Chapter 616 616 A Mystery Invitation
Chapter 616 616 A Mystery Invitation
616 616 A Mystery Invitation
While Minister William sent guards to recover the runner, everyone else’s attention turned to the three who had been forced out by the protective spell around the visitors.
The Foreigner gave them a sad look that was completely out of place on his demonic features, and then turned to his Butler for answers.
“I will keep them restrained in the town while we are occupied. You will have answers by the time we are finished.”
Two of them looked ready to run, but they were too close to the others to make it more than a few steps, but one of them dove into the dubious cover of the Palace’s barrier.
“Minister William, I request Asylum.” She shouted as she rolled to a stop at his feet.
Her servant’s dress was now filthy with road dirt and whatever other stains had collected on it, and the Castle Security Minister pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. This was not how a defection normally happened, and accepting it in front of the man she intended to betray was quite tasteless.
Not to mention what it might do to the negotiations between the two sides.
“I will consider your request with one condition. Before I stand to process your application, you have to tell me why you were forced from the protective barrier around your employer.” William replied.
“Technically, he is not my employer.” She mumbled.
William made a gesture, and Wolfe felt witch magic growing in the air as a spell was cast. The source was one of the Palace guards a dozen metres behind them, a middle-aged Satyr woman, who it seemed must be part witch.
The spell was familiar. A truth spell, Wolfe thought, recalling the day that the other Guardians had arrived at the Academy and Professor Ashcroft had cast the same spell.
“Explain.” Minister William demanded.
“My family has been in the employ of his for the last seventy-two generations. So, I am employed by the family directly, and not by the Minister. It has been determined by the family head that a more suitable successor to the position has been found, and it is my duty to ensure that he doesn’t return home alive.” She blurted out before she could stop herself.
“So, if you return home with him, your life is forfeit, but you can’t enter the palace while intending to kill him.” Wolfe noted.
The maid nodded, and the foreign Minister looked positively murderous.
“Who?” He demanded. “Who have they chosen to take my place?”
“Jessica. She is pregnant with your Great Uncle’s child, and he demanded a position for her among the court, so her child would be born with rank.”
There were tears running down the maid’s face as she was forced to answer, but the Minister only got one step forward before the spell over the Palace stopped him and he sighed.
Then he turned to the other two, who were frozen in place.
“Are you two in on it?” He demanded.
They both reluctantly nodded, forced by the truth spell.
“They have my children, and demanded that I finish the job if she screwed it up.” The other maid replied with no trace of remorse.
The remaining guard shrugged. “I was hired by Head Maid Gloria to find and kill the traitors in her staff.”
Wolfe leaned down to whisper in Rail’s ear.
“It’s like watching a soap opera. Betrayal, double-crossing, blackmail, the third party after them all. Someone could write a best-selling book on this level of drama.” He whispered.
Minister William had surprisingly good hearing, and he smirked at Wolfe’s words, while Rail shivered as Wolfe whispered in her ear. Her ears had always been sensitive, but the Magi’s presence, constantly leaking mana, didn’t help.
“Well, I guess that concludes my part in today’s drama, unless you need something else cast? My protective spells obviously aren’t malfunctioning, though I might have been optimistic to think that they would be sufficient when cast at my lowly rank, with such riveting intrigue being part of the normal day-to-day Palace life.” Wolfe informed the crowd.
Both Ministers gave Wolfe a dirty look, while the servants and guards deliberately looked anywhere but at Wolfe and their bosses. There wasn’t much they could say to that, the drama in every Royal Palace across the entire Demon Realm tended to be at extreme levels, and here with the boy king and his council of advisors in charge, it was generally accepted to be even more wild than most, as there was no Demon King level aura to keep everyone under control.
Sure, he had the position, but not the power level. In fact, most Kingdoms didn’t have a Demon King, they simply didn’t appear that often. Then, when they did appear, they always got grand dreams of expanding beyond the Demon Realms, forgetting that they would be weakened outside their own territories, which inevitably led to them getting killed by some do-gooder Hero.
“Don’t leave yet.” Minister William instructed before Wolfe could fly away on him.
William carefully straightened his suit, as if it would put the chaos of the morning behind him, before he continued.
“We will consider the asylum request. The other two are up to their employer to deal with. Then you may proceed into the Palace to begin the meetings. Mister Noxus and Investigator Rail, will you kindly wait in the Rosefinch sitting room?” William finished.
The visiting Minister waved a hand and four guards escorted the maid and guard who had been pushed out of the barrier away, while everyone else loaded into the carriages to let Minister William lead them inside.
“Where is the Rosefinch sitting room?” Wolfe asked Rail after everyone else had left.
“In the Royal quarters. It is the sitting room for those who are going to have a personal meeting with the queen, or a member of the harem, for Kings who have one. These days it’s mostly unused.” She replied.
“How interesting. I wonder who we get to visit? It’s a good thing that we dressed up for the occasion.”