Cain and Duke Chen make their way to the Palace again, leaving Chen's Granddaughter at home and bringing two well-trained female fighters from his Sect. The news has been disturbing all morning, scandals, missing Nobles, and hints of the Anti-Royal faction getting ready to make their move.
Add to that the fact that both men know that the King is about to become a Crusader, who can sense deception and betrayal, and the day is looking like it will be very, very violent.
Cain wishes there was time to level up Misha and Mythryll, both are at level 199, so close to using their unique class advancement tokens, but today's events aren't going to wait.
Today they have chosen to travel to the Palace in Duke Chen's carriage, an elegant and enclosed wooden vehicle drawn by a pair of jet black horses that match both the carriage and Duke Chen's preferred outfits. The Duke's emblem on the side lets everyone around them know who it belongs to, and that alone helps clear the street much better than traveling on foot in a fancy outfit would, making for a smooth trip free from interruptions.
As they approach the palace grounds, showing to fall into line with the other noble carriages, they find Duke Archibald walking dejectedly along the road, staring at the cobblestones.
"Driver, we will get out here and walk with Archibald," Chen announces, and everyone piles out, the two Dukes from the carriage moving to either side of the depressed noble.
"I take it you've heard?" Archibald asks when he notices them flanking him.
"About Aprilia showing up home drunk in the late hours? Don't worry, that too will blow over. The Nobles understand how she is." Duke Chen says softly.
Archibald shakes his head and whispers back. "I guess we did keep the lid on it then. Aprilia had a breakdown; she came home covered in blood, raving about a nightmare world full of vampires and demons inside the Palace.
The strangest part is she insists she was mind-controlled to take a group of Nobles to a back room for some fun before it happened, but since when did she need to be mind controlled for that? The whole thing is insane, and nobody can find any of the Nobles she claims to have gone off with."
"So if word gets out, she will be suspected of their murder unless they are found. Do you think she was controlled? There are several Nobles with the ability to do it, though none within the loyalists could give her such a vivid fake memory." Duke Chen adds, seeing a world of potential troubles ahead for both his unlikely friend and the wayward daughter.
"We can help spread the word that she was drugged at the party and got lost in the palace, then showed up drunk at home early morning. It's easy to believe, it accounts for why she won't be in public for a while and will help dismiss any strange things she might say in front of unwanted listeners." Cain suggests.
Duke Chen strokes his long beard in contemplation, "But who would take the fall? She's been with so many noblemen that someone will get curious and protective of their favorite toy. No offense Archibald."
"I will take the blame, of course. Just a little prank from the new guy that she annoyed. We're all Dukes, and I have less of a reputation to uphold; accusations of drugging a socialite and letting her run wild at a party won't hurt me too badly." Cain shrugs.
"We could insinuate he might be covering for his wife as well. Both were highly visible together all night long, so they'll be immune to accusations of any further involvement after the fact." One of the female fighters Duke Chen brought suggested.
"Not bad. Everyone knows their part now. We need to find out what happened to the Anti-Royal faction leaders. If they're gone, we need to work on replacing them. If they're in hiding, we need to find them before they act." Duke Archibald whispers again since other Nobles are getting closer as they approach the palace grounds.
They don't even make the gates before the first questions about Aprilia begin, posed by a seemingly well-meaning Count with a besotted look on his face when he notices all the ladies behind the trio of Dukes.
"Duke Cain, it's good to see you making such a wide variety of friends. We didn't get a chance to meet yesterday; I am Count Dufas, owner of one of the city's finest produce markets." Cain shakes the man's hand in a friendly greeting.
"A pleasure to meet you as well. If I get some time in the next few weeks, I will seek you out, the Long Fang Valley generates a good variety of produce, and I lack the former owner's business connections."
"Stupendous. I shall await your call. Duke Archibald, I do hope your dear daughter is alright? I heard she had a rough evening."
The time has come to begin their deception and Cain catches the Count's attention again. "It seems that was my fault as well. I obtained a lovely product from Tortuga that creates the most vivid dreams, but it seems young Aprilia had a harsh reaction. I've sent my apologies to her husband as well as a good team of doctors to assist her this morning."
The Count smirks, assuming Cain drugged the woman so she would make a spectacle of herself in public, then looks to Misha, who is looking away, and the other ladies doing their very best to hide their laughter at Cain's noblemen impersonation.
He might be one, but the intonation is all wrong for Skyview. The accent Cain got from the system on his arrival sounds incredibly out of place here.
The ladies behind Count Dufas notice the laughter as well. Various rumors about the situation begin, from Duke Cain punishing Aprilia with a nonlethal poison to an aphrodisiac-related incident involving unnamed Nobles leaving her unable to walk, forcing the new Duke to cover for her wantonness to save her father's reputation.
Gossip and rumors spread faster than anything among the nobility, and soon so many stories were floating around that even the truth would never be truly believed.
The morning assembly of the upper nobility is notably missing many advisors, ministers, and influential figures from the Anti-Royal faction. The last the Dukes had heard, the total was eight people missing, but many more than that are not at court today.
"They better show up. The King will be livid if none of his advisors are present. My lands can't afford any more hostilities." One of the Earls is whispering to a hippo-headed man Cain is sure he met yesterday.
"One is still here. Two if you Count the Interior Minister." Cain whispers to the pair, indicating the spot where Duke Archibald talks to his son-in-law. The man looks somehow less haggard and run down today as if something changed to help his confidence. Though some of that is just the fact that his wife isn't here to embarrass him.
"Two of twenty. That's not exactly a great turnout." The human Earl says quietly, shaking his head.
"Do you think they could have been hiding debts from the Succession Struggles and fled the country? Is it been about three months since things were settled, right? That's about when debt collectors would start to come calling." Cain suggests, and the two look panicked. So, it is a possibility that the Nobles might owe huge sums to lenders who financed their failed attempts at the throne.
That would explain the ongoing hostility, as well as why the less political business people have become so influential, even making up the entire group deciding this month's promotions.
The entire hour before the hearings start is tense with rumors, and the consensus is that the Court Nobles will petition for an inquiry into the missing Nobles. At the same time, the Business Nobles will seek to have those among them who are Ministers and Advisors, positions who are required to attend every day that the King hears petitions, penalized for dereliction of duty.
Multiple horns sound, indicating that it is time to enter the throne room, and they all file out, eager to get things started. But when they arrive, things are not as expected. Every noble who attended today is being brought in at the same time instead of by rank. All three main doors to the room are open, and the nobility works their way in as quickly as possible. It might be unorthodox, but those were the Palace Guards' directions.
Cain gestures for Duke Chen and Duke Archibald to join him close to the throne, choosing the furthest forward positions that the nobility is allowed to stand in. This places them both in a position to defend the King and in a position to move the spellcasters with them behind the throne to a safer and more defensible position.
At first Cain thinks he might just be feeling paranoid, but the others seem to sense that there is something wrong today as well, and they're definitely on edge.
Once the nobility is all in the throne room, the guards step back outside, closing and barring the doors behind them. That has everyone in the room nervously checking for traps and ambushes, and Cain sends a party message for Misha and Mythryll to do their best to avoid being stabbed in the back.
Cain notices King James is already present, hidden in the shadows of a pillar by a Felian Assassin. By his count, the whole two dozen that Gwen can Summon are scattered around the room, invisible to most. They might be guarding the King, but they're still Cain's summons and therefore visible to him.
King James takes his throne before many have realized he is present, relaxing with his leg over the arm and Gwen in his lap, in Kitsune Form. He's not dressed in his formal robes. Instead, today he has chosen the Royal Family's signature enchanted plate armor.
Anticipating trouble, Cain calls his Primal Echoes into the very back corners of the room, behind a curtain that hides the King's entrance. He might be in trouble for that later, but he suspects King James will be understanding.
As the commotion starts to rise, both about being locked in and from those who have realized the King is now a Crusader, an aura settles over the room, everywhere except for an area around the throne.
"It prevents skills and spells from being activated. Only abilities that were already in use will work for those who are away from the throne. One of the many defensive measures put in place to guard the Royal Family." Duke Chen whispers.
"Greetings, Nobles of Skyview. Fear Not, we shall get to your petitions today. But first, we require one simple task of you all. A statement of Loyalty needs to be given to the Crusader King of Skyview. A simple affirmation of your loyalty is all it will take and we can get on with our business."
That was Anti-Royal's worst fear come to life. The King will ask them to state their loyalty, and he will be able to tell if they're lying. The question everyone else has on their mind is if they'll attack, or if they'll try to bluff their way through, now that so many of their senior members are missing.
