Book 15: Chapter 27
Hilles City conference hall.
The day was no ordinary day for the vassals of Hilles City. After all, Empress Elizabeth, who hadn’t been back in a long time, had finally returned. When she rode her battle steed through the streets of Hilles City, the entire street was ecstatic. They couldn’t see the Empress’ expression behind the black veil, but their cheers were akin to raging waves. The entirety of Hilles City was wild all night because of her return.
Of course, the citizens on the lower end of the hierarchy were just looking for a reason to drink to their heart’s content all night and skip work the next day. The vassals, however, were kept up all night, not because they were elated, but because the Empress had just returned. Since she had returned, she would have new requests to make of them and new jobs to assign them. They were wondering what new requests or ideas she had in mind with her return. If they could figure out what she wanted and offer appropriate gifts the next day, she’d spare them a glance of glory, which would be the equivalent of boosting their standing.
Nobody was permitted entry into the inner court; thus, the only chance Elizabeth’s vassals had to see her was on her way back in addition to information from the ladies-in-waiting by her side. The ladies-in-waiting could acquire crucial information from Elizabeth and the conversations of others. They could find out what Elizabeth missed and wanted to eat. Fulfilling those desires wouldn’t aggravate her, and they could do it legally.
Last night, the vassals forewent their sleep, but Elizabeth stayed silent all night. She didn’t ask for anything. All she did was ask Castell to provide her with a simple meal late at night, her sleeping medication and then she went to bed without a word. The lady-in-waiting couldn’t read Elizabeth’s mood, either. The only difference was that she wore a different cape. As such, all of the vassals were nervous. They were completely unsure if their Empress returned in a happy or angry mood.
When a voice came from the direction of the throne, all voices immediately died down, and the conference hall was plunged into silence as though nobody was present. The conference hall was designed to allow the voices of those below to be heard by the people above as well as accommodating the ruler’s voice, allowing her voice to be heard by those below. Despite that, though, it was silent down below. Not even a breath could be heard. The people below were even afraid that their clothing would make fluttering sounds.
Soon, careless footsteps approached. First was Castell. He arrived before everybody and made a small bow. He then walked over to one side. Immediately after they heard his footsteps, everybody felt as though their hearts were being stepped on. They couldn’t help but shiver; they wanted to look up, but there was an imposing pressure that frightened them too much to do so.
Elizabeth walked to her throne. She brushed the black curtain aside, walked in and sat down. She then crossed one leg over the other and looked at the people below. They then heard the sound of metal shifting around. It sounded as if Elizabeth removed her sword and tossed it aside. The people below were on the verge of exploding, but they didn’t dare to raise their hands.
“What’s wrong with all of you?”