A Tamia's Tale

Chapter 4: Insecurities

"Let's begin this special meeting," the man with a handlebar mustache and a blue military uniform announced, his voice resonating with authority. Everyone present nodded in approval, their expressions serious. Luka stood in a corner near the maid, noting that Maria had entered the room and was standing near the princess at the head of the table. Safaran was fidgeting, caressing his mustache while smiling contentedly, with Archibald standing beside him.

A man with dark skin stood up and spoke in an urgent tone. "Sir Marsh, could you please tell us what is going on? I presume that most of us here were summoned without any further information as to why."

The old man coughed before answering. "Yes, do not worry Mister Borone. We invited all of you here because we have a few important matters to discuss that are considered urgent by both the king and," he turned to face Morgann, "the princess."

"And what could it be?" interjected Safaran.

"Well, first, perhaps we should address the elephant in the room." He turned to face Luka, who jolted in response as every person in the room gazed at him. "Somehow, information was leaked that this young man over here was summoned into our world, while it should've remained a secret. Sir Uther will speak about the details."

So it's not just Archibald that knew about me... The information was leaked?

Uther stood up, brushing his long mantle before speaking in a loud and inteligible voice.

"Thank you, Sir Marsh." He bowed to the old man, who sat down. "As some of you already know, we managed to replicate the spell that Desmond used to come and go from our world. Unfortunately, the spell didn't work as intended and we only managed to summon Luka, who has nothing to do with our fugitive."

Luka gulped loudly, his nerves starting to crack. He could feel the gaze of everyone in the room, almost accusing him of crimes he didn't commit. Archibald's stare was the sharpest, radiating intense hatred.

"We heard of this, yes," his father said. "I heard it from Julius."

"Julius?" Luka asked quietly to the maid.

"Yes, he is Safaran's personal guard, similar to what Kanami is to the princess," she explained.

Does every noble in this world have their own little ninja or what?

"Me too," another man spoke up in a gruff voice. Until now, he hadn't stood out, but now he was glaring daggers at Luka. He looked to be in his fifties, with a balding pattern starting to appear on his head. His clothes were elegant but not as flamboyant as Safaran's; he wore a simple black military uniform.

"And who is this man?" Luka asked again to the maid.

"Sir Edgar Greyhood. He arrived in Sora two years ago and is the ambassador of Fyr, a neighboring country."

"Thank you, and sorry if I ask too many questions." Luka bowed slightly.

"N-No need, thank you again for helping me earlier."

"I've heard that you had trouble with a traitor two years ago here in Sora. Given everything else, I'm starting to wonder if our country can truly trust you," Edgar said, looking sternly at the young princess.

"Of course you can. It's true that we've had a lot of trouble in the past but you have nothing to worry about." the princess assured.

"At any rate," Uther interrupted, trying to lighten the mood a little. "We have someone who leaked precious information, and the result was that Luka here was kidnapped."

"And how is that our problem?" Edgar retorted, his eyes narrowing.

Uther was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained his composure. "It becomes everyone's problem when it threatens the stability of our nations. Luka's kidnapping is a breach of our security, and it shows that someone among us, or close to us, is feeding information to the wrong parties"