As soon as the men were out of the room, Alexander turned to face Hemicus with a bit of an apologetic face and chimed, "I am sorry you had to do that."A
"Heh heh, don't mention it." The usually stoic man however only broke into a small, happy chuckle, then slowly tapped Alexander on the shoulder to reveal,
"We already decided that I will play the strict commander and you the generous lord. Otherwise, those two idiots would not take us seriously. And see your kindness merely as a weakness."
Yes, the tough, nasty guy act that Hemicus had pulled was all part of the show.
This was not the first time they had done something like this, as there were many other times when Alexander had to discipline his guards, such as over stealing food or cutlery from his house, flirting with the maids, and most common of all, slacking off whenever they got the chance.