Third Person Point of View
A finger taps against the wooden arm of the royal seat. The hand it's connected to grips the rounded edge tightly, tight enough to leave bruises against the white skin. The arm the hand is connected to feels strained after so long of using exponential force against the object. From the arm is a body that's tired and worn down after almost a year of torture.
Callum Torbum clenches his jaw, his teeth squeezing together with enough force to cause a chip. Stubble covers his chin, complementing the dark bags under his eyes. Once smooth skin has now become rough and textured, unbefitting for the king of the nation.
"How has no one found my empress?!" Callum shouts. His subjects cower in fear as they witness the emperor losing his mind. So far, at least five disciples have either been relieved of service, sent to jail, or executed.
Where he used to have clear and focused blue eyes, they're now hazy and red from lack of sleep. Each person kneeling before His Majesty prays for a miracle. Said miracle would be the empress returning. Though each of them know the possibilities of the wronged woman returning may venture on the line of zero.
"I forgave everyone for first failing to find my pregnant wife," Callum starts again. "Then it was failing to find again, and now it's almost been half a goddamn year!"
An older male, a close advisor to the previous king, clears his throat as he steps forward. "With all due respect your majesty... you didn't want us searching for the empress until Miss Aster also left. That would have left the empress with ample time to get far enough away."
A deafening silence overtakes the throne room. Everyone there knows exactly how far the current emperor has fallen down the hole. Despite his adultery, he's always been a good king to his nation and to his people. Callum had inherited a nation that was already in a good place, but with his time on the throne, he made it far better. That was before getting wrapped up in an affair.
Now, no soul in that room knows how he'll react to the truth presented to him by his closest advisor.
Everyone holds their breath as Callum stands from the throne. A blank face reveals nothing as he reaches down for the sword leaning against the side of the chair. The sword is quiet as it's drawn from its leather scabbard. And as it switches through the air, all anyone can see is the tip of the blade pointing at the advisor's neck.
Franklin Stourm has been serving the kingdom almost all his life. He was raised knowing this would be his job until he either retired or died. His father was an advisor before him and his grandfather before that. Franklin served the previous king and watched the heir to the throne be announced as the crown prince. After the announcement that Callum would be the crown prince, Franklin had worked closely with him to ensure that he would be ready for the throne. And now even his own son is the closest advisor to Callum.
As Franklin feels the blade nicking him now, he almost can't believe the child he basically helped raise is going to slay him.
But the foul action is interrupted by the echoing of the throne doors opening. Black oxford shoes with a small heel and the thud of a cane follow the sound of the door as a man walks in. Each step is slow and for each subject there, it feels like an eternity.
"Your Majesty, I think it's best you sheath your sword and call this meeting for today."
Callum removes his eyes from Franklin to see just who's commanding him. His eyes narrow as he takes in the form of his father in law. It's the same man who had been pushing for his marriage to Chrysanthy, and was ready to sell his daughter off at the first chance he got. But this was also the same man who raised concerns regarding his affair, despite his poor attitude towards his daughter. This walking contradiction is also the same man who had yet to come to his only daughter's rescue even after finding out about Callum's affair. But it's also the same man who has spent his days being weighed down by guilt ever since finding out about Callum's adultery, much to his own chagrin.
Constantine Raufort has always been revered as an amazing duke. He has always been a fair and proud ruler over his dukedom from the very start of receiving his title. When he married his wife and had his first, second, and eventual third child, he wasn't even upset that Chrysanthy came at such an odd time. He just didn't care to be a father once again. Instead, he chose to turn his attention to improving the dukedom even more so he could eventually pass his title on to his son. Yet as the years have passed and his age has grown, he's been feeling a malicious feeling ever since.
"It would be a shame if you used your blade on the man who prepared the throne so well for you. Especially if that reason isn't betrayal but because he has told you the truth," Constantine says. He glances around him and shakes his head as he steps forward. "Franklin has done nothing wrong and neither have these people."
Callum scoffs as he drops the sword. The clang is loud and causes multiple people to flinch. "Who do you think you are, Constantine Raufort, to tell me what to and not to do. Perhaps your head has grown even larger because you're the father of the empress, but newsflash... she's nowhere to be found."
"That is correct." Constantine nods. He rests his cane in front of him and places both hands on top. "She has taken your child and fled. I can only imagine that she felt so unsafe, especially because I'm currently witnessing such madman behavior."
Callum scoffs. "That's rich coming from you."
Duke Raufort had no idea where things had gone wrong. Because he's one of only three dukes in Torbum, he had been in and out of the palace for decades. And when Chrysanthy was old enough, he started taking her with him and his son on his visits, preparing to sell her off to the royal family.
Chrysanthy and Callum had been playmates ever since they were small tots. The two had even been very close, so close that Constantine was scared Chysanthy was going to keep her timid ways which had developed the more she became isolated within her family. The two were so close that both him and the emperor witnessed as the two fell in love.
Yes, at one point Chrysanthy had begged Constantine to make this marriage possible, but she wasn't the only one. Both Chrysanthy and Callum had come up to Duke Raufort and the emperor and begged them to move along with their engagement. That's why he could never understand where certain rumors came from that Chrysanthy had one-sidedly chased the crown prince and forced him to marry her. It's like no one could remember their past together which he always found extremely strange. Though it never mattered to him until recently.
"All of you, get the hell out of my sight. Now!" Callum shouts, his gaze still on the duke. "You too, Franklin."
Once the throne room is cleared, Callum turns and wobbles back to his seat. If any normal person saw him, they would think he's drunk. As he sits down, he slouches and brings his unforced gaze to the duke once again.
"Why are you even here?"
The duke takes a deep breath. "I came to request that you put a halt on searching for my daughter."
A deafening silence covers the two men before Callum scoffs for the second time that day. He rolls his eyes and shifts in the chair. "So you really don't care for your daughter? Even now?"
"It's because I care that I believe you should forget about her."
"Bullshit."
Constantine sighs. "I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I no longer think this marriage will work out. In fact, I have no idea why you're trying so hard to find a woman whom you've betrayed and left alone."
Callum has nothing to say in regards to that. He has nothing to say to the truth that he's been served. Not when Franklin spoke it and not when Constantine spoke it. And the truth is... he can't remember why he even treated Chrysanthy that way.
"That's neither here nor there," Constantine says. "I think you need to have that woman investigated."
"What woman?" Callum huffs. He rolls his head to the side, letting it fall onto his fist.
Constantine furrows his eyebrows. "The woman you had keep your bed warm. Aster Begre."
"Who the hell is that?"
*And this chapter? What did you guys think?*