Six out of eight seats were taken. Not a single one replied. Not Karakal, not Canti, not Burgundy himself. The two other two seemed to prefer quite than meaningless squabble. That made them worse.
Duke Justitia for example. A judge. Yet packed with brawn. Wearing a huge white cape made of linen, with a hammer-shaped gold necklace hanging from his neck. Shallow - the only thing he knew about the judge.
The other one: 'The Eyes'. Entirely different thing. He unsettled him the most.
No one knew what lay behind 'The Eyes' dark long coat. A criminal, A bastard, or worse - A mimick: abomination wearing human skin.
Only the king held the truth.
Although, one man was missing.
"The new guy… where is he?" Canti asked, leaning forward.
"Ah… someone didn't see me. You wound me, Duke Snake"
"!"
Burgundy jolted, rising to his feet. A voice. One he had never heard before. Echoing through the chamber. He was not alone in his shock - Canti's eyes stared intently at the newcomer. While Arthur's palm crushed his armrest into splinters.
A man. Dressed in Tuxedo. A mask of black and white cut in the middle. Sinister. Especially the shapes: The black half smiled, while the other half saddened.
"STATE YOUR BUSINESS… CLOWN" Arthur roared, raising his sword.
"I suppose…" the man shifted, devoid of fear the man bowed after "…introduction are in order. I am joker. You may call me joker. A man. A marquis. And a newcomer. But soon, your ally in court. It was nice to meet you… friends"
Voice. Just voice. Was enough to quacked his knees. He was duke Burgundy - one who played with men like Karakal and Canti. A psycho thrived in schemes. He never shook. Never worried. Never back down from a challenge. Except this one time, even his bones agreed. He chose to sit. To hide, to mask his trembling knees.
"Sit down. General" Another sound. A sudden contest of creepiness. It was a Rasp. Made of someone who was choking their own throat. His attention ran, looking for the source of the noise. The Eyes? Was he talking?
"My Master. Is Coming"
Yes. 'The Eyes' - somewhere beneath the dark cape - was a mouth, throwing verdicts every time it opened. And master. 'The Eyes' was calling the king master. That means…
Burgundy's eyes darted to one particular chair. The biggest. White human skull adorning the armrest, contrast against the rest. The king's throne. It had never occurred to his mind before but…
Was it real? The skull?
Before he knew it, his hand was checking his own throat. Death. He understood why the tyrant had left both imperial blades to guard that meaningless door. They had never been a threat - all six. Even the mysterious joker. No wonder. They were sitting in the same table as the king's hidden executioner.
What deed he had he done to stumble into such predicament?
By how he withdrew, Arthur seemed to agree. He leaned against the seat, finger tapping the armrest like an eagle losing its beak. Clang! A sword thrown to the side - Abrupt. Reeking of anger. A general would always be a general.
Luckly, they wouldn't need to wait for long.
The shadow bend first, slithering into the shape of a men. A footstep, growing large as the darkness stepped close, chaining his breath inside. His sight drifted. Sweat drowning his temple as his gaze fell upon the crown. Ring of gold clattered with jewels. And one black pearl in the middle - dark and ominous, like a pupil. No…It was a pupil.
The demon king was known to have the greatest eyes in the universe, able to see the future.
So that was the reason they parade his head with empty eye sockets.
Instead of a serene smile, a chilling grin spread across the king's face. The tyrant stepped close. His coat made of chimera fur scraping the floor. Loud, as to clawing the floor, begging to be released from its torment. It halted before the last empty seat, fit for his broad shoulder.
The halt. It was their sign.
Like dolls, they all stood. Straight. Tightened by an imaginary thread directly to the king's hands. The king tilted his head, left-to right observing every twitch of muscle: who was nervous, who was afraid, who had even a bit of thought of foul. Burgundy huffed after the king nod. Close.
"At ease"
They all bowed, leaning back to the seat with reverence.
"So…"
First word. yet, Burgundy's plan scrapped the linen of his trousers.
"…. Tell me."
Arthur rose first, resting his sword in the table with a thud.
"The demons has been eradicated, my liege. According to the plan"
No words, the king only nodded.
"Their women became slaves, their male became labor, their general killed and their queen beheaded. Her infant burned before her eyes"
"Heh~"
A chuckle, drowned under the crackling torch. Burgundy was no deaf man. Atrocious, how much torment would the king gave to their poor soul?
"Burgundy!"
His ears perked, dragging his stomach up. He forced his knees to hold, bending his bones. In a split second, he noticed 'The Eyes' glancing at him. Obey, it spoke. He could feel a knife brushing against his throat - playing with the flap back and forth.
"Yes, Your majesty" He bowed. The next words made his heart churned
"….Take the slaves, use them as you see fit, sell them as u see fit, and disposed of them as you see fit. Hide them from the church, as you hide all those fat beneath your skin"
Chandelier - his first thought as he licked his lips. But inside, he wanted to crack his own skull, throwing the brain away. Since when he became like Karakal. Was he conviction to lineage fell nothing in the face of imaginable amount of gold?