Council Meeting

The extravagant carriage moved leisurely on the cobblestone road and the horses' hooves clicked on the ground with their distinct clop as they trotted down a long straight street decorated by a multitude of shops but the view was different because they were now in Arcelia — the capital city of Zephyr.

The occupants of the carriage sat in silence until The duke who sat in front of Trevor spoke.

"Did you find out anything about the black witches?" He asked as he leaned lazily back against the seat, his eyes fixed on the window as he let his gaze pass over the sights outside the carriage.

"Yes, Your Grace," Trevor answered, "The black witches are most populated in Arcelia, and I have found some who are involved in demon magic."

"Demon magic huh? Seems like the witches are getting bolder," Kian smiled before turning to Trevor. "Find out more about the shape-shifters — if they've appeared anywhere else in the kingdom and narrow the black witches down to the highly skilled ones," His tone was casual yet authoritative at the same time and his smile turned menacing. "The more powerful, the better."

Trevor nodded, his expression blank. The carriage went silent until Kian spoke again.

"Anything else?"

Trevor lowered his head. " Nothing, Your Grace."

Kian slid his tongue along the tip of his canines. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Your Grace, I'm sure." He replied and Kian hummed before turning his attention back to the window before speaking again.

"Don't ever listen to anything Rhea says. What happened today must never happen again, do you understand?"

Trevor kept his face emotionless. "Yes, Your Grace."

Time passed, and the carriage wheels rode along a clear and wide cobblestone road toward the majestic structure in front of them, which was none other than the Zephyr Castle. It was surrounded by high walls of marble stone, each topped with a large iron spike. They came to a halt at the entrance, where there was a massive gate with a tower on each side. As the carriage came to a halt, the two guards on either side of the gate bowed in respect before opening the door for the carriage to pass through.

They entered the castle grounds and drove down an expansive path lined with colorful flowers, the trees, and bushes surrounding the grounds were all decorated by vibrant green leaves that fluttered gently with the breeze, making the place look even more breathtaking.

The carriage came to a halt in front of the castle once inside the grounds. The coachman jumped out of the driver's seat and opened the door, allowing The duke and Trevor to exit. They emerged into a large courtyard where several people appeared to be waiting.

Everyone was dressed elegantly and exuded a sense of sophistication.

"Your Grace!" A man came forward, approaching both men. "You finally grace us with your presence! We've been expecting you," He said, giving The Duke a firm handshake with a warm smile.

"My apologies for being late. Lord Kovic, I didn't know that it was that important for you to delay the meeting," The duke replied with a smile on his face as he returned the handshake.

Lord Kovic who laughed lightly at his jest, not knowing that Kian was messing with him, replied, "Of course, you are! Your Grace! You are the most powerful man after the king. So you should expect nothing less."

"You flatter me, Lord Kovic," The duke returned a polite smile, "Let's go inside shall we?"

"Of course, please," The two walked toward the castle building side by side. In a few minutes, they arrived at their destination and Lord Kovic led the way up a flight of stairs to a grand double door. Once again, the guards on standby opened the doors with great reverence and Lord Kovic stepped aside to allow him to enter first, The duke strode into the hall and immediately noticed four other men who were also awaiting The king's arrival. They all greeted him as soon as he stepped inside.

The vast hall had an enormous table which they were all seated around. The duke took his seat between Lord Kovic and a middle-aged bald man.

"You sure took your time, Your Grace," The bald man said to Kian who smiled and replied without looking at him.

"I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, Marquee Evanston."

"Your apology would be accepted if it was sincere."

"And how do you know that it's not sincere?" Kian raised an eyebrow with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Marquee Evanston huffed but did not continue with his quip making Kian grin.

Lord Kovic chuckled softly at their exchange thinking that it was a playful banter but what he didn't know was that they both meant everything they said to each other.

"His Majesty, The king, and His Highness The Crown Prince have arrived!" One of the attendants shouted from a hallway in the hall behind them. They all rose to their feet to greet The King and the crown prince, but he waved off the gesture politely before he made his way over to The duke.

"You're early today," He commented with a laugh before going to the head of the table and taking a seat while the prince sat beside him.

"I couldn't possibly be late for such an important meeting," The duke responded smoothly, smiling at him.

"The duke is right, neither he nor anyone should be late to this meeting," The crown prince added with a friendly smile.

The Duke turned to him, their eyes met and the room fell silent for a brief moment before Lord Kovic broke the silence, "Why don't we start the briefing now?"

Following a short introductory speech, everyone gathered around the table to discuss what needed to be done over the next few months.

"So, there's been quite a bit of unrest within the city recently," Marquee Evanston began. He went on to talk about the recent issues in the kingdom and how to solve them while the rest contributed with their opinions and suggestions.

Kian simply listened and talked whenever he needed to until they reached the reason why the meeting was held. It was to decide if the white witches should be allowed to roam freely in the kingdom.

The practice of witchcraft, as well as all witches in Zephyr, was banned. And now, they want to partially lift the ban because of the usefulness of the white witches.

They had discussed it and voted previously but he had voted against it resulting in a tie and now they are to vote again.

To Kian, all this was absurd because they were making a fuss just to allow the white witches to roam freely when the black witches were doing just that in Arcelia.

There were bigger problems in the kingdom and yet they were here casting stupid votes.

The whole situation stunk of hypocrisy and they knew it but the stupid blonde hair staring at him right now refused to believe that.

Having had enough of the probing stare, Kian turned to the Crown Prince. "Something wrong, Your Highness?" He asked, a smile playing on his face, his tone light but laced with sarcasm.

The Crown Prince stared back at him "Nothing is wrong Your Grace... I was just hoping that you would change your mind during the vote." The Crown Prince answered with a small smile.

Kian shrugged "Well, that is something I will have to think about."

"—Those who vote for should say Aye while those who vote against should say, Nay." Marquee Evanston cut off Kian and the Crown Prince's conversation abruptly. He looked pointedly at The duke who remained unphased.

"Aye," The bishop raised his hand.

"Aye," The Crown Prince raised his hand.

"Aye," The royal adviser raised his hand.

"Aye," The Viscount raised his hand.

Four people raised their hands at once.

Marquee Evanston paused for a second and glanced at the crowd, "Who is voting Nay?"

"I am!" The Earl raised his hand.

"Nay," The king raised his hand.

"Nay," The Marquis raised his hand, and everyone's gaze went to Kian who smiled at them.

He wasn't surprised because he was the one to decide whether the white witches are allowed to roam freely in the Kingdom or not.

"That means The duke is the only non-"

"Aye," He called out, cutting the Marquee off, and surprising everyone else.

Marquee Evanston cleared his throat and turned away from him. "As the majority has voted for it, the white witches will be allowed to roam freely in the kingdom but only under surveillance and as long as they are careful, ensuring balance in our society."

"A royal decree will be written and announced to all the citizens of the kingdom. Crown Prince Alden will be in charge of it and will be assisted by Lord Kovic." The king Announced, "Now that we've discussed everything we need to, the meeting is hereby adjourned!"

Everyone stood up and bowed to the king before greeting each other while Kian stepped out.

"Your Grace," The marquee stopped him before he could go further.

"Yes?" He asked, turning to the marquee, impatience lacing his voice.

"Your Grace, if I may ask, why the sudden change of mind?" The marquee asked.

"If I recall correctly, the proposal was that the white witches can stay in the kingdom free of restriction. Is this not correct?" The duke countered.

The marquee nodded silently acknowledging the accuracy of his words.

Kian shrugged and smiled, "Well I thought about it and I guess it's fair. I mean... the white witches are not like the black who kill and practice forbidden magic, besides they will be of great help to the kingdom in eradicating the bloodsuckers. Isn't that why the bishop voted for it?"

"I see... I wouldn't know why the bishop voted and I must admit that you thought about it extensively but Your grace, you didn't think about the consequences, did you? After all, everything has its pros and cons. Excuse me, I will be taking my leave." He bowed with a smile before walking away.

Kian stared at his back as he walked away, a small smile playing on his lips before going down the stairs and into the massive courtyard and was about to make his way to the carriage when a voice called out to him.

"Your Grace!" the servant bowed and Kian turned to him.

"The Queen requests your presence in her garden." The servant informed with his head hung low.