An hour had passed before Leofric arrived back at his palace. Immediately, a servant greeted him and helped him unload his bag. As he hopped from his horse, he noticed Willmott coming close to his peripheral vision.
"Your Majesty," Willmott paused, "or should I call you 'Your Grace'?" His brows slanted into a pronounced frown of confusion.
"She's not here. It's fine." Leofric dusted his dress shirt. He took a step ahead and walked to the entrance.
Willmott nodded. He followed behind Leofric and said, "While you were away, the head of finance gave me the entire year's budget for the Ducal family, the Swithin. The papers are on your desk."
"I see." Leofric sighed while he removed two buttons on his dress shirt. He ascended on the stairs of the raised foundation and met a few servants holding the double door for him. "I'll review it later. As for now, call every member of all councils. All must be present. Tell them I'm already in the council chamber and waiting."
"At once, Your Majesty," Willmott answered.
Leofric stopped in the center of the foyer. He gestured at his butlers to prepare him a warm bath and clean clothes. But when he turned his head to a side, he noticed that Willmott was still there. "...What are you still doing here, Willmott?"
"Um," he hesitated, fiddling with his fingers.
"What?"
Willmott took a minute before he reported, "The Empress Dowager is looking for you, Your Majesty."
Leofric pressed his lips. The muscles in his jaw stiffened upon hearing his secretary. "Tell her to wait. I have important matters that need to be resolved today."
The poor secretary bowed to the emperor's answer. He had expected Leofric would decline to make time to the empress dowager. "...I will tell Her Majesty."
Leofric caught Willmott's unmotivated reply. He asked, "Did she come to harass you again, Will?"
The secretary raised his gaze and waved his hands in the air. "Ah, no, Your Majesty! The Empress Dowager has never," he took breathing, "harassed me."
Leofric faced away. He called a butler to take off his dirty dress shirt. "At least do something with that long face before lying."
Willmott watched the butler stepped in. He removed the buttons of the emperor's shirt one by one and took it off. "...Her Majesty became impatient. She said she had been waiting for two months to talk with you, Your Majesty," he explained.
Leofric raised a hand to his side, and the butler pulled the dress shirt's sleeve. Leofric did the same in the opposite, and the butler took off his top. "It's not my fault that I'm busy."
Upon his response, Leofric heard nothing from his secretary. At least for an entire minute. "Can I ask His Majesty why you've been avoiding her?" Willmott took his courage to ask.
"She kept talking about royal engagements, so let her rot," Leofric complained. He peeked at his sullen-looking secretary, Willmott, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about her. You know what, I'll ask the financier to increase your salary, Will."
…
The people filled the council chamber shortly. The members were out of breath as they walked inside. Their hair and clothes were messy: they had to run in the hallway so that they wouldn't make the emperor wait long.
"I give our greetings to His Majesty, the Emperor." One by one, they greeted the emperor upon entering and seeing him seated on his distinct chair in the meeting.
When Leofric witnessed the councilor had occupied the vacant seats, he spoke, "First, we have Draz Willian, the wizard, to join us in our meeting today. Unlike the last time he barged in, Draz has my official word to take part in our future meetings. "
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The grateful wizard bowed from his seat.
"I hope everyone knows why I called you here." Leofric reported, "It is to tell you we have the fox spirit."
Following his announcement was the beginning of the murmurs at the meeting. Leofric raised his palm to silence them and added, "Each one of you is aware of the plan. We already mentioned it before we left to search for her in the wild forest of Zeph. As aforementioned, it must remain confidential to avoid running into inconvenience."
Everyone looked at each other before they looked back at Leofric. They were all nodding in agreement when a person suddenly raised his hand and called the emperor's attention.
"Speak, Duke Truman," Leofric called.
Truman lowered his hand then asked, "Your Majesty, I am wondering if it is safe to keep the fox spirit inside the empire?"
Leofric nodded. "Yes, I believe so. She should arrive at the mansion that I asked you to prepare by this hour," he weighed in.
After Leofric answered Truman, someone called his attention again. "Um, Your Majesty, was the contract successful? Did it contain anything that would harm the empire or some sort?" A person from the finance council asked, which Leofric answered truthfully.
"...There is one thing I am concerned about," He trailed, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands. "There is," he paused, "a way to cancel the contract."
Leofric's face became sullen. His brows snapped together. He only thought of this matter as a huge nuisance. Not because the idea of dying frightened him; rather, he was thinking which of his brothers should take the throne when the worst case happened.
"By what means, Your Majesty?"
"By my death." He pressed, "Once I die, she can cancel the contract—"
A loud thud from the fallen chair interrupted Leofric as he spoke. He darted his eyes in the direction where the noise came. There, he saw Councilor Edvin Whitee standing with a fake horror painted on his face.
"Your Majesty, you shouldn't have signed the contract!"
Leofric tried his best to restrain his laughter that was eager to escape. He quickly hid his best smile under his hand before speaking, "Councilor Edvin, I would rather die trying to save the empire than running home like a coward."