The massive golden pillars, the white and strong marble walls, the murals of the past, all of these are just unpleasant things that Kelvin could have managed to forget. But now, as if fate slapped his face, he's seeing all of it again. Much worse, he was sarcastically enjoying the view with his son in-law that owns the palace Kelvin hated the most.
The morning chill still lingered in his bones, cold and not going away anytime soon, even after he took off his armor and changed his clothes. For courtesy, the duke wanted to enter the Sun Palace after he wore a formal clothes again, with his family's colors, red and white. He has to don the De'arc colors upon him so that he could not be looked down upon this forsaken place, or so he says.
Coming back here after a long time, Kelvin expected that the conditions of the palaces have deteriorated quite a bit. However, he disregarded all his thoughts when he was helped with arranging his garments and equipment by the butlers and the maids of the palace. Surprisingly, they have a spare formal clothing for the Duke De'arc, prepared on an orderly settings.
Knowing that the Duke De'arc has already finished changing his clothes, Leopold called for him to the reception room, dedicated only for the high-ranking nobles that wanted to visit the emperor. Only margraves and dukes can enter this place, telling the world that those who have special roles must also have special accommodations.
Kelvin fastened his white coat to fit it right on top of his firmly-built shoulders, he was standing in front of the door of the reception room that he was told to come to. He cleared his throat, "Kelvin Ignis De'arc is here, Your Majesty."
A brief moment later, the voice of his son in-law sounded. "Come in, Duke De'arc. Don't be so stiff on me and make yourself at home," Leopold said while opening the door himself.
Kelvin nodded and made his way to the reception room that was fabulously decorated with different variations of artwork hailing from the far east to the west continent. It was ridiculous to not say it was grand, seeing it in person will make anyone mesmerized just by entering the room.
"This... I'm quite surprised that you had something like this, Your Majesty." Kelvin sat on the sofa with golden laces and very comfortable cotton to support ones weight. All the aches that were lingering on Kelvin's body seemed to have been gone just by sitting on the sofa.
"Haha. Well, I need to look generous, but humble in front of my father in-law now, can't I? Though it's embarrassing, this room was prepared in a hurry to please a certain someone." Leopold shook his hands while keeping a smug look on his face. The arrogance and that certain air that someone being high up above others never left the way he talked and moved.
Sighing by irritation, Kelvin attempted to say something and leaned, "Then, to get this..." But, Leopold stretched a hand out to his face, stopping him from talking. The smug-looking young man in front of him dared to put a hand on his face, but Kelvin just kept his anger in instead.
"Right, before that," Leopold said, while gesturing to a maid standing on a corner of the reception room. "Do you want some tea, father in-law? You know, we, people living in the capital, like to sip some black tea while having a conversation, like this," he said. While lewdly watching the maid from behind as she put the teapot and the cups on the table between two men that could kill her with just a flick of their fingers.
It made Kelvin clench his fists and even smiling sarcastically, "If he wasn't the Emperor, I would have punched him on the face right now!" Then, he nodded at the maid in thanks as he took the teacup offered by her and quickly left the room after bowing to both of them.
"Say. Why did you decided to take a consort now... Now that there were instability happening around the borders. Do you think doing something foolish like this will make you look cooler to the citizens? Have you ever thought what will Joanne think of you after this?" Kelvin leaned again after putting his teacup down. He did not even took a sip on it, as he had no time to idle about, sipping tea while his daughter suffers from all kinds of pain, after bearing the child that the bastard in front of him had planted in her.
Even though the duke did not raise his voice, it still looked like that to Leopold. He stared at his father in-law for a second, then he started laughing in excitement and joy. Holding his golden hair up on his head, "I didn't know that the duke had some concerns for the empire now. I thought you were just some dog that my father appointed on the borders, but to think I was wrong on that."
With his smug face, Leopold glared at Kelvin, "... Now, you made me think about that foolish father of mine." He stood up, walked towards the windows and made a long sigh, "Power is something that you can get a hold off easily."
Then, he clenched his fist as if he was caging something in it, "But keeping that power alone is difficult. Especially, if there were some rats that wanted to want that power themselves."
Kelvin flinched, not by what Leopold said, but by the aura he released. Breathing became a little difficult for him because the atmosphere in the room changed due to Leopold's oppressing aura. But Kelvin closed his eyes, breathed out, and calmed himself down. He knew that this was a warning by Leopold, telling him that he had crossed the line.
"I should back out, for now," Kelvin thought. Then he also stood up and strutted towards Leopold that was being filled with rage by now. He put a hand on Leopold's shoulder, "Please retract your oppressive aura, Your Majesty. This old man can't take it."
Although, Kelvin could be considered the strongest man on the north, his powers could only be considered above average in the capital. However, he could still say that he can beat a fellow [Demigod Rank] if push comes to shove. All those life and death experiences against star beasts and invaders while defending the north for over twenty years would've been for naught if he was easily defeated by those silver spoon-fed people from the capital.
Leopold snickered in delight and retracted his aura, but suddenly, the familiar pain of his skin being constantly burnt ran allover his right arm, up towards his face, making the ominous black mark that he hated so much. "Dammit! Its getting out of control again!" Leopold snapped in his mind.
Kelvin, seeing his son in-law suddenly writhe in pain assisted him back to the sofa, and gently put him down. Then he saw it too, the black tattoo looking like a cursed flame, crawling on Leopold's neck and constantly formed on his face.
"What is happening, Your Majesty? What is that mark on your face?!" Kelvin asked with a concerned tone. Even though Leopold was arrogant in Kelvin's eyes, he's still the father of his grandson and the Emperor of the empire that he serves.
Despite the concern gesture of Kelvin trying to console him, Leopold furiously swept his arm away from him. "Get away! I can make it subside! Don't stare at my disgraceful state!"
Leopold held the half of his face that was covered with black flame-like mark and breathed harder, repeatedly. After a few breaths, the pain subsided and the mark slowly crawled back down to Leopold's arm.
He was sweating profusely, trying to compose himself again as he looked at his father in-law with killing intent, "Don't you ever tell anyone about this, or else..."
Leopold must not let his people know about this. They must not doubt their ruler. For him, he is the Emperor of everything that the sky covers. Even the east continent can't sustain his greed and thirst for blood. Regulus Empire will conquer them all, never leaving them any hole to find light in a room full of darkness, and only darkness!
"I swear on my name and my life that I will not let anyone know about all of this. If ever a rumor pertaining about this reaches your ears in the future, I am willing to offer my head to you, Your Majesty," Kelvin kneeled, keeping his head down to make it sincere. Although, seeing the things that happened here truly interested him and vowed to himself that, if ever his family's life was being put on the line due to the emperor's recklessness, he will not hesitate to use what he knows against him.
"Nothing is absolute on this world. Someday...," Kelvin pondered on himself. Sweat drooped from his brows and fell to the carpet, as he felt the sharp stares of Leopold on him.
"Well, it is good that you're willing to do something like that. This matter should be kept a secret, even after my reign as the Emperor and the Regulus Empire continues to flourish. 'You must do bad things to do good,' that's what my father said to me when I was young." Leopold said.
Kelvin sighed in relief and stood back up. And found himself craving for a cup of tea right away. He sat on the sofa and chugged the tea on his cup down to his dry throat. He glanced back at Leopold and saw him making a serious face, the first time he saw a dignity of an emperor on him.
Leopold put one leg above the other with his arms spread on the sofa and said, "Well then, let's start the talk that you wanted, Duke."
"Finally...," Kelvin thought, while clearing his throat. The fragrant smell of the tea lingered on his mouth, "I was hoping if you could answer a few of my questions first before we start."
"Where is the empire's Black Minister, Your Majesty? What happened between Your Majesty and Lord Luce for you to have ordered the Zodiacs and the White Minister to chase him down?"
Leopold gave Kelvin a sharp stare, keeping the fiery temper inside him to well up again. Holding up a cup of tea on his hand, it was the thing that took the emperor's anger head on.
Kelvin saw the originally lukewarm tea on Leopold's hand boil on the tea cup and escape into the air. The former arrogant face of his son in-law is now red because of anger after hearing the name of the man that betrayed him and planned to rebel against the Empire.
"Why do you have to anger me so much, Duke. I suppose in, your eyes, I'm still the child that follows my father all day. But I still have my dignity to hold and I started treating you as my kin." Leopold said as he stared at the teacup on his hand.
"You're my father in-law after all. I can't have my son come looking for his grandfather when he grows and stop sucking on his mother's tits, right," He continued.
Dodging the question that Kelvin gave, Leopold then put down his teacup after drinking its contents and prepared to leave. He gave the duke a quick smile and a tap on the shoulder before exiting the room.
"Prepare a feast for Duke and his soldiers. We're having a celebration tonight!" the Emperor's voice rang outside the room as footsteps can be heard going further away.
Kelvin could only grunt in disappointment. He did not thought that the Emperor would try to kill the man closest to him. Perhaps there's something more about their relationship that the duke never knew.
"There's so much things to figure out. I should take a closer look on the Black Minister's matters. And why does the Emperor wants to kill him?" Kelvin thought.
He then left the reception room and head straight towards the Moon Palace and meet his daughter that he did not meet after a long while. But more importantly, he wanted to meet the child that will continue on the De'arc bloodline, his precious grandchild.
Kelvin left the Sun Palace smiling as he expected a warm welcome from his daughter. Who would've thought that the feeling of happiness would turn to bitterness immediately after.