The King's Order

"Alright! All the suitcases have been loaded," Miles said as he placed his hands on his waist. "We are ready to go whenever you wish, your Grace."

Miles had proudly been promoted as Elaine's personal knight. He practically bragged about it to the whole knightage. Many knights tried to gain Elaine's favour but she would shy away. The only knight she let close to her was Miles.

"Come children, let's go back home."

The Duke took the children by their hands and lifted them into the carriage. They both sat down on opposite sides. The Duke was about to leave after he spoke with the butler who was wishing them farewell. However, as he was about to enter the carriage, a man on a horse galloped towards them. With the way he was dressed and the letter he held in his hand, the Duke could tell it was the King's messenger.

"Please one moment your Grace!" He spoke while the horse ran.

Elaine and Jared looked out of the carriage curiously. Miles stood by the door to make sure they wouldn't fall out, telling them to be careful. The Duke waited for the messenger to arrive. The messenger caught his breath as he wiped off his sweat with a handkerchief. He must have hurried on his way here from the palace. He then rolled open the paper.

"The King summons you, the fifth Duke, Zyair Akil Elsher, to be present at a meeting that His Majesty deems as urgent."

The Duke sighed and looked over to the children. This would definitely delay their journey, more so if he had to go back and pick the children up. Departing directly from the palace would be faster.

"Then I shall bring along my grandchildren and men along with me," the Duke said. "My grandchildren will come with me into the palace, but my men can wait outside."

"Of course," replied the messenger, feeling relieved he had made it in time.

They arrived in the palace and made their way to the throne room. Elaine looked around amazed by the size of the palace. The extravagant decorations made her feel like she wasn't supposed to be there at all. It made her very uncomfortable.

They stood in front of the door to the throne room. Elaine was frozen from nervousness. She knew she would someday meet the king face to face, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. Jared was clearly nervous as well since he was wiping his hands on his pants.

"Remember to show respect to the King, children."

The Duke reminded them and they nodded. The man by the door announced their arrival to the King and the doors opened. Elaine gulped when she saw the King sitting on the throne. He looked so intimidating and everything in her screamed danger. His white hair, which was a typical trait for royal blood, seemed to glow beneath the lights. His blue grey eyes, however, looked down at them with no emotions at all. She looked at the ground as she walked towards the throne. Once they stood in front of the throne, the Duke bowed. Jared and Elaine quickly followed him.

"Greetings, your Majesty." The Duke said and the children say the same in sync after him.

"At ease," said the King as he raised his hand. His voice was deep and low.

They all stood up and the Duke looked at the King. However, Elaine couldn't bring her eyes to look at him. She peeked over at Jared and he stood stiff like a tree.

"Priztyll, keep the Duke's grandchildren company," the King said to someone Elaine hadn't noticed. "I have important things to talk about with the Duke."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Elaine looked up to find a boy not much older than Jared that looked just like the King, but not as scary. She knew in an instant that he was the Prince. He walked down the short staircase and she curtsied by instinct when he got close.

"This way," He said in an emotionless tone.

Jared and Elaine followed behind him awkwardly. Elaine looked back at the Duke before the door closed. She found him looking back at her too and he waved at her.

"I suppose you both drink tea?" asked the Prince out of the blue.

"Ah," Jared said surprised. He was flustered and tried to think of a reasonable response, but could only think of saying "Yes, of course."

Priztyll turned his head slightly at Elaine's direction, expecting a reply. Elaine looked down on the ground as she replied.

"Y-Yes, I do," she stuttered. Then she looked up a bit. "...Your Royal Highness."

The Prince nodded satisfied and looked straight ahead as he led them to the tea room nearby. Jared had turned red, realising the mistake he had made by not addressing the Prince by his title. But it wasn't that grave of a mistake since they were still children after all.

They didn't utter a single word after that conversation. They arrived in front of the tea room and Priztyll opened the door. He was surprised to find his younger sister already occupying the room. She often stayed at the other side of the Palace so he wondered why she was there at all. She gracefully put down her teacup after a sip.

Elaine peeked inside, wondering why the Prince wasn't stepping into the room and found a girl inside. She had long white hair and very pale skin. She turned her gaze towards them and Elaine locked eyes with her. But unlike the Prince and the King, she had grey eyes with a hint of green.

"Well, what a pleasant surprise," said the princess with a big smile. "It's not often that I get to see you, brother."

She then acted surprised to see Elaine and Jared behind Priztyll and placed a hand in front of her mouth.

"And what's this? Who are these people standing behind you?"

Priztyll sighed and took a step to the side. He then introduced them to the princess.

"They are the grandchildren of the 5th Duke, Duke Elsher."

He looked at them waiting for them to introduce themselves. He didn't bother to get to know their names before either.

"I am Jared Terrian Elsher, your Royal Highness." Jared bowed with his hand to his chest. He tried not to make any mistakes his time.

"I-I am Elaine L-Lavelle Elsher, your Royal Highness. P-pleasure to meet you."

"...Why the pleasure is mine." She grinned as she looked at Jared. "Come take a seat."

Jared and Elaine sat on the opposite sofa. Elaine fiddled with her fingers nervously, feeling too uncomfortable to enjoy the snacks and tea.

"Then I shall excuse myself. I hope you enjoy your stay." The Prince turned around to leave, but the princess stopped him before he could.

"Brother," she said. "I'm sure you wouldn't just leave the guests alone after father had specifically told you to keep them company."

He flinched and looked back. She grinned at him and he tried to keep his face from frowning. He never liked his sister and always avoided spending time with her. He found her quite creepy and she always gave him chills. He wondered how she knew that the King had said that. He clicked his tongue and turned back around to take a seat, regrettably beside her.

The maids brought out extra teacups and poured in some tea. The atmosphere was awkward and none of them spoke. Not knowing what to do, Elaine took a piece of cookie from the tray. Jared started to panic, hoping the Princess wouldn't feel offended. It was a rule that no one was allowed to eat until those of higher class had started themselves. The princess raised her eyebrows and giggled inwardly.

"My," the princess said. "You have good eyes, Lady Elaine. Those are my favourite cookies. They taste the absolute best."

"O-Oh," Elaine said. She took a bite and the cookie was soft and crumbly while the marmalade in the middle lightened up the taste. "Y-You're right. They taste w-wonderful."

Jared sighed in relief. Then he asked himself why he was worried in the first place. It was not like he had to take care of Elaine if she couldn't even do so herself.

"I'm glad you like it," said the princess with a smile. Then she clapped her hands together. "Right. I had forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Evangeline Arzu Sylvester, the only princess of Zailea."

Their conversation continued which was mostly Evangeline talking about herself and Elaine praising her. But a while back just as Elaine and Jared had left in the throne room, the king spoke to the Duke.

"I praise your contribution to catching the baron who had conspired with the witches and selling children to them," the king said. "I would like you to choose what is to be done with him."

"What do you suggest, your Majesty?"

"Hmm," the King began to think. He grinned and put out his hand. "I can give you three choices and you may pick one out of the three. It's a privilege I can give you since you were the one who caught him."

The King counted with his fingers and said, "Cut of his limbs, let him be eaten alive by rats or put him on display to the public and let them do what they want to him."

The Duke was silent. He was used to this already, but it would always catch him of guard. The king was a merciless ruler. He punished those who has wronged him brutally, but awarded those who had done a good job.

"...I simply ask for him to be publicly beheaded to give the people an example and a warning, what would become of them once they conspire with the witches."

The grin on the King's mouth disappeared and he slumped back down to his throne. He leaned his head on his fist.

"How boring," the king said. He waved at a servant that stood quietly on the side. The servant bowed and left to relay the order. "Well, if that's how you like it."

"Thank you, your Majesty."

"Anyways," the King said as he sat upright again. "Let's get to why I summoned you in the first place. I want you to track down those damned heretics. They have been quiet for too long. The people think they have given up, but I believe otherwise. They must be scheming something..."

The King tapped on the wooden armrest nervously. He seemed to think of something for a moment and then snapped out of it.

"Your knightage has the best skills for tracking, plus you have good connections with the information guild."

"As you wish, your Majesty," the Duke said as he bowed. "I'm honoured to be of use."

"You must search for them not only in this country, but also in the neighbouring countries," the King said. "I'm sure they have gone in hiding. They have been a threat to us for centuries, I refuse to believe they have given up."

"Of course," the Duke said.

"Make sure you report to me as soon as possible," said the King as he waved his hands. "You may go."

"Then I wish you a good day, your Majesty."

The Duke turned around and left. He asked the servant by the door where the children had gone and he informed the Duke they were in the tea room. The Duke nodded and thanked him. He already knew where it was. It didn't take long for him to get there and he entered the room. He was surprised to see both the Prince and the Princess sitting together. He knew quite well that they didn't get along.

"Grandpa!" Elaine said with relief. She put down her cup to get up, but she looked at Priztyll first to get approval. He just nodded at her. She then ran to the Duke and hugged him. Evangeline stood up to greet the Duke.

"Good day," she said with a soft smile.

"Good day to you too, your Highness. Thank you for keeping my grandchildren company," He said. "I hope you had a pleasant time."

"Why of course," she said. "I haven't been so amused in quite a while."

"I'm glad to hear that," the Duke replied. "Then we shall be excusing ourselves for today. I hope you'll be well, your Royal Highnesses."

Priztyll left as soon as he could. The Duke led Jared and Elaine out the door. But Evangeline suddenly called out to Elaine.

"Elaine," she said. Everyone looked back. "Can I tell you one last thing before you leave?"

Elaine tilted her head confused. She then looked up at the Duke and he nudged her to go to the princess. He was glad that Elaine was making friends and let them have their privacy. Elaine nervously walked back to Evangeline and stopped at a distance. However, the princess urged her to come closer and put her mouth to Elaine's ear.

"I think I have taken fancy to Jared," she whispered. "Please keep this a secret from him."

Elaine was surprised and she didn't understand why Evangeline was even telling her that. But she just nodded. She looked at Evangeline wondering if that was all she had to say. But Evangeline gestured for her to listen again.

"I also like Kayden, so don't get too close to him. I might just get mad if you do."

Elaine was stunned and had to process the information before she could understand. Evangeline liked both Jared and Kayden. Elaine couldn't understand how, but she didn't dare question the princess. She just nodded. Evangeline then let her go and Elaine curtsied. She ran back to the Duke and left with him.