Silence. It is remarkably rare for total, suffocating silence to exist in a room full of people anywhere you go. After all, human beings naturally end up making some form of noise, even in spaces where you are socially obligated to maintain quiet. Yet, that rare phenomenon was precisely what was happening right now inside the grand assembly hall of House Ironwood.
By law, vassals are strictly forbidden from speaking before the reigning Lord of the Viscounty formally grants them permission to open the session. For as long as I can recall since inheriting this title, the council had never once respected that rule.
But today was entirely different.
The entire council sat so incredibly still and silent that an outsider would think the room was completely empty. The quiet stretched on for several agonizing minutes, with the vassals desperately staring down at their laps, terrified to make even a fraction of a second of eye contact with Miller.
The one to finally break the stillness was Kenny. Stepping forward, he placed a thick stack of legal documents flat onto the center of the table with a heavy, echoing thud.
Miller let out a quiet scoff from his seat at the head of the table. “So, is this what it ultimately takes for the Vassal Council to finally maintain the proper etiquette deemed fit for their Lord?”
The heavy silence continued to stretch over the vassals, none of them daring to reply.
Miller leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Lord Edward was officially released from his dungeon cell early this morning. I have personally slapped him with a hefty fine for causing a severe public discourtesy, and for actively inciting a revolt against the reigning nobility.”
He slowly turned his piercing red eyes toward Lady Frederica, his lips curling into a sharp smirk. “Publicly rallying a hostile crowd against the Lady of the house should legally be classified as inciting a revolt, don’t you agree, Lady Frederica?” Knocking his knuckles against the wood to firmly command her attention, he continued, “After all, you are the most senior member present in this room, and under normal circumstances, you would have been the one appointed as the next reigning Lady of this territory. What do you think of his actions?”
“You are entirely correct, my Lord,” Lady Frederica replied, offering a smooth, fake smile as she instantly threw Lord Edward under without a single shred of loyalty.
Internal fury consumed her. That absolute idiot! If only he had focused strictly on stripping Lady Francesca of her advisory role and done nothing else, we wouldn’t be backed into such a corner right now!
Masking her anger, she smoothly continued aloud, “Lord Edward not only severely disrespected Her Ladyship in front of a volatile crowd, but his foolish outburst has also completely destroyed whatever remaining public trust the citizens possessed in this council.”
“Yes. Public opinion of the Viscounty’s internal administration was already remarkably low to begin with, but with this latest stunt, the populace's trust in the council has plummeted to an all-time low,” Miller noted, his smile widening into something genuinely dangerous.
Sliding a single, red-stamped parchment across the table, Miller stood up to his full height, imposing by the morning sun’s light creating a shadow around him. “Therefore, I have decided to execute the best course of action by myself.”
Every single vassal present in the room leaned forward, their eyes widening in absolute shock as they scanned the contents of the parchment. A wave of collective panic washed over them, their mouths opening as they prepared to aggressively protest the decision.
But Miller didn't give them the chance, cutting them off with a low chuckle. “You see, when you combine the orphan embezzlement scandal, the recent rent hikes on your tenants, and now this blatant public display of disrespect toward our citizens... our common people are incredibly agitated. A violent, bloody revolt against the nobility of this house could realistically erupt at any given moment!”
He is wildly exaggerating the threat because he desperately wishes for this to happen, Lady Frederica thought, gritting her teeth so hard her jaw ached as she stared down at the devastating document resting on the mahogany table.
“Consequently, to ensure the peace of the territory, I have already dispatched official requests to the Warden of the North, Duke Goldance, the North Central Holy Church, and the Northern Imperial Overseer’s Office for the permanent dissolution of this Vassal Council.”
Miller knocked firmly on the table one last time, pinning every single lord in the room with a cold, triumphant smile. “After all... the Imperial Family simply cannot tolerate the common people rebelling against the crown's nobility over the incompetence of a few vassals, right?”
“My Lord... this is incredibly aggressive,” Lady Frederica managed to say, straining every muscle in her face to maintain her calm composure and mask her deep hostility. “You cannot simply dispatch a formal dissolution request... solely on account of these minor issues.”
The surrounding vassals nodded in tight, silent agreement. They understood that unlike their usual strategy, where they would ruthlessly barrage him with a wall of conflicting opinions. It was far safer to let a single representative speak today, lest they agitate the Lord further.
“Oh? Is that so, Lady Frederica?” Miller asked, tilting his head with mock curiosity. “Are you suggesting I should patiently wait until the common folk are holding lit torches at our very doorsteps?”
As if a bunch of dirty peasants would ever pose a genuine threat to this castle while you and your elite mercenary army are stationed here! Lady Frederica thought bitterly.
Shaking her head slowly, she forced a gentle, reasonable tone. “That is not what I am implying at all, my Lord... I simply mean that we, as a collective council, haven’t even been given the opportunity to overturn the public's negative opinion yet. Isn’t this course of action rather hasty?”
Pff~
Miller let out a sudden, sharp laugh, cutting her off entirely. “I apologize. It’s just... I found that statement incredibly funny. Let's be completely honest, Lady Frederica, you would have personally sent a scathing petition to the Northern Imperial Overseer’s Office the second I made a single mistake, if not for the mandatory three-year legal immunity the Imperial Family grants to all newly instated titleholders from the day they inherit it.”
He paused, his smile completely vanishing as he leaned down near her shoulder. “So, let’s stop playing these tiresome games, Lady Frederica. The only games I truly enjoy playing these days are the ones I play in private with my wife.”
Walking slowly around the back of her chair, he continued, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “According to Imperial Law, once a formal petition is filed, the council is granted a grace period of three months to prove its baseline administrative usefulness to the territory before the final dissolution order is signed. That countdown officially begins on Moon Light Day, exactly one week from today.”
“On another note, there is a new, mandatory policy change I wish to pass immediately,” Miller declared, casually walking around the perimeter of the mahogany table. “This decree will place a hard cap on the rental price limits for all residential property throughout the Viscounty. I expect you all to discuss it thoroughly and pass it without delay.”
Stopping near the heavy entrance doors, Miller offered them one final, devastating smirk. “It’s a good first step for this council to build some goodwill back with the public, don’t you think?”
He rested his hand on the brass doorknob. “Discuss the finer details among yourselves. I would like to conclude my duties and leave early today.”
With that final word, he stepped out of the assembly hall and shut the door behind him. He left the Vassal Council completely stranded in a thick, suffocating silence, every single vassal in the room staring down at the table with an expression of pure, unadulterated dread.