Road to the Crown 159 Meeting part 1

"This bastard…"

While my anger was so huge it was seeping out from my body and affecting everyone around, I still had to keep my words as silent as I could if I was unable to hold them back. After all, calling your King a bastard could be taken as high treason!

"Calm down. He would end up looking silly if he didn't make us wait for even a few moments."

Even if I could understand the reasoning behind Jan's words, wasting my time in those uncomfortable clothes while waiting to be allowed inside the chamber was still an annoying pain in the ass. 

But that was just one of the quirks of this time. Just like people from my new timeline wouldn't understand how the world worked just a few hundred years later, it was hard for me to comprehend what was so important in making your guests wait after you summoned them yourself!

"Well, he is a King so he can do whatever he wants as long as he follows the protocols."

While I was clearly the angry one and governor took the role of the element of calmness, Elia was the wild card of our group, for now just sitting on the side and trying to make this situation not influence her in the way it did me, but from the small wrinkles appearing on her forehead, I could tell that it wouldn't take long before she would join my faction.

"I just hope…"

"You may enter the chamber now."

Just as I wanted to point out that if this meeting would end up being without the King's presence, then any chances to coming into an agreement would be lost, the steward of the royal palace stepped out from within the chamber and invited us in.

At first, my emotions calmed down a moment, with the prospect of potentially solving the financing problem for my projects, only for them to push me even closer to the tipping point when I saw that inside the room, only a single person was sitting!

"Welcome to the capital, sirs. I hope your journey was easy and comfortable."

Not even bothering to stand up as he greeted us, the middle-aged man behind the desk already showed what kind of approach he would have towards us while keeping an ironic smile on his face!

"What is the meaning of this."

With my rage reaching the new height, my face turned cold, retracting all the signs of anger. Yet from the way that Jan looked at me, I could tell that he saw what was coming.

"Excuse me?"

Baffled by my reaction, the noble in front of me was clearly unable to make sense of what I meant by my words. But it was too late for him or governor to salvage the situation.

"We came here as per royal summons, were forced to wait and waste our precious time and now there is no King during the meeting in the first place? I know that you must feel high on the power now that your faction managed to place the candidate you were backing on the throne, sir brother, but don't forget that outside of being an advisor, you are just a noble, like the three of us!"

While there was a factor of respect given to all sorts of official positions in the country, only a selected few of them warranted the additional formalities. What this man wearing the crest of Zboros family on his kontus did, was just a simple abuse of his newly found power!

But something like that wouldn't be able to tilt me out of my calm. I was simply investing myself in my act aimed to make everyone know that neither did I or the governor ever liked the Zboros family, saving us from the backlashes that they and all their supporters would face in just about a month!

"Mike, I know he is at fault, but don't overstep your line! Now then…"

After scolding me just like I hoped he would, Jan turned to the noble with a stern look on his own face, indicating that while he stopped me from erupting, he was happy to uphold the points I brought.

"Dear Peter (real, historical figure). I know that you don't like the fact that in order to get your new titles, you had to give up the province of Sandomir in my favour, but that doesn't give you the right to treat us like that. I will except a hefty remuneration for all three of us for the fact that you brought us here with royal summons, yet failing to let us meet with his majesty! Don't forget that your position as the elder(*) of the Capital doesn't give you the right to abuse your power!"

With Governor starting the debate on such an aggressive note, I instantly turned to his intentions, adding my few cents.

"Sir brother, unless you summoned us to the capital in order to announce the bestowing of some honorary title or willing to grant us some lands in recognitions of the safekeeping of the province, I can't really understand what's the point of this meeting is!"

Only by putting the pressure on this man right away, we could get something positive out of this meeting. Putting a strain on our relationship was a must, considering how I didn't want to be associated with them, but I had to find a way to make the most use of the fact that they were currently the most influential family in the entire commonwealth!

"Does this piece of paper strikes a tune in your memories?"

Instead of replying, Peter pulled a small parchment out of his desk, raising it high into the air before slamming it on top of his desk.

"You claimed that I failed to follow the protocols, yet here it is, your own ruling about moving the ownership of the Ropian town form the infamed and banished Bart under the Mike's of Tarnow rule. Did you forget that those kinds of verdicts need his majesty approval?"

Chapter end