Sitting on his throne, Al Casendra looked at the people before him without making any expression. Standing beside him was Sir John. He looked at Al Casendra and wandered.
'Why are we here.'
Suddenly, Cole and a young man carried a magnificent writing board made with laslock wood into the palace. When the people regard Al Casendra as their highness. The city lord's mansion was turned into a palace.
Cole and the young man placed the board gently a couple of feet from Al Casendra and bowed to him before they left the room in a large stride. Seeing the board, the people inside the somewhat palace looked at each other but kept quiet.
Without delay, Al Casendra stood and picked the writer beside the board and began to write. 'I'm done with hand communication.' He thought bitterly.
"Plan for the development of the city. I need to hear everyone's opinion."
What!
The few people in the palace were dumbfounded. Old James looked at Al Casendra and shook his head. 'This young man can't be read at all'
Millie Connor put on a forced smile. 'Everyone was thinking about the sudden intruder. But his highness was thinking about the development of the city.' Sighed. 'What a strange young man.'
While Lily didn't have any expression on her face. 'If we plan to understand the prince. We'll all die of shock.' She thought.
Al Casendra looked at the few people below, but none of them were talking. 'What's going with these people. Maybe I shouldn't have asked for their opinion.' He sighed silently.
"No opinion." He added.
Seeing the next words. The people woke from their thought and looked at each other. Millie Connor cleared her throat and stood.
"Your highness, the city is still in the recovery stage and any development plan won't be feasible for now— I presume. I can only suggest we should work on the city security." She answered.
Al Casendra waves his hand, asking Millie to sit down. His eyes darted from Millie to Old James. Old James saw Al Casendra's gaze and shook his head.
'I'm just a blacksmith. What did I know about the development of a city.' He cried in his heart.
He looked at the last person, Lily.
She stood and report. "For the city to develop… We need people. With the city's current population. Trying to develop the city will be difficult."
Al Casendra waved his hand and Lily sat with a smile. Previously, she was a slave to the highness. But now, his highness had promoted her to one of the city administrations. Her joy had no bound.
Al Casendra looked at Sir John, waiting for his opinion. Seeing everyone gaze at him. 'Why are you all looking at me.' He snorted and puff out his chest.
"What other people say was right. Now, the city is just recovering. We should give it time and when the city is strong enough. We can now think of developing it."
Everyone inside the room nodded, supporting Sir John's opinion. Al Casendra looked at the face of Sir John for a moment, then to Lily, Millie, and Old James.
Seeing the cold gaze of Al Casendra, the people frown. 'Don't tell me we gave the wrong answer.' Sir John cried. It was not only him that felt something amiss.
Everyone inside the room knew Al Casendra was furious. His deep blue eyes looked straight into the eyes of the people. Unknown to the people, their back was already drenched in cold sweats.
'I didn't talk. Don't include me in your wrath.' Old James wanted to cry, but there were no tears in his eyes.
Pa. Pa.
Al Casendra clapped twice. At once, Cole matched in with a large stride. 'Hmm, what's going on here.' He thought while maintaining his expressionless face. He stopped a couple of feet from Al Casendra and bowed.
"Send John out of the palace. He's not worthy to be my aid. And from today onward, he's nothing but an ordinary commoner." Al Casendra wrote on the board.
"That's an order." He added.
What!
The room descended into a grave silence. The thick atmosphere could be cut with a knife. No one dared breathe. Their heart was in their throat and their palm sweaty.
Sir John was lost. Totally lost. He couldn't believe what just happened. He wanted to talk, but the word won't come out of his mouth. 'How did this happen? How!?'
Only a few people knew he was a slave, like Lily and Su. He thought he had new life when the prince made him his aid. But what was happening right now?
'I shouldn't have talked. I shouldn't...' He cried bitterly in his mind.
Lily was the most frightening out of the people in the room. She perfectly understood what Sir John was passing through. 'Am I the next person? Why did I talk.' Various conflict thoughts ran through their mind.
"Go get the men and throw in out." Al Casendra added.
"Y-Yes... Yes." Cole recovered from the shock and scurry away.
"Your highness" Sir John fell on his kneel, tears brimming on his face. All the previous grandiose was long gone.
"Give me one last chance." He cried at the top of his voice. 'He realized his previous usefulness was not valid anymore. With the new soldiers and their deadly weapons. He wasn't needed.'
A rank 7 beginner mage was killed by those ruthless soldiers, what about a measly rank 4 beginner mage. Thinking of all this, he realized how ruthless the prince was. Previously, everyone was treating him like a 14-year-old genius kid.
Now, they are wrong. Totally wrong. Old James and Millie looked at each other and saw the fear on each other faces. If he could rusticate his personal aid to a commoner. What about them.
They didn't dare continue with the train of thought.
Sir John was begging Al Casendra, but he didn't bat an eye at him. His eyes focus on the three people before him. Seeing the deep blue eyes.
It was a devil's gaze on their skin. All the hair on their body stood straight, and their blood runs cold. Their heart-thumping, wanting to jump out of their chest.
Suddenly, Tami, Cole, and three other young men entered the room with their weapons loaded with a grade 3 cartridges. Seeing this, everyone realized Al Casendra wasn't bluffing.
****
AN: Vote and Comment for more chapters.