"May I speak plainly, Your Majesty?" Laheir asked.
"You may," ca the king’s response.
"Did you truly an what you said in the throne room?"
"If you’re referring to when I said Ragnar would make a good leader, then yes," Zeriel replied evenly. "He’s proven that fact many tis over, all on his own. Good work deserves recognition, don’t you think?"
"But the nobles are talking," Laheir said gravely. "Rumors are spreading faster than usual." He remained bowed as he spoke, and when he finally straightened, the solemnity in his expression mirrored the weight of his words.
"I’m sure they are. It’s what they do best, after all," Zeriel replied offhandedly. He barely spared Laheir a glance as he stood on his wide balcony, his gaze fixed on the bustling activity below, the steady flow of guards and servants moving through the palace grounds.
"I questioned a few of the general and courtiers and none of them were even aware that Prince Ragnar was mobilizing troops for a military operation until he returned with captured rebels." Laheir said, pausing when he was just a few steps away from the king. "And now the courtiers are wondering why you are condoning his unauthorized use of military troops."
" There was nothing unauthorized about it. I gave him the order to do it and he ca back as victorious as always. They should have better things to do than wasting ti picking apart his actions." Zeriel spoke without turning to look back at his chief adviser.
Laheir was taken aback by the king’s words. He couldn’t recall a ti when Zeriel had ever so openly rushed to defend any of his sons and the fact that he was doing so for Ragnar made it all the more startling.
People would see this as the king favoring his bastard over his three legitimate sons, and that perception alone would be enough to enrage many, especially the queen.
Laheir bowed his head again.
"Forgive , your majesty. I an no disrespect, I was rely recounting sentints that I have heard repeatedly expressed by so of the nobles over the past few days" He said, making sure to tread carefully. "But why keep it a secret from the court?" Laheir asked and this was finally what got the king’s attention.
Zeriel turned away from the sight he had been focused on to regard his chief advisor properly.
" Ragnar brought sothing interesting to my attention recently. He suspects that soone within the court has been directly working with the rebels and feeding them valuable information." King Zeriel’s words might have been casual but the look in his eyes was anything but.
" Then it seems that years of battle have made the prince deeply paranoid. No sensible noble would willingly associate themselves with the likes of those rebel criminals." Laheir said, making sure to inject as much distaste into his words as purpose.
" I thought the sa way at first. " Zeriel said. "But then again, Ragnar is rarely wrong about such things. It reminded of all our past failed attempts to locate their campsites and apprehend them. No special forces were even needed this ti, just a troop of soldiers and Ragnar’s clever leadership."
Zeriel gradually stepped away from the balcony and Laheir hurried to move out of the way as he returned back into the room. "The only thing we did differently was keep everyone else in the dark as he ambushed the campsites and the results made believe that his suspicions were correct."
Despite still keeping his eyes downcast, Laheir could still feel the king’s gaze searing his skin like a hot brand.
He looked up then and t Zeriel’s gaze confidently. A man that had nothing to hide stood straight and did not avoid making eye contact. That was the type of man Laheir aid to portray.
"What will be the next course of action if this ends up being true? Do you have people you suspect already, your majesty?"
Zeriel’s eyes turned contemplative as he fell silent and in that mont, Laheir felt like he was being tested even when the king had yet to mutter another word.
"Do you recall when your son’s na was being linked with the rebellion? There were rumors that he directly aided the first rebel faction when it erged." The king said, and despite the gravity of the words leaving his mouth, his tone was still oddly conversational.
"All of which we proved ti and ti again, were nothing more than baseless rumours started by malicious people to sar my son’s image. My family offered irrefutable evidence that proved Yannick’s innocence." Laheir responded. He reminded himself to remain calm regardless of what the king threw at him.
After all, when he decided to speak with the king today, he braced himself for sothing like this happening, for his loyalty to the crown to be called into question. It wouldn’t do his predicant any good if he couldn’t manage his composure in a ti like this.
" Ah, you did. But," the king’s voice suddenly changed into sothing Laheir had only heard a few tis in his life before. " Perhaps we were too quick to drop the case entirely."
Laheir’s entire body stiffened as shock and anger ford a toxic mixture in his veins.
" What are you insinuating, your majesty?" Laheir asked.
Anyone else would have been punished instantly for such perceived insolence and for asking the king a question like that. But Laheir wasn’t just anyone. He was the most powerful person in Lamora, second to the king alone. He had influence enough to rival that of the queen.
Zeriel gave him a hard look. " I’m going to personally look into the matter and I will find out who among the courtiers has been helping the enemy. I will make sure they stand trial for their cris and be punished appropriately for it."
And Laheir knew that the king ant every word, he could see it written plainly in the look in his eyes and in the rigid set of his jaw.
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