The air in the council chamber thickened the moment Alaric walked in. Everyone stood up and bowed their heads as he headed straight to the chair at the head of the long rectangular table. After he settled in his seat, he ran his gaze all over the people at the table. Sharp intakes of breath can be heard from the people present there under his watchful eyes. No one dared to even breathe the wrong way.
"Chancellor Westhall." Alaric addressed the chancellor.
At being mentioned, Westhall doesn't waste another moment and is immediately by Alaric's side, bowing his head.
"Your Majesty! How may I serve you?"
"Could you do me the honor of retelling the course of events of my father's death?" Though Alaric questioned politely, his tone of voice was far from polite. It was as if he was daring everyone in the room to lie to him so that he could behead them without blinking.
Chancellor Westhall couldn't help but swallow thickly. With his head still bowed a little, he began to recount the events from his memory.
"His majesty the k— former king passed away in his sleep. The day before, he had his usual schedule. We discussed some political matters and some financial matters, and by night, his majesty had his dinner and went to sleep just fine."
Alaric leaned back on his chair and focused on the royal doctor this time.
"Doctor Fenric! What was the condition of my father prior to his death?"
Fenric lowered his gaze.
"Other than showing signs of aging, His Majesty didn't have any illness that I know of."
Alaric cocked his eyebrows.
"Aging?"
"Yes! Your Majesty." Fenric nodded his head.
"May I ask what signs exactly?" Alaric fixed his gaze on the doctor intensely. The last time he saw his father was six months ago, when he came to visit Alaric at Draevor. A state where Alaric had been staying for the past 4 years for military and political education.
His father was perfectly fine at that time. He was a very healthy man. Besides, he wasn't even old. He hadn't even touched fifty. How can a man of that age even show signs of aging? He even sparred with Alaric. Testing Alaric's skills and strength.
Alaric simply couldn't believe that his father was showing signs of aging. It might have been something else.
"His majesty was growing weak. Couldn't walk for much longer and complained about headaches and joint pains. His memory was also getting weak. Frequent abdominal pain and muscle pain too." Fenric didn't dare raise his head, fearing Alaric's reaction. Now that he recounted the former king's symptoms, he realized that it didn't sound like normal aging.
Alaric's face was cold and stoic. The rage on his face was very evident.
"What about his appetite?"
No one answered. Alaric sneered at the sheer amount of carelessness every single person in this room had shown towards his father. That was his father's biggest weakness. He believed in justice, kindness, and all things fair and good, so he couldn't see how unjust others were. Especially towards him.
After a moment of silence, Chancellor's voice sounded hesitantly as he stole a glance at Alaric.
"The royal steward might have an answer to that, Your Majesty!"
He quickly looked down as Alaric glared at him. If looks could kill, he would be dead by now. But with Alaric, you can't ever be too sure. He could actually kill you.
Alaric let his gaze land at every single person seated at that table before he addressed the two main sources of his fury.
"My father's health was deteriorating rapidly, yet I wasn't informed about it. What exactly is your excuse, Chancellor Westhall and Doctor Fenric?" Both the chancellor and doctor lowered their heads. They had no excuse, nor did they have an answer. The former king was the one who forbade them from telling anything to Alaric, but they couldn't say that.
That's no reason to stay quiet about something so serious. Alaric, who was the crown prince at that time, had every right to know about his father's failing health, both as a son and as a crown prince.
Both the chancellor and doctor bowed their heads deeply in apology.
"We apologize, Your Majesty! We didn't expect things to turn out like this. We are very ashamed of ourselves for failing you, Your Majesty."
"Your lack of competence cannot be forgotten just because you apologized." Both of their breaths hitched hearing Alaric's unforgiving tone. Alaric was nothing like his father. While the former king was a very kindhearted man who believed in forgiveness and redemption more than punishment, the current king wasn't an exact opposite of his father.
To Alaric, forgiveness and redemption don't guarantee effectiveness, not as much as punishment does at least. This had the chancellor and doctor fearing for their lives. They could almost see themselves serving the former king again in their afterlife.
"If you truly care to be forgiven, you have to prove your competence to me. Three days. Three days is all you get to prove that you are worthy of your position. Worthy to be a part of this council, deserving of being called the chancellor of the house of Veldora and the royal doctor of the house of Veldora." Alaric's commanding, authoritative voice boomed across the room.
Both men trembled with fear. Color drained from their faces, and they hurried to promise him the results.
"Three days is enough, Your Majesty!"
"More than enough, Your Majesty!"
Alaric stood from his seat slowly. Everyone at the table followed suit and stood up.
"If you don't find anything in these three days, say goodbye to your family by the morning of the fourth day, as you will not be going back home to them."
With that, he left. Without looking back at the terrified faces of the two most important people in the council.
Everyone in the room finally let out a sigh of relief simultaneously, as if something so simple and easy like breathing was hard for them in Alaric's vicinity.
Chancellor Westhall and Doctor Fenric hurried to leave the room. Perhaps already getting ready to prove themselves. Every second was precious to them.
The remaining members of the council stood still in their places. The reality of the situation finally registering. All of them looked at each other. The look on their faces was clear to one another.
They couldn't survive the rule of the new king.
The house of Veldora had officially turned cruel.