Khamael followed suit with an alibi of his. Predicating from their past encounters, demons other than the nobles are not capable of conjuring gates. Nevertheless, it would be a reasonable justification. They could simply say that it was because they haven't seen a minor demon do it, meaning that there is no guarantee that they couldn't.
Regrettably, Countess Lukan's dubieties did not falter in the slightest. She became enraged that they were concealing things from her.
"You are hiding the truth. Tell me right now!"
Once the echoes of her bellow subsided, stillness took over.
"How arrogant of you to holler in our presence, woman." Israfel broke the silence shortly while glaring at the furious Countess.
"You dare call me arro-?!"
"Countess Lauviah Lukan, apologize this instant! You were in the wrong!" Baron Peniel duly intruded Lauviah's delirium, fearful of the backlash of such impertinence.
There was a strict unspoken hierarchy within the Knights of the Round Table. The higher the seat, the greater the respect that was bound to be given, disregarding the title of nobility. Aristocrats of the Seraphiel Empire had to lower their heads in the company of the Rounds.
For this incident, the 11th seated Lauviah displayed her total disrespect in the sight of all their superiors. Even so, her fury impeded the Countess from thinking rationally.
'How audacious! Keeping things from me? From me?! I was the crowned princess! I deserve to know everything! I will not forgive this!' She was full of misguided illusions, a pity of a noblewoman.
"Lauviah Lukan"
When the knights harkened the voice of their commander, their perturbation heightened. It was a different matter if it was towards the Emperor, but if the anger of Mikhail was directed at them, they can solely hope to leave with their saneness intact.
Upon locking eyes with Mikhail, Lauviah started to tremble in panic for the reason that his stare was unforgiving.
"As far as I'm cognizant, you are not the Empress."
A slap in the face, that's how Mikhail's words appeared to Lauviah. Her ego suffered a blow and she took the statement as an insult.
'If that b*tch did not come out of nowhere, I would have been the Empress!'
Whenever an issue with the Empress arises, she would always find a fault to the unknowing lady. Furthermore, she felt entitled to be the sole woman who could grasp all the affairs that the Emperor involves himself in. This demerit of hers was evident to her fellow knights, who're now contemplating if it was really the right thing to turn a blind eye on it. Although they all had their own opinions about the Empress, they still respected her position. The knights also knew where to draw the line in asking for information. Lauviah excluded herself in both of these matters, so she didn't want to back down.
"You are hiding facts from us! What kind of camaraderie is this?!"
"You mean, from you?" Haniel spoke up, albeit she usually leaves the talking to her comrades.
"That is not my intention!"
"Do not use the other knights as your scapegoat. Apologize right this instant."
"But-"
"Apologize!"
Lauviah was stunned when Haniel reprimanded her loudly. Withal, she remained stubborn and refused to budge. She shut her mouth tightly and glowered at the people who were 'antagonizing' her.
'If I don't deserve to know anything, then no one does!'
Mikhail has had enough of the squabble that should not have transpired if it wasn't for Lauviah trying to victimize herself.
"Zelel, I will visit the Emperor personally. I'll be on my way."
"Yes, My Lord. The Emperor is in his study as of the moment."
Zelel bowed towards Mikhail who began to walk away from the group. He lifted his head when the resonation of the footsteps desisted. The minister saw the commander stop in the middle of the corridor as he had one last warning to share.
There were only two people in the Empire who had seen the Empress; it's the Emperor and Mikhail Percival. Mikhail felt that he, at the least, needed to defend the innocent Empress. The Emperor partook by keeping the activities of the Empress in secrecy.
"I have not given my approval for your inclusion in the Rounds, Lauviah Lukan. If stealing that seat was not enough and you aim for the Empress' throne next, I will be the first one to slaughter you and your dear household."
After uttering his condemnation of the Countess' comportment, Mikhail Percival finally departed the training field. The commander left some of his knights at the brink of losing their sanity, since he made it difficult for them to relax by unveiling his grudge. The leadoff term 'knights' in this context pertained to the five people who were oblivious of the entire account of what happened in Ikdes.
Duke Claudas was the first one to snap out of his anxiety-filled trance. He forthwith surveyed the faces of each of his comrades, satisfied at the disparity that he was expecting to see. Zelel cleared his throat to break the uncomfortable quietude, supervening it up with an announcement.
"Everyone, I came here to communicate a message from the Emperor. He has locked himself up in his office and refuses to come out unless necessary. His Majesty is currently sorting out all the documents that must be sanctioned within the mensith."
"Is he not meeting Baron Istani for the details regarding the recent screw-up of Geraint and Lemorak?" Israfel asked, taking the chance to drag his comrades' name for a good teasing.
"Sadly, he's inclined to refuse any audience requests yet again."
"For how long is he going to persist with his temperamental decisions?"
"The last occasion took a couple of mensiths. Let's hope that he will give us less trouble this time around." Zelel exasperatingly uttered, wiping his forehead with the back of his left hand.
"Well, His Majesty went beyond the hours he's willing to work. I thought for a moment that he was an impostor."
They sighed, deep enough to ensure that their exasperation exits their body along with their breaths. Simply envisaging their imminent encounters with the Nobles, who have a particular fondness of fawning over the Emperor, devitalized the Rounds of their motivation to work.
"His Majesty mentioned that you are all on stand by until your presence is requested. For the meantime, you are given the liberty to execute your duties. Then, you're all dismissed." The minister delivered his final message prior to starting to ambulate his way out of the place.
The six Rounds who elected to keep themselves reticent proceeded to trail Zelel's path. Their footsteps were leisurely, devoid of worries or the sort. In contrast to their behaviour, the ones left behind were bestowed with nothing but fret. Despite wanting to quell their curiosities, they were afraid of being ostracized by the higher seated knights if they ever let out a reaction similar to Lauviah's.
Meanwhile, the shame-stricken Countess Lukan shirked in her spot, still terrified of the explicit threat that she earned from their commander.