“What in the hell are you even talking about?
Who trains people like that?”
“She didn’t…”
The King realized that Veylara didn’t do what he was expecting and was in disbelief. Heck, he actually seemed worried that one of his strongest warriors was sick.
“…didn’t you tell her to go easy on me?”
Kael questioned with a gulp, reconsidering his life choices. The King, however, laughed at his question.
“If she were that obedient, my life this far would have been much easier.”
He shook his head.
“But… aren’t you the King?”
“And?”
“And she is your subordinate…”
“She is my subordinate, yes. But that doesn’t mean I have control over her nature.”
Kael stared at the King and he continued.
“Veylara is a strong personality.
Of course, that is also what makes her such a valuable subordinate. She doesn’t just do what she is told, she does more. She is brave enough to call me out without fear and question my decisions when she thinks they are wrong.
All of this also makes it easier for me to trust her.”
“Hmm? Easier to trust?”
Kael tilted his head, unable to comprehend how the two were related.
“What you should suspect more is a subordinate that will do whatever you tell them to without asking questions like a golem.
They are the ones who are more likely to have a hidden goal, therefore, they try to get close to you by constantly showing their loyalty.”
Kael nodded at those words, keeping this in his mind.
“Does this mean Your Majesty trusts Lady Veylara?”
Kael questioned.
“I do.”
Alden nodded. He then looked into Kael’s eyes and,
“If in the future, you seem unsure of something and I am not around for a council, you can go to her.”
Kael was taken aback, he didn’t think the King would trust someone so much.
“Who else can I go to?”
The Hero questioned.
“Why do you need more than one person?”
“The more the better, no?”
Kael questioned back and Alden chuckled.
“Usually, it’s the less the better.”
He corrected.
“The fewer people you trust, the lower the chances of you getting betrayed.”
Kael nodded and the King continued,
“But if you’re still insisting on more options, then look for Varyon and Zephyr if you have to.”
“The Grand Marshal and the Shadow Regent…”
Kael muttered and the King nodded.
“All three of them are from the founding families.”
Kael noted.
“They are the pillars of Drakthar, the reason Drakthar stands so strong today.”
“What if… they are traitors?”
Kael questioned. In front of the King, he felt like he could say whatever he wanted and unleash his paranoia to its fullest extent.
The King smiled at his words,
“There will be countless what-if scenarios if you want there to be, but they will never be helpful. I would have told you to look for the people you trust yourself, but I understand your nervousness and the pressure you are facing. You do not have the luxury to think, not without external help, so take my help instead.
Veylara, Varyon, and Zephyr, trust these three in my absence.”
“…”
Kael compared Alden’s words with Veylara’s and stayed silent, thinking. Soon, however, another question appeared in his head and he began,
“…what about the Crown Prince?”
“The Crown Prince, huh…
I was wondering why you haven’t mentioned him till now.”
“…what do you think of him? Should I trust him?”
“No.”
The King shook his head.
An answer so direct that Kael was taken aback.
“Edric is… still immature.”
“He doesn’t seem like it.”
“He doesn’t.”
Alden nodded.
“He is quite charming as well. He has an effect on people and can rally them to his side quite easily. If the times were stable, he would have made an excellent King.”
“But…?”
Kael raised his eyebrow.
“Times aren’t stable and… admittedly, I may have distanced myself a little too much from my firstborn.
I was in the wrong and because of my mistakes, I no longer know my son as well as a father should.
So when you ask whether you should trust him, I will suggest against it since I do not know him as well as I know my subordinates. Even if he is on your side, I cannot say that for certain, so I would rather you not take any chances.”
“He certainly doesn’t act like he is on my side.”
Kael clicked his tongue.
“Why do you say that?”
Alden questioned innocently, something that made Kael frown.
Why does he say that? What reason does he have to NOT say it?
“The Crown Prince has tried to antagonize me ever since I came here.”
Kael answered.
“Hmm? Why did I not get any reports regarding that?”
The King frowned, then, he looked at Kael and,
“Tell me what happened.”
Kael’s frown deepened,
“Do you not remember how he lied to me back when I asked about Lavinia?”
“He was hiding Lavinia’s existence from the hero, like I told him to. He was merely following my orders, just like everyone else.”
“But…”
Kael wanted to counter, but suddenly, he realized he couldn’t…
“…he seems more adamant about hiding her existence than anyone else.”
“So you do not trust him because he follows my orders more strictly than others?”
“…he also mentioned that I was corrupted more than once.”
“He never said that. He only said that some people believed you were corrupted, which is indeed correct.”
“He tried to pressure me to reveal Igni.”
“If he hadn’t done that, someone else would have.”
Alden shrugged.
“Keeping your first Bond hidden was never going to be easy, Hero. It isn’t just Edric, everyone, even me, wishes to see your first Bond.
The only reason no one else brought the topic was because they all knew Edric wouldn’t be able to control himself and would bring it up, which he did.”
“So everyone else…”
“They used him, yes.”
Once again, Kael turned silent.
He tried looking into the past, seeing what it was that made him antagonize the Crown Prince, and other than Elira and Arlan’s opinion, nothing else came to his mind.
‘The only people you actually talk to are Elira and Arlan. So your line of thoughts automatically align themselves with theirs and you suspect the Crown Prince, just like they do.’
Suddenly, Veylara’s words echoed in his mind and Kael’s frown deepened.
He stared at the King and,
“Then why do you tell me not to trust him?”