Chapter 6: Wine and Cheese
King Gerald of the Novaran Kingdom gazed down from his throne, his imperious gaze resting on the duke bowing before him. Or rather, the top of the man's head. From his vantage point, the king was granted a full and uninterrupted view of the duke's rather unflattering bald spot. Light from the enchanted chandelier above reflected off of the shiny patch of skin as though to spotlight it.
"My King, it is an honor to be in your presence this day. I am ever so grateful that you have allowed me a moment of your time…"
Gerald's fingers tapped idly on the armrest as the man continued in flowery pleasantries, bejeweled rings gleaming where they adorned each digit. Today he was holding court. It was his least favorite day of the month—the day when people could bring him their petty problems and do their best to distract him from his far more important work. It was always a complete waste of time. A necessary one, as his advisors never failed to remind him, but a waste nonetheless.
As the duke finally began launching into the meat of his request, the king couldn't help but sneer. He kept it to himself as best he could, as his position required. But really? This old idiot was asking for more troops to guard his borders, as though that was something he couldn't handle himself. After all, he had a whole dukedom at his fingertips to draw soldiers and coin from. If the man couldn't handle something as small as that, then why was he even in charge to begin with?
King Gerald tuned out the man, dismissing his incompetence as he planned what to do for the rest of the week. It was clearly more important than whatever this fool was asking for. If the duke's request had really been important, one of his advisors would have already agreed and taken care of the matter before it reached this point. The fact that he'd been forced to come beg for help during a court session… Clearly, this was a last-ditch effort from the duke to shunt his problems onto someone else.
The king had lost himself in daydreams about wine and cheese pairings when a notification appeared in front of him. He skimmed over it with disinterest. As a ruler, receiving System notifications wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Most of them were minor updates or news related to kingdom management that could be waved away or simply addressed next time he visited his class stone. Every once in a while, there might even be something important enough to have an advisor deal with.
He raised a hand to wave the golden text away, then stopped mid-gesture. The first few words brought a frown to his face.
[The Roman Emperor, Tiberius Rufius Maro, has successfully declared war on the Novara Kingdom!]
Gerald blinked, staring at the text. He read it over again, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He was used to notifications signaling rebellion in some random border village or town he didn't give two shits about. Rebellions were normally handled at the barony, county, or duchy level long before they ever reached him. Sometimes, disputes over land ownership or jurisdiction would also require his attention. But war? That was an entirely different matter.