The three ministers were dispersed, and they left the King's Court with orders in their hands. As soon as they left, Arthur's eyes slowly shifted towards Sieg.
"So Sieg, I'm sorry for holding you up here for too long. Have dinner here today and get some rest. Maybe explore your own territory, and after a few days come back with Count Volsung with you."
Arthur had forgotten to notice how hard Sieg was working. Aside from being his secretary, he also completed a fair share of Arthur's administrative tasks. But he was also paid a hefty sum for it. Enough to have a meal in an excellent and extravagant restaurant thrice a month. Thus,
It was now evening, and the King's Court had been closed down for the day. Arthur was checking upon the decrypted parts of the ledger. It showed massive amounts of Stellarium being imported from different countries other than Stella, at prices even higher than the initial cost of a normal Stellarium jewel.
Arthur knew what it meant, and Sieg pointed it out as well.
"If this ledger is correct, it means they don't want us to know they're doing something. But doing this would of course put other kingdoms on alert."
But if this information was true, Arthur tapped on the ledger notes while thinking. He closed his eyes to visualize the problem before him, but soon found no answer. Arthur couldn't decide whether it was a brilliant move or not.
But one thing was clear. This matter clearly needed intervention. Yet one thing still bothered him: the name of the Kingdom. The spymaster did say that it was from a count of another kingdom, but he didn't specifically mention their name because it could leak before he could gather complete intel.
Arthur was also worried about the authenticity of the information because he didn't know the spymaster's intentions. Unlike the ministers or Sieg, who were within his sight, the spymaster and his spy network were outside Arthur's radar. Arthur had no choice but to trust the given information and act upon it since he had to rely on the spy network his ancestors had already established. Creating a new network would be extremely useless and an utter waste of time as well as resources. Arthur finally opened his eyes and asked Sieg to rush the decryption of the ledger.
With this, the time came for dinner. As Sieg had told the Chef to hold back on the poison, the food today was less spiced since there was no need to mask the taste of poison. Arthur did notice the change in flavor and immediately suspected this, as when a person tastes less, they are usually ill. Still, to verify his suspicion, he asked Sieg about the taste since he had also dined with Arthur a few times before.
"Sieg, do you notice something off in the food today?"
Hearing this immediately perked Sieg's ears as he looked upon the food. He was under the impression that despite orders, poison had been added to the food. That was why the food tasted more bland than usual. Sieg still faced Arthur with complete normalcy while believing that both of them had been poisoned.
"It does taste somewhat bland today. I think... more unflavorful."
Arthur said nothing and continued eating while the head butler quietly left the room and entered the kitchen, where he met the head chef and confirmed the matter. He then quietly returned to the dining hall, and both Arthur and Sieg noticed him.
Finally, dinner was finished and Sieg proceeded to ride his steed late into the night. Even though Arthur had asked him to stay the night, he still left. But instead of rushing like the wind, this time his steed was swift but silent, as Sieg was thinking about how he should answer his father.
he lived in a house in the surrounding area, and he could be summoned whenever required since his standing was important.
After riding for a few hours, he once again found himself before the gates of the Volsung estate. Every instinct in his body told him to run away. His brain told him that nothing good would come out of returning here. His heart told him to run far away from the Volsungs. But he knew that no matter where he ran, his father would eventually find him. If only he had not been the last born.
Sieg reluctantly dragged himself through the gardens and halls of the estate. It seemed that the Hounds of Volsung were absent today. But the eldest brother, who was walking past the staircase, noticed him and slowly started walking down. Sieg was paralyzed in place and couldn't even move. Until the eldest descended the staircase and stood before him, Sieg wasn't able to move at all.
His face was filled with terror, his eyes darting around for a way out. His brain forced itself to move his feet, but none of it seemed to work.
The eldest was much more peaceful than the Hounds. He tried to meet Sieg's gaze, but Sieg wouldn't even look at him.
"My dear brother is home once again. It fills me with utmost joy. Don't you feel happy that your brother is here just to meet you?"
The eldest said this while maliciously staring into Sieg's darting eyes. Sieg quietly nodded without making a sound.
"Father is also waiting for you. Don't keep him waiting."
Saying this, he quietly sent Sieg off, and automatically Sieg's feet started moving again, taking him towards his father's room once more. He knocked on the door, and from the other side he was granted permission to enter.
Sieg entered and once again saw the head of the family, but this time there was a sword placed in front of him.
"Siegfried, has the King been killed yet? Or have you come here to waste my time?"
Sieg tried to speak with his trembling voice.
"Father —"
He couldn't even say the word father properly. His teeth were shaking with fear. But his father was not ready to tolerate this moment of weakness. He instantly gave him an ultimatum.
"Speak or die. Choose!"
Sieg took a deep breath and finally spoke.
"Arthur has asked you to be present in the Royal Palace with me. He wanted to talk about your tax exemption."
The head folded his hands and started thinking while staring menacingly at Sieg.
"Consider yourself lucky. I cannot bring him my dead son's corpse."
Sieg just stood there, saying absolutely nothing, until his father had to speak once again.
"LEAVE!"
The head of the Volsung family shouted at the top of his lungs, forcing Sieg to leave the room.
As Sieg left the study, he was once again greeted by his eldest brother.
"Too bad father has given orders to keep you intact. But of course, I won't allow anyone to raise their hands on my brother anymore. Instead, you'll do it yourself."
The eldest handed him a glass of wine with a powder mixed into it right before Sieg's eyes. It was indeed the same poison he used on Arthur.
"I'm sure my brother is thirsty after such a long journey. He would like something to drink. Don't worry, I've prepared some fine red wine for you."
Sieg took the red wine and drank it in one sip, and when he was done he gasped for air. He looked at himself, realizing nothing had happened.
He was completely normal.
The eldest looked at Sieg with a smile.
"You thought it was poison, didn't you? As I said, you are my younger brother. Of course I won't let you drink poison."
He continued.
"Not yet, at least."
Saying this, he retreated, leaving Sieg alone in the halls. His heart started beating so rapidly that his chest began to flutter. His breathing wouldn't stop, and his hands had grown ice cold. Eventually, he passed out on the spot.
Meanwhile, Arthur was calculating his next plan of action. Arthur needed to get his life back on track. Every early morning before the days leading up to his coronation, he used to practice swordsmanship and mana training without fail. But many overwhelming circumstances had stacked one on top of another.
A unit had already been sent to track the carriage location from both Daramten's and Arthur's side. And the first unit dispatched towards Baron Laron's territory had left today. Thus, Arthur was awaiting reports from both.
He had also crafted letters of summons to everyone involved in the tax exemption matter. He needed to have a serious discussion with them. Arthur carefully wrote his words before finally stamping the letters with the Royal Seal and red wax. He then handed them over to the head butler, whom he knew was a traitor, and asked him to get them delivered. It didn't matter if the letters were opened and their contents seen.
Arthur decided that he would once again begin following his daily routine. He motivated himself with the thought that he would become the greatest ruler their kingdom had ever seen.
Finally, he went to sleep.