Chapter 76 - The General fronts the King

  Phill:

  I was standing in my position as a royal guard for the king. anizing this event and inviting all these nobles ure madness. To ehi wrong, we had to station aire army on the property and bring in a bunch of domesticated saber-toothed tigers. Anyone looking out the window would see those powerful beasts patrolling the grounds. The royal family wao remind everyone just who they were dealing with.

  Our army rested in the gardens, while the tigers stood watch. Those tigers were rivals to the Moon Panthers—not as stealthy or deadly, but walking killing maes heless. No oside the royal family had ever mao domesticate those tigers, showg the power of the kingdom's most formidable family.

  I had been close to the king and his ente all day, and it had been a busy one.

  “He must just be shy, right, young man?” the king said.

  This boy is really ign the king? Ign the man with the highest authority in the kingdom?

  "Yes, sir. I’m just a bit overwhelmed by your presehe child finally replied.

  Makes sense, he’s probably scared out of his wits.

  The ki out a loud ugh, and the rest of us rexed.

  “Just a foolish boy…” one of the soldiers murmured to me.

  “Foolish and stupid…” I murmured back.

  This kid is a high-ranking noble on top of everything, the bastard has everything hao him on a silver ptter.

  “I told you, he’s just nervous. It’s alright, isn’t it, my friend?” the king said, and we smiled ba agreement.

  “Yes, my lord…”

  “It’s normal for them to react this way around us” the prince added.

  The prince is only 12 years old and already a mage with three elemental affinities. He’s undoubtedly the true treasure of this family. The prinherited the perfect genes in his geion.

  “You must be the family’s servant,” he said, greeting the demi-human girl.

  They mao get such a young demi-human sve, lucky bastards.

  “There’s one more person,” the king said as he approached someone, and we followed a few steps behind.

  “My goodness! What a beautiful woman” the king remarked.

  Beautiful? Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe her! This woman is an absolute knockout.

  “Thank you,” the woman replied.

  The king stepped closer to her.

  “Are you, by any ce, the daughter of a great noble family You’re very beautiful,” he plimented her.

  She must be the daughter of some important noble.

  “I’m of on birth” she replied.

  A oner? With such beauty?

  “So, you’re a personal servant to this family as well? We could always use more help at the pace,” the king tinued.

  “She’s the mother of my nephew,” the Duchess interjected.

  This woman is a mother? How? I thought she was iwe most.

  The king’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “A mother? She has a child? She looks so young…” one of the guards ented.

  The king smiled.

  “Lady, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble... there's a table reserved for some of the royal family’s cluests. I’ll be dining there after I spend some time at the main table,” the king suggested.

  “I’m with my family, and I’ll be staying with them,” she replied.

  She turned down an invitation to dih the king, right to his face? In front of his ee? No wohe boy’s a fool.

  "This is an invitation from the king to di his table. It’s not something just as," I said.

  "It's all right, Phill," the king said, ughing.

  "But, sir, she..." The king made a gesture for me to be silent.

  "The lovely dy is just shy and has the right to dee."

  "Don't you dare speak to my main," the boy said.

  Did he just give an order to the king?

  Even the guards couldn’t believe what came out of that boy's mouth.

  "Apologize to the king!" one of the guards shouted, drawing his sword.

  "Silehe boy snapped back.

  "My son is just nervous," the plebeian woman said, moving closer to the boy.

  "Drawing a sword on a noble superior is a serious crime," the duchess stated.

  I looked at the guard, and he was frozen in pce, his sword still in hand.

  "It's all right! I hope uests aren't being mistreated," the queen said. "Who wouldn't be upset if someoried to court their mother?"

  She moved closer to the king.

  "You're drinking too mud saying foolish things. We'd better this up before I and the other queens have tue with you," she said.

  "I think you're right..." the king replied, looking a bit fearful.

  The queen mao get everyone ba line, and the ente tinued in silence.

  Only that woman could keep things under trol, no one dared disagree with her.

  For some reason, the duchess cealed the boy, and they headed to a er.

  I go the side and saw the guard still frozen, his sword in hand.

  "What’s wrong with you?" I asked him.

  I moved closer and saw that he was sweating and his eyes were watering.

  "Are y?"

  "FEAR! I'M SCARED!" he said.

  "Scared of what?"

  "I don't know," he replied, trembling but still clutg his sword.

  "e on, stop fooling around. I need your help."

  "I 't!" he said. "I'm paralyzed with fear. My instincts are tellio run far away from here, but my body is frozen."

  I let out a ugh.

  "I knew I shouldn’t have let you guys drink," I said, moving his hand down as some people were starting to notice.

  "Sir, I'm scared," he repeated, trembling as he sheathed his sword.

  "Scared of what? You're a damn royal guard! You just drank too much."

  "I think it's fear of the boy. Every fiber of my being is tellio kneel and beg him for mercy."

  "Hahaha," I ughed out loud.

  The guard started to walk away with difficulty, still trembling.

  "Where do you think yoing? You o stay with the king."

  "I'm leaving. I'm going to ask someone from the reserve team to repce me. I... I... I don't want to die. My body is moving on its own."

  "Great... Sihe drink messed you up, order them to send someone else to repce me."

  "Are you leaving too, sir?"

  I couldn’t believe he asked me that.

  "Me, leave? Are you crazy? I'm going to teach that boy a lesson; he's headed outside."

  The man turned pale.

  "Sir, don’t do that!" he pleaded.

  "Hahaha, you're banned from drinking at big events from now on."

  The man wiped the sweat from his brow.

  "Sir! Don’t provoke that boy. My whole body is paralyzed just thinking about him."

  "Just go back to the base and call in the substitutes. I’m going to make that kid apologize a what he did."

  Queen Agnes:

  "Look at the embarrassment you caused me, Charles!" I scolded, giving my husband a light sma the shoulder.

  He looked fused, his hand trembling slightly.

  "I smell the alcohol just standio you!" I said, and he wiped the sweat from his brow.

  "I really o stop drinking..." he muttered.

  We tinued walking to keep up with the event's schedule, and when I get this angry, the ente surrounds us to prevent people from seeing us in this state.

  "I suddenly felt scared... I really o stop drinking," he repeated.

  I let out a genuine ugh.

  "You always overdo it when you gather with these his is when you should be the most cautious," I said.

  He looked at me.

  "I was just happy to finally talk about our son's talent..."

  "Alright... you're fiven this time."

  We’ll talk at home about you flirting with another woman again.

  "Don't worry, my dear. Only we saw that," I said, gng at Dun, who ale.

  "What’s wrong? Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling down to look at him closely.

  He shook his head, still pale.

  "What happened?" I asked, ed.

  "I don’t know, Mother... I just felt really scared."

  Scared?

  I looked at the members of the ente, and they all had strange expressions.

  "What’s wrong with you all? You look terrible."

  They just smiled, even though they looked like they were dying iheir job was to keep up appearances while apanying the king.

  A woman serving at the table passed by the ente and approached me.

  "Joana? Is something wrong?" I asked Night Killer, who was disguised as a servant.

  "I’m not sure... I just felt something strange and came to che you all," she replied.