Whispers ran throughout the court room, there were forty or so men and women gathered in the Feladonian court. The court room was divided into four sections similar to a court room. Straight ahead from the entrance were three seats for those presiding over the meeting; the ‘judges panel’. On both the sides of the panel were influential nobles and government officials who formed part of the Council. Lastly the area dead ahead of the entrance was a stand where those who spoke stood.
The meeting was being presided by three influential figures, the King of Feladonia - a thin man with a face that could easily be lost in a crowd, Chancellor of Feladonia and a young man in a black suit with black hair being his only standing out feature– this particular individual made an appearance earlier on in the story around the same time as Kuroshitsuji – the Master.
As explained before the King of Feladonia, is in charge of several cities; Feladonia being one of them – the capital. The Chancellor is the person who bears complete administrative responsibility of an individual city. The third person, whose identity is not yet known, seems to be holding a position of even higher authority when compared to the other two.
“Silence! Silence! Order in the room!” The Chancellor cried out; his voice was filled with panic as he hurried to silence everyone. “The hearing is now in session.”
Everyone was quick to stop whispering; unlike children gathered in a class room – nobles are far more versed with etiquette. Some of these men and women held important positions in society and government– discipline was a pre-ordained quality for them.
“I would like to thank everyone for gathering at such short notice…” The Chancellor began on a chivalrous note however he could not proceed ahead with it; he was cut off by the black haired mysterious man whom everyone in the court had their eyes on. Just who was this man and why was he sit on a pedestal higher than the King of Feladonia?
“Yes, can we please skip ahead, Chancellor? If we began thanking each and every minister of the state there would be no end to this…” The young man sounded completely bored and uninterested in following the proper etiquettes of high society. His attitude was considered down right arrogant and rude; and did not go down to well with the council members present. Nonetheless, everyone reserved their criticism – this man after all was position above the King of Feladonia.
A House Head or possibly a High King? No. The thirteen house heads were well known figures as are the four high kings…just who was this cocky young man?
“Ye…Yes…Yes my lord.” The Chancellor stuttered.
Whispers broke into the room again. Did the Chancellor refer to the young man as ‘My lord?’ There was no even greater interest in the man. It wasn’t just coincidence or a mistake that the man sat higher than the King but rather a right of authority. Their suspicions had been confirmed and their interest in the man had been sharpened. How did come to be that such an important person entered the city without their knowledge?
“Quiet!” The King of Feladonia roared as he lost his temper. The council he had was nothing short of gold-diggers. While they all meant well to the kingdom of Feladonia – they had a diversified sense of interest – building new connections in high society to elevate their own position being the most important one of them all.
The council refrained from the gossip and hushed at once upon hearing the King. Rarely, does the King lose his cool and speak out.
“Thank..Thank you your Majesty…” The Chancellor was a fat man and his face was turning red in shame…one could easily mistake his head for the world’s largest tomato. However, the appearance of the Chancellor was not his fault. Since the time an adventurer was spotted in Feladonia to now, nearly a quarter of the city has been decimated. The sole responsibility lay on the Chancellors head. Yes, others would take some blame as well but the Chancellor was the disposable one. Hence, the poor man has been nervous and shaky ever since things spiralled out of control.
“We are all gathered here today to investigate the details of…”
“We all know why we are here!” The young man snapped in anger. He hated pleasantries and time wasting procedures.
The King pitifully looked at his Chancellor; his fate was sealed. He then turned towards the young man and beckoned him closer. The King whispered something and the young turned to him giving a stare, which was clearly visible – ‘Are you kidding me?’
“Please continue Chancellor.” The King requested as he ignored the young man.
“We are all gathered here today to investigate into the unfortunate events that unfolded the day before in Feladonia. All in favour in discussing this matter?”
All council members raised their hands; so did the King. The young man refused to participate in such unnecessary time wasting procedures and just slouched back into his chair.
“I would like to highlight some of the notable events that occurred the day before. There were reports of sighting of a spy, an adventurer, a slime monster and a skeleton in Feladonia. Furthermore, there are reports of a minor civil war amongst the soldiers. For those of you not aware, we are currently counting the death toll and estimating the damage to property. By current estimates, we believe a total of 400 people have lost their lives due to all five incidents and a quarter of Feladonia lies in ruin…”
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The reaction in the room was explosive. The last sentence ignited the chatters once again. The numbers alone shocked every council member. Few were aware of the exact damage since entire sections of the city had been blockaded and the city was still functioning under an extreme curfew – basically gathering information through unofficial channels had been completely sealed away and official channels weren’t giving away any numbers. The reasons were now apparent; this was a complete catastrophe. With nearly a quarter of the city, in ruins there are bound to be various goods shortages; had the nobles known about this earlier they would have raided the markets and emptied them. This would not only leave anything for the common man but would also escalate the prices to astronomical levels. By ensuring none were aware of the damage, these issues were circumvented to a certain extent.
“Please be aware, these estimates are on the higher side. The actual toll and loss of property may not be as extensive.”
There was some respite. A few of the nobles whose eyebrows were criss crossed – relaxed on hearing the last bit.
“Chancellor!” A young noble called out. “Could you please give us a break up of the death toll and property loss?”
“Unfortunately, that information is unavailable at this time. I can however say that the eastern wall of Feladonia is in need for dire repair.”
The council members froze up. An entire wall in need for repair? This was Feladonia, the city that stood at the edge of the Empire and the Alliance. If there was a weakness then the Alliance would not miss the opportunity to exploit it.
“Then is it being repaired?” The same young man asked again.
“We are currently doing all that we can. It is for these very reasons that we have assembled. Now if we may proceed quickly with today’s agenda the quicker we will secure our interests.” The Chancellor added the last bit indicating the floor was not open to questions.
The nobles understood the Chancellors play of words but they were not going to accept it like this. ‘Doing all that we can’ is the same as saying nothing has been done about it yet ‘but let us hope for the best’.
“Then let us proceed, I would like to call on our intelligence officer and commander of the Erito forces, Vanessa Alfen, to report our current situation as well as details of her various missions.”
Again various murmurs broke out in the court. Vanessa Alfen was a name everyone in the room was familiar with. How could they not be familiar with her name? The young commander of the Erito forces, the first human of the Erito forces and belonging to the shamed house of Alfen. Those who hated Vanessa, personally, and held a grudge against the House of Alfen found a reason to smile. Vanessa and the House of Alfen botched up for sure. These council members found the opportunity they had been looking for to have Vanessa removed from her position.
Although, it might not look it, but Vanessa holds a very important position in Feladonia. She is essentially given a free reign in all matters pertaining to information and information control aside from other military privileges. The very fact that such a post exists and belongs to the House of Alfen stirs up animosity in the hearts of many. They wouldn’t begrudge Vanessa if she played along as their fiddle or puppet; all they needed was information to secure their interests. However, Vanessa was too sincere and only reported to her supervisor. This caused feelings of dislike and hatred towards Vanessa and the House of Alfen to intensify. Needless to repeat, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to crush her and the House of Alfen. In a world where the slightest stain on one’s repute can complete damage all credibility, the council members would not leave this chance.
Not all stood against Vanessa, there were some who over time came to appreciate her honest and sincere efforts; albeit that she belonged to a stained house. However, it should be noted their feelings were more neutral rather than favouring her.
Vanessa walked into court. She wore the same uniform that she always did; a white twin tail coat accompanied with white pants.
The moment she took her first step, some nobles in unison began crying out for her resignation.
“Make her resign!”
“House of Alfen is a traitor!”
“She should take responsibility for the downfall…”
She was only jeered further when they noticed her walking towards the stand with a limp. She was supported with a cane.
The ‘haters’ wore a broad grin across their faces; her fall was eminent. Even without trying they would succeed. To be injured while on a mission did not bode to well for her; her fate was sealed they thought.