HERALD OF STEEL

Ptolomy initially appeared very accommodating towards Alexander, joking and chuckling various encouraging comments.

The rotund man even playfully wrapped his thick arms around his shoulder, to show the close bond.

And it seemed even the news of his wife’s illness did not seem to dampen the man mood, as he rather focused on Alexander’s accomplishments and basking in its glory.

The news of Alexander’s ‘conquest’ of Galiosos appeared to especially please the men, much more than even Tibias…. as it appeared land possessions beyond the main landmass was a much greater prestige boost for the court.

Thus Ptolomy freely exaggerated the land taken by Alexander.

However all of the gentleness appeared to suddenly change, just like how a sunny summer noon can turn mercurial and dark in an instant- the plump king abruptly turned to make such a comment about Lady Nanazin, openly accusing Alexander of committing adultery with his wife.

“…..”

And immediately hearing this the nearby surrounding went dead silent, like it had been dipped into an ice cold bath, with everyone producing a subtle reaction.

Lord Iyazid’s wizened face shrunk in bitter regret as he feared the trade between the two powers was going to collapse right here and right now.

So he half cursed Ptolomy for not having any tact and half cursed Alexander for not being able to keep it in his pants.

The old man really wished for the king to drop this topic in light of the immense trade between the two and for Alexander to ditch the women to stay in favor with him.

While Azira and Azura for the first time turned to produce a small, serious scowl on their foreheads, more disgusted by the fact that a king would say such crude words so openly than the actual accusation.

The princesses were always very proper in their manners, never uttering words or acting in a way that would make them appear unsophisticated- the way they acted in front of Alexander was the exception, showcasing their close bond.

Hence they also expected their uncle to keep up the same professional facade in formal settings and were disappointed to find it otherwise.

On the other hand, the Queen mother’s face remained perfectly still, unchanged and unreadable, although there was a hidden, dangerous chilly flash inside her eyes.

‘I told that fool to keep his mouth shut for now. He really could not wait, huh? Fool, buffoon….head kicked in by a donkey!’ The fiery woman only rebuked Ptolomy and his ten ancestors inside her, finding all the talks and advice she had given him regarding this had gone completely to waste.

In fact, it was her decision to meet Alexander here, in front of the Grand Temple.

The idea was being in such a sacred place and without all the bees of the court buzzing around Ptolomy and polluting his mind, the man would be far more balanced and steady in his approach, thus at least maintaining a veneer of cordiality.

After all, the Pasha of Zanzan was a great ally, no matter his shortcomings, with immense economic and political strength that made him impossible to ignore.

Queen Mother Seelima had drilled all these into Ptolomy for days now… yet, all her efforts seemed to have ended up washed down the drain.

But now, all she could do was just stand there and lightly flattened her lips in begrudgement.

And lastly, Alexander’s face only lit up at the accusation, producing a light smile.

He did not really feel bothered by the words because he knew this was coming- Ptolomy had made his stance very clear months ago, when he did not bother to even invite him to his ‘wedding’.

Forget the escort fiasco just now.

This was not to even mention the fact that accusation was completely true- he was totally screwing wife.

In fact, none of the others also doubted Ptolomy, including the usually disinterested twin princesses. The air between the lady and man was easy to read even for those who stuck to praying half the day. Everyone simply did not like the plump man bringing it up in such a way.

But since Ptolomy had decided to fish for this subject….

“I can see how Your Majesty would indeed think that. I am sure many people have said a lot of things about this to you…” Alexander did not just outright deny the accusation, but following a practised, professional smile, simply swore,

“But let me assure you, my contact with Her Highness has been nothing but professional during all this time. In my opinion, anyone who says Lady Nanazin has been nothing but faithful to you is committing pure slander… pure and simple.”

“The actual explanation behind Her Highness accompanying me to Galiosos is really a simple one- I was asked to take a representative of the Adhanian Royal Family under the advice of my allies there…the Margraves family.”

“The Lord of the family personally told me they have heard great things about your accomplishments, Your Majesty, how you deposed your tyrannical father and dethroned your malicious brother, and so wanted to meet a delegate from your bloodline. They believed someone from your family to be a trustworthy guarantor.”

“

“Of course, my first thought was to invite you, My Liege. It would have brought me nothing but the utmost joy to let me accompany you and let you personally usher peace and prosperity throughout the lands.”

“But I also quickly understood it would be inconvenient for you to leave the capital for such a long period of time.”

“The time was quite short back then too. As you know, the Mad Sea turns very fiery during the fall and winter. So I could only take Her Highness who was the closest to me and rush before the sea lanes closed. And in my hurry, I made the mistake of not informing you properly regarding the circumstances.”

“In hindsight, I now understand I should have sent you a properly written letter explaining all this, asking for your advice and permission. Perhaps you would have sent a better delegate or even chosen to come yourself.”

“It was my oversight and mistake to make assumptions on my own and that is the true reason I have to come to Adhan today… to personally explain and apologize. A mere letter would have been far too cold and distant.”

Alexander deeply bowed his head in regret as he said this his face appearing very bitter and remorseful.

Of course this eloquent speech had been created a long time ago, as not even someone as quick as Alexander could have come up with such a long note on the spot.

Back in the ship, he made several iterations of the rough draft, with the goal of cramming as much information as possible as succinctly as possible, with of course a heathy dose of sycophancy and flattery… as well as remorse.

And now he simply deployed that rough draft with a few subtle tweaks that suddenly sounded extremely charming to Ptolomy.

Almost all the grievances in his heart started to melt away, and even the question of why Alexander had not written a letter beforehand exonerating himself was answered.

But perhaps the thing that had the greatest effect was,

“Did the Sybarians really want me to go there? The people are so excited to meet me?”

Ptolomy asked with widened, sparkling eyes, lips curling up with excitement. As a ‘king’, he had never felt so flattered.

‘Pfff, I don’t think even most noble of the country know your name… forget the common peasantry!’ While back in Alexander’s mind, he rolled his eyes in half disbelief.

He was astounded by the tone deafness of the ask, not even himself believing his bluff worked.

Alexander did not think even all the people of Adhania knew of Ptolomy’s name or for that matter even all the people living in Adhan, the king’s own province.

They of course knew there was a king, but that was the extent of it.

In fact, this was the case for most nobles, including Alexander.

For example, he did not think the people of Tibias or even the small, isolated tribes living around the Cisran Hills knew his name. His popularity really only lay around Zanzan, perhaps at best Thesalie- the fortress city currently being administered by Lady Felicia and her husband.

This was simply the reality of living in a society where the flow of information was heavily constrained.

Thus for Ptolomy to believe that the people of a far fetched island would somehow take the brain cells to register this useless fact….

Alexander could not decide if the man was naive and gullible or plain narcissistic.

But although incredulous, Alexander could also see why Ptolomy reacted like so.

In this childhood, the sickly prince was quite neglected, becoming starved for recognition.

And after he became king, he found himself quashed between the giants Pasha Farzah and Alexander, let us forget the rest of the court.

Deep down he knew very well he was not as powerful as a true king, falling far short of his elder brother, not to mention his father.

Especially during the latter’s reign, the court did not even dare to breathe a single peep too loudly. Such as how the man was able to kill his daughter in law and Pasha Farzah’s eldest daughter without any outright objection from anyone.

Ptolomy of course also dreamed of recreating that gradeur.

Thus for him to suddenly hear there was another group of people who loved and respected him…..

It really tickled his heart’s fancy.

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