"Count and Countess Farvar," Aleksander called out to the couple sitting beside Archduke Keane, "I don’t see your son, Sir Wiriam. Where is he?"
The Count and Countess looked at each other for a second before the husband turned to speak to the king.
"Your majesty, we have not been in contact with Wiriam since last night," Count Farvar spoke. "We humbly beg your pardon with this upsetting manner he has shown you with his absence."
The couple bowed down their heads and Aleksander mulled over several ideas as to why Wiriam has not shown up. He did send the announcement earlier than the usual time of day most vampires awaken.
The Farvar’s son should have received and read his note.
"Very well, I will still be expecting him," Aleksander waved a dismissing hand, "Try to find a way to drag him here, I intend to speak with him afterwards. He has done me much favor by not fighting for the crown last night."
The young king laughed a bit and then turned to the general audience.
He waited again for them to calm down. Obviously, there were those that didn’t like his choice in shuffling the officials, but he knew they were not stupid enough to have not anticipated such shifts.
Aleksander felt Elys tug his hand over to her, and he turned to his wife to see her smirking.
"What?" he asked, "Do I have something in my face?"
Elys shook her head and said, "Nothing. I just noticed you have significantly changed for the better, my king. I had thought you’d already throw a tantrum with this utter chaos right now."
Aleksander crossed his arms in mock disapproval. He clicked his tongue as a joke, and then said, "You are trying to mess with me, wife."
"Go on, Aleksander," Elys prompted him, "I think you should be wrapping things up before the crowd gets too rowdy. As much as possible, I don’t want to deal with vampires and a second massacre."
"Understood, my queen," he responded. "Do not worry, things are going just as I have planned it will."
"I trust that it is," Elys nodded, and then added in a quick whisper, "Because if not, we are going to get fucked up. Real bad."
Aleksander pursed his lips and scoffed, "Nothing will get fucked up, my queen. I have you by my side."
"Your majesty," Henry approached Aleksander.
Elys peeked over her shoulders to see the old man lean towards Aleksander’s ear. It seemed like Henry was whispering something to him, and her curiosity shot up with the way her husband reacted.
"Marvelous," Aleksander clapped his hands. "Thank you, Henry."
What did Henry tell Aleksander to get him excited as such?
The young king turned to the crowd once more and was about to address them when suddenly he heard footsteps marching into the room. Aleksander focused his senses to the new arrivals, and noted they were not footsteps of clumsy nobilities.
They were steps taken with precision and years of training, agile and coordinated. The whole room turned quite as they listened in on what was approaching them.
From outside the room, everyone turned to see several men in complete uniform. Aleksander smiled at the sight. In front of the group of men was the person he actually was looking forward to speak to.
Count and Countess Farvar turned to see their son was leading a group of men into the High Court room. Their jaws dropped, as they didn’t think Wiriam had connections to make up a group of men who looked like they were trained militants.
"Son, what is the meaning of this?" Count Farvar asked, perplexed with the sudden arrival of his son. Not to mention it was utterly shocking to see him wear a uniform that the vampire kingdom had not seen before.
Aleksander stood up from his chair and the High Vampire Court instantly turned silent.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the night, I present to you our newly appointed Special Squad of Royal Knights! And the man that will lead them, Knight Commander Sir Wiriam Gilver Farvar," the young king announced. "Sir Wiriam, I am pleased to see that you have heeded the letter I sent you."
"Royal Knight?!" the crowds spoke in unison.
"He can’t become a Knight Commander!" someone yelled at the back. "He didn’t even serve the palace before, nor joined the knights in service! What are his qualifications?"
Wiriam’s eyes turned to the man that questioned his worthiness for the position Aleksander gave him.
With a swift movement, the vampire took several steps towards the other vampire. He closed in the gap in mere seconds, just a blink of an eye, and then he stood right in front of the man.
The crowd held their breath as suddenly, Wiriam flicked his arms to the side. Twin blades slid down his sleeves, and he instantly brought the weapons towards the vampire’s neck in a scissor-like form.
"What do you think of my weapon?" Wiriam asked the vampire that questioned him. "It curves to the back which if you can’t tell, has already locked your head for decapitation."
"You..." the vampire boiled with rage. "How dare you?"
Wiriam’s blades were precisely several millimeters away from the vampire’s neck. One wrong move and he wouldn’t just get nicked – he would definitely get beheaded.
"You dare to ask if I am worthy for the title, Knight Commander Moiser?" Wiriam asked, his voice menacing. "You couldn’t even step away from me."
Moiser’s heart beat wildly. He wasn’t stupid enough not to notice the immense mana that emanated from Wiriam. His eyes were dead serious, and Moiser couldn’t decide if Wiriam was going to kill him or not.
"Sir Wiriam, that is enough. Let Sir Moiser go." Aleksander’s voice echoed within the walls of the room.
He had stepped down from his throne and walked towards the commotion before him. Elys remained on her throne, watching how her husband would play things out.
Elys was confused why Aleksander chose the Farvar to be his new Kngiht Commander. She had actually listed the Farvars as dangerous.
They weren’t what they seem.
The Farvars were superficial.