Chapter 100: Back to the empire

After a few hours spent resting under the canopy of the Artucus forest, the group had separated. Siegfried had taken leave of his companions in misfortune, deeming that he should not get involved in the internal affairs of the clans more than he already was.

Meanwhile, Daemon, now at the head of a troop of elite knights from the Winter House, had set out toward the territory of the Magic Clan to try to stabilize the situation following the assassination of Lord Wade BlackFire.

Siegfried began his long ride toward the East. He first crossed the vast fertile plains of the Alchemist Clan, then he cautiously skirted the rocky areas of the Northern mountains where the Monastery of Hundun rose. He continued his frantic gallop all the way to the borders of the Eastern Empire, stopping only to water his mount in the mountain streams.

“It’s been nearly two days that I’ve been galloping day and night… It would be faster if I went on foot… shitty shit! I’m forced to put up with this long and boring journey to keep up appearances…” Siegfried complained out loud.

After several more hours on the road, the golden walls of the capital finally appeared on the horizon.

Byzantia was a metropolis with paved streets where military chariots crossed paths with merchant caravans come from all the lands of Hundun. It was a city where the sumptuous imperial castle towered over miserable neighborhoods where the most extreme poverty gnawed at the foundations of society.

Not that Emperor Arthur gave a damn that bread was selling for 2 silver pieces, whereas normally in the ordered domains it never exceeded 1 copper piece for 5 times more.

Upon entering the imperial castle, the guards at the main gate did not bother to stand at attention or salute him. They merely watched him pass.

“These idiots don’t even pretend to respect the imperial blood anymore…” Siegfried thought, sketching a slight smile while walking and deliberately staggering.

He headed toward his private quarters, located in an isolated wing of the palace. Although the rooms were luxurious, the atmosphere there was icy and dusty. There was no servant to welcome him, nor even a fire lit in the fireplace to chase away the evening chill.

After discarding his torn travel tunic and taking a bath, then putting on clean clothes, he heard the door of his room open with a crash. A servant entered the room without even bothering to knock.

“Ah… you’re just in time… all my clothes are a bit dirty and covered in dust… I don’t know if you could help me with that?” Siegfried asked, putting on his most awkward air, scratching his head like an idiot.

An awkward silence settled in the room.

The servant swept her gaze over the frail silhouette of the prince without any trace of reverence. Siegfried, feigning anxiety, adopted a nervous expression, his hands beginning to tremble slightly at the ends of his sleeves.

“Please… Miss Hilda?” he insisted in a wavering voice.

“Your Majesty… I have not been assigned by the stewardship to take care of your personal laundry…” she replied in a contemptuous tone. “That said, the successor prince Admon is waiting for you immediately in his office for your report… See to it that you do not keep him waiting any longer…”

“Ah… ok… alright… I’ll go right away…” Siegfried stammered as he rushed toward the door.

This kind of daily humiliation no longer bothered him in the least. He had learned since childhood to bow his head and swallow his pride. As his mother so often liked to remind him: one had to know how to play the pig in order to one day eat the tiger. This concealment had become second nature to him.

Siegfried entered the grand corridor leading to the heir’s apartments. “Oh perfect… several servants are just passing by here. I must not miss this perfect opportunity to reinforce my reputation as a good-for-nothing… Come on, hop!”

Arriving at the top of the grand staircase, Siegfried pretended to trip on a step. He thrust his arms forward and went crashing face-first onto the floor. He ended his fall in a humiliating position.

He could hear the snickers of the servants. “This position seems a bit much…”

He got up laboriously, dusting off his clothes, then resumed his walk with a faltering step toward the office of the crown prince.

“Enter!” a powerful and impatient voice thundered from inside.

“Y-Yes…” Siegfried murmured as he pushed the door.

Siegfried entered the room, shoulders hunched and head lowered. Under Admon’s disdainful gaze, he began to tremble with all his limbs. Admon was seated behind a desk, his muscular stature and square chin recalling the physical power of their father, Emperor Arthur.

“You arrived at the domain about an hour ago, and you still haven’t come to make your official report?” Admon spat as he slowly rose. “You parade around here and there in the palace… you useless idiot…”

“Ah… I-I apologize… my brother…” Siegfried stammered as he took a step back.

“I am not your brother!” Admon roared as he rounded his desk to approach his younger sibling. “If it weren’t for the Emperor’s protection, I’d send your shitty ass and that of the whore who serves as your mother back to the rat hole she crawled out of!”

Siegfried lowered his eyes.

“I-I’ll be careful in the future… I promise…” he murmured.

“Anyway… you came back from the Catacombs alive, which is already an insult to our lineage… but I don’t see young master Dedric anywhere…” Admon continued, crossing his arms over his massive chest. “Weren’t you supposed to stay together to secure the Pandora’s Box?”

“…” Siegfried remained silent, staring at his own boots with a guilty look.

“Answer when I speak to you!”

“I-I’m afraid of your reaction… if I tell the truth…” Siegfried replied in a strangled voice.

“If you don’t open your mouth immediately, your fear is going to become a reality!”

“Actually… on the second level of the Catacombs…”

“What have you done this time…” Admon sighed, supporting his head between his hands, as if he already had a headache before even hearing the rest.

“We were surrounded by ultra powerful Draugrs… they were surging from everywhere… but at a certain point, the monsters were arriving in greater and greater numbers… so Lord Dedric told me to flee to save my skin… Kuh!”

Before he could finish his lie, Admon seized him brutally by the throat with a powerful hand and sent him flying across the room. Siegfried’s body slammed into a cabinet before crashing heavily onto the floor.