[Name – William Blake
Age – 26
Role – Head of the Royal Knights
Like – Stargazing
Unlike – Zevrius Aurellion
Favorism Toward You – 0% (Still loyal only because you're the emperor of the empire he serves)
Note – He was the first one to find Zevrius's dead body.
A forced snappy smile tugged at Zevrius's lips as the translucent system interface flickered before his eyes. Unlike: Zevrius Aurellion? At least the favoritism score wasn't in the negatives. That counted for something.
He turned his attention back to William, who still stood frozen, as if unsure whether he was awake or dreaming.
"What? You can't recognize your emperor?" Zevrius asked, crossing his arms and fixing William Blake with a glare sharp enough to cut stone.
The words seemed to snap William out of his daze. Dropping to one knee, he placed his right hand over his chest in a formal salute. "Your Majesty, the Emperor," he said, eyes still downcast before slowly lifting them to meet Zevrius's. "May this lowly servant ask what is going on?"
William's mind churned. The emperor had died, he was sure of it.
He had been the one to discover the cold, lifeless body himself.
Which meant… this man standing before him couldn't be the real Zevrius. Perhaps a shapeshifter, or worse. But then, his eyes drifted past the emperor to the trembling figure of the gravekeeper standing just behind him.
"Paul?" William muttered. If the gravekeeper was here, it could only mean he had followed the emperor from the royal graveyard. Which left one unsettling possibility…
"Did you possess His Majesty's body?" William asked suddenly, his tone hard and direct.
Zevrius had to physically stop himself from laughing. The knight's dead-serious expression almost made him burst out on the spot.
"If I did, then what would you do about it?" Zevrius said, still standing with arms crossed.
"I-uh, I…" William faltered. He couldn't kill the emperor. But if this wasn't the emperor, then… no, even then, the body was still the emperor's. His own logic tangled him into knots.
"Stop daydreaming and get up," Zevrius ordered. "Did you really believe that? Do you have no brains at all, you loser?"
William's expression flattened. Right, ghosts didn't exist. Which meant this was, without a doubt, the real emperor. Unfortunately.
"I ask for your forgiveness, Your Majesty," William said in a dutiful tone, hiding his shock and straightening. "But may I ask… what exactly happened?"
Zevrius let out a long sigh, reminding himself to mimic the way the original trash of an emperor used to speak. Honestly, how had his sister based this character on him? Naoya wasn't that much of a jerk. (Or so he was thinking)
"What happened?" he demanded in a snappish tone. "I'm taking a nap, and next thing I know, you shove me in a casket and seal it shut? Are you out of your mind? Do you have a death wish?"
Well...anyone could say that Zevrius looked like an angry chihuahua at that time.
Even in the cool night air, beads of sweat formed along William's forehead. The knight looked as though someone had struck him dumb.
That reaction alone told Zevrius everything. William had done something he considered a grave sin. It was almost like he'd… killed the emperor himself.
"Haa, forget it," Zevrius said unexpectedly, watching the flicker of relief and confusion cross William's face. "Let's go inside the castle. We need to announce my comeback, right?"
"Your Majesty?" William's tone was almost pitiful, like a lost puppy expecting a kick but receiving a pat instead. Was the emperor not going to punish him?
"Just get up already," Zevrius ordered, muttering under his breath, "This is becoming my catchphrase…" He raked a hand through his raven-black hair. "Let's go back to the castle and call for a meeting to let them know I'm alive."
William hesitated before speaking. "Umm… about that, Your Majesty, only myself, Lord Kaeshiru, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, Prince Zahran, your closer servants, and a very few others know about your… ah… sudden dece- I mean-uh-I am sorry!"
Zevrius deadpanned. Yeah, that was very few.
"Then it's all good," Zevrius replied without missing a beat. He had already suspected as much. It seemed even the inner circle of the palace had been kept in the dark. Of course, the Empress Dowager and Zahran would be behind this.
Had he just wasted time visiting William? Maybe. Time was gold here. Still,
"Take me to my chambers," he commanded. "It feels like it's almost midnight. I've got someone to surprise tomorrow."
And just like that, the three of them made their way toward the emperor's chambers.
Poor Gravekeeper Paul had no choice but to tag along, Zevrius hadn't told him to leave, nor to stay, so the man simply followed like a terrified shadow.
Servants they passed along the way greeted Zevrius with the same fearful tone they had always used.
Zevrius ignored them, as the original Zevrius would have, though he couldn't help but admit the castle truly was fit for an empire.
It was even more massive and majestic than he'd imagined. The marble corridors gleamed like mirrors, polished to perfection. Arched windows lined the hallways, their glass so pristine it was almost invisible.
They reached the entrance to the Imperial Residence, only to be stopped.
"May I ask what business you have inside this residence?" one of the royal guards asked in a stoic voice. William, though head of the Royal Knights, couldn't enter without proper permission.
"Do I need your permission to enter my own quarters?" a voice cut in from behind him before he could respond. The guards froze where they stood.
"Time is gold, so move out," Zevrius snapped, frowning.
"Your Majesty?" one of the guards stammered.
"Hey, am I dreaming? Pinch me," Zevrius clearly heard one whisper.
"Two people can't have the same dream, right? Was that… a ghost?" the other whispered back.
A vein twitched in Zevrius's forehead. How hard could it be to return to one's own bedroom? He shot a glare at the night sky as if blaming the gods themselves.
"Stop your nonsense," William barked in a deep voice. "His Majesty the Emperor is standing right in front of you. Are you blind?"
The guards flinched under his tone.
"N-no, we don't-"
"Then open the doors," William cut in sharply. "Just how much more of His Majesty's golden time are you planning to waste?"
Zevrius smirked at William's back. Well said, little one.
The guards scrambled to obey, swinging open the grand double doors with a mixture of dread and curiosity.
"You may go now," Zevrius told Paul, only now realizing the gravekeeper was still with them. He'd honestly thought the man had slipped away long ago. Why had he followed this far, anyway?
"As you wish, Your Majesty," Paul bowed quickly before hurrying off.
Zevrius stepped inside with William leading the way. The doors closed heavily behind them, sealing off the vast Imperial Residence.
Chandeliers lit the high ceilings in warm light, and a long corridor stretched ahead, leading to the emperor's bedchamber and study.
And standing at the entrance to that corridor, was a young man whose face drained of all color.
"G-g…" he stammered before collapsing backward in a dead faint.
"…Ghost," he managed to whisper on the way down.