Equality, Judgement and Kingship

Meeting the king wasn't a new experience for me anymore, but still, my heart could not help flutter every time I prepared myself to meet him. It's not like I was afraid of him—I hadn't been afraid of anyone for a long time now—instead, I was feeling a sort of excitement, and I'll admit, also a bit of nervousness: his eyes seemed familiar. He seemed to have that uncanny ability to see exactly where it stung and gently press on it. I knew, since I was the same way.

I had been looking around for a while now, but found no sight of Raya. Maybe I shouldn't have sent her away after all. Well, I was sure she would manage just fine; I've marked her with a collar after all. That's how it worked, right?

The servant in front of me lightly knocked against the door.

"Your Majesty, it is the Archduke of Humility."

It was silent at first, but after a few minutes the rough and familiar voice came out: "Tell her to wait, I'm about to finish."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The servant bowed her head down and left it there for the remainder.

Why? It's not like he could see her.

I stayed resting on the ground, waiting to be called in. Another 10 minutes passed, with me drowning in boredom and yawning. The servant staring at me seemed to have something to say, but in the end decided against it.

After too long of a time, I was invited in, and the servant guided me through the door. The first thing greeting me was not the face of the middle-aged man wearing a crown, but a stack of paperwork. I suppose it was cliché to see people in high positions buried in mountains of documents—a fact rather untrue in reality, I came to find out—but here we had an honest example of a man working a load too much to bear. How impressive.

Apart from the desk, the room was clean. Clean and spacious.

His Majesty shoved the two towers In front of him aside, revealing his face. I was still unsure about the proper etiquette, thus I hastily bowed down, hoping it was the right thing to do.

"You know," he said, and then stared at me, "Usually, you are supposed to start bowing a lot sooner."

I felt my eye twitch as I forced a smile. "Whoops."

"Well, I do not mind. Rather, I prefer for people to be more natural in private, otherwise, I will feel stuffy." He said, and placed his pen down.

The tension in my body immediately relaxed and I slacked down. Ah, such situations were really not for me. I was glad His Majesty thought the same.

"Now then, Lana, would you please leave me alone with the Archduke," he said, and looked at the servant. He then gently pointed at the entrance.

The servant was surprised, but when she saw the light smile plastered on His Majesty's face, she did not rebut. Instead, she bowed once more and quickly closed the door. And then there were only two.

"Why don't you take a seat," he continued, this time pointing at a chair.

"Is that fine?"

"I said so, did I not?"

"Okay then, excuse me," I said, and took a seat. I looked at His Majesty and saw his smile widen ever so slightly. "So, Your Majesty, excuse me for being blunt, but what is the reason for you bringing me here?"

He clapped his hands together. "Dear me, I just wanted to congratulate you once more on your new title." His words were a lot more casual than when I had first met him.

"Is that why we had to meet in such a secretive room with no servants?" My eyes darted around, staring at the little office only the two of us resided in.

"Of course, what else would I call you here for?"

"That's what I want to know." I remained steadfast with my question.

With his hands still together, His Majesty twirled his thumbs and stared at me. He then sighed. "I assume your type does not beget simple pleasantries?" He rested his hands on the table in resignation, but he did not seem the least sad. "I wonder, did you have a prior arrangement?"

"Oh, not at all." I leaned forward. "If His Majesty wishes it, we can continue talking about mundane stuff. Lately, I've been thinking about buying a set of make-up, but I'm unsure what may be the best choice?" I placed my hand on my face.

"You ask me? Maybe one of the servants or a lady from a more dignified house can help you with that."

"Unlike Your Majesty, there aren't many willing to associate with me." I shrugged my shoulders.

"I doubt that. There should be quite a few now, now that you are the youngest and first female Archduke."

"That is true. The question is only where to meet them."

"I see, I'm beginning to understand your impatience." His hands reached for his cup on the table and he took a sip. "May I brew you a cup of tea?"

"It is fine, I'm not currently thirsty." I shook my head.

"But if you were, you wouldn't have declined, huh." He placed the cup back down.

"Would you have made me one?"

He closed his eyes. "Of course. I offered, after all." As he reopened them, he stared straight at me, his smile never-fading. "I do believe I can at least abide by this basic hospitality."

"I see." I nodded. "Then, if I may extend Your Majesty's hospitality, could you recommend some of the 'noble ladies' that could assist my search for make-up?"

"You're being rather blatant with your intentions here." For just a second, his eyes widened, but he immediately composed himself again. "Is that a request?"

I giggled innocently. "If not, would it be a command then?"

"You are really cheeky for your age."

"Naturally, since you gave me permission to do so."

The room turned silent with only our faces reflecting in each other's irises.

"I am beginning to see what kind of a person you are, child."

"You flatter me. I am but a mere 15 year old girl, with nothing more to offer than what you yourself gave me. There is scant to know about me."

"If this is the type of story you are going for, I will not object." His Majesty did not rebut. "That's enough idle chatter for now. More importantly, let us get to why I brought you here. Actually, I have a question, one I ask everyone I find worth asking." He swirled his spoon in the teacup. "Agnes, tell me, on what basis do we humans have the right to judge someone?"

"Excuse me?" I squinted my eyes.

His teaspoon clattered on the edges of the cup, resounding in the still office. "Agnes, do you believe in equality? I for one do. Funny, isn't it, a king like me believing that we humans can be equal? I am well aware of the implications my words carry." He put his hands together. My eyes fell on his head, and I noticed he wasn't wearing his crown. "Still, I truly believe judgement can only exist through the eyes of equality. As a ruler, I should strive for that, even though I myself am the very symbol of inequality. Such a paradox, right?"

"I don't think those are wise words to say as a king." I rested my head on my hand. The chair creaked from my shifting, adding more sounds to the room.

His Majesty shook his head. "Then would those words have been fine if I was someone else? Truthfully, you know that, right? You too are a noble. No matter what, commoners will never stand equal to us; A thousand commoners would not be worth one of us. Men are not created equal, but then isn't it even more imperative for us to strive for equality? I've built my philosophy in hopes to create a world equal, where even the masses have the right for unbridled judgement." He stared right at me, his eyes sharp and waiting for a response.

I wanted to shift my eyes away, brushing off his words and feign ignorance. But as I noticed his intense stare, all I managed was to purse my lips. "That is mere idealism," I spat out. "Be it looks, talent, upbringing—all variables influence what type of person one is. Even if all life is the same, the people I care for will hold more value. Of course, that is only my subjective view—Don't you think it is naive to assign your judgement on all mankind?" I pointed at him, in normal situations a very rude gesture. "True equality will only exist when you are the only person left in this world."

"Your eyes seem to have changed. Is that the real you?" His Majesty laughed loudly, his deep voice echoing in my ears. "Suppose it's true. . . Then is there no way for a definite basis of judgement in this world? One life may be valued as treasure and trash at the same time. What is the truth? Who decides that? If there's no equality, what is the point of passing judgement?" He lowered his head. "What is the point in. . . me?"

"How should I know," I replied to him. "I believe the only thing that makes us all equal is our selfishness. But clearly, that does not work for you, does it?"

I heard him swallowing. He stopped twirling his tea and I sat still, no chair would creak. It was silent once more. I only waited for his words.

He opened his mouth: "Whenever I talked to other people, they would tell me 'it is because God willed so'. True, it is also God that made me the ruler of this world; Everything is His plan. Still, if so, what is my role in this world if I can be so easily replaced—how am I different from a pawn? I suppose that is the only true equality I have found." He paused. "Until now, no one has taken my plight seriously, except for you. Thank you for your honesty."

I shook my head. "Well then, if I may, let me extend one last helping hand. Let me as an equal, also ask you a question I ask everyone worth asking—In the end, what is it you desire?"

My question seemed to come as a surprise, as he sat there stunned for a moment. "My desire, you say? I simply wish to know the worth of a life—No, I wish to know whether the judgement I cast holds any value or not, whether all my decisions I thought were correct won't end me in hell after all. In this world, 'if you aren't nobility, you aren't human'. I want to know, is that the only way of life?"

"Then, when you have finally found your equality, and you can finally pass judgement, distinguishing between evil and good, what will you do?"

"What will I do, is it not obvious?"

"No." I got off the chair and walked forward. As I stood right in front of him, I slammed my hands on his desk and placed my gaze on him. "I am asking you: When all the sinners are gone—will this world finally be peaceful?"

His eyes opened wide, and for the first time, I saw the light refract off his cold irises. The grip on his hand lessened and his jaw slackened. "I see." He smiled; For the first time, it was a gentle one. "Is this your own philosophy—no, your magic?"