'Soon' came too fast.
Early the next morning, a messenger came to inform Villiem that the Emperor requested to share breakfast with him.
The first thing he wanted to do was refuse and say that he had already eaten but this was the Emperor. He couldn't use such an excuse.
Villiem sighed to himself and formally got dressed. Felix was right behind him as they left the Stone Palace.
"Fake illness."
Villiem was about to get into the carriage that would take him to the Dark Palace when he heard Felix say those words.
"Pardon?"
"Act like you have a stomach disease when you get there." Felix got on the carriage as well.
Villiem frowned at his friend's suggestion. "You want me to lie to the Emperor?"
"Yes."
"Do you have no fear??" Villiem raised his voice.
He didn't dare to lie to anyone on a normal day. What would make him lie to the Emperor of all beings? It was absolutely ridiculous.
"Then do you want to have breakfast with His Majesty?" Felix asked in return.
Villiem kept quiet, shifting his gaze to his lap. He didn't. But he couldn't lie to the Emperor.
Villiem tried to look at things from a positive perspective. At least, he'd get to have an audience with the Emperor whom he had been shunned from since his arrival at the Royal Palace.
It was a good thing if one was able to look over the possible bad things attached to it.
The ride to the Dark Palace was brief. At least it felt brief to Villiem who stared out the window as the carriage moved. When it came to a halt, Villiem adjusted his bearings and stepped down without any help.
The Dark Palace, unlike the other palaces, was actually much like its name. In fact, it would be better to refer to it as the Dark Castle.
The palace was made of dark and ashen stones. Amber gemstones were used to decorate the walls and light it up.
The knights guarding the Dark Palace during the day were different. They were all part of a special unit called the Shadows and their uniforms were in black and gold colors.
It was said that the Shadows obeyed only the Emperor. Disloyalty didn't exist in the unit.
Villiem pushed aside his other thoughts, ushering himself forward with Felix right behind him. He greeted the guards, and just like his first night here, they didn't welcome him politely or respectfully.
"This way." One of them stepped forward to guide Villiem into the palace.
They weren't in a hurry, it seemed. Villiem walked through the inner hall of the Dark Palace and nostalgia slammed into him at full force.
He remembered his younger self fighting with dozens of Shadows at this very entrance and disabling them before majestically walking down this same hall.
Only he found where the Emperor was hidden that day and only he displayed an enormous amount of arrogance that he dared not to show in his life again.
It was all worth it at the end of the day.
The Emperor hadn't punished him for his insolence back then. Maybe because he knew that one day, Villiem would be returning to his domain with a different status and a different countenance that would be completely at his mercy.
Villiem tried not to think negatively as he arrived in front of the dining room. His presence was announced before the tall double doors opened to a grand dining room and he stepped in.
Far from the door, at the end of an extended dining table, seated on a high chair, was the Emperor of Decreste, Carlyle Azazel.
Villiem didn't mean for his breath to be caught when he saw the Emperor. But how could he have prepared his eyes for the deity known as Carlyle?
He was as beautiful as Villiem remembered. Or even more beautiful, perhaps. His skin was radiant, utilizing the beams of sunlight peering into the room. His black hair cascaded down to his chest in soft and shiny waves. And his eyes…
They were as endless as ever. Black orbs of the perfect degree. Enthralling and enticing.
Villiem stopped himself from gawking, bowed his head and got on his knees.
"Greetings to His Majesty, the eternal glory of the empire." Villiem spoke with absolute honor.
In response, Carlyle let out a nonchalant hum.
Villiem lifted his head to see Carlyle lazily gesturing for him to get to his feet.
Carlyle had been the supreme ruler of the Decreste Empire for over 300 years. Yet, he bore the countenance of a person who couldn't care less about what was going on around him.
His phoenix eyes watched the world with a languid gaze. One side of his face rested on his palm and his elbow was propped against the table.
The tips of his long wavy hair graced the surface of the table. He was wearing a loose purple robe with golden stitches, revealing a divinely sculpted chest while looking majestically bored.
Villiem slowly rose to his feet and moved forward. He wanted to sit close to Carlyle but was stopped by a servant who gestured for him to stop four seats away from Carlyle.
Villiem didn't show any hint of displeasure at the action. Instead, he smiled and settled down. Felix positioned himself five steps behind Villiem's chair with his hands placed behind his back, quietly disappearing into the background.
Only Carlyle and Villiem mattered now.
The dozens of servants and guards all around the dining room seemed to fade to nothingness.
Maybe it was because the two people had too much aura radiating from them. All others became irrelevant in their presence.
Villiem wanted to initiate a conversation. But that would be considered rude according to the customs of Decreste. It was an important law in the empire that if the Emperor didn't utter a word, no one else was allowed to in his presence.
Since Villiem stepped in, Carlyle had only hummed. He hadn't opened his mouth to say anything.
Villiem didn't look at Carlyle again, keeping his gaze on his lap.
If he looked again, there was a high chance that he would get lost in the Emperor's enchanting appearance. It showed that he hadn't changed much from his ten-year-old self.
"Let's eat."
A deep voice that carried a distinct air of listlessness yet melodious rhythm sounded in the dining room.
The servants jerked to action, arranging the dishes and setting up the cutleries. Villiem's hand trembled as he reached for a fork.
The difficulty he showed in picking it up was too glaring. Carlyle, who was already being hand fed a bundle of red grapes, noticed Villiem's plight.
His red lips thinned.
"I said let's eat. Why aren't you eating?"