Rukelion was doing fine—or so he convinced himself—for weeks until he randomly received a summons to the main building in the middle of supervising a training session. Conrad took over for him so he could go.
He wasn't sure what he was expecting but it certainly was not the person he hated most in the world. The king of Mirea himself.
If he lived a thousand years, he would never be able to forget that face. The one that laughed in satisfaction after seeing all of the dead Katalyan royals on the ground. The one directly behind the monstrous plants that impaled his entire family.
With extreme difficulty, Rukelion bowed—he should NOT be bowing to his worst enemy!—so he didn't get in trouble. He shouldn't be bowing period. With the king and other successors to the throne dead, technically speaking, he was the king of Katalya. They were equal in rank.
But the king didn't know that. If he did, he would likely try to kill him on the spot.
