Chapter 457: Audience
Chapter 457: Audience
Emery used his spirit reading abilities one more time and he found Gwen standing inside the Camelot palace. Instantly, he then used the wizard emblem as a way to bypass all of the knights standing guard outside. Whizzing past them, he entered the castle.
He then trudged on, walking through the long corridors of the palace until he finally reached the main hall. Inside, dozens of knights were having an audience with the King of Logress.
Emery was quite surprised to see the group of knights that had gathered in front of both the Pendragon King and Prince. He was taken aback upon seeing that these knights wore the red and gold emblem of the Lioness kingdom on their cloaks. He recognizes most of them: Marc, Lucas, Yvain and the young Fantumar, Abe.
The knights were led by the golden-haired beauty, who wore her combat armor confidently and, as she stood at the front of the group, an assertive and authoritative energy emanated from her.
It suddenly hit him – the sight of these knights congregating in this way seemed as if the incident in Lioness never happened at all.
Seeing the seriousness of this meeting, Emery decided to observe quietly on the back.
With a self-assured expression, the beautiful girl then began to address the king.
“Your Majesty,” she began. “Standing in front of you right now are the knights that are ready to support the kingdom of Logress. Even more of them will arrive at tomorrow’s ceremony.”
Arthur, who was standing next to the king, then piped up.
“I have already talked with each of them and they have agreed to support us to the fullest extent, father,” he addressed the king in a direct manner. He looked at him with an insistent expression on his face. “The appearance of the rest of them tomorrow will be beneficial for our goal.”
However, King Uther Pendragon did not seem all that impressed. He propped his hand under his chin, eyes glazed over with a kind of dismissiveness.
“Princess Gwenneth,” he said curtly. “Pardon me, but I still do not understand why you won’t just accept our marriage proposal.”
The beautiful princess was stunned for a second. It was Arthur who broke the silence that hung in the air. He stepped closer towards his father and began to object, voice raised.
“Father, we have talked about this. Why do you insist on bringing this forward again?”
“Yes, yes!” The king responded in an exasperated manner, waving his hand in the air dismissively. “My apologies, princess. It’s just that I don’t understand. Any other woman would go crazy for the prince, with his dashing good looks and fighting prowess. No other man could compare to him.” The king talks in a condescending manner toward her.
Upon hearing this statement leave his father’s lips, the prince’s expression immediately dissolved into annoyance. He was just about to protest, when all of a sudden Gwen interrupted.
“Your Majesty, I am sure such a prestigious kingdom like Logress would not need a royal marriage to gain any political leverage.” She said this calmly, her manner completely composed.
The knights behind her shifted uncomfortably, feeling as though they were intruding on a conversation they should not be hearing.
The energy King Uther emitted was completely different from King Richard’s; after all, the old king was the knight commander of the divine order. He had a fearsome aura about him that would unsettle even the most senior knight, but Gwen didn’t seem to be afraid to talk back.
Gwen’s words surprisingly didn’t anger King Uther, though. Instead, he was amused, his eyes lit up as he smirked. “Hahaha! You see, Arthur, even with the condition that Lioness is in, this girl has the courage”
Gwen bowed slightly and, with a polite smile, she said, “I am grateful for such kind words, your majesty.”
The king laughed as he stretched up from his throne, officially bidding a warm welcome to the knights standing before him. After some encouraging remarks, he assured the group that he and Arthur would use all their power to protect and aid them.
Lastly, the king turned towards Gwen again to deliver a final request. “Princess, can you at least do us one favor, then?”
“Yes, your majesty,” she replied.
“Please don’t come wearing armor for tomorrow,” he said. “I need you to come as a dashing princess, wearing a beautiful gown. Can you please do that?”
As she heard this, Gwen grew quiet. She simply nodded, slightly unenthusiastically, before turning around to leave the great hall.
Once outside, Emery walked out from the pillar he was standing behind, abruptly stopping her in her tracks.
This quickly brought joy to the princess’s face. Emery saw the pace of her steps increase, clearly ready to jump on him in a tight embrace, but upon remembering the knights that surrounded her she suddenly stopped.
Yvain, Abe and a few knights recognized him as both Emery and Lanzo. They didn’t say anything in response to his sudden appearance, but Emery could tell through their body language they were glad to see him.
Out of all of them, Abe was the fastest one to understand the situation and quickly asked to leave and, in reply, Gwen nodded. Everyone, even Yvain, left the princess alone with Emery.
When everyone had cleared out, Gwen was able to step closer towards him.
“What took you so long?” She said softly, eyes beaming.
“I am sorry, it took longer than I had thought.”
The girl’s face split into a bright grin. “As long as you are here now, it’s all forgiven.”
Not long after, a group of knights emerged in the distance. They were chattering amongst themselves and, although they seemed unaware of the pair’s presence, they were headed their way. Gwen took another step closer and dropped her voice down to a whisper.
“Too many eyes…” She murmured, looking Emery in the eyes. They were sparkling with an excitement that softened his heart. “Take me away please, Oh Great Wizard.”
He smiled slightly, a warm feeling blooming in his chest. “Where to, Oh Fair Princess?”
“Any place… Away from all of this will do.”
Emery interlocked his fingers with hers and he opened a gate with his free hand, leading her inside.
After passing two gates, the two arrived on the hill overlooking the Lioness harbor. Gwen was surprised to see the place he took her and with a teasing smile, she said “Wow, why here, what are you planning to do now?
———————————-
Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,