"Can I make a suggestion, your grace," said Duke Silverthorne. His silver blonde hair was neatly matted to the back of his head.
"You may," said the King. His one foot was on the chair he was sitting on, and his hand rested on the knee. It was very un Kingly like, but that was who he was.
And nobody seemed to bother to question it like it is a common occurrence. After all, why should they care about how the King behaved?
"Duke Zadkiel's second son, Damien Von Zadkiel, is regarded as the hero in the Aurore Island. Why don't we send him as a part of the delegation? Wouldn't they welcome him and have more trust in him than some unknown person coming from another Kingdom?"
The King looked thoughtful. "That does sound like a good idea, actually." He said.
"Sending Damien is foolishness," protested the father. "He doesn't know how the politics works. They will only gain more information rather than us gaining anything valuable."
"Oh? Are you saying your son is useless, my lord?" Duke Silverthorne chuckled. "Perhaps, if you were to rise him like an actual young master, we could've avoided this."
There was a chorus of murmuring among the table but Duke Zadkiel just looked at Duke Silverthorne.
"Perhaps," said the duke. "If your son was not incompetent then he could've saved the Queen and become the hero of the Aurore Island and send as the delegation."
"Oh?" King had an amused expression on his face. He was enjoying this. In fact, this was the best part of the boring meeting that could take hours of his peaceful life.
He was a witty man, who enjoyed these type of small skirmishes among the lords. Well, if you were a King, you really want them to have some sort of animosity towards each other, or else they can band together and bite you in the ass.
The room became silent and cold as the two Duke's glared each other down until the King broke the silence by clearing his throat. "I think we can agree that sending Damien is indeed a better option than anyone else."
Everyone agreed.
Duke Silverthorne smiled at the other duke, his eyes gleaming with happiness but the King was not finished. "But I'm not sending an important figure as the young master, who's not only the hero of the Aurore island but also a hero in the Autumn Kingdom, to his death journey. That would be quiet foolishness, isn't it?"
Now, Duke Zadkiel smiled as the smile on the other Duke crumbled.
"What are you suggesting, your grace?" Asked the Supreme commander. "Have you had anything on your mind?"
The supreme commander was an old man with an experience no one ever had in this entire Kingdom.
He was an old man in a profession where young men die!
The King leaned back on his chair, his fingers tapping on the armrest. "I'm thinking of sending someone who's capable, but not too important. Someone who can blend in and gather information without drawing too much attention to themselves."
The room was quiet as everyone waited for the King to continue. "I'm thinking of sending someone from our intelligence division. Someone who knows how to gather information without being seen or heard."
Duke Silverthorne spoke up, "But your grace, we cannot risk the mission to someone who is not trustworthy. What if they betray us?"
The King gave him a sharp look. "I assure you, Duke Silverthorne, the person I have in mind is more than trustworthy. I have complete faith in them."
The room fell into silence once more as everyone looked to the King for his next words. "I have decided to send code named Ghost."
Duke Zadkiel raised an eyebrow, "Code name Ghost? I haven't heard of them."
The King smiled, "That's the point, Duke Zadkiel. Ghost is one of our top agents. They are unknown and operate in secrecy. They will be perfect for this mission."
The meeting continued as the talk about Delegation continued.
"your grace," said the Duke. "If I may ask something?"
The King nodded in acknowledgment.
"I have forgotten the matter since I had so many on my plate but..." he said. "What happened to that man "my son" caught while trying to kill Queen Serielle?"
"Forgive me, my lord," said an advisor. "But that matter is of utmost secrecy. We can't--"
"Relax, relax," said the King, holding up his hand. "Tell them what we have gathered from him. Come on tell them. After all, this matter is also connected with the current matter, right?"
Another Advisor stood up. "Your Grace! This is highly classified!"
"It's okay, it'll be fine," assured the King. "Just say whatever you want."
"Very well, Your Graces," The advisor cleared her throat before continuing. "We've...We've found nothing!"
The room went silent, the only sound coming from the King humming while looking at the faces of the people around him. He was very much enjoying this.
"How can it be?" Said Duke Eloyne. "It's been over two months and we still can't find anything from a single man." His expression was sore and frustrated.
"That is--"
"Well, because that man cannot be broken." Interjected the King. "The moment he utters any words, he's dead. Veins bursting and blood exploding, you know, the gruesome type of death."
"He's cursed." Said Duke Favian in a low voice, maybe to himself but it was heard by all present there.
"No doubt about it." Agreed the King.
"But to curse someone, shouldn't there must be a dark wizard?" Said Duke Silverthorne. "Not just any dark wizard, someone as powerful as the Grand Wizard himself."
Every eye turned to the Grand Wizard.
He just nodded his head while stroking his long beard, which was braided with small ornaments. His large wizard hat bobbed rhythmically.
The King laughed, wiping a bead f tear from his eye. "So you see," said the man. "We're not just against a little island, this is a grand scheme on something that's to come."