"What is happening?" Lord Elmsworth asked, looking visibly annoyed.
"My Lord, we were trying to stop her, but this..." The guards stopped as they caught Lorian's raised eyebrow, and swiftly corrected themselves, "The Lady did not listen and forced herself inside!"
"It is fine," Lord Elmsworth said, his anger momentarily banked, "What is the issue?"
Zara dropped onto her knees, "Lord Chief, have mercy! Please help Jax!" she pleaded, vehemently trying to hold back her tears.
Lady Seraphina was visibly distraught, "What happened, dear? Has his health deteriorated?"
"The Shaman..." Zara replied, turning her pleaful gaze towards Seraphina, "Forgive me, Lady Mother, I mean the Physician, he is not going to even check Jax, let alone treat him..."
"WHAT THE HELL!" Elmsworth shouted, standing up from his chair, seeming to burst with anger. He looked at the guard, "Bring the Physician to me, right now!"
The guards had never seen Lord Elmsworth Thorne angry in this way. They bowed and left the room as quickly as possible to escape the fearsome look of their Lord. The whole hall fell silent; deep in their minds, all of them were trembling in fear, for it had been ages since anyone had seen the Lord like this.
It was not long before the guards returned, dragging the Physician along with them. They hadn't told the Physician the exact issue, as they themselves were puzzled, but the way he was pulled into the hall and the fearful expressions of the guards made him realize something grave had happened, and that he was, for some reason, the center of it. He didn't notice Zara standing around the corner and asked the Lord, in a shaken voice, what had occurred.
Elmsworth, controlling his rage, spoke in a measured, controlled voice, "So, how is the treatment going on?"
"It—it's going alright, my Lord," the Physician gulped, "I am trying my best to treat them all to best of my ability!"
"Are you sure you are treating everyone," the Lord spoke in a voice mixed with anger and mockery, "equally?" He turned his gaze to Zara.
"Ye-yes-s, my Lord," the Physician fumbled, and followed Elmsworth's gaze to discover Zara in the room. He instantly had a hunch what the reason might be.
The Lord gave him a suggestive look, full of quiet demand.
The Physician gulped, "I mean... barring the Beastman..."
"And may I know WHY?" Elmsworth pressed on, his voice dangerously low.
"He is a filthy Beastman..." the Physician answered in a pleading tone.
"And?" the Lord pressed again.
The Physician realized what had made the Lord angry, but in a desperate attempt to preserve his own honor and press his argument, he pleaded, "My Lord, I am the most renowned Physician in Veridia, and considered one of the best in the whole continent. I treat all eminent people in the continent, including YOU, my Lord. I don't even treat commoners, and they are just Beastmen. How can I stoop so low..."
Lorian was boiling with anger, but his fear of his father made him swallow his fury and let the event unfold on its own.
Elmsworth, with a dominating stride, walked toward the Physician, who would gladly have entered a rat's hole if he could. In a very slow, cold, determined voice, Elmsworth replied, "The 'just Beastman' saved my life yesterday. If he was not there, today you people would be mourning my demise and the city would erupt in- " Elmsworth controlled his speech, realizing the Physician did not need to know the Thorne family feud in detail.
"I-I t-thought t-they were just s-slaves," the Physician managed to speak up, "I-I had heard the young Lord had bought two Beastmen slaves and..."
Elmsworth grabbed him by the collar, pulled him up from the ground, and spoke with terrifying intensity, "First, they are not slaves, but retainers of your young Lord. Second, they saved my life, MY life. Third, if I told you to treat someone, you WILL treat him. You think your vain prejudice and fake honor are more important than MY will?"
He loosened his grip, and the Physician fell to the ground. He touched Elmsworth's feet with his head and repeatedly pleaded for mercy, then quickly rushed out of the room and toward the Restoration Wing to treat Jax. He had realized by now that if something happened to Jax due to his negligence, things would not end well for him.
Zara was overwhelmed with emotion. But before she could speak, Elmsworth compassionately told her, "Now Jax needs you most. Everything else can be done later."
Zara just nodded with glistening eyes, her throat choked with tears. She quickly bowed to everyone in the room and rushed outside. Suddenly Lorian's gaze fell on Kaelen, who appeared restless. On Lorian's silent signal, he nodded and quickly rushed to follow Zara.
After that, the situation in the Breakfast Hall returned to normal. They finished their breakfast and left the room. In that room remained only the father and son, as Elmsworth had signaled Lorian during the meal.
As the two found themselves alone in the big hall, Elmsworth looked at Lorian. With a slight smile on his face, he asked, "What is on your mind, son? Tell me."
Lorian was not sure what to respond or how to respond, as he was still trying to grasp the formal way the people used to interact everywhere, not just with outsiders, but even with their closest people in private settings.
Elmsworth understood his son's dilemma and pressed, "You can speak freely, speak your mind."
"Father," Lorian nodded and replied, "I had seen shades of you, I never thought you would have, like…"
"You thought I would always act angry, serious, and terrifying?" Elmsworth smiled.
Elmsworth walked and stood behind Lorian, resting his hands on Lorian's shoulders, "Look, it is not easy to lead a Nation, my son. If you act too casual, too easy-going, people will stop taking you seriously. People respond to authority, and too much of an easy-going person finds it hard to make people take his orders and ideas seriously.
But, if you always act strict, the people who are always with you,- like Gravil, Lucien;- they would feel suffocated. Either they would always be more concerned with not angering you, making them act less efficiently and freely; or they will start hating you, and will turn against you sooner or later.
So, you need to keep a balance. Be strict enough to maintain discipline, keep your people in line; but not too strict to antagonize them. Maintain a respectable distance with them, so that they love you, care for you, but above all, respect and fear you; and never take you lightly.
Remember, a kingdom where everyone thinks they are equal to the king is not a happy kingdom, but a cesspool of chaos and anarchy, which will either shatter from within or from outside. And you need to learn this, my son, to be the ruler.
Remember, he who stands atop the pyramid has everyone beneath him, but is basically alone. This is the boon of rulership, and this is the curse. And you have to embrace and accept this loneliness, because you are born as a Ruler."