Remiel left the Great Hall and headed toward his home. He had done the right thing. He repeated that to himself, trying to convince himself of his words. He had overheard his Brother Michael telling Zerachiel about his visits to the Mortal Plane and about his infatuation with this human woman he called Ravenna. Remiel curled his lip; his dislike for the humans was not a secret in the Kingdom. But a Seraphim interacting with the humans? That was against the rules of the Kingdom for a reason, and Michael must be punished. But things had gone too far.
Remiel entered his home and removed his shoes. A maidservant quickly took the shoes away to be polished, bowing as she approached him. He looked at the maidservant with disdain; he did not particularly care for her, but at least she followed how he liked things to be done. Remiel passed by his parlor and entered his office, sitting at his large desk.
No sooner had he sat at his desk did a petite blonde maidservant knock at the door. In a trembling voice, Remiel heard her say, "Good evening, Seraphim Remiel, may I offer you your tea while we prepare your dinner?" She sounded so terrified as she spoke. Remiel's chest hurt a little listening to the maidservant. –Is life in my home so bad? – He knew he was particular, but surely he wasn't so awful, where his maidservant sounded like she was about to burst into tears, so afraid to offer him something so simple as tea?
"That would be lovely. Thank you."
The small angel curtsied and left the doorway quickly. Remiel put his elbows on his desk and his chin on his palms. He didn't want to be feared. He didn't want to be disliked. He just wanted things to be just so. That didn't make him a terrible person.
But then there was Michael.
Michael had always been a thorn in Remiel's side. Michael was so carefree, and the Ruler had always seemed to prefer Michael from the time that Michael had come into existence. Remiel used to have favor with the Ruler, and then Michael came along. There was a rivalry that Michael didn't seem to notice. That irritated Remiel further. Michael was so busy being everyone's favorite that he didn't even seem to notice Remiel being pushed aside.
Remiel recalled the Ruler calling in all the Seraphim to announce his plans to create the seventh Seraphim. The Brothers mostly agreed that this was fine and looked forward to having the seventh Seraphim enter the Kingdom, as another Seraphim meant another Brother who would serve the Ruler. There would be less work for them if there were another Seraphim Brother to split the duties. Zerachiel was most excited; this meant another Brother to play jokes on. Remiel had doubts. He had bowed his head and asked the Ruler if seven Seraphim were necessary, and if adding another Seraphim would be a mistake.
The blonde maidservant returned with a tray, entering Remiel's study. She carefully placed the tray in front of her master and poured his tea for him, leaving the small kettle on the tray in case he wanted more. A small pastry waited for Remiel on the tray as well. "Will you be requesting anything else, Seraphim Remiel?" The petite angel curtsied and bowed her head as she spoke.
"No, thank you. That will be all. You are dismissed." Remiel allowed the maidservant to take her leave and placed a cube of sugar into his tea. He thought about meeting with the Ruler earlier as he stirred the tea.
The Ruler seemed very interested in Michael's whereabouts. The messenger Uriel had been unsuccessful in locating Michael earlier that day when the Ruler had called for Michael, and it was a reasonable time for Remiel to discuss what he knew with the Ruler. This would give Remiel his proper place with the Ruler, back in His favor, where he belonged. But Remiel did not know the extent to which Michael had gone.
The Reflecting Mirror in the Great Hall had shown Remiel and the Ruler much more than Remiel had expected. Remiel had suspected that Michael had revealed his existence to the woman he had told Zerachiel about, but Remiel had no idea how much further Michael had gone. Remiel sipped at his tea, worrying he had gone too far. His Brother was a bother to him, but Michael was still a Brother.
He had found out much more by telling the Ruler about Michael's infatuation with the woman. The Mirror had shown them Michael saving the woman from a man attempting to force himself on her. Michael had snapped that man's neck, killing him and discarding him. The Mirror showed Michael being kissed on the cheek by the woman, taking money from the dead man, sharing a meal and wine with the woman, and being jealous about the woman being on an outing with another man.
Remiel had only meant for Michael to lose favor with the Ruler. He did not mean for things to go this far. But he had started something, and now he was anxious that Michael would face severe punishment when he returned to the Kingdom. Remiel picked at the pastry the blonde maidservant had left for him. He didn't feel like he deserved it.
The maidservant appeared in his study again, pulling Remiel back from his thoughts. "Excuse me, Seraphim Remiel. Would you like your dinner brought to you, or would you like to come to the dining room to be served there?" She bowed her head as she spoke.
Remiel had lost all appetite after his day at the Palace. He slowly turned his head to look at his maidservant. "Bring it here. But then stay. You've done a wonderful job today, I want you to have it. Do not breathe a word of the offer to the other angels."
"Ser…Seraphim Remiel…I could not possibly…," the young maidservant began. They always prepared two meals; one for themselves and a much finer one for Remiel. They had never once dreamed of eating the same food as their master.
"Those are my wishes." Remiel looked back down at the pastry he was poking at.
"Excuse me for speaking out of turn, Seraphim Remiel, but is everything alright?" The maidservant looked concerned for her master but seemed bolder than when she had first entered his study.
"No, but thank you. Please, bring the meal here and enjoy it."