Honey : The Empire's Treasure 433 Don't Kill The Messenger

The day after the Winter solstice banquet:

Rych.e.l.l sat in his dark office, brooding over the fact that he couldn't kill Ailwin with a gla.s.s of wine and a pipe in his hand when Voron walked into the room.

"Now that all those imbeciles are gone and you've had time to relax, mind telling me what the f**k you think you were doing?" Voron took the seat in front of the desk.

Blowing out along puff of smoke, Rych.e.l.l leaned back in his chair.

"Nope."

Voron huffed in frustration, "Are we no longer on the same page after how many centuries?...We all agree that he needs to stay alive."

"I didn't agree to it."

"You were out voted, Rych.e.l.l!"

Tapping his pipe on the table's top surface, Rych.e.l.l gathered more dried leaves to stuff in his pipe.

"He's just like him. Nothing good will come from keeping him alive." 

*Sigh* "….Even if he is just like him, you have to agree that nothing good came out of killing him….killing them."

"It would've turned out all right...we just made a miscalculation…" Rych.e.l.l brushed aside their centuries of unfavorable outcomes as no big deal.

"No. Everything that has happened since that day has gone wrong, Rych.e.l.l. You acted on your own without consulting us, and that is why we are stuck at this place we are now!" Voron stood up and banged his hands on the desk.

"I've stayed around you, trapped underground not because I want to, but because the others were afraid you will do something that would mess everything up again…"

"So you are my babysitter…?" The King chuckled.

"...Rych.e.l.l, I've been your friend for a very, very long time. I might not have agreed with all your decisions, but I have never stood in your way until now…. You cannot kill him. Understood?" Voron stood to his full height in front of Rych.e.l.l, waiting for his answer.

Rych.e.l.l stared hard at his friend before nodding his head, "Understood."

"Goo-" Knocking at the door interrupted the rest of their conversation.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Come in." 

Rych.e.l.l's steward walked into the room, bowing to his then to Lord Voron.

"What is it!" p.i.s.sed that his leisure time is being disturbed, twice, Rych.e.l.l snapped at the servant.

The steward could see that the King was upset, he didn't know if he should tell him about what he found out or not.

As the steward was taking his time the debating to himself, Rych.e.l.l grew angrier.

"Did you come in here to be a statue!?" He picked up his wine bottle and threw it at the steward's head.

Reacting fast the servant ducked down in time, but he was still sprayed with a good amount of wine.

"I-I'm sorry, your majesty."

"Say what you came to say." Voron advised the male.

"Um...yes… Your majesty, remember you told me to find some servants to clean up the imperial gardens…?" 

Rych.e.l.l thought back to killing his son's female and a soft smile graced his lips.

"Yes… What about it?"

"The gardens are clean...but…"

"But what?"

"...but there seems to have been just broken branches and brushes...no...blood or...body there…" Steward didn't know how else to word that the gardeners found no mutilated corpse in the area.

"No body?" This surprised the King.

"Body?… Wait did you kill someone else?" Voron asked turning to look at his friend.

"Just his female…but it seems like I didn't, so you can save your nagging." Brus.h.i.+ng Voron's scolding eyes to the side.

Going back to leaning back in his chair, Rych.e.l.l lit up his pipe and began smoking as he smiled to himself, "Apparently, my son got himself a pretty good female… Steward call for courier. I have a message to send to my dear son and his lovely fiancée."

Present day (two days after the banquet).

The King's courier sat in the Prince Ailwin's drawing room, waiting for Ailwin to come receive the King's letter.

Two cups of tea later, Braeden walks into the drawing room with Mikaela and her friends right behind her.

Upon not seeing Prince Ailwin walk into the room to receive him, the courier looked towards Braeden.

"General Gilwenys, I believe I told the soldiers at the gate that the King has a message for Prince Ailwin...Where is Prince Ailwin?"

Before Braeden could answer, Mikaela step towards the courier, "I am Prince Ailwin's fiancée. Whatever letter is from the King, you can give it to me." She held out her hand waiting for the envelope.

"You are Prince Ailwin's fiancée?" The male looked Mikaela up and down.

"Yes."

"...The King did say I could give it to either of you...here." Placing the letter in her hand, the courier retook his seat.

Braeden and the rest were shock sees him not leaving.

"Is there something else you needed to give us?" Mika hinting that he should leave now that he completed his task.

"No, but I do need your answer to give back to the King. So if you will…" He pointed at the envelope.

Since there was no getting rid of him, Mika cracked the seal and opened the letter.

"What does it say?" Braeden looked over Mikaela's shoulder.

"It says that Ailwin is to go to the southern border…" Mika summarized the letter.

"Southern Border!?" Braeden pull the note from Mika's hands to read, "Tsk…It's because I brought the Shadow Wolves army to the palace. This is his way of retaliating against us." Throwing down the letter, Braeden looked at the courier.

"You can tell the King that we are not going."

The courier put down his tea cup and looked at Braeden, "Is that your answer���?"

"Yes."

"Hmm…The King also sent another message with me, if Prince Ailwin refuses the command."

"What is it?"

"Oh, I'm sure your soldiers will bring it in…"

No sooner had the words left the courier's mouth, did two soldiers come running in.

"General Gilwenys, we are surrounded!"

"General Gilwenys, a report from base camp!"

Braeden glanced at the courier then told his soldier to report one at a time on both situations.

"Sir, the royal guards have surrounded the manor on all sides. They have about three hundred soldiers, sir." The first soldier reported.

"Sir, a report came from base camp saying there are multiple carrier flying towards them. They will reach the Prince's household in an hour, sir." The other soldier followed up.

Braeden glared at the courier now, "This is the King's other message, a threat!"

The courier just shrugged his shoulders in replied.