Emperor's Reckoning

The elf king narrowed his eyes as no matter how much he wanted to probe this mysterious group of four, he seemed unable to gain any insight. The cloaks they wore were thick and they wore masks to cover their faces. Hardly he could guess their expression from their gestures.

A butler suddenly stepped in and stood right in front of the king before bowing with his eyes close. "The foods and beverages are ready, Your Majesty."

"Good," the king nodded before he stood up. "My guests, suppose I can barely guess that you four came here with empty stomachs?"

"Hahaha," the four of them laughed before the usual lips of the group answered, "We have eaten before of course but never in your prestige kingdom, Your Majesty."

"Hmm, is that so?" The king creased.

"Indeed so, Your Majesty, I dare not lie in front of a king."

"Hahaha, then this will be an experience like you have never experienced before," the king clapped his hand once. "Terrific! You will leave with a longing expression once you're done here."

"Hahaha, we definitely look forward to it."

The king nodded before he descended the dais of the throne and opened his arms toward the bewildered guests. "Well, let's head to the dining room, shall we?"

The king smiled before he led the way for the four guests which left them even more curious about what just happened. The highest strata of a person in the kingdom were personally leading them toward the dining hall—a prestige that could rival the queen.

The four of them were skeptical but followed him nonetheless. There were many instances when his back was left open, yet they didn't make a single suspicious move, neither did they know that the king was smiling with his hands under his royal cloak opened.

(I guess they are not making a move, even after I left my back bare) thought the elf king before the shimmer of the chandeliers lightened up his face.

The array of food and the array of drinks. The aroma of a unique elven wine immediately played around with their nostrils.

The king chuckled as he noticed their steps paused. The awe from their breaths was audible, and like a siren to his ears. He couldn't help but added in as he walked toward the glorious chair waiting for his presence. "The Elven Wine is a class wine, made with light ingredients to make the wine have the lightest taste possible on one's tongue, but the real effect will include your entire body."

"I can taste it with my nose, that the Elven Wine is a wine one can drink even in their sleep."

"Hahaha! That's a good first expression if I ever heard one," the king jested before he touched the armrest of his chair. His grin was visible before his eyes darted at the wooden glass prepared for him by the side of the table. He reached out for the glass before raising up the glass and showing them that his glass was empty.

The four guests were slightly confused as to why the king was showing them an empty wooden glass.

The king smiled as he snorted. "The pungent fragrance that we taste with our nose, has not yet come."

"Woah," the cloaked person shook his head. "Pungent aroma, yet light taste, truly a whole class on its own."

"Hahaha," the king of the elf sat down. "You may sit."

The four guests were divided into two where they sat opposite each other. One of them looked at the wooden glass prepared for him and see no elven wine, not even a drop. He darted toward the person opposite him whom the latter nodded.

The king noticed the small gesture, "Of course, I do not offer you the wine before I myself, be at present in the room." The king tapped the table twice before the same butler that announced that the feast was ready, came into the scene.

He had carried a bottle with no marking and was still corked shut.

"This is a fine-aged Elven Wine, dear guests," said the butler elf with a bow. "There is nothing like this even if one scrounge the kingdom. Only in this palace where this is produced."

(Such sensitive information casually shared, this king, he might be more shrewd than he looks) one of the guests thought. The king had taken the praises well, too well in fact. He gave them the expression of a lofty king that was hungry for the simplest acknowledgment, however, even they knew that it would be too convenient to be true.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, I don't think we can ever repay you with this honorable gesture," the lips of the four spoken.

"Hahaha, I'm sure that I only want information from the four of you, but if we can be friends wouldn't it benefit both sides?" the king smiled.

"Becoming friends with a person such as Your Majesty, I wonder how many suffering past lives have I gone through."

"Hahaha!" the king laughed. (Past lives, huh? Only the humans believed in such fib! However, are they doing this on purpose?).

(Though it looks corked, the smell had already filled the atmosphere) one of the guests smiled under its mask. (He is not as generous as his tongue it seems).

"Alright then, butler, please serve the Elven Wine," said the king with his merry face.

"At once, Your Majesty," the butler bowed before going to the king's side first. He uncorked the bottle open before a stronger pungent aroma burst out from it. The king immediately had his eyelids closed as he smiled. The unique fragrance had momentarily sent him to a different realm before he opened his eyes once more and saw the four guests looking at him

"Ah, the place I went through just from smelling this fine piece of treasure is indescribable by words," muttered the king before the butler poured down the wine. The maroon liquid crashed against the base of the wooden glass before filling it up to half the size of the glass. The butler pulled the bottle up before the king raised his glass against the four of them.

"Forgive me, I'm really addicted to my own product," the king smiled as the four of them chuckled. "I shall go first, then."

Under the watchful eyes of the four of them, the king drank the wine and audibly gulped it down twice. "Ah~ Oh my—" the king showed his empty glass with a smile, "Looks like I'm really an addict."

"HAHAHA!" the five of them laughed together.

The spokesperson of the four added, "I can't wait to taste it, butler please, stop edging me haha!"

The king laughed before he nodded up at the butler. The butler bowed and immediately poured the wine inside the other designated wooden glasses.

He smiled looking at the four of them drinking the wine together. He had shown how he drank the wine right in front of them all. A really nice gesture to prove that the wine that the butler served had nothing funny in it. That was crucial to maintain their discussion with lesser lies than it would appear in this type of meeting.

"Phuah!" the spokesperson exaggerated as his lips had a hue of maroon, "I must have wasted my life until now."

"Hahaha, that's a really nice thing to say, after all, the Elven Wine that we keep in this kingdom is exclusive," the king proudly nodded. "Though, let's continue where we left off while we ate."

"With such luxury right in front of our eyes, I have to agree with Your Majesty. For even if Your Majesty have a different idea, I still would have tightened my chest and asked if we could do that."

"Hahaha," the king was visibly entertained, but none can say for the thought in his mind (He is really good with words, but which one is sincere? Asking him directly would fruit nothing, so let's see what these four have to say first).

"You said before that you have something to hunt, what is it that you are after?" asked the king of the elf.

"We are after an item that was believed to be lost in the unwritten history."

"Oh? Sounds so ominous, yet interesting," said the king as he cut the meat on his plate with a knife. "Tell me more."

The other three looked at the spoke person and slightly shook their heads. The king failed to notice this gesture before hearing, "I'm afraid as of right now, I can not tell you, Your Majesty, please forgive me."

"That's fine," the king didn't dart his eyes from the meat at all.

The gesture surprised the four guests greatly. He seemed to care just a moment ago, but now he didn't, he was probing. This was the part where they knew for sure, that the elf king was a shrewd figure that they must face.