The Sculpture And The Sculpted

Chapter 40

All of the letters and ledgers and everything else that they had scavenged from Hannibal's estate had been burnt and in all honestly it was a large weight off of Hannibal's shoulder. It was one more item he could cross off of his mental list of things to do that day.

Among that list was also to write a letter back to Mason to make sure a private negotiation was procured, preparing for his initiation into becoming a royal advisor, finding a replacement for the armies, and returning to his estate as swiftly as he could to finish the destruction that should have been handled properly the first time around.

Hannibal chewed mindlessly on some bread, listening to the carrying on of Beverly going over the king's schedule for the day. It seemed as if Will were going to be secluded to meetings all day, dealing with complaints from the courtiers and he looked like he wanted to be doing anything else in the entire world.

Will sighed, rubbing at his temples as his eyes closed. Hannibal blinked, returning fully to the room to set aside the food he had been eating. He went to reach out for Will, but a sharp and sudden pain to his shin snapped his hand back.

Beverly eyed him warningly, settling back in her chair before she continued on with her list. "And when all of that has been completed, the architects and masons wanted to go over the finalization of the aqueducts that were being designed."

"And then I suppose the pope will want to meet with me as well," Will grumbled, lowering his head to the table top with a loud thud. Hannibal held back a laugh as Beverly got to her feet, rushing over to Will and trying to help him sit up.

"This is highly inappropriate, Your Majesty," she scolded as if Will were a child. "You can whine and cry about your duties later tonight in your chambers. But until then, you will act presentable and like a man chosen by God."

"I don't want to," Will complained softly, letting his body be manipulated into an upright position.

"If you weren't the king, I'd hit you," Beverly hissed as she returned to her seat. Hannibal's hand covered his smile and he couldn't stop the breathy laughs that escaped through his nose. "And you." She pointed at Hannibal. "You will stay quiet if you know what is good for you. Now." She looked between the two men and Hannibal coughed to stop the laughter from breaking out. "While you are dealing with the courtiers, I will expect you to be in charge of setting a time and date for the advisory ceremony and I will handle reaching out to the archbishop and making sure everything else is in order."

"Once that is settled, we will discuss the topic of your leave," Will agreed, a bit more dignity to his person now. It was nice to see, if Hannibal were honest with himself. As much as he enjoyed the easiness that came from Will relaxing, there was something wonderfully delicious in Will conducting himself with grace and poise. "Until then, thank you for your continued help and patience."

Beverly's face flushed and she looked away. "Thank you, Your Majesty." She rapidly got to her feet and gave a bow towards Will. "If that is all you need from me at the moment, I do have some other things to take care of."

"Certainly," Will excused.

Beverly stepped around Hannibal's chair and Hannibal took the moment to finally be able to speak to Beverly alone that morning. He got to his feet as well, bidding a small goodbye to Will before rushing after her. When he finally caught up to her in the hallway, he took her arm.

She turned around with curious eyes. "Hannibal?"

"I had something that I needed to ask you," Hannibal stated, pulling her along so that her walk continued.

"What is it?"

"Mason Verger has sent us correspondence about certain issues and Will has tasked me with being the one to deal with said correspondence."