Tyrant of the Ruined Sun

The night drew far longer that night, as we all trapped all within a suffocating air of murderous calm that chilled them all, as they alternated between brow wrinkling contemplation and heated arguments.

Discussions I took no part in for the most part, as I continued to quietly mull the new issue over again and again.

’Tianlan?’ I thought. ’No, the man I saw in the Banquet was not one who had the gall, ambition, or even the energy to spare for this kind of nonsense. But then who? The unknown faction he was tussling with? The ones who secretly hired a hundredth thousand swords? I’m inclined to believe it. And I’m sure they weren’t exactly ecstatic to see the Yue royal family becoming betrothed into mine, but I can’t be sure. What if it were another unknown force, and fixating upon the most likely culprit blind me from their true faces? Hmm?’ My thoughts continued swirl in endless circles, and with each they became even more plagued with increasing paranoia, yet none seemed to fully stick, even as the sun rose in the horizon.

"All we could do sire, is investigate for the time being." The steady voice of my Grand Vizier sounded out, finally bringing an end to our agonizingly fruitless few hours of ponderous silence and recurring discussions.

"...Indeed." I agreed, but it left a bad taste in my mouth, disliking the fact that we could do so little for now.

"I will have my finest on it my liege." Isaac immediately declared, vanishing from my side as soon as he said them.

"And so will we." The others echoed his words as well, headed by Darius, who led the three to discretely usher them out of the palace, while conveying to them his commands, but my attention was already drawn elsewhere, as I looked to my Eve getting dressed and seemingly ready to leave as well.

"Going somewhere love?" I asked.

"Yes." She said, lightly smiling. "Yara and I have business to see to in the city."

"I see." I nodded, with a bit of a quiet frown, sensing a slightly odd flux in her usual tone, before I then replied. "Be safe."

"Aren’t I always." She replied, gliding into the wall, where a long shadow cast it’s gloom, and vanished within it.

And for a moment, the image of the last I saw in my past life, flashed before my eyes.

***

"My lady." Yara said in slight surprise as she saw her mistress emerge behind her. "I thought you would arrive by way of a carriage?"

"Our task today demands greater discreetness that we can not afford if I were to arrive onboard an imperial carriage." She replied, fixing the hood above her head, as she then began to slowly make her way through the busy streets of the capital city.

"My lady... if I may... but can you tell me what are we doing today?" Yara asked after a few minutes of seemingly aimlessly wandering.

"We are here to investigate the master of this land." She casually replied.

"The master of this... What?!" Yara yelped so loudly that the passer-by’s looked in surprise at the seemingly odd lady.

"Yara." Eve softly reprimanded her righthand woman, with a chilling voice.

"My deepest apologies mistress." Yara quickly apologized, careful not to make anymore blunders, as she unconsciously began peeking behind her shoulder for any people following them, as though the terrifying emperor’s wicked assassins who travel this city’s streets like fleeting shadows would suddenly materialize behind them. "But my dear lady, why?"

She did immediately answer, and instead spoke after a very noticeable pause. "...Because all the men of both the underworld and high society of this empire quake at the mere whisper of his name, almost as though he was an omnipotent entity, who’s presence is invoked by the simple spelling of his name; and yet the love his family and friends hold for him is almost uncanny in comparison."

"But my lady, is that not good? Does that not speak enough of his ability and character?" Yara asked.

"His character maybe, but not his ability." She corrected. "Father has always told me that a leader’s true worth can only be known from the tongues and faces of his most common citizens and none else. Not his enemies. Not his friends. And not his family."

"My lady... Is that all you truly want to uncover this day?" Yara knowingly asked, feeling her mistress’ was only using these reasons as a simple.

Eve again hesitated, while taking another seemingly random turn, before saying "...I simply want to know more about him."

"Hmm?" Yara hummed for a moment in thought, before she then said completely randomly. "His family truly loves the young emperor."

"Of course they do, they’re his blood after all." Eve dryly replied.

"When we were still with army, his men loved him so much, they seemed a second away from beginning to worship the ground he walked on." She said again.

"A soldier loves victory, and for Alexander who not only delivered them to such fantastical triumphs without fail, but also joined them on the front lines in almost every battle he commanded them into, it would’ve been far weirder if they did not absolutely adore him." She said again, but this time more impatiently. "But what of his people, the common folk? The merchants who fund his wars, the farmers who feed his armies, the artisans who arm his soldiers, the mothers, fathers, family and friends of those he commanded to death on distant lands. Those who gave him the titles of the Bloody Emperor, the Mad Monarch? What do they truly think of my husband."

"...Your husband?" Yara asked.

Eve froze in her place, as though shocked beyond belief at her own slip of the tongue, before she then ordered in seeming anger. "Not a word."

"Of course my lady." She said, trying to repress the half exasperated half saddened sigh pushing it’s way through her lips, as she began to understand her mistress’ intentions.

But before she could say anymore, they made their way into an ordinary looking tavern, with wooden sign post hanging just above the board proclaiming the place as the Pheasant’s Rest. A rustic place overflowing with the smell of warm food and too many foot steps of all kinds of walks of life; but most importantly it was the perfect place that matched Eve’s requirements.

Too mundane for the wealthy to visit but situated just near enough the main roads for the underworld organizations and gangs to not dare approach it.

Taking a seat on the corner most table of the shop, they ordered whatever refreshments the waitress recommended them and began surveying the discussions of the various tables around them.

Most spoke of their days, family and the troubles of life, but none of what she wanted. So she called the waitress again and handed her a couple dozen Darrs and told her to anonymously buy the whole tavern a round of drinks, in the name emperor.

And sure enough, a minute later, the whole tavern roared "In the name of the emperor!"

And the topic of discussion of most changed from their mundane lives, to the royal family and their nearly eighteen year old emperor.

Yet most talks revolved around fights parents are having with their sons wanting to join the invincible army of his majesty, or how they need not fear for their harvest, since the government will buy most of it, or how merchants and artisans of all kinds are starting to have bent backs due to how much profit they are making.

But both Eve and Yara noticed that whenever they spoke, they made sure to never utter his name, merely referring to him as though he was before them, not daring to use the words ’him’ or ’he’, but always referring him by one of his many titles.

"Creepy." Whispered Yara, when her mistress stood, and beckoned to follow her to a nearby table, where one man sat, utterly engrossed in his meal.

"May we take these seats good sir?" She asked a ragged looking man, with messy hair, sun kissed skin, well-worn clothes, dirty nails and smelled of fresh earth.

"Do as you wish, it’s not as though I own the stools." He gruffly replied, taking but a fleeting glance at the two hooded figures who suddenly approached, before he then reburied his face in his plate.

"I noticed you didn’t salute the emperor like the others." Eve did not waste time mincing words, and instantly asked the man, who froze midbite.

"A-Are you from...?!" He stuttered as he raised his head with panic across his face.

"No." She instantly assured him, realizing the man’s fears.

"Then why do you ask?" He quickly asked again, defensively, now weary of her and Yara.

"Because I’m curious." Yet Eve remained as nonchalant as ever.

"Who are you?" He asked again, narrowing his eyes, trying to peer beneath their hoods.

"Someone who is curious." She answered.

The man remained silent a second later, probably realizing that he won’t be rid of her for a while, and said after a long sigh "I lost much due to the royal family, alright?"

"What exactly?" She pushed.

"That, little lass, is my own business." He resolutely said.

"Very well." She retreated, before then beginning with a deliberately provocative. "But you must hold quite the grudge against that basta..."

*Crash*

The man slammed his fisted hand upon the table, nearly throwing everything off of it, as he threatingly growled "Listen here little lasses, you better watch your tongues, because even though I don’t who you are, or where you’re from, but around here, you won’t be making very many friends talking like that about our liege lord. Understand?"

Only then did they notice the forceful silence surrounding them, as all the tavern’s many patrons and employees now looked to them with murderous eyes.

"Thank you for your time." Eve said to the man, still glaring at them, and then simply strode calmly out the now utterly hostile establishment.

"I did not expect them all to react like that." Yara whisperingly said, still shaking off the fear of that moment.

"Indeed." She nodded.

"It’s odd." Continued Yara. "They are terrified of even mentioning his name, and yet they are quick to take offense on his behalf, and rise to defend him."

"Yes." Eve again nodded.

Yet Yara had caught something else in her mistress’ tone this time, frustration. And in a spur of the moment act that she did before she could stop herself, she asked. "My lady, forgive the offense, but could you be searching for a reason to dislike his imperial majesty?"

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