Koul stiffened up on the spot. His eyes were glued to his wives, scrutinizing them without batting a lash.
They were all beautiful women. Although with varying features and shapes, it didn't diminish their beauty.
The knight who escorted Koul over noticed him lost and immediately drew near.
"Your majesty, please concentrate,"
He whispered to Koul, bringing him out of his reveries.
Had he let Koul stare any longer, the other kings and the people would've started wondering and caught on.
Koul regained himself. His heart was pounding because he was nervous the system might slap him a penalty for this.
After all, the real Koul should've already seen his wives and there was no way in hell he was going to get lost staring at them.
"Please step forward," the knight whispered to him again.
Koul was still outside the coliseum and needed to go in to announce his presence.
He stepped forward and the moment he entered, his knights, wives, the maids, the palace workers and even the other kings and their people, all stood to greet him.
It was a sign of respect and a tradition whether or not they liked it. No matter how reluctant they might be, they had to.
Although there were no punishment or any penalties should this not be carried out, it was a tradition they all carried with respect.
But… despite knowing this, the regulars from the village refused to stand up and greet Koul.
Their hatred for him shone more than their fear. They were adamant and reluctant.
Rather than stand up to greet and acknowledge Koul, they awkwardly averted their gazes.
The atmosphere turned dark and tense.
The other kings, all with no exception were quite pleased. They couldn't be more glad seeing Koul's very own people reject him.
It was an amusing sight that satisfied their hearts.
Fools, Koul cursed in his mind. He couldn't care less about their blatant disrespect. And there wasn't any task, so he couldn't bother himself with them.
He was ready to continue his walk, but the knight behind, the one he still quite hated, thought differently.
As Koul moved to continue on, he tugged at his clothes.
"Your majesty."
Koul paused, tilting slightly to gaze at him.
"Pardon me," he said and stepped forward, overtaking Koul's place at the front.
Without a word, he turned toward where their knights sat. They were all looking, watching to see how things would unfold.
But this knight, the vice captain, wasn't one to sit idly and watch something wrong unfold in his presence.
"Soldiers!" He yelled loud and clear, making sure his voice reached them and beyond.
Everyone's attention was drawn. The kings watched quietly, still standing. Koul's wives also watched quietly.
"Draw your swords," he commanded.
His voice was cold, but the thick authority beneath it couldn't be disputed.
Instantly, all the knights drew their swords, rippling a sharp PIU sound across the coliseum.
The villagers, Koul's subjects, started recoiling. Their eyes were darting here and there, the fear now burning bright.
"My kings," the knight, also the vice captain, turned to the kings standing. "I apologize for taking out of your moments to do this. But please bear with me, for this kind of disrespect cannot be tolerated here in Munrhal."
By now, gasps and murmurs had started echoing, filling the coliseum. Even the knights who had obediently drawn their swords were confused.
They could remember their vice captain disliking the king, yet, why was he the one now standing up for him?
If it were up to them, most of them wouldn't have drawn their swords. But an order was an order.
The vice captain turned back to the knights, and ordered calmly.
"Anyone who doesn't stand up to acknowledge our king….. slaughter them!"