NOBLEMAN ADVENTURER

A Spectacle

Having been pushed from behind, I stumbled and nearly fell. Luckily, no one witnessed this event, as all eyes were on the man who had swung open the heavy courtroom door with a sonorous clang!

The wide hall doors opened into the courtroom and the appearance of that person quieted the room. It was as silent as a tomb. I could hear my heartbeat racing.

The man in front of me was not only handsome, but there was something captivating about him. Perhaps he had a powerful air around him, or perhaps his strong presence made one want to focus their eyes on him, but whatever the reason, he was truly monumental.

"Ah, here comes our beloved, loyal subject," His Majesty stated enthusiastically. Although it sounded rather perfunctorily to me.

With a grin and a bow, the man said, "Hail! Long live His Majesty."

The king beamed and said, "Crohn, what brings you here today?"

"I heard His Majesty has given Lady Bromwell and her son an audience today at court. As your loyal subject, it would be a sin for me to miss this presentation?"

"Now that you've mentioned it, we've been told the boy resembles us. What thoughts have you?"

Lord Crohn looked over at me and under his penetrating gaze, I was startled. It was my first time seeing Lord Crohn, but somehow, I felt an odd sense of familiarity.

"Indeed, he resembles His Majesty. However," and at this moment, the doors to the courtroom were opened once again and a little girl about eight-years-old entered. "This girl resembles the long-departed Katherine Klein. Should I say that she is Katherine Klein's daughter?"

Everyone knew what Lord Crohn was implying. Rumors stated Lady Klein had a child posthumously. If this girl who resembled Lady Klein could be said to be the missing child, then the boy in front of them could also be said to be Lady Bromwell's son. However, rumors are just rumors. One cannot believe what is not based on facts.

Irked by Lord Crohn's implications, Lady Bromwell rushed forward to say, "Your Majesty, it was thanks to the divine powers of the goddess Eris, that our son has been safely returned to us."

"Your Majesty, upon what grounds can Lady Bromwell prove this to be a child of the royal family?" Lord Crohn asked. It was obvious he held a great dislike towards Lady Bromwell, for he pronounced her name like he was spitting on her grave.

His Majesty's brows furrowed. He kept silent, as though in deep thought. Then he lashed out.

"Crohn, you have served us well, but you mustn't overstep your boundaries. Lady Bromwell had her reasons for concealing her pregnancy. It was partially our fault. Since Lady Bromwell's mother is a foreigner from the Kingdom of Nillah, we could not make her our legitimate spouse. It was only after the Bromwell Family's merit in defeating the Klein Family and in the insurrection against Prince Denham that the court no longer opposed her appointment as one of our legal wives. Mentioning these inglorious past events hurts our delicate heart. We shall no longer speak of this matter. At long last, an heir to the throne has appeared."

"Your Majesty," Lord Crohn said, "I am your subject and I shall abide by whatever His Majesty says, however, every heir to the throne my prove their merit. After all, how can one lead a kingdom without proving his worth?"

Lady Bromwell's hands tightened into fists. The whites of her knuckles betrayed her calm facial demeanor. I expected her to speak up, yet to my surprise, she uttered not a single word. It seems what Lord Crohn said about proving my worth was a tradition and not his method of creating trouble for me.