When I finished speaking, their eyes widened slightly; as if it was almost rehearsed, the three of them simultaneously kneeled before me with their heads down and silently stayed in that position.
"None of you have anything to say? No apologies or excuses?" Asked Elif calmly while eyeing them.
"Apologizing or creating excuses would not only be shameful, but it'll be shallow; we've made a mistake, your Highness, and I'm more than willing to repent for it by whatever you deem necessary." Said Idonea solemnly, feeling too ashamed at her actions to even look Elif in the eyes.
"Yes, as your servants, we are expected to be faithful and loyal to you, no matter the situation; yet, we couldn't even honor the basic requirements to be a proper servant. I'm deeply ashamed of my actions and am willing to do anything to acquire your forgiveness, your Highness." Added Marley seriously while biting her lip and clenching her fist in anger.
"As the Captain of your personal guards, appointed by their Majesties themselves, my actions are disgraceful and a stain to my reputation; whatever punishment you decide, I'll gladly accept it, even if you wish for me to kill myself." Stated Mandy, she too refused to look at Elif.
"If that's how you all really feel, why are you looking at the ground? Say all of that while looking me in the eyes, then maybe I'll forgive you, three." Declared Elif with a frown.
After some hesitation, the three of them finally lifted their heads and looked at me; however, besides Mandy, the other two refused to look me in the eyes, which slightly annoyed me as it felt like the two didn't truly mean what they said.
"What did I just say, Idonea and Marley? Why are neither of you looking me in the eyes? Do you either of you actually mean what you said?" Questioned Elif in slight annoyance while eyeing Marley and Idonea.
"W-We mean everything we said, your Highness; it's just, I'm too ashamed of myself to dare look you in the eyes." Replied Idonea, and although she looked at Elif, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes.
"As mere servants, looking at you in your eyes is a privilege, something we don't deserve after our earlier actions." Said Marley, not even daring to look at Elif in general.
"Tch, I don't care how the two of you feel; as your Prince, my words are law, so either you look me in the eyes this instant, or I relieve you of your duty." Stated Elif seriously with a frown while tapping his finger on his knee.
It seemed like threatening their status as my followers were the trick, as they instantly looked me in the eyes, and when they did so, I was able to see the various emotions swirling about in their eyes, which were mainly shame, anger, and regret; quite surprising since I didn't spot any form of lust or desire in Marley's eyes.
"So, now that the three of you are looking at me, inform me what type of punishment you think you should receive?" Asked Elif with a raised eyebrow as he waited for their answer.
While the three of them were pondering on what type of punishment they should receive, I started talking with Illumia, curious about her take on the matter, as she was the only one who didn't doubt me, though that could've been because at that time there was no one powerful enough to force her to do anything; while Kalen might've been Illumia's equal, he still wouldn't have been able to force her.
'What type of punishment do you think they should get, Illumia? I'm sure you have plenty of experience in the matter.' Asked Elif via divine sense while resting his head on his fist.
'If you're insinuating that I've been punished many times before, then you're wrong; however, while what those three did wasn't too serious, unlike most princes or young masters, you're very lenient toward you're servants. While there isn't anything wrong with that per se, it may give them the idea that you're a pushover; granted, even if you were never to punish them, I doubt that would happen given who your servants are, but the future is unknown.' Replied Illumia via divine sense, pausing to allow Elif to digest her words.
'I'd suggest giving them severe punishments, especially Mandy, just to remind them they are servants, and you're the Prince; you can be as friendly as you want with each other, as long as neither forgets their status.' Added Illumia advising Elif to the best of her ability.
As I mulled over Illumia's words, it seemed the three kneeling women had finally come to a decision about their punishments; however, after speaking with Illumia, I'm going to increase whatever punishment they decide on.
"Seeing you three look at me, I assume you're ready to share your punishment; Mandy, you go first." Stated Elif as he glanced at Mandy, who quickly nodded in response.
"For actions, I believe cauldron burning for twenty-four hours is an appropriate punishment unless, of course, if you wish to change it, you're Highness." Replied Mandy solemnly, her words causing Illumia to smirk while Elif was filled with surprise.
I know I had just told myself I was going to increase the punishment for whatever they decided, but I hadn't expected Mandy to choose something so insane, given the severity of her mistake; sure, you could say her mistake didn't seem like much, but she didn't have full faith in me, her Prince, and that alone already deserved ample punishment.
'Still, cauldron burning for a full day is a bit excessive, in my opinion; however, since she chose that, it just means she's that serious about repenting for her mistake.' Thought Elif while feeling slightly conflicted about the whole thing, as cauldron burning was considered a higher form of punishment; of course, nothing compared to the highest forms of torture.
"Since you chose cauldron burning, that means you know how painful it'll be, so I won't bother saying anything. Marley, you're next; what is your punishment." Said Elif as he eyed the determined Mandy before shifting her focus toward Marley.
"I'll be choosing the same punishment as Mandy, your Highness." Said Marley solemnly as she stared into Elif's eyes.
"I'll also be choosing Mandy's punishment, your Highness." Added Idonea with unwavering resolution.
Now, if Mandy's words surprised me, imagine how I felt when I heard Idonea and Marley speak; for a few seconds, I didn't even say anything and just stared blankly at them.
"Do either of you even know what the cauldron-burning punishment is?" Asked Elif with a twitching frown while glancing between the two.
"No, Your Highness. Not a clue, you Highness." Replied Idonea and Marley, respectively, but their words only served to frustrate Elif.
"So, if neither of you know what that punishment is, why did the two of you pick that punishment?" Questioned Elif while rubbing his forehead, hoping to ease his frustration.
"Because you seemed shocked when Mandy said it, and from what you responded with, it seems to be a very severe punishment; the more severe the punishment we endure, the more it demonstrates our desire to repent for our actions and seek your forgiveness." Replied Marley seriously while Idonea nodded in agreement.
Sighing at their words, I looked at their faces, only to see nothing but determined and dignified expressions, which only ended up with me sighing once again since neither of them knew what they were asking for.
"Please allow us to receive this punishment, your Highness; from your lack of response, we can tell it must be incredibly dangerous, but even so, that only serves to harden our resolve to endure said punishment." Stated Idonea sincerely with unwavering eyes as she, Marley, and Mandy looked at Elif.
"Haa, fine, since you desire this punishment so much, I'll allow it, but your punishment will not be as long as Mandy's; you two may have disappointed me, but I don't need you two possibly dying." Declared Elif in defeat; though his words caused both Marley and Idonea to gulp nervously, neither's determination faltered for a second.
"Thank you, your Highness; you will not be disappointed again!" Said the three women simultaneously.
"You three can stop kneeling now. Since you all wish to do the cauldron burning, we'll do it while we're at the Divine Phoenix Clan; no sense in prolonging your punishments." Declared Elif with as he waved his hand toward the three.
Now that the talk was over, the three women stopped kneeling and returned to their previous seats, though Mandy had exited the carriage and returned to her usual duty of guarding my carriage; when that happened, I stopped Illumia from moving as after everything that happened, I'm in need of a nice lap to rest my head on.
"Really, your Highness?" Remarked Illumia blandly as she looked down at Elif, whose head was on her lap.
"Yes, really; now don't move; your thighs feel like soft pillows." Replied Elif with equal blandness while Illumia shook her head and closed her eyes.
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"We've arrived, your Highness." Stated Illumia as she glanced at Elif, who was looking out the carriage.
Nodding at Illumia's words while looking out the window, I viewed the numerous volcanoes we passed, some active while others slumbering. I was pretty fascinated at the Phoenix Clan's territory, but at the same time, the area made sense; it was a place where fire was abundant, something I'm sure Phoenixes liked.
"They've even got a welcoming party for my arrival; wonder how long they've been waiting." Remarked Elif as he spotted various figures in the distance with flaming hair dangling behind them.
'Hopefully, this time, there isn't a situation like where I almost killed Edvin; I doubt I'd be able to hold myself back for a second time.' Thought Elif, rage bubbling inside him whenever he thought of Edvin.
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Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, [https://discord.gg/TGc9yymDJP]
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Elven Legacy (Chapter 242: Butting Heads) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 124: Nightly Confession) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 213: Vanishing Island)|| Marvel's Black Steel (Chapter 172: Sunstone Crystal) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]