Chapter 926: Meeting The Earls (2)
‘Master, is there an unusual female around you?’
King Ophire was responding to the greeting he had received from the Blaise family who appeared next when this query echoed in his mind.
Not letting it affect what he was doing, the King conversed with the Earl and even asked him a question regarding his fief.
Thanks to this, Earl Blaise was too engrossed in answering his query, allowing the King to figure out what his etcher had just meant.
‘What do you mean by ‘female’?’ King Ophire retorted with another question as his etcher had been too vague for his liking.
Though his etcher had always been one to speak less often, whenever it was needed, the beast would utter too much all at once.
This instance was an example of the latter as the etcher had a lot to say, especially regarding how the earlier question came to his mind.
.....
___
Not far from the Banquet Hall in the Main Palace was the Fountain Hall, a secluded area that was used only when the King wished to conduct confidential meetings with his Council of Ministers.
As the name suggests, this meeting hall had a fountain that acted as one of its four walls.
However, what many did not know was that behind this wall of cascading water was an area that wasn’t visible to those present who entered the Fountain Hall from its main entrance.
Behind the fountain was a whole other seating area as well as a concealed passageway which not many were aware of.
Only those of Royal blood had knowledge of this area which was used when they wished to covertly oversee the meeting taking place in the Fountain Hall without disrupting it.
It was mostly used by Prince Draco when he was younger but in recent years, he had been seated among the King’s Council of Ministers so this hidden area had not been used as often as it had been in the past.
However, this did not mean that it was abandoned as someone else had occupied it.
The cold water that cascaded before it resulted in this entire area being serene and soothing, making it the perfect spot for a nap.
Sadly, this nap spot had been hijacked by someone else in the past year or so.
Even right now, two beasts were occupying the same room despite the hostility that was evident between them.
The older beast with dark pine green eyes which were narrowed dangerously was the one who had spoken to his Master only a second ago.
King Ophire’s etcher was said to be the ruler of all the etchers in and around the Capital but the beast felt that he wasn’t so especially when he faced two creatures who were often in his vicinity.
It wasn’t that he was lacking in strength but the fact that the two brats were always trying to go against him at every turn.
The same had happened today when he had found a quiet spot for himself to take a nap but was disturbed by one beast who seemed to have found this spot for the same reason.
A huge body filled with pure white fur and sparkling blue eyes was thus seen right within his periphery, disrupting his peaceful time.
His Master was in the Banquet Hall nearby and thus he was laying in this hidden chamber as the cold flowing water lowered the temperature around him.
However, only a few minutes later, he found someone else making their way here as well.
The white beast who had accompanied his Master’s younger brother into the Palace a year or so ago had transformed from that little cub of unknown origins into a huge white wolf with a poisonous tongue.
Just like him, the Prince’s etcher also preferred to seek out cold areas and thus had found its way here tonight.
At first, he did not mind being with this etcher but soon realized that he could not rest well as it never stopped talking.
‘Shut it!’ He had growled right when his Master had initiated a mental link with him.
Once the white wolf quietened down, he had answered his Master before laying back down on the cold floor to get some rest.
However, the moment the mental link was disconnected, the wolf spoke up once again.
‘Ah... So she did come~’ Astolfo, Prince Draco’s etched, muttered before curling into a ball to fall asleep.
Since he had been yelled at for talking too much, the wolf decided to shut his mouth after this sentence but he had unknowingly piqued the interest of the King’s etcher.
While this other beast was a recluse who preferred his privacy even more than accompanying his Master, Astolfo was someone who loved to stick close to the Prince whenever he got the chance to.
He also disliked anyone getting close to him and was indifferent toward others, only caring for his Master and no one else.
Therefore, hearing Astolfo mention someone else for the first time, a ‘she’ at that, had indeed attracted his attention.
However, he could not inquire about it as he was the one who had just growled and asked the other beast to stop talking.
For this reason, he felt embarrassed to question Astolfo and thus decided to seek his Master’s help in this regard.
Since the wolf was in the Fountain Hall with him, it only meant that he too could sense the people who were with the King in the Banquet Hall.
So asking his Master about this matter was the perfect solution he had come up with.
__
When King Ophire heard what his etcher had just revealed, his eyebrow raised ever so slightly as he too was curious about who the wolf was referring to.
His younger brother’s etcher was too territorial and did not even allow him to get closer so it made the King eager to know just who had managed to attract the beast’s attention.
King Ophire thus thought of the women present in this hall with him.
Considering the type of words Astolfo had used, it was clear that he wasn’t referring to the Queen and the Princess.
Thus the King was now scanning those in the audience to know which young girl or lady matched the criteria for being able to attract Astolfo’s attention.
__
Prince Draco, who was continuing to watch this scene from the balcony, had no idea that his beast had caused another ruckus without his knowledge.
Since the two beasts were the ones who were conversing, no mental link with the Master had been formed.
Thus leaving the Prince in the dark about what had intrigued both the King and his etcher.
Right now, the culprit was already fast asleep thanks to the cooler temperature in the Fountain Hall while the Prince was busy observing the guests in the Banquet Hall.
___
King Ophire, on the other hand, was distracted from his search when he heard Earl Blaise’s long and detailed review of his fief finally coming to an end.
He had not been able to decipher why Astolfo was interested in any of the girls or women here yet had to move his attention elsewhere.
“I see.” King Ophire gave a bland reply to what the Earl had just stated.
He then glanced at the young girl, the daughter whom Earl Blaise had brought with him today as the heir was also studying at the Royal Academy.
His attention then fell on the woman with a sickly pallor standing next to them.
Being the Ruler of the land, he wasn’t ignorant of what was taking place in the social circles outside the Palace and hence could already think of a reason why Countess Blaise looked so fragile right now.
Though she was wearing a luxurious dress with jewels adorning her body, there was no spark of life on her face, and neither was there any joy in her eyes.
This sight made the King frown as his eyes subconsciously moved towards the one who had caused her to become this way.
Earl Blaise’s back was drenched in sweat the moment the King’s darkened blue eyes fell on him.
‘I shouldn’t have brought her here!’ He cursed himself for making such a silly mistake.
His wife had been distant from him for months now and their relationship had been at its freezing point ever since she had moved into a different room.
Though he had been indulgent toward her tantrums and given her the space she needed, she did not bother taking even a single step toward him since that day.
At first, he was worried about their relationship but soon he had been engrossed in so many other matters that her thought had entirely left his mind.
Only when he received the Royal invitation did he remember that his wife also needed to accompany him to the Palace and thus had asked the maids to make sure that she was ready for this special occasion.
He had not seen her for the past weeks so he had no idea that she had lost a large amount of weight, making her look emaciated and feeble.
Had he known that she wasn’t in good health, he would have left her at home and brought only their daughter, Mae, to the Palace.
However, it seemed that neither he nor Mae was aware of her current condition, only facing her when they were about to leave the Blaise estate.
No matter how weak she looked, the Palace was awaiting their presence so they had to leave on time.
Hence the Earl had escorted her into the carriage and brought her here without delay.
If he had known that her weakened appearance would make the King leer at him then he would have never brought her to the Palace.
“S-she has been sick these days, Your Majesty.” Earl Blaise stuttered at first before regaining his composure as he revealed the excuse he had just come up with to explain why his wife looked so feeble that even a breeze could sweep her away.
Visit freewe𝑏(n)ovel.co(m) for the b𝘦st novel reading experience