"I apologise your highness but I failed to keep up with my task. I will take any punishment you give me" Noble Lee could not help but tremble as he spoke those words and waited for his punishment to come.
The emperor felt his headache once he saw the other. He had a general idea about what could have happened for Noble Lee to look this panicky but in honesty? He did not care about the noble at all.
He did care about the mess that had ended up as a result though. The emperor could not help but give the other a sharp glare for his mistakes.
"I'm more than aware that Fu Hua's identity would have to come out sooner rather than later due to a slip-up but I never imagined it would not even last a full week. Tell me noble Lee, are you stupid or just incompetent to carry out the given task?" Noble shook at the glare.
He knew he had messed up badly and the emperor was mad at him but maybe he still had the time to turn this around. After all, the emperor was still a human and he was easy to manipulate with a few well-placed words.
"Forgive me your highness but I forgot how resourceful Fu Hua could be. He totally put me on the spot there and somehow convinced your cousin that he was the one responsible for saving his life" Yes, Noble Lee could place all the blame on Fu Hua here and make a clean break.
After all, everyone was aware of how dangerous Fu Hua was and how effectively he planned everything. It would not be out of his grasp to plan something like this and get away from Noble Lee.
"If you give me a chance I would like to take my people and retrieve Fu Hua from your cousin before he could poison the youth's mind any more. God knows what he had already said to the kid" the kid had stood against Noble Lee, a nobility of the highest standing for a slave already.
Who knew what else the kid might do if he was led to believe he could. For all intents and purposes, the kid was still nobility and had a big influence on how things were run. His closeness with Xiao Lan was also a big factor that scared the noble.
What if the kid took Fu Hua to the younger prince? Noble Lee would be killed for harbouring a criminal and keeping him alive. The emperor would, no doubt, swear ignorance and Noble Lee would have to take the blame.
He would ot be able to recover this shame at all.
"I understand. I'll give you a chance to do what you have to then. Now get out and make sure no one else finds out about it all" the emperor waved his hands in irritation and the Noble left before things soured any more than this.
The emperor had looked at the point of boiling over already so noble Lee was not going to take any chances. Once he was out, the emperor turned toward his side and made a 'come here' motion.
The air rippled and a shadowy figure emerged from the side. The cloth-covered everything on the said person - from their hair to their face to any other identifying mark they had. It was impossible to tell if this was a male or female at all.
"Mark sure Noble Lee is taken care of and dispose of any evidence that connects him or Fu Hua to me. Be discrete but also fast or you will be next" the person at the emperor's side gave no indication that he had heard the order but then he vanished with a nod.
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The emperor rubbed his aching head softly. Why had he decided to attend the court today? It was not like he actually did any work. His image of a useless person and only a figurehead made his ministers not ask him anything.
They made a decision for him and he just had to sit there and listen. If he did not agree with some point, he made sure the mister knew it but by discrete means.
So why was he not relaxing today as well but dealing with incompetent people? Well, it had to happen sometime so it might as well be today.
"I hope Xiao Lan will be in an agreeable mood. '' After all, it was not like he could get rid of Xiao Lan that easily. The other was the single most important piece that made their kingdom work and then there was the 'imperial mother.'
She and Fu Hua were the only people who scared him and one of them was out of commission for now. She had also been the only one who had protested when he had informed her of his plan but she had not made a visible effort to stop him either.
However, she had warned him that it would not work out as he had intended it but it had and no one had been wiser otherwise. What did that witch know?
When the emperor exited the room it was because of a messenger that arrived while he had been deep in thoughts. He looked somewhat scared and in awe as well but the emperor could tell it was not because of him.
"The young prince Xiao Lan has called for your excellency. This servant is here to deliver the message" ah, it was because of his brother. Xiao Lan had always been admired and the emperor would be the first one to say he was jealous.
But the other had also not been seen officially ever since the curse so he could understand the awe this solder felt at being one of the lucky ones who had heard the voice of the young prince.
"I'll go and meet him now if he's free. You have been dismissed" the young guard left happily and the emperor sighted at his luck. Now he had to go and pretend like he had no idea what was happening at all.
Fu Hua would likely comply with him in this present scenario so it would all work out in the end. If now then the emperor would cross the bridge when the time came. It was not like they could get rid of him at this point.
He had made sure his claws were too deep in Xiao Lan for anyone to be able to remove them easily and the other would not allow harm to come to him. The emperor was safe and secure in his position but this did complicate his future plans.
Also, the reports for the present case were not in yet but he had an idea it was more than what it appeared on the surface. The guards had said that Byakko had been the beast that had been spotted and that it was not a result of any demonic array.
How accurate this was could only be told by Xiao Lan and Fu Hua. Everyone else would likely not be able to accurately palace the beast and its class at all which meant this trip had to happen at some point.
"Your highness" the guards bowed at him once he arrived in his brother's wing. The emperor did not feel any surprise at seeing the captain commander here standing guard. The other had made it his duty to serve Xiao Lan long before he had been cursed after all.
The other gave him a small glance but bowed all the same. The emperor was well aware that the guard captain held no respect for him due to his lazy nature and a tendency to dump stuff on Xiao Lan but the emperor did not care much for it at this point.
He had tried to sway the other at his side but had given up once it was evident that the other would not bulge. In some ways, the captain commander and Fu Hua were similar, both too loyal for their own goods.
It begged the question to be asked - would Fu Hua have gone along with his wishes had the circumstances not been how they were? Would things have turned out vastly different than the present scenario and would any of them even be alive?
But it was not time to ask 'what if's'. It was time to face his brother and get things sorted out. The emperor opened the door to a room he had been in thousands of times before under different circumstances but this was the first time he felt a little nervous.
"Brother, you are finally here. Close the door behind you and join me please?" Xiao Lan asked, his voice serious and displeased. He had not looked up at the emperor yet but had looked at Fu Hua's unconscious form the whole time.
Unconsciously, the emperor gulped at the current situation but he wiped all hints of nervousness out of his face when he entered. He could not allow the other to guess his current feeling after all.