KNEEL BEFORE THE CROWN (BL)

Adam returned to his room, with several female servants following behind. Wanting to help the King take off his royal clothes. The day was approaching noon, and the hot rays felt so hot. The nobles were left to chat with the food and drinks that had been served by the servants after the inauguration ceremony was over. And they would go home by themselves when the city bell had rung twelve times.

Not long after, Trevor came to Adam's room with the young man who had just been inaugurated. A nervous face enveloped him. Trevor smiled, greeted Adam in a friendly manner. Helping him remove the heavy gold crown back into a glass cabinet.

"From now on, I will give Weithia to you, Your Majesty. He is now your full responsibility."

Adam did not say a word. While the man changed his clothes with the help of the servant. A room separated him between Trevor and Weithia.

"Your Majesty?"

Adam turned to look at the man's shadow. "Yes, yes, of course. You may go."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Trevor said politely and turned to leave the King's room, followed by two female servants behind him. Only Adam and Weithia were left in the room.

"We haven't talked about your reward yet." Adam emerged from behind the room in his casual clothes. A loose white shirt and trousers.

"Your Majesty's reward?"

Adam sat on the sofa, "Yes, of course. A knight like you who has served the Kingdom will definitely receive a reward. Such as land, a house or gold. Just tell me what you want."

Weithia didn't dare to speak, standing nervously, not in keeping with her dashing armor. "I don't know, Your Majesty. I haven't even carried out any of your duties. A reward never crossed my mind."

"Is that so?" Adam glanced at the young man from head to toe. "Didn't I tell you not to bow your head? Show your authority and confidence."

The man straightened his body swiftly, "Sorry."

"Market yourself to me." Adam said briefly. His gaze now shifted to the beautiful balcony that immediately showed the vastness of Tropes City. With rows of white houses and buildings with red roofs. Wide streets filled with people passing by. Weithia was silent, not understanding what the King meant.

"Make me interested in you. We will spend a lot of time together from now on. Just because of Trevor's opinion, doesn't mean I like you, right?"

Weithia shuddered slightly, "I am Weithia Vistalia, nineteen years old. Although I am not smart, I am very dedicated to what is my responsibility. I have made a vow of virtue, swearing not to break it."

Adam nodded, "Is that all?"

His forehead wrinkled, "I..."

"Wife? Do you have one?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"That's good then, if you die while fighting I won't have any trouble. That's it? That's all?"

Weithia was silent for a moment, thinking hard, realizing that he was not attractive. What could possibly make the King happy, what would make Adam interested in his personality.

Then he said softly. "I will obey all your orders without exception. I will be by your side until the end of my life and I will do anything to make you happy."

Early that morning, the outskirts of Tropes were shocked by the discovery of a woman's body. Lying stiff on the stone floor with pale blue skin, her eyes bulging blankly and her mouth closed. As if dead from extreme fear. Trevor asked the residents not to crowd the body, to give space so that Wilhelmia's soldiers could investigate.

There were no puddles or splashes of blood in the narrow alley, the crime scene was clean, there were absolutely no traces left behind. The dress worn by the young woman was also in good condition. There was no evidence of resistance or self-defense.

In the morning before sunrise, the General's room door was knocked on by his men who were on patrol on the outskirts of the city. After seeing the blue body, they immediately reported it to Trevor. They rushed to the scene. None of the victim's family came to the General, no one felt like they had lost their family so her death felt strange.

Shortly after Wilhelmia's soldiers took the body to the hospital for an autopsy, Trevor received news that the woman was an orphan. Living alone on the outskirts of the city working as an entertainer. So it's no wonder that no one is looking for her.

Robin decided to go with Trevor to meet the King after breakfast. "Commander, I can confirm that the robbers in Wilhelmia have been caught and imprisoned. Lieutenant Bardolf himself assigned me to look for them." Robin said while sitting with Trevor on the terrace of the headquarters.

"It's not a robbery case. You see for yourself that the woman's exterior is fine. The bag containing the money she brought is still there. Jewelry such as necklaces and bracelets are also still attached to her skin." Trevor looked anxious when he had to face the King for a few moments.

"We will wait for the results of the examination to be able to conclude."

Robin nodded in understanding, his appearance was so neat and handsome. His blue eyes were very clear and matched his dark hair. "Do you think this is a murder case?"

"It could be. I'm not sure. But if it's true, the perpetrator must be responded to immediately so as not to cause unrest in the whole country."

"I agree. Speaking of the King. How is Weithia's daily life as His Majesty's personal bodyguard?"

"He did a good job, didn't cause trouble or upset His Majesty. He went along on visits to several places, hunting or meetings with the parliament. More or less lightened my workload. So I could focus more on dealing with problems like this."

"Willhelmia has never had a disaster like this as far as I know. If the woman's death was the work of evil people, we must be able to find them as soon as possible Commander. If not, we are afraid that the victims will increase."

"You are right but it is not me who decides, but His Majesty. I hope he is not too angry to hear this case. You know, behind his patient appearance, sometimes his attitude is a little temperamental like his late father."

"This is a big country Commander. Anything can happen." He said with a long sigh. "I don't think His Majesty will get angry that easily Commander. He is so wise. You once said that a wise person always listens to advice."

The sun was rising higher on the horizon, the two men could feel that the day was getting hotter. The decision was made to meet the King. The distance between the military headquarters and the palace was relatively close, they only had to pass through the southern garden and could immediately arrive near the palace hall.

They decided to ride horses to save time. The animal was tied to a wooden fence after arriving at a garden filled with statues of gods and goddesses. They went past a white pavilion with a beautiful lake surrounding it. Lotus flowers grew abundantly with beautiful pink flowers decorating it.

The maids bowed when they saw the two figures of Wilhelmia's military leaders. Trevor asked where the King was, and sure enough the man had just finished his breakfast according to schedule. Their steps quickened, after passing through a long corridor with rows of tall pillars and several closed rooms. They arrived at the dining room and were greeted by Weithia who was standing behind Adam's chair.

"Commander. Senior Robin, good morning." Weithia said politely.

Adam turned and greeted the two men softly. "What are you two doing here?"

Adam said that he was tired of all the formalities, so he gave them special permission to talk casually and sit with him at the long table. So did Weithia.

"Is it about the discovery of a body on the edge of Tropes City?"

Trevor was surprised when the news had reached the King's ears first. "Yes, Your Majesty. Did Ackerley tell you first?"

"He just went to pick up the identification from the house.

"Just explain the details that you know to me." That morning the King's face looked fresh.

"The woman is named Donna, 24 years old, works as an entertainer. Lives in a small house on the second floor, the first floor of the house is occupied by the owner. The location of the residence is not far from where her body was found this morning. According to the testimony of the owner of the house she rented, Donna usually leaves at 8 pm and returns around 3 am. The owner of the house was sleeping at that time so he did not know if Donna had returned or not."

"Continue."

"The woman was found by local residents at half past four in the morning. Then they reported it to the Wilhelmian soldiers who were patrolling the area."

"Patrol? How could they not see anything?" Adam lowered his voice.

"Forgive me Your Majesty, I will immediately ask for their information." Robin said.

Trevor continued, "After that they reported it directly to me. Robin and I immediately went there. Donna was frozen on the ground, her whole body turned blue. What was even more frightening was her wide open eyes, empty and only the whites were visible. As if she had died from seeing something scary."

"There was no evidence of violence or anything. Because the clothes she was wearing were still in good condition."

"No traces of blood or anything?"

"No, Your Majesty. The crime scene is clean. But my men are still investigating it, if there is something they will report it immediately."

"So you said the woman died suddenly, just like that?"

"I can't conclude before there is additional data Your Majesty, we should wait for further developments."

"Don't let there be another victim. Order your men to do better than this!"

Adam rose from his seat, "The Ministers have scheduled a meeting with me in a moment. We'll talk about this again afterward."

"Okay." Trevor and Robin accompanied Adam to the door of the meeting room not far from the dining room. Adam then sat in the main chair while reading some documents, waiting for the arrival of the Ministers. The Knight obediently always stood behind the man.

Trevor and Robin withdrew, there was nothing to do except wait for additional information to arrive. Hopefully the hospital investigation could find new facts that had not been revealed. The two men decided to return to headquarters and wait.

A little surprised because the condition of the place seemed normal. Everyone seemed to be working as usual, as if nothing had happened. Even Lieutenant Bardolf said not to bother about the death of an entertainer. Just do more important work. Robin just shook his head when he heard his superior's words.

Trevor ordered Robin to return to Haven and continue his duties that were left behind for several hours. But Robin refused with the persuasion of wanting to accompany the General to investigate the case. Unable to resist because Robin was a skilled negotiator, Trevor finally gave in.

They went near the main door of the castle and saw many horse-drawn carriages, it was certain that they belonged to the nobles who would hold a monthly meeting with the King. I guess it won't be long, Trevor and Robin decided to wait.

Trevor's blue eyes were so dark and deep looking at all corners of the castle, the garden and the streets. Rows of horse-drawn carriages were neatly parked in the front yard. The green expanse of grass was like a carpet, with a blue sky and white clouds. The beauty that he usually saw in Wilhelmia every day. The scenery was still the same from the past.

Like summer, Adam is moving towards adulthood. Representing the peak of his life, because he continues to grow and strengthen his identity, finding his true self and deepest desires. Like summer which symbolizes an adventure, just like Adam opens a new page and every new task he carries.

For the people of Wilhelmia themselves, they celebrate summer with bonfires. They believe that summer has the power to increase the good energy from the sun so that it can produce a good harvest. By singing and dancing together in the city, they believe it can ward off evil spirits that are considered the strongest in summer.

"The harvest festival will be held soon." Trevor muttered.

"That's right Commander, as far as I know the people are ready for it. Besides, this is an annual event, it can't be abandoned."

"If this case gets worse, is it possible that the people will be afraid and stop the harvest festival?"

"We still have time, Commander. Let's finish this as soon as possible."

Who knows how long they have been sitting on the bench, waiting for Adam to finish his meeting. But from a distance they saw the figure of a man riding his horse and getting off among the parked carriages. Trevor and Robin decided to approach him.

"Mr. Francilius?"

The old man turned around in surprise, "Oh my! Don't just show up like that." 

His shoulder-length gray hair was neatly tied, his loose shirt really showed off his thin figure.

"What are you doing here? Want to meet the Ministers?" asked Trevor. Francilius just laughed softly and patted the bag around his body. "I brought the results of the doctor's examination of the body found this morning."

Trevor and Robin looked back at each other, "Where is your brother? Wasn't Mr. Ackerley supposed to deliver it?"

He laughed again, "He's unavailable, so he asked me to deliver this to His Majesty. At the same time I want to meet my master, he's still in a meeting, right?"

Robin clearly didn't like the man in front of him, not because of his appearance. But the way he spoke and his expression were hard to guess. He had only been laughing all this time, trying to show his friendly image, even though Robin knew he was just pretending. He saw General Trevor who was a little confused.

"Then, you can leave it to me." Trevor said.

"No need, I'll do it, Sir."

"Sorry, but you don't have the authority over this case." Trevor tried to control his intonation.

Francilius's face looked a little annoyed. Even though he had gray hair, it didn't mean he was old. He was the same age as Ackerley, his younger brother. Whose appearance was almost the same as this man, but Ackerley was much neater. When his younger brother served a King, Francilius decided to swear allegiance to a famous nobleman in Wilhelmia.

"Excuse me, but my own brother asked me to deliver this to His Majesty. I must carry out his mandate." His voice was suppressed.

"Alright, I don't want to argue with you for long, sir. But I will accompany you to meet His Majesty."

The man was silent, staring at Trevor sarcastically. Not long after, it seemed that the state meeting had ended, the main door opened and dozens of Ministers and nobles came out in luxurious and sparkling clothes. The courtyard with the castle was so crowded with servants and coachmen who had been waiting for their master.

Francilius approached one of the Wilhelmia parliament members with a tall and large body. His gaze was so arrogant and haughty when he saw Trevor and Robin. The two men couldn't hear their conversation clearly, because the surrounding atmosphere was quite noisy.

They didn't talk for long. Francilius then returned to Trevor and Robin to enter the palace together. Now his expression changed to a little happy, not like when they first met. Trevor did not fully agree with Francilius' way of meeting Adam, whether to curry favor or what, but he was the brother of a Royal Advisor, maybe he should put in a little trust and respect.

The King was still seen sitting in the meeting room, even though the place was empty. He smiled when Trevor and the others arrived. "Have you got the results?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Ackerley asked me to deliver it to you."

"Is that so? Where is he now?"

"Is he doing his other duties, Your Majesty." Francilius said politely.

"Are you Francilius, Minister Jaquet's subordinate?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Adam glanced at Trevor for a moment to ask for certainty. The man replied with a slow nod. The King then received several sheets of paper from Francilius' hand, not very thick. Indicating that only a little information was obtained. He read it very carefully, his expression changed to anxious and confused.

"Is this really the result of the examination?"

"That's what I received from Ackerley, I didn't read it Your Majesty."

Adam's brow furrowed, his face made Trevor worried. "What was written there Your Majesty?"

"They said when the woman was autopsied, her tongue was gone, as if it had been cut by a sharp object." His words immediately made the men horrified. "And there was no blood at all."

"Be clearer, Your Majesty?" Trevor said.

"That's why you said earlier that the woman's body was very blue and pale, there wasn't a single drop of blood on her body." Adam's expression hardened as he read the report with a skeptical look.

"How could that happen Your Majesty?" said the General a little panicked. He himself had never even faced a case like that. Adam glanced at Francilius, "Sir, thank you for telling me this. Now can you please go out. Thank you."

He immediately nodded, "Of course, Your Majesty. It's an honor to be able to help you." And walked away.

"What does this mean? This is clearly no ordinary murder Trevor."

The General and Robin sat on an empty bench, "Is it possible that the man had changed the contents? It's strange that Ackerley told him to deliver the document to you."

"Don't talk like that, he's his brother, isn't he? The crime of document forgery is very easy to track, now we can go to the hospital and see his condition directly. Or we can call the doctor here. Make sure whether it's true that his tongue is missing and her blood is gone." Adam said firmly.

"Don't let the people hear this, they will be afraid. Moreover, the harvest festival is getting closer. If they find out, I know exactly what will happen."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Increase patrols in the city and villages. I don't want this to happen again. If the nobles find out, they will also protest to me."

Adam added, "Then also investigate how the woman died. Did she have enemies? What did this criminal want from a helpless girl? Why was her tongue lost and her blood was gone, how could that happen? Or maybe this murder was just a diversion. In what way, do you find out."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"This kind of thing is very thick with the smell of black magic and witchcraft."

Adam showed a very serious expression, "To you too, Mr. Robin, I hope you can help. Right now my work is very busy, but if something happens or there are new developments. Don't hesitate to come see me."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Robin said.

"Find the truth for that woman."