Second Arc (His Art of War) - 110. Chaotic Meeting II

King Eudon glanced at Angel and he answered him with a slight nod, signalling to throw their second bait. King Eudon cleared his throat to disperse their murmurs and bring their attention to him. After the room settled down, he spoke again.
"I have to admit, this has something to do with Pearl Gate City's incident," said King Eudon.

The rebels exchanged glances and smirked since with King Eudon's confession they could take him down easily.

"Forgive my impudence, Your Majesty. Does it mean that Pearl Gate City's destruction was caused by your poison?" Earl Niall asked for an explanation. This was a golden opportunity and he could not possibly let it go.

"Yes, but I already discussed it with King Angelus about this misunderstanding," said King Eudon calmly.

The nobles looked shocked by King Eudon's clarification, their murmurs grew louder, some shook their heads in disappointment.
"Your Majesty, why? Why did you do that without our consent?" asked one of the nobles.

"Your Majesty, didn't you always say to maintain our kingdom's peace?" asked another.

Angel raised his hand, ordering them to stop talking.
"His Majesty King Eudon has said this is a misunderstanding."

Viscount Gilbert let out a disappointed sigh.
"Forgive this lowly nobleman's impudence, Your Majesty. But does this mean that we and Zephyrus will have to bear our king's unwise decision?" He cornered King Eudon without hesitation while showing he didn't blame Angel for what had happened yesterday and acted as if this was entirely King Eudon's fault. Which meant that King Eudon no longer deserved to be the King of Zephyrus.

Viscount Gilbert's words were approved by others.

Angel leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table and his hands crossed over his chin, his eyes fixed on them.
"Didn't King Eudon say that this was a misunderstanding caused by a third party?"

"But he has taken an important decision without our consent. And this is purely his fault," said another nobleman. Of course, Angel could have guessed that he might be a rebel.

"I think this requires further investigation so we can find out what happened," said another noble, trying to defend King Eudon.

"Whatever the reason, isn't it obvious it's the king's fault?" replied another.

Even though the meeting was chaotic, Angel and King Eudon were silent and let the nobles speak freely since their goal was to find out who their friends and foes were.

"I agree, whatever the reason, the king's decision has destroyed Zephyrus."

"But didn't King Angelus already say that this was a misunderstanding? It means that this is the third party's fault. They must want us to fight and destroy each other."

"This war can be prevented by discussing it with us first, not by taking a unilateral decision like this."

"The king must have a good reason for that."

"Whatever the reason. As a king, nothing is more important than his own kingdom."

As time passed by, their voices grew higher and louder. The meeting wasn't like a discussion anymore. Some of them started to get up from their chairs and pointed at each other with angry faces, some tried to calm them down but in vain.

"Since the highest authority is King Angelus, why don't we ask for a change of ruler?" said Marquess Digory in a cynical tone.

Another noble got up from his seat with an unhappy face.
"What do you mean ?! Do you want to overthrow the king?!"

"What kind of king who sacrificed his kingdom? Does someone like that still deserve to be called a king?" said Marquess Digory again.

"How dare you!" That nobleman almost climbed the table to attack Marquess Digory who was sitting across from him, but the guards pulled him back to sit back in his seat.

"Marquess Digory watch your words!" said another nobleman.

"I'm just telling the truth," said Marquess Digory again.

"I think it would be better if we left this decision to King Angelus," said Duke Bartlet calmly. He decided to be more careful about his words after his previous meeting.

"I'm sure we need to tell King Angelus a lot of things since he didn't know about our situation. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly blame the king's decision on us and Zephyrus," said Viscount Gilbert.

"That's right, this is the king's personal fault. He should take responsibility personally, not involving Zephyrus or the nobles like this."

"Instead of accusing without evidence, I think it would be better for King Angelus to investigate this matter first to find out the black and white more clearly," said another.

"What investigation? The king has admitted it!"

"Are you deaf ?! Didn't the king say he already cleared this misunderstanding with King Angelus ?!"

"Clearing misunderstandings does not mean solving problems! The same problem might happen again in the future!"

"Then, can a ruler's change guarantee that this incident will not happen again?"

"At least we didn't fall in the same hole twice."

They continued to argue, while Angel, Frost and King Eudon's attention continued to focus on their reactions and words. The suspect's list in their heads was growing, but of course, they would investigate it before taking action. The room atmosphere heated as their voices turned to shouts. Angel turned to King Eudon, indirectly asking if his investigation was over and King Eudon answered him with a slight nod. This was the first time he led a meeting as chaotic as this, it was as if Angel's presence and their bait revealed the nobles' true faces. Angel returned his gaze to the front.
'Then I'll throw in the third bait.'