"I will entrust this mission to you, Sarakiel."
"I am honoured, Your Majesty."
"Very well, for now, you may return to your rank."
It wasn't unreasonable to assume that the Emperor esteemed his knights to be dispensable, for the reason that he actually did. Withal, this credence of his didn't solely apply to his retainers. He also counted himself as a replaceable tool.
The people who're not privy of the genuine character of the Seraphiel Empire's Monarch would have this verdict that he could never commend the efforts of his knights adequately, saving the knights' opinions to their imaginations.
It was truly a waste of the revelation that the individuals, who constituted the Knights of the Round Table, willingly consented to sacrifice their lives in exchange for the prolongation of peace. As such, they demanded no validation from their Lord.
Humans were not created to stand the test of time, and that's a fact. This reality was the core reason why the Emperor focused on preserving a concord society for the generations to come as he hoped to bequeath the same virtue to his descendants.
He could care less apropos the contempt he would receive for his cold-heartedness, considering that he believed that his atrocious and brutal methods in dealing with the enemies, eliminating grudges to their roots, would be justified by the successful acquirement of his goal.
Soon, the Emperor stood up to deliver his final commands. The knights corresponded with arranging themselves in one straight line wherein the Emperor could see every one of them.
"I know we still have a lot of matters to discuss. Although, the defeat of the Demon Noble takes precedence over anything. Countess Lukan, I implore of you to inform the Empress of all the issues that were raised in the audience room. Tell her that the written report will follow."
Lauviah bowed as she accepted the order, responding with, "I will do so, Your Majesty. I will keep in mind that the circumstance regarding the Demon Noble will be left out of the report. After all, it is an issue that is required to be disputed in utmost confidentiality among us."
"No, do not leave anything out. I wouldn't have given you the task to deliver a report personally if the contents are simply trivial issues that could wait for a dier or two."
"Excuse me? What did you just say, Your Majesty?" Lauviah straightened her body to look at the Emperor eye-to-eye. She wanted to ask again to confirm the intentions of the Emperor, forgetting that her words were rather inappropriate.
'I might be hearing things.' The Countess thought, trying to dismiss the nagging feeling at the back of her mind.
"Your priority is to provide the message that a Demon Noble has arrived in our world to the Empress. Is that more comprehensible?"
To her lament, the Emperor's reply opposed what she desired to be the actuality, leaving a bitter taste in Lauviah's mouth, likewise with the other knights. The Emperor's command was bound to earn quite the opposition.
"Your Majesty, I am afraid that I cannot fulfil your request." The lady firmly expressed her adamance to comply with the Emperor's behest.
Unsurprisingly, Zelel and Iophiel chimed in by voicing out their opinions that shared similar sentiments with Lauviah's.
"I beg to disagree, Your Majesty. In the Empire, the knowledge concerning the existence of Demon Nobles is exclusive to a handful of people. A foreigner of an Empress doesn't need to be aware of these dangerous beings."
"The Demon Nobles are the primary threat to the serenity of this world, Your Majesty. If we aren't cautious about who to divulge the information with, the populace might be alarmed."
The two knights stated their judgments in carefully constructed phrases to avoid putting a bad impression on the Empress. Rather than dislike, they opted to disregard the existence of the Empress.
The moment she arrived in the Seraphiel Empire, the said woman, with two of her maids, hurried to hide in the simplest palace built on the farthest corner of the castle. She had never been sighted ever since then. Though, the strangest thing of them all was that the Emperor readily pardoned such behaviour, for the reason that she merely wanted a quiet environment.
The knights found it difficult to swallow a statement of that kind when they haven't even seen her face. The Empress herself didn't greet the knights who went out of their way to meet her. The maids were the ones who always received communications from the castle.
A string finally snapped in the impenetrable self-control of Lauviah. She balled up her fists to somehow tow down her rage. It was, sadly, ineffective. Lauviah couldn't grasp why she becomes infuriated whenever the Empress was the topic of the conversation.
"The Empress dares to behave like a sheltered, spoiled noble lady in her rebellious age? If you want to tolerate such impudence, then I won't!" The Countess hollered, nescient that she had crossed the line with her insults.
Without warning, a tempestuous silence rose in the atmosphere. The knights slowly felt smothered of the uneasiness brewing in the air. Some of the knights internally grumbled their reproach to Lauviah's misconduct while the rest shook their heads disapprovingly. It was clear that Lauviah was in the wrong.
What's left for them to do was to bide for the Emperor's response, their nerves growing dithery every second that passed.
"Have I been to magnanimous towards your repeated insolence that you challenge the essence of my orders, Countess Lukan?" A dispassionate voice came out of the Emperor's mouth, yet his eyes were narrating a rather ominous story.
Hearing his words, Lauviah quickly threw herself on the floor, kneeling with her head touching the carpet. She was admittedly frightened, being familiar with the Emperor's propensities.
Perhaps, the Countess' anger was due to the fact that she held the position of the crown princess for several aethras. She was supposed to be wed to the current Emperor until the Empress was introduced in the picture. However, no matter how grievous she was, the Countess was not in the place to castigate a persona such as the Empress.
'This damn boldness of mine!' The female knight mentally scolded herself.
The Countess remained unmoving, sensible that replying to the Emperor would not save her sorry conscience.
"I gave a directive, not requested for a favour." As opposed to the fury that the knights were expecting, the Emperor handled his emotions calmly. "I will forgive your irreverence to the Empress just this once. I understand your sentiments. I myself have only seen Her Highness once. Although, I can confidently vouch that she is suitable for the throne. Let her adjust in her own pace."
Consequent to his declaration, the Emperor heaved a sigh, bleary of continuously wasting their time.
"We have urgent matters to deal with. Do perform your assigned duties. Countess Lukan, apologize to the Empress in person. Haniel will be your company. All of you, besides Sarakiel, depart immediately."
The Knights of the Round Table, together with the Prime Minister, bowed their heads once more to acknowledge the Emperor's orders.
"Yes, Your Majesty." They all said in unison.
Ensuing was the Knights performing their salutations to the Emperor prior to scurrying for the exit. They were hardly relieved that Lauviah was cleared of her sin, seeing that Sarakiel's destiny was a greater sacrifice. Not a single soul looked back on the figures of the two people who stayed inside the audience room.