Any king would not take the slightest disrespect. Even on the mainland, no one would openly challenge the king's authority. Miguel was already a Rothschild — a powerful clan on the mainland — but even the clan head would choose his words before the king.
That was why this king of Rikhill baffled him. What was more baffling was that everyone, especially the royal knights, was acting as though there was nothing wrong with the situation.
Miguel watched the situation till the very end. Apparently, the missing crate was simply misplaced. The royal knights found it in the lost and found. Therefore, the lord who accused the other one of stealing had to apologize.
Even so, the king didn't let both lords off the hook. He forced the other lord to apologize as well; he was the first to draw his sword. The good news for that was, no one got physically hurt.
Both parties went on their separate ways to continue their business in this land. Meanwhile, the king could only huff.
"Your Majesty!" the man who called the king to settle the matter rushed to the king, offering him a flask. When the king accepted it and drank a mouthful of water, the man giddily cheered.
"Your Majesty, you are amazing back there! You settled the situation without spilling blood! Those two had been a headache every time they were here!" continued the king's henchman. "I'm glad you gave them a good scolding! Serves them right!"
"Hai hai." The king hissed in satisfaction and then patted his comrade's shoulder. "It's a good thing I set up a tent here. Let's hope there will be less problems here in the future."
"Yes!"
The king chuckled before lifting his gaze in one particular direction. The corner of his lips curled up subtly as soon as he met Miguel's eyes.
"Supervise the trades. I'll go see a guest," the king tapped his servant's shoulder and then walked in Miguel's direction.
"Apologize for that, my lord!" expressed the king with open arms. "Things like this happen around here, since many come from faraway lands. Their journey is tiring and thus, their temper sometimes gets the best of them."
The king stopped two steps before Miguel, hands on his hips. "You were in my tent earlier. So I assume you have some concerns — perhaps a proposal? Let's hear it."
"I changed my mind." Miguel's expression was cold and plain, while the king's brows rose. "I do not want to associate myself with a person who has no sense of dignity."
"Huh?"
"You are the king of this land. And yet, you don't conduct yourself with dignity." Miguel didn't sugarcoat his words, raising his chin. "I know I am in no position to lecture you on how to become one, but what I've witnessed is enough to lose all respect I can give to a man. What a shame. I had high hopes in this land and the man at its helm."
After saying his piece, Miguel didn't idle as he turned on his heel to leave. Although the situation was resolved, how it was resolved didn't please Miguel.
There were many methods to fix the problem, and he believed the king didn't have to step in himself. They could even chase those forces away and let them kill each other somewhere else. This was a problem the king didn't have to resolve himself.
Surely, there were other important matters the king had to do. But the king seemed a bit foolish to know the obvious.
"It was a shame, indeed." the king sighed, staring at Miguel's retreating back. "I was looking forward to the day someone of your kind will come here to talk business with us."
Miguel's steps halted, looking back at the king. "Someone… from my kind?"
"You're not what you appear to be," remarked the king, offering Miguel a genuine smile. "And I know you can cause mayhem in this land if you so pleased."
"If you know that, shouldn't you have kept your mouth shut?" Coldness coated Miguel's eyes.
He didn't want to reveal what he was, even though he was a proud, pure-blooded vampire. Not that he didn't do that before. But still, he would rather reveal it on his own than others doing the job for him. After all, without their fangs, detecting a vampire in a crowd of humans was almost impossible.
"I think you're a good person!" the king's smile stretched from ear to ear. "If not, I don't think you would go through the hassle just to meet me! And you wouldn't get angry if your intention was just to harm me."
The king marched in Miguel's direction and stopped a step away.
"Alexander." the king, Alexander, offered his hand to Miguel as he introduced himself. "Your name is Count… Michael?"
Miguel frowned as the king rubbed his chin, obviously guessing his name.
"Miguel," he corrected, only to realize he fell from the king's trap as the man suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Miguel! I'm glad to be your first human friend." Alexander grinned from ear to ear while Miguel's face screamed in disbelief.
Little did Miguel know, his life was about to turn with this human who had a baffling character, step into his life. A turn, a memory that he would be forever grateful for, but at the same time, had made him wish that never happened in this lifetime.
Because if only Miguel didn't let that man in his life, life would be easier as a ruthless vampire. A vampire whose morals, beliefs, and integrity were twisted unimaginably.
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[ PRESENT TIME ]
Miguel lay on the grass motionlessly, staring into the orange tint in the sky as the sun bid farewell. Giselle was long gone, leaving him alone after making him remember the memories he forced himself to forget.
"She was right…" he whispered, blinking ever so slowly. "... it was all my fault."
His expression slowly turned stern as a glint flickered across his eyes. "I won't run away from the things I ran away from anymore…" he slowly sat up, eyes on the glorious palace from the distance.
"I will start with you, sister."
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