Chapter 3
1069 Words
"Sire, what should we do?" Maurice quietly asked as he cast his sullen eyes towards the king angrily slamming his desk. It has been a few days since the outbreak and everyone has been infected by the deadly disease that appeared out of nowhere.
"This is all because of the filth of those commoners! I have no need for rats like them, execute everyone living outside the border of nobles and make sure not a single one is left! Burn their villages so that they'll have nothing left if they survived." King Elias was having a serious tantrum after he realized that he was already sick and will soon face his own death. It wasn't too long before Maurice interrupted the king's unnecessary whining with a report from the blighted areas of the kingdom where commoners reside.
"Your majesty, I'm afraid you are not allowed to that since it may cause an uprising from them." Maurice's loyalty was proven by still interacting with the king despite him being infected as he timidly picked up all the books strewn across the room and placed it back on his desk.
Elias waited for Maurice to finish tidying up before refuting his nonsensical claim, "And how would a bunch of half dead peasants be able to cause a revolt? For all I know they are already groveling on the ground with their nasty blood."
Maurice waited for the perfect moment to drop the information he had to at least lessen Elias' anger and he saw that chance when Elias looked at a portrait of the Prince and had a soft gaze on it. "Your majesty, reports came from different parts of the kingdom that none of the commoners are affected by the disease and is living their lives as usual. For odd reasons, only some of the nobles and people inside the palace are affected."
"What?!" As expected, the king didn't take it too lightly despite Maurice's attempt to avoid this kind of reaction. Once again, books are flying all around the room as his childish tantrum returned. Ever since Elias accepted the crown as King, he immediately used his power to build a wall that separated the commoners and the nobles because he believed that peasants are the same as filthy rats.
"How is that possible?!" his emotions were getting too strong that he coughed out blood once again and almost stumbled down.
"Your majesty!"
"Your majesty!!"
Along with the voice of a concerned Maurice, another voice echoed out from the doorway. King Elias didn't have the chance to see who it was because of his constant coughing, but he knew judging from the firm and rough voice that it belonged to the commander of his imperial army, Fabian Rosea.
"What did you come here for, Fabian?" Elias looked up from his velvet seat while Maurice squirmed beside him, hastily wiping the bloodied floor to lessen his majesty's stressful surroundings.
"Greetings, your majesty!" Fabian stood strong in front of the doorway, with his steel boots clanking against the porcelain floor as he approached the king. "We are in need of your orders, the knights are in a panicked state and without something to do we are bound to fall in despair over the deadly illness."
"You want orders? Very well," Elias, despite his exhausted state, managed to show a wicked smile. "Bring an infected person to the slums, make sure a lot of them are infected."
At this point, Fabian thought if asking for orders from the king was a good idea when all he received was an order to increase casualties, his expression turned grim but he had no choice but to obey his commands.
"As you wish, your majesty." He bowed glumly before leaving the chaotic room, when he was walking outside the empty corridors he could still hear the menacing laugh from the King.
"If I will have no chance of living, then I will take everyone with me to my deathbed," Elias exclaimed while Maurice was too preoccupied picking up scattered books and papers on the ground.
Later that day, Fabian came back to report about Elias' command. "Your majesty, we did infect quite a number of commoners, we witnessed them displaying the same symptoms but for some weird reasons they are fine again."
Elias was calm, and Maurice who was standing next to the seated king saw this as a bad thing. Elias was never calm when faced with a stressful situation so him being calm means that he is up to something.
"Y-your majesty?" Fabian broke the heavy silence between them as he nervously stares at Elias who had his hands clasped against each other as if recalling something.
"Have any of you heard about divine intervention?" Elias snickered maniacally that surprised the two since he was not the type to laugh at something serious nor about the fact that he was slowly decaying with his disheveled appearance.
"I have, about a heavenly entity interfering in mortal's affairs," Fabian answered quite firmly.
"Then that must be the reason," Elias added, "There is no way those puny commoners can survive this pandemic, they must have someone on their side."
"Sire, but Gods and Goddesses were proven false a few years ago, how could-" Maurice was explaining his side but was immediately interjected by Elias.
"If you have no other explanation about this then keep your thoughts to yourself," He glared at his side where Maurice stood before casting his eyes back on Fabian. "Tell me, have you heard any talks among the commoners related to the illness?"
Fabian was quiet for a moment, recalling his time at the slums. "I did hear something about a girl with platinum hair that goes around helping people. . ."
He wasn't even finished but Elias' eyes instantly lit up and the energy he lost by coughing nonstop seemed to have returned since he suddenly stood up from his seat. "Then that is the divine intervention I speak of, that girl may have the capability to cure my sickness!"
Maurice and Fabian were obviously skeptical about Elias' remarks since he looked like his sanity was long gone because of the sickness, but since he was too persistent with his commands, they had no choice but to trail behind him and outside the walls that separated the rich and the poor to execute his wicked plan on capturing the rumored girl.
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