After a few days, Cullen ran fifty laps around the dukedom, and Hansel copied the Holy Scriptures fifty times as punishment. Zilant went to the palace with Enya to speak with the Emperor.
Once they arrived at the palace, Zilant entered the Main Hall first.
"Zilant… I had only asked you to confirm whether the Phoenix Heir was real…" Regnar said sternly, narrowing his eyes. "Why then did I hear rumors that you may have murdered the High Priest?"
Zilant bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty, it seems the truth behind the High Priest's death has not yet reached you. I did not murder him," Zilant answered.
Regnar rested his chin on his hand, elbow propped against the armrest.
"What do you mean?"
"I would like to summon the last person who met with the High Priest. This person can explain more than I…"
Regnar nodded and waved his hand.
"Go ahead… Who is it?"
"Enya Fraye," Zilant replied.
Enya walked in, standing behind Zilant. She caught sight of a man cowering behind a pillar and smirked.
"Is that the messenger of the Tigers?" she asked casually.
Zilant glanced at the same man and nodded.
"It is."
"So that's the priest who harmed the High Priest and tried to frame us?" Enya mused.
"I didn't poison him! You did!" the priest suddenly shouted.
Enya's eyes widened as she stared at him.
"Poisoned? I never mentioned poison…" Her lips curved into a sly smile.
The priest broke into a sweat, heart racing. He looked between the Emperor and Zilant before jabbing his finger at Zilant.
"It was him! He wanted to hide that he possessed a massive amount of aura!" he stammered.
Regnar's eyes fixed on Zilant.
"Zilant, is this true?" he pressed. "That you… actually have an aura?"
Zilant lowered his head and nodded.
"Your Majesty, I do… but not a massive amount. I can barely control it. If anything—"
"Liar! The orb does not lie! His aura was massive! The orb surged more violently than with anyone else!" the priest screeched.
Enya stormed up to him, her steps sharp, making him shrink back.
"I was there… I saw it myself. If Commander truly had such an overwhelming aura, then why didn't the High Priest mention it in his letter before his death?" she demanded.
"He did! Before you forced him to—"
"Really? Then why did he say something else to me… when we were alone?" Enya narrowed her eyes, glare cutting through him.
"A-Alone?"
"He handed me this… saying that you slipped it into his drink just before we met with him at the altar," Enya said, flicking a handbag of herbs.
The priest gasped, collapsing to the ground. Zilant and Regnar stared at Enya's hand.
"What is that?" Regnar asked.
Enya looked at him and smiled.
"This… this is just a regular poison that he used when he added some to the High Priest's drink before we met. Moonshade… only found in the land of the Tigers," Enya explained.
The priest staggered, shaking his head. He turned to Regnar.
"Your Majesty, this man is lying! He was the last one to meet with the High Priest!" the priest blurted.
Enya's lips curved wider as she knelt beside him.
"How did you know I was the only one he met? If I remember correctly, he dismissed everyone before speaking to me… alone," she asked, her tone sinister.
The priest suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine as a menacing, devouring presence seemed to overshadow Enya in the entire room. He gasped, crawling backward, eyes wide.
"You… you're a monster…" he whispered.
Enya snickered, standing tall.
"Monster? Are you just calling me that because I'm right? You were the one spying in the Temple… the one the High Priest warned me to be wary of?"
The priest scrambled hurriedly toward the stair steps before Regnar.
"Your Majesty… this man is evil… He's evil!" he screamed, unable to explain why.
Zilant stepped forward, glaring at the priest.
"You're wrong… This man… is a woman," Zilant revealed. "And… she got the High Priest's token when we left the Temple. Because of that, she revealed to us that the Temple had planned on harming the High Priest and us…"
The priest shook his head excessively. Regnar paused, staring at Enya. He wanted to be upset at her for being a woman, but the greater matter was the High Priest's death.
"A woman in the knight?!"
"That's insane. How did His Grace allow a woman to join his knightly army?"
"He didn't… I disguised myself because I knew he would reject me. But, does that really matter?" Enya asked, looking at the nobles with a dumbfounded expression. "This priest just poisoned his own master, the High Priest. This could cause a war to break out between both parties… And you, here screaming 'woman in the knight.' At least… I've protected my Commander on the way out of there. What have you done?"
"Protected? Zilant!" Regnar stared at Zilant.
Zilant bowed calmly and sighed.
"They had knights everywhere, ready to ambush… One arrow managed to get closer to us with the force of an aura user…" Zilant explained.
The room filled with gasps as everyone glared at the priest.
"I…"
"Enya… She jumped in front of the arrow and took it for me, which explains why I stayed in the dukedom for a week…" he finished.
Regnar clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
"How dare they…? They planned this scheme!" he shouted in fury, grabbing the scroll from the Tiger's Den and slamming it at the priest.
The priest whimpered, panting.
"Your Majesty… this is a false accusation—"
"Really? Then what is the real story, Priest…" Enya smirked.
The priest shuddered, trembling in fear as she stepped forward. Her overwhelming glare swallowed him whole as sweat ran down his face.
"I… I don't know!"
"Who's the sly snake in your den?" Enya added. "Could it be… you?"
"No! I would never betray the High Priest!"
"But you did… you slipped this into his tea before he met us… he even told me," Enya snickered. "Or could it be… someone ordered you to frame us and kidnap the Phoenix Heir when the High Priest confirmed his aura?"
Everyone gasped.
"The Phoenix Heir had an aura?!"
Zilant furrowed his eyebrows. The High Priest didn't confirm his aura… he only confirmed the identity of his Phoenix blood.
Enya turned slightly to Zilant, smiling. Don't worry, Zilant. Your aura is just for you and me to know.
"No! He didn't even touch the orb! The High Priest lied!"
Another ripple of surprises.
"How dare you accuse a man with a reputation like the High Priest of being a liar?!" a nobleman condemned.
"Yeah! The High Priest was a nobleman!"
Regnar slammed his hand on the armchair, standing before them all.
"As a priest who followed the High Priest and the Emperor of the Nation, I sentence you to death—and it will happen tomorrow!" Regnar furiously demanded.
The priest's body limped away.
"How do you know if that was the one used before he was poisoned?! You could be lying!" the priest argued.
Enya covered her lips, giggling.
"You're right… I could be…" Enya admitted.
Zilant frowned, groaning. She's doing it again. Zilant lowered his head, smiling silently. You were always so good at protecting yourself.
"What?! Do you take us as fools?" a noble asked.
"No! But if she didn't want to, she would have laughed at your face," a voice echoed in the Main Hall.
Everyone turned to look. A man, six feet tall, wearing a blue robe and a uniglass.
Enya watched him with narrowed eyes.
Zilant, beside her, stared at Kahni in equal parts suspicion and curiosity. How does this person know Enya? How does Enya know him? he thought.
"What brings the Great Magician to my humble Empire?" Regnar asked seriously.
The man… Kahni. He smiled.
"I came because an innocent life was being tampered with by lies… so I came to protect that," he pretended to weep.
Enya groaned, frowning.
"Good grief…" she muttered, rolling her eyes with annoyance prickling. Why did he come like he deserves a standing ovation?
Kahni instantly whimpered as he looked at Enya. She looked away, keeping her expression controlled. The hall buzzed. Everyone stared at them, confused.
Zilant's stare on Kahni hardened. He's nearly forty and looks twenty… he noted inwardly, wary
"How do you know this…?" Regnar paused.
"Young lady? Ah, she was my bodyguard's student! She's quite feisty, but I like that!" Kahni winked at Enya. The gesture didn't affect her at all.
Regnar stared at Kahni and Enya. How is that possible? A nobody who lied to join the Dragon Knights? What is she up to? a murmur ran through the nobles.
"Are you saying… she was granted the opportunity to learn under you and your bodyguard?!" a nobleman screeched.
Enya sighed heavily, turning to him.
"Why did you come? I didn't need your help!"
"Come on… I just want to see you! I heard that my dear friend got injured and is now being interrogated by a lying schemer," Kahni said, glaring at the priest. He held his hand up, circling orbs in the air. "How dare you and your people hurt my little friend?"
Enya pushed his head back with her finger, orbs vanishing. Everyone dropped their jaws, watching this.
"Stop! You're going to make him want to kill himself. He already admitted that he poisoned the High Priest," Enya declared.
"B-But… Enya!"
"Leave. I didn't ask for you…" she frowned.
Kahni flopped dramatically to the floor, clutching his chest.
"My heart… I've been rejected over and over again…"
Rejected?! Zilant stared at Kahni, incredulous. He's nearly forty years old! He only looks like he's twenty!
Kahni peeked under his robe and locked eyes with Zilant, flashing a sly smile. Kahni read the look and felt the faint prick of amusement. That face… a face full of love and jealousy. He's not here to steal her away. Just curious about the man who finally makes our little phoenix spark.
Kahni jumped up and walked to Zilant. Zilant instinctively took a step back, surprised.
"You must be her commander. Right?" Kahni asked.
Zilant shivered as Kahni curved his lips slyly. Enya's jaw tightened. She stomped toward them, grabbed Kahni by the robe, and pulled him away from Zilant.
"Yes… he is! The focus is on this priest!" she demanded.
Kahni chuckled, nodding as he obeyed.
"Yes, yes… this liar, who I got witnesses confirming that he was the last one to bring the drink to the High Priest," Kahni revealed, slapping a few papers out of his hand. The papers contained the testimonies of other priests and their thumbprints.
The Head Butler gasped, walked down the stairs to grab the papers, then sprinted back up and handed them to Regnar.
"These are the names of the other priests… who followed the High Priest…"
Regnar read each of them, clenching the papers tightly as he reached the last one. Are they trying to start a war with this scheme? Who came up with this plan?!
"How dare you frame the poisoning on the empire?! Do you wish to be exterminated?!" Regnar threatened.
The hall fell silent, nobles shrinking back from his wrath.
"N-No, Your Majesty! Why would the Great Magician meddle in the human world?!" the priest stammered.
"Why not? My lovely bodyguard's student is in danger," Kahni pouted, blinking at Enya.
Enya blew a raspberry, groaning.
"I'm not in danger… now stop acting like this. It gives me the chills," she said, giving Kahni a light kick.
The noblemen and Regnar watched them like a show, unsure how to react to Kahni's reputation. Enya collected herself and sighed, returning her attention to the matter at hand.
"Before executing him, send a letter to the Tiger's King. Let him have a few words before you take any action… There could be someone who would twist your words if that doesn't happen," she warned.
"And who could that be?" Regnar questioned suspiciously.
"Isn't it obvious, Commander?" Enya asked Zilant.
Zilant swallowed, feeling the implication settle cold in his chest.
"Sylvanstian…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 🪶 🔥 Princess, Don't Waver ❄️ 🐉 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~