Chapter Twenty-Eight: Meeting

Similar to how he proceeded with his greetings before, Kai properly and formally addressed his greetings to the royalties present.

The king, Adamas Rukadius.

The prince, Cain Rukadius.

The princess, Edith Rukadius.

With all the royals present, and because this was a formal meeting this time, not only were the royal aides present, but there were also marquises and counts present. Of course, the person with the second-most highest position is inevitably present as well.

The royal minister, Seth. 

All the royals, as well as Seth, sat in a higher position, compared to the nobility and aides, which sat on the lower floor. 

Kai scanned the room and found no available seats. Thinking of this, Kai thought for a while before letting it be. 'This works for me. I'm in a hurry anyway.' He wasn't planning on staying for long, why care about having a seat or not? 

But to treat the duke with a cold shoulder, huh. 

Even after he displayed his power in the banquet, these people still continued to bother him. 

But then again, his stay in the capital is short. He won't have to deal with this for long when he goes home anyway. 

He simply shrugged it off and walked over in the middle. At his back were the aides and nobles, while in his front were the royals. He could hear some murmurs coming from behind him, but Kai knew it anyway. Even if they have doubts, curiosity, and wariness, they cannot really do anything against Kai, as currently, they are in the eyes of the king and his successors and adviser.

King Adam watched the silent drama unfold with cold indifference at first. But now that everyone was finally completely inside the hall, he raised his hand. And at once, no one dared to make a sound. 

"Let us start."

His cold voice rang throughout the room.

Inside, Kai was a bit nervous. But that didn't mean that he couldn't keep his calm impression outside. 'It's too suffocating here… From behind me, to in front of me, I'm cornered.' It's not that he's concerned about those nobles. Only, the feeling of his own back being exposed to these slightly hostile people, Kai could not help but sweat worryingly.

"First, let me address the incident regarding last night's banquet interruption." The king started.

The nobility's attention moved to the king's words now, only with some partial glances toward Kai.

"As you may all know, that man who invaded and wreaked such havoc on the banquet hall last night was that demon child, the dark mage." As everyone in the room recalled Helix's appearance last night, everyone's face stiffened, excluding Kai, the king, and Seth.

Especially Cain Rukadius, whose face is full of gloom as he sits next to the king. 

Ignoring the crowd's stiffened expression, the king went on with a composed voice. "However, during the battle, which minister Seth partook in to defend everyone back then, he successfully drove off that dark mage out of the capital's barrier." His eyes darkened so slightly, that the other nobles who were so busy with their thoughts couldn't catch sight of that dangerous gleam in the king's eyes.

But Kai saw it.

'Helix do resemble the king sometimes…' he couldn't help but think as he sighed quietly.

"As for the reason why he was able to come in… It is still being investigated." The king closed his eyes for a moment, but Kai could feel the gloom around the king.

When the king went quiet, the nobles started talking to themselves, speaking their thoughts and theories about how Helix managed to get in openly, all while watching their words in order to not offend the one who created the barrier, Seth.

In the novel, they decided that it was because of the celebration.

When everyone was busy coming in and out of the capital, the barrier weakened to let the people have easier access, which Helix took advantage of and entered the capital without anyone knowing, of course, except Seth.

As for why Helix did it in the first place… 

'The dark mage, the definition of destruction itself, what else reason does he have to interrupt the banquet except to cause havoc, ruin, and domination?'

Similar to the conclusion the nobles arrived at in the novel, the ones behind Kai seemed to agree with this thought as well.

But it's different now.

Seth's barrier, that is surrounding the capital, is flawed. It doesn't not allow Helix to enter, it merely limits his power and triggers pain. Helix can still enter the capital, but he would suffer these limitations conditions. 

Whether this is intentional or not, only Seth himself knows. 

Also, 

Helix didn't come to the banquet hall for destruction. He came for Kai.

Kai was a bit embarrassed.

He was the reason why Helix barged in unannounced and caused such a ruckus that became a headache not only to the nobles but also to the king. Not only did the king have to send away the foreign guests, but he also had to compensate them for the inconveniences and damages that Helix caused. 

These things were included in the things the king was discussing with the nobles, which Kai didn't particularly care about. 

He barely listened, focusing only on the main parts, and merely ignored the details he didn't want to know.

'When is this even going to end?' He wanted to sigh but Kai didn't want to look rude before the king. 

But seeing the bored and uncaring expression on Kai's face, Seth was the one who sighed.

King Adam picked up the sound from Seth and immediately halted the topic which he and the nobles were conversing. He then swept his gaze toward Kai, who was looking at nothing but the air. 

"Hm."

Right. He nearly forgot about the second most important matter that involves Kai and so, he specifically invited the Duke of Zein to partake in this meeting that he never ever joins. 

"Duke Zein."

A bit surprised, Kai raised his head in response. 

He was a bit busy trying to entertain himself by thinking of the unreliable novel's plot, all while these nobles talked about the chaos from yesterday. He feels out of place for knowing everything regarding the deeper truth about the situation, but before he knew it, everyone turned quiet. 'What's with them now?'

Kai was just about to take a glance at the nobles behind him, but when the king spoke again, Kai stayed still and kept his unbothered gaze on his eyes.

"You are the ruler of the northwest lands of the kingdom. Being at the corner of the harsh lands all these years must've been difficult for you and your predecessors." One look and Kai could see the unpleasant gaze of the king on him.

As if he is plotting something, that may perhaps, just maybe, cause trouble for Kai and his daily life.

'What to do… did this happen in the novel?'

"However, you and your dukedom have been granted rights, power, and honor for the continuous and undying loyalty and service to both the royal family and the kingdom. Thus, you must remember." The king stopped for a while and then moved his gaze away from Kai. Instead, he swept his gaze among the crowd of nobles who sat all together behind Kai.

The king's a bit far. So Kai couldn't see it, nor hear it clearly so he was unsure if the king even did it or not.

But the king seemed to have scoffed. 

While Kai was just wondering, the king had already spoken.

"As long as you are in this kingdom, Kai Zein, the honorable duke of Zein, you are definitely second to none, excluding us the royals."

The room suddenly turned cold and Kai was only a bit surprised. 

So that was it?

No wonder the king looked so serious. In the novel, this line is much more powerful and impactful. But now, Kai just wanted to shrug and accept it. This line is said near the middle of the novel. The only unexpected thing for Kai was the fact that the king had said it earlier than he had known.

But this much was expected, the novel was never accurate ever since he came here after all… 

This declaration is nothing but a warning to keep those nobles overflowing with arrogance and confidence in check, and to make sure they know their place. Other than that, this was also, perhaps, an unexpected help from the king, to strengthen the position Kai has.

As the unknown duke whose status is practically invisible to the people, these words from the king solidified the unstable name that the duchy has.

Out of courtesy and respect, Kai lowered his head and bowed, "I shall remember Your Majesty's words. I'm grateful." 

The king sighed quietly as he rubbed the arm of his chair with his thumb. "Of course, as the Duke, you also have to take responsibility for the rightful duties you have." Looks like this was what he wanted to speak about from the start. Kai raises his head again and simply nods. "I am aware, Your Majesty. I shall take on any duties you will give without fail." 

As if satisfied with this response, the king also nods his head.

"Then, I shall give you a mission for the first time in a while, duke." The king closed his eyes and waved his hand. 

This was a signal for the nobles, a signal to immediately leave this hall. 

When everyone finally left the room, the king slightly opened his eyes. His gaze was on Kai, those deep blue eyes were gleaming slightly. 

"During these turbulent times, it's better to get rid of thorns in our way before it causes trouble after all…" he mumbled, but his voice reached every single corner of this place. The king glanced over to Seth and closed his eyes again, as he propped his head with his hand.

With this small and silent order, Seth stepped forward. 

"Duke Kai Zein."

The cold and indifferent voice reached Kai's ears, and unknowingly, he felt chills all over. 'This… is different from yesterday.'

The one in front of the king and the one who spoke to him last night seemed like two different people. Kai hadn't gotten used to this fact yet when Seth continued on, 

"Have you heard about the demon beast residing within your territory?"