"You are dismissed, Uriel."
Uriel bowed, not wanting to leave the Great Hall. Seraphim Remiel was going to do something terrible to his Brother, and as long as Uriel was in the presence of the Ruler, Remiel would not speak. Dragging his feet, Uriel left the Hall as the Ruler dismissed him.
Pressing his ear to the door, seeking to know what had contorted Remiel's face so terribly, Uriel listened. With bated breath, Uriel opened the door to the Hall and peeked in, willing to risk the Ruler's punishment if he was caught. The door was only cracked slightly, but it was enough for the messenger angel to see.
The Ruler and Remiel stood with their backs to the door. Uriel was grateful; this meant he was not likely to be caught by the pair in the Great Hall. Remiel began to tell the Ruler his ill-gotten information on the youngest Seraphim.
Uriel covered his mouth with his hand. He heard Remiel say, "Michael has been visiting the Human Realm for many moons. I overheard him telling Seraphim Zerachiel that he has been watching a human woman and finds her beautiful. They were in the Gardens by the Prayer Fountain when they spoke together about it. Michael has been absent from the Kingdom for a few days. I think he has revealed our existence to that woman, and disobeyed Your rules. That is the utmost disrespect to You if I am correct."
A pair of maids passed Uriel, and he quickly shut the door. He was trying to make it look like he was quietly excusing himself from the Great Hall and greeted the women. The pair of maids curtsied and continued on their way. The messenger angel's heart leaped into his throat as he was nearly caught spying on the Ruler in the Great Hall. He took several deep breaths and opened the door again slightly. Being seen once was insufficient to stop Uriel from discovering where Michael had gone.
Unaware that Uriel was watching, the Ruler did not speak as Remiel finished his story. –This was bad –, Uriel thought. The Ruler had a response for everything. But Remiel's words did not elicit a reaction from the Ruler. Uriel held his breath, waiting for the explosion of rage that was sure to come. But the wrath that Uriel expected did not come. The Ruler was taking Remiel's words well. Silent, but well.
Uriel, still hidden, pursed his lips. –Could Michael have done such a thing? But even if he had, why would his Brother betray him so? – He watched the Ruler stride across the Hall and open the Reflecting Mirror from its hidden place in the wall. This could be good for Michael; this Mirror was how the Ruler kept an eye on the Human Realm and determined which human prayers deserved answering. He could look into the past and the present. If He was using the Reflecting Mirror, He was looking for evidence of Remiel's words instead of punishing Michael. Uriel anxiously watched the Ruler use the Mirror - could Remiel be telling the truth?
The Reflecting Mirror showed Michael appearing before a distressed woman in a meadow. A man was on top of her, and her dress was ruined. The man had exposed the woman's flesh; the woman was tied and gagged. The Ruler and Remiel watched Michael pull the man off the woman and break his neck before discarding his corpse. They watched Michael remove his waistcoat and cover the woman, kneeling before her, wiping her tears, and offering her an embrace. Uriel felt Michael did the right thing. The Ruler's stance did not show the same way of thinking. Uriel looked at the image of Michael embracing the woman. That was the most compassion he had ever seen, and it was only an image in the Mirror.
The Mirror revealed more. The woman kissed Michael on the cheek, and he turned red. Further in the past, Michael watched the woman on a date, looking jealous. Closer to the present, Michael takes the coin purse from the man he killed. The Mirror showed Michael leaning his head against the legs of the woman as she sat in a chair, and he sat on the floor before her; she played gently with his hair as they sat together. An image appeared of Michael sharing wine and food on a blanket in a forest with the young woman. The Mirror repeated the moment the youngest Seraphim snapped the neck of the human.
Pride. Wrath. Lust. Envy. Greed. There are seven deadly Sins, and Michael has committed five of them.
Uriel squeezed his eyes shut. Michael was going to be punished and punished severely. His stomach ached, catching a glimpse of the smug look on Remiel's face. Uriel thought about the Sins Michael had committed, and each Sin he thought of, the worse Uriel felt.
Pride. Answering the woman's prayers, equating himself to the Ruler.
Wrath. Breaking the neck of the man when he first revealed his existence to that woman.
Lust. So obviously lusting after that woman, allowing himself to break the rules of the Kingdom for her.
Envy. Jealousy of the other man this woman had been courting.
Greed. Taking the money off the man he killed. Attempting to have this woman for himself.
Michael would not walk away lightly from the punishment the Ruler would surely hand down. Uriel watched the Ruler return the Reflecting Mirror to its hidden place in the wall and return to His Throne, Remiel in tow. Uriel silently closed the door and turned away from the Hall. He didn't feel that Michael had done wrong by helping the woman, but he knew the Ruler would not react the same way. The messenger angel had lost much respect for Seraphim Remiel, and it would be difficult not to show it.