticing a distant sound of wheels and an approaching footstep.
Casually positioning himself to stand guard outside of the door so as not to appear suspicious, Liam put on a straight face.
A few minutes later, one of the humanoid palace maids came into view.
She was pushing an extravagant stainless steel kitchen trolley where an assortment of snacks was probably hidden under the white cloth protectively preserving the food and drinks for the Light King and his companions inside the council chamber.
Upon approaching the door, the palace maid acknowledged Liam with a brief bow.
She appeared to be oblivious to the strange fact that Liam was not supposed to be there.
'It is either she doesn't know or she doesn't care,' Liam mulled over this realization.
Paying the same respect to the palace maid, Liam lowered his head to bow his head as well, gesturing with his right hand for the palace maid to proceed.
When she pushed the door open, Liam made sure to step aside in case the Light King or one of the council members would briefly glance to the door.
Not wanting to waste the opportunity he was given, Liam searched for a small piece of something small which could prevent the double doors from fully closing.
Eyeing his surroundings, there were the torches attached to the walls and a potted otherwordly colorful plant that seemed to have a life of its own on one corner and nothing more.
A smirk made Liam's lips twitch as his enhanced sight made him noticed the tiny pebbles inside the pot holding the otherworldly plant.
Liam wouldn't have noticed those if he wasn't desperately needing to hold the door ajar.
Before the door could shut close, Liam rolled the pebble with a precise aim.
Instead of fully shutting close, the tiny stone left the door slightly open enough for the muffled voices from earlier to be clearly heard by Liam.
"Give us the command, Milord. We shall take care of the preparations necessary for Princess Celestia's burial," a somewhat gurgling voice spoke, making Liam imagine the creature responsible for such noise.
"I am not certain that it will be wise to hold it in times like this. Besides, we have frequent visitors coming in and out of the kingdom. May I suggest that the sacred burial for the Princess be done in secrecy just as we have kept the tragic accident that caused her death in secret, Milord?"
'An accident. I wonder what kind of accident it was that it had to be kept from everyone's knowledge. What are they hiding?'
The Light King's chest felt tight all of a sudden. He had no desire to keep his daughter's death in secrecy, especially for a long time.
However, both the guilt and the pain that shattered him from the inside pushed him to remain silent.
"I do not wish the news of my daughter's death be kept from my people for long. Waiting for the right time felt like forever already. They deserve to know and send my beloved daughter off."
The five council members bowed their heads, accepting the Light King's decision regarding the burial.
"We shall have a proper burial for the Princess. But, Milord, what about the missing Paragon Knight Commander, Razor?"
"I wish nothing but for him to be found whether dead or alive, he was not at fault. I shouldn't have permitted the Princess to go out that night."
The atmosphere inside the council chamber became somber and even Liam who was merely listening from outside had felt it.
There was no doubt that the Light King loved the Princess dearly.
However, from what Liam had heard, it was quite evident that the Princess's death was King Paragus fault all along.
Why did the Light King allow it?
No, why would the Princess want to leave the palace during blood moon in the first place?
Whether it was an accident or not, the Dark Lord would surely be furious once he learned of the things that Liam was able to gather so far.
Concluding that he had heard enough, Liam got on his feet, images from the <Psychometry> giving him glimpses of the Paragon Knight Commander they have mentioned.
Razor seemed to be his name and from what he could remember, he tried his best to save the Princess.
Unfortunately, his efforts weren't enough and Princess Celestia ended up dying under his watch.
Hidden from the far corner of the hallway, a watchful eye followed Liam even after he had stepped away from the double doors of the council chamber.
Like a hawk steadying on its prey, the mysterious persona used the shadows to keep himself away from the player's perceptive sight and stealthily vanished before he and Liam could cross each other's paths.
