Trojan sat on his desk, the sun outside about to set in about an hour. He had a slight headache from his conversation with Emilia, especially of how elaborate and flashy the entire thing seemed to be after Emilia planned it. Of course, Trojan cut a bunch of ideas in an attempt to save some form of cost. Luckily for him, Emilia was a reasonable person, and an intelligent one at that, so she ended up trying to save cost while giving suggestions.
Trojan had never known marriage discussions would last as long as it was supposed to. Things like location, time, invitation and guests were all factors. The staff and logistics required made Trojan realise how idiotic his suggestion of a week or two was. Judging by what he had seen being planned, it would likely take at least a month to have everything prepared.
Trojan started thinking about something else entirely.
The marriage no doubt required much attention, and he needed it to pass as quick as possible. Emilia had threatened to have the meeting a few days later, but since their marriage was almost guaranteed, she was willing to postpone the date of the meeting to at least a week after the wedding.
Trojan needed to put his focus into the wedding to make it look convincing, and not bankrupt his household in the meantime.
He tapped his desk as he stared at nothing in particular. He had rushed his mage, Domino, to find out more about the Phoenix, but Trojan knew he needed to give Domino time. The mage, although lazy, was skilled. If given instructions and enough time, there was no doubt the task would be accomplished.
Trojan stood up suddenly and walked out of his office, his maid standing outside, slightly startled when he had opened the door without warning.
"What is wrong, my lord?" His maid asked.
"Gather everyone again," Trojan ordered. "I want to have a discussion."
"Understood, my lord."
Trojan brisk walked into the conference room, the same room he had used the day before. Trojan sat at his seat as he waited for his staff to arrive.
Louis was the first to arrive, shyly opening the door to peek in first before walking towards her seat. Marco followed not long after, opening the door unnecessarily wide when making his entrance. Klaus, credit to his age, was the last to arrive I. The conference room, opening the door with much professionalism.
"I'm discussing the promotion ceremony today…" Trojan started, getting the ball rolling. "Please share your views, the drawbacks and benefits reap-able from the ceremony."
There was a moment of silence before Louis replied, "My lord, may we ask to confirm the rumour concerning the Princess…?"
"What rumour?" Trojan asked, wondering how it had gotten out.
He glanced back at his maid, who had been the only one present at the dinner with the Royal Family. She remained still, not looking at Trojan, most likely out of guilt.
"I rejected the Royal Family's offer to marry the Princess," Trojan explained. "We can expect no longer having the support of the Royal Family."
There was a tense silence in the room. Not just Louis, Marco and Klaus, too, seemed worried.
"What is it?" Trojan asked, impatient, not liking the silence that hung in the room.
"My lord…" Louis started. "There are many businesses connected to the Royal Family, we may lose contact with those businesses. Furthermore, how do I say this…"
"We will be in danger," Marco followed up.
"Surely, the Royal Family is not so petty as to attack us because of it," Trojan said. "Cutting connections with us may be about the worst they could do."
"My lord," Klaus told him firmly. "We have discussed this matter extensively this morning, and have been intending to address the matter with you."
Klaus stood up and told Trojan, "My lord, you are one of, if not the most influential noble in Ether, someone that has managed to accomplish much within a short amount of time. My lord's popularity amongst the peasant population is vast, perhaps comparable to that of the current Royal Family."
Trojan nodded, understanding what Klaus was getting at this far.
"The Royal Family has likely tried to marry my lord into their family to protect themselves," Klaus elaborated. "My lord's influence is only growing, and eventually, you may become more popular than the Royal Family themselves."
Trojan finally understood what exactly Klaus was getting at. Trojan had not thought about it, as to why exactly they wanted Trojan to be a part of the Royal Family, not just working for them.
As an external factor, Trojan was a threat to their position as Royalty. Especially recently, Trojan had managed to solve many problems that may have brought about disaster for the peasant people, Trojan's popularity was only growing. Eventually, Trojan would have gained enough support to overtake the Royal Family.
Had Trojan been part of the Royal Family, they would have benefitted, but since he had rejected their offer at marriage, Trojan remained a threat to the Royal Family. Trojan rubbed his chin, recalling the words Alastor had left with him before he left.
"It is possible, actually, it seemed much too possible," Trojan muttered, trying to think.
"My lord, we should prioritise your safety," Louis insisted. "Have Domino by your side at all times to protect my lord!"
Trojan could consider it. Even if Domino was not as reliable a mage as Alastor, Domino would at least keep Trojan from being killed by weak attempts. However, Trojan had given Domino the day after to research more about the Phoenix appearance. Trojan knew the risks of not having a mage protecting him, but he also needed that information, and knowing Domino, he would likely get the work done by the deadline.
"No," Trojan said to them, rubbing his chin. "I can't call Domino back yet."
"My lord! It is an urgent matter regarding your safety!" Marco insisted.
It warmed Trojan's heart to know how much his staff cared about his health, however, certain risks needed to be taken.
"Domino will be back tomorrow," Trojan said to them. "I will wait till then. The task I have entrusted onto him is rather important, and I will not interrupt him until he is finished."
His staff looked at him worriedly. Trojan knew the dangers involved, but he knew the Royal Family. The Royal Family needed to keep up appearances, so Trojan could somewhat predict how they would move.
He had at least three days.