The Emperor's Command

It hadn't been that long, but Emperor Charon's face had changed quite a bit.

It wasn't that he had grown older; it was simply that his facial expressions had become more varied.

Normally, he stared at me with a blank expression, but today, for some reason, he seemed more lively. He was smiling, though that didn't make it any less unnerving.

"His Majesty, the Emperor."

"Why do you only show your face to the royal family when someone calls for you?"

Oh, I didn't mean for that remark to sound sarcastic. This man, after all, enjoyed being verbally manipulated.

What was I supposed to do in this situation? Was there any way out? All I could do was lie low and wait for the storm to pass.

"I've been so busy with work that I haven't had time. There have been so many difficult trials…" I said.

"Hahaha! That makes sense. Thanks to that, I've been having some fun."