Inside, the palace was pretty overwhelming. You saw places like this in games and stuff, but being there in person was different. There was a sort of oppressive feel to the halls of a royal palace. Maybe the feeling came from how big everything was. It certainly didn’t help that I was way smaller than the people this place was designed for. Those huge corridors and high ceilings were the exact opposite of cozy. You almost couldn’t help feeling rigid and formal in surroundings like that. Maybe that was the whole point. A lot of castles had military purposes to them, so maybe this one had wide halls to accommodate large groups of soldiers, or to make sure there was enough room to fight. Thinking back to how much trouble Hegram and his men had had when the dungeon paths were narrow, that was definitely a possibility.
The castle’s decor was refined and elegant, but it was a total joke compared to the palace I’d made for myself in the Unseen Realm. I mean, my palace had plants that grew infinite chocolate bars; that alone gave it the win. Wait, but it wasn’t really a competition. I guess I thought about taking some notes on how to decorate a castle, but then I realized mine looked better, and left it at that.
After being led through a series of winding corridors—probably arranged that way to disorient intruders—we finally arrived at the throne room. A set of huge double doors opened, and a guy near the entrance announced my arrival. There were people everywhere: guards, advisors, ministers, and probably a few other miscellaneous nobles with nothing better to do. There were a few maids around too.
Maybe I should get a maid or two... I’ll look into it.
Anyway, we walked right up the red carpet in the middle of the room, and reached the point where it was customary to wait. Gin knelt before the king, but as a fellow ruler, I wasn’t obliged to. My guards simply stood at attention.
The king gave the standard formal greeting. “Thank you for coming all this way,” he added. “I hope the trip wasn’t too difficult.”
“The hardest part was navigating the corridors of your palace, King Doma,” I said with a chuckle. “I assure you, the rest of the journey was no trouble at all. Regarding the purpose of our trip here, I have something of great importance to discuss with you. A fact that would certainly cause great trouble if it were widely known. As such, I would prefer to meet with you as privately as possible. I would like this information to be known only by yourself and those you trust most. If such a meeting would be problematic, I can return another time.”
“Does this perhaps pertain to the scholar I sent you? I notice Worgin is not with you.”
“It actually has a great deal to do with Worgin, and the reason you do not see him here. I assure you, the truth will startle you, and it could ignite conflict. I implore you to consider granting my request for a more private meeting.”
They weren’t allowed to interrupt, but you could see in the faces of the other humans in the room that they weren’t crazy about my idea. It wasn’t like I couldn’t understand why. From their point of view, I might as well be a creepy old man asking a child to get in the back of a van for some candy. I represented a threat to their king, and no amount of sweet talk was going to fix that. I just had to hope King Doma trusted me.
“By the way,” the king said, “forgive me for not saying so earlier, but your Ausbarlian really has improved quite a bit. Worgin did a wonderful job teaching you.”
“I agree wholeheartedly, King Doma. I would like to elaborate further, but I’m afraid I must insist on more privacy before I do so.”
“Very well.” He turned to his attendants. “Have one of the conference rooms opened at once. I will meet with Miss Grimwood in a more private setting.”
“Thank you, King Doma.”
Rather than a verbal response, the king gave a curt nod, and we were escorted to a conference room. Gin and I went inside, leaving my guards outside as a show of peaceful intent. The king likewise brought only a single retainer.
“This is Yomas, my prime minister,” he explained. “Outside of my family, there are none I trust more.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Yomas.”
“Likewise, milady.”
I didn’t waste any more time. “Allow me to introduce the other person joining our little meeting, since you didn’t recognize him earlier.” I motioned to Gin. “This is Worgin. I must admit, It’s a bit awkward being in a room alone with you and two of your retainers, so I’d like to finish the explanation quickly.”
“You’re claiming that Worgin has become one of your people?” said the king.
“If you mean a Sprigian, then yes. He’s still quite loyal to you, though.”
“How did this happen?”
“I’ll show you.”
I pulled out my tablet, and showed King Doma and Yomas the replay of the doctor saying there was nothing that could be done, followed by the video of Worgin’s transformation. Both of them were stunned. They looked at each other, then back to me. They normally took great care to conceal their emotions, but their eyes were wide with shock.
“I’m revealing this to you despite knowing we will be viewed with suspicion,” I added. “If I wanted to deceive you, I could have just told you he’d died. Please keep that in mind. I hope you understand why I wanted this kept a secret between as few people as possible.”
Yomas gulped audibly. “I-If people knew about this, there would be many who would demand it. It did drastically change his appearance, but Worgin certainly seems younger. If anyone seeking to reclaim their youth were to learn of this, it could ignite the flames of war.”
“It’s far worse than that,” I corrected him. “Sprigians don’t age and die the way humans do. What I accidentally gave to Worgin is akin to immortality. Incidentally, I’ve been calling him Gin since he changed. It may serve to help hide the truth if you were to do the same.”
“I hadn’t even thought of any of this,” said Gin, shocked. “I was more worried about the reputation of the royal physician, since Lady Grimwood was able to heal me while she couldn’t.” He bowed his head to King Doma. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, I never meant for this to happen.”
He probably felt guilty about becoming immortal while the master he served was stuck with the lifespan of a human. All the more reason he should stick with me, as far as I was concerned. I had a hunch that was what the king would decide anyway. If Gin stayed here, the people in the castle would think he was a spy; it would make his life difficult. With me, he could live comfortably and continue to send reports to King Doma. I didn’t care if he was only there to spy on me, because I didn’t have anything to hide.
Okay, nothing except all of my silly crushes. Speaking of crushes, during this meeting, I could see the possibility of Gin being leveraged against me if I got romantically entangled with him...
Curses, why must the beautiful men around me always be off-limits...? Is it just me, or do I sound shallow and desperate? Better to just stop thinking about it.