"You should have burned those bodies, incompetent fool!!" the well-dressed, shadowed figure hissed at the lanky servant kneeling before him.
"But m'lord, you commanded us to wait—"
Before the servant could finish, he was backhanded across the face with a whip.
"YOU—WORTHLESS—PIECE—OF—FUCK!!" the shadowed figure snarled as he kicked and whipped the servant who had violently fallen over. "YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE AHEAD AND BURNED THOSE BODIES DESPITE MY ORDERS—YOU USELESS SHIT!! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THE OTHERS WILL SILENCE ME—ONCE THEY LEARN—WHOSE—BODIES—I—DIDN'T—BURN?!!!"
=====
"Baron Elkhaus was among those murdered?!" the Duke of Bearington repeated incredulously, standing before the King.
The King nodded.
Baron Elkhaus was the head of the Elkhaus family situated near the eastern border of Dorono. Though the family kept to themselves, they were affluent and well-liked; thus, when the family and their household vanished three years ago, leaving only traces of bloodshed in their residence, it shook the entire kingdom.
A more thorough investigation would have ensued had the Queen, the princess, and the Marquess not been murdered a few days after, festering grief throughout Dorono.
The longer the people grieved, the more outraged they became. And, unfortunately, the longer the Elkhaus family remained missing, the more people blamed the Elkhaus family for the three murders.
Had the Duke of Bearington not backed the King, the King would have been pressured to proclaim the Elkhaus family as traitors despite the lack of evidence. His decision not to do so angered many—the nobles included.
Yet now that the baron had been retrieved from the depths of the Drowsy River, identified only by the distinguishable ring and garments his remains wore…
"…The Council now cannot deny cooperation with the Elkhaus investigation. As such, I leave it to you to lead, Duke."
The Duke accepted with a solemn nod and began taking his leave.
Before leaving, however, the Duke said, "On a separate note, there is one thing I should inform you of, your Majesty…"
…
"Airee wishes to become an E-knight?" the King repeated in surprise.
[Not a royal or Valguard knight, but an E-knight?!]
"Yes," the Duke confirmed, visibly displeased.
Resting his chin on his hand, the King pondered.
An E-knight was an elite Branch knight of the Branch Sect, the knightly order surrounding and protecting the Divine Temple. While the Divine Temple upheld and taught the teachings of the goddess Jaf, the Branch knights swore oaths to uphold and protect religious faith.
And though the Divine Temple held popular and strong with the people, many feared and distrusted the Branch Sect mainly because Doronians and [non-Doronians] constituted its ranks alike. For this reason, Branch knights were regarded as mercenaries and the Branch Sect was considered impure.
After learning this fact, would Airee—a duke's daughter and possibly the future crown princess—allow herself to become one of Dorono's 'divine mongrels'?
…That is, if she passed the Branch trials to enter the Branch Academy in the first place…
The King heaved a sigh.
"We'll speak further about this matter after the Elkhaus investigation—with Airee present," the King said. "For now, there's no harm humoring her wish."
And if by chance she somehow entered the Branch Academy and became an E-knight while still betrothed to Lilith…having another check on the Branch Sect and the Divine Temple through her wouldn't hurt, the King thought as the Duke left with a troubled expression.
=====
"Assign Airee to Knight Lyon," the Duke ordered gruffly as soon as he returned to the Valguard residence.
Sir Al, the captain of the Valguard knights, didn't bother to hide his shock.
"But Knight Lyon is currently…!" Sir Al began but stopped when the Duke looked at him.
"I'm aware," the Duke said stonily. "Yet…if Airee wants to walk the path of a knight…she must learn what exactly it entails!!"