Chapter 23 - Ploy to ascend.
The clash of silver cutlery and plates filled the otherwise silent dining hall. Rays of sunlight came through the stained glass, painting the hall in red. The smell of cooked meat permeated the air.
The two fiends sat at the table in the centre, chewing, making enough sound to be heard by the servants.
Until Duke Carilose's voice drove away the stillness in the room. "Shall we begin?"
He looked at Vhakarath, who sat opposite him.
As soon as she heard his words, she turned her gaze toward him. With a gentle nod, she said. "Yes, your dominion."
Carilose took the glass of wine beside him and sipped before speaking. "The gold you requested is ready."
He gently placed the glass down.
Vhakarath's gaze was fixed on him, and the words he spoke brought a little joy to her infernal golden eyes. But before she could fully smile.
Carilose was not done, he added. "But the soul coins are not."
Vhakarath's eyes returned to normal, and she stopped herself from smiling. She listened keenly without eating.
Carilose kept eating and speaking in between. "Only half the amount is ready."
Vhakarath nodded, her eyes now dull. The brightness from a minute ago vanished. "Thank you, your dominion."
She no longer met his eyes as she carried on to eat.
Carilose noticed it, and he spoke again. His voice was calm and gentle. "Afraid not, child, I know ascending your father's throne is your dream. I will not stop until you are the Duchess of this city."
Vhakarath gave him a faint smile.
Carilose continued eating as if it were not an obstacle to their discussion. "Once I finish collecting the rest, we will start the negotiations."
Vhakarath smiled fully, her father by law's words were comforting. She finally bit into the meat stuck on her fork. "Thank you, father. I will repay your generosity after I ascend."
He smiled a little but did not pay much attention to her words. Carilose took the glass of wine to find it empty.
Vhakarath noticed this and spoke, and her voice was now high. The pitch in her words was authoritative. "Your dominion's glass is empty, refill it."
One of the servants moved, and she took a silver pitcher from the table. She moved without looking up. Finally, she stood beside the duke and poured wine into the silver glass.
Carilose took the glass and sipped, his voice echoed again as he began speaking. "I've visited your father. It will not be long before he dies. The Divine plague spread deep." He paused and then continued. "Your brother. Duke will definitely make your brother his heir."
Vhakarath scoffed inwardly, because the words were true. She maintained a still expression on her face. Maintaining her voice calm, she replied. "He always preferred my brother."
She paused for a moment and then continued. " The perfect child. He will no longer be perfect when I fund the houses. I want to see the stoic look on his face turning into panic when they declare their fealty to me."
Carilose chuckled, his laughs mixed with low rumbles.
The servants in the room straightened their backs at once when they heard this.
Duke looked at his daughter by law and gave her advice, "Don't pay what you promise beforehand. The noble houses are snakes. They will turn on you. Let them fulfil their end of the bargain first."
Vhakarath nodded, agreeing with his words inwardly.
Without letting the silence stretch, Duke spoke again. "What houses will you talk to first?"
After speaking, he took the glass and sipped wine, finishing it.
Vhakarath stopped eating and looked at her father by law. She recounted all the houses in their city before listing their names. "House Malekor, Sevareth, Vorun."
Carilose nodded as he chewed. He looked at the glass, and it was empty. Before he could turn his gaze toward the servant, she took the pitcher and began pouring wine slowly.
He looked at Vhakarath and began speaking. "You know that, Malekor are loyal to your father. Sevareth married their daughter to your brother. Vorun will take a duchy soon."
Vhakarath stopped cutting the meat on her plate. Instead, she fixed her gaze on Carilose. She was waiting for an answer.
Carilose was about to speak, but suddenly the glass beside him fell. The wine was poured on the table from the pitcher. He turned his gaze toward the servant, who was a young fiend with brown hair neatly tied.
As soon as he met her gaze, she began shaking. Her arms trembled visibly. She opened her mouth to speak, "Please forgive my absentminded mistake, Your dominion."
The words were quick, and as soon as she said that, she kneeled.
Vhakarath's eyes were fixed on the young servant. Her face began tightening; however, she stopped herself. Instead, her horns emitted a faint red glow. With a controlled voice, she called her stewardess. "Maele!"
The stewardess stepped in, dressed in mute red robes. She looked at her lady first and bent. Then she turned toward the Duke and bent. "My lady, what duty should I perform?"
Her voice was low, and it sounded like a pet waiting to be ordered.
Vhakarath looked at the kneeling servant and said, "Teach her some etiquette in the gallows."
The young servant's face paled, and she stood up slowly. The thought of getting whipped was frightening, as this was not her first time. But, she noticed Carilose's gaze fixed on her.
She noticed the burning orange eyes; she expected him to lash out. But he didn't; his calm face, along with his burning eyes, sent chills down her spine. She stopped trembling, as if he commanded her to.
The servant girl just walked toward Maele with her head down, as she wanted to get away from here. The burning stare of the duke was too much for a low-life fiend like her.
Her defeated footsteps were no louder than a whisper, and she gently walked toward the entrance to Maele. After a moment, the door to the dining hall was closed.
The other servants standing in the corner quickly came toward Carilose. One gently wiped the table clean. While the other wiped the floor. The last one took the pitcher away and replaced it.
Carilose looked at his daughter by law, he had much to say. "Target the smaller houses. New houses will bend their knees easily. Then the greedy ones. With the gold you will receive, you won't worry about anyone out-buying them."
The tension in the air dissipated as the servants were done with their duty, and they gradually receded to their positions. Except one, the one who stood behind Duke to pour wine.
The calmness in their faces was betrayed by their slightly trembling hands. Each of them now ran every kind of mistake they could make in their mind.
Carilose, however, chose to ignore it. The discussion they were having was worth much more than the state of those servants. He instead carried on, eating the food on the table.
Vhakarath nodded and sipped her glass. "Is there any way to kill my brother?"
Duke lifted his head slightly, studying her face. The credibility of her words was being tested in his mind. After deciding that, she was indeed serious, he spoke. "There isn't."
Once again, the words made Vhakarath look down at her plate in disappointment. She thought it would be easier to get rid of her brother than to deal with him. However, her thoughts were cut off.
Duke cut the silence in the air with his words. "Unless."
Vhakarath lifted her head to look at him, her eyes fixed on his mouth. The hope returned, awaiting his words.
Duke did not stall; he lay out. "He faces the Wrath of God."
He paused before continuing. "Vanquisher of our Arch Devil Vorax has been named the Wrath of God by Aeons, to kill your brother. Fate needs to will it."
Vhakarath sighed, her eyes lowered again. It was not what she expected, and she quietly picked up her cutlery. She resumed eating.
Carilose smiled, "Your ambitions are high. Afraid not, your brother will not pose much of a threat when more than half of the houses swear fealty to you."
Vhakarath nodded as she ate.
Carilose leaned back in his chair. He exhaled. "There is something you have to worry about."
Vhakarath stopped midway, cutting a piece from the meat. She turned his gaze toward Carilose, and she knew what he was talking about. Putting the cutlery down, she paid all of her attention to him.
His voice echoed in the hall, his words stood like a wall between her and the throne. "Your brother is the favourite general of Your Grace. If your Archduke decides to support your brother, his words will turn the houses against you."
Vhakarath smiled; she knew this long ago. So, he had a plan. With her voice being a little high, she almost exposed her excitement. "My Exalted, my champion, Khrane. The day Arch Duke comes for the final fight of the Tournament, Khrane will evoke the law of greed."
Carilose smiles slowly, with a crackle, and he laughs. He gently tapped the table in amusement. "You are learning fast. Be careful, your ascension will be decided by the fight."
The servants in the room trembled, and his voice alone made them panic. They were sure they would commit a mistake in this fear.
Vhakarath smiled proudly as she heard her father by law's approval. But his eyes were still fixed on her, almost as if he had something more to say.