04: CLOSED CURTAINS II

Because the King's Castle was close to the mountains, the temperature within the castle frequently descended to uncomfortably low levels. Mr. Ethel enjoyed warm weather. His own mansion was  located near a saline lake in the east.  As a result, he wore thick attire most of the time when he went to see the King. Mr Ethel entered the Castle wearing a big black overcoat and a sweater underneath it. He was escorted to the meeting by his business associates. They were not directed to the throne room as they had expected, but to a ballroom to the right of the Castle. Inside, the monarch himself was waiting for them. King Vonner had no intention of inviting anyone into the castle for a feast, much less meeting up with those who were already there. So was odd that he called Mr Ethel out of the blue to invite him to dinner. He couldn't afford to turn down the offer because he knew what would happen if he didn't, so he hurriedly packed his belongings and flew to the Castle. When they arrived, King Vonner greeted them warmly. Visitors anticipated nothing less than something exquisite on his back because he had a wild sense of fashion. And he unquestionably lived up to the hype. The monarch wore a long dark purple jacket with a matching set of trousers and purple-embroidered Oxford shoes. Mr Ethel's Associates couldn't help but be dazzled by the reflective gems adorning the Watch's edges, which wrapped around his wrist like a diamond encrusted snake. "It's so nice of you to make it in such short notice. I hope you like your visit to my humble abode "King Vonner stated as he firmly shook the hand of one of the Associates. "It is a great honour for me to be here, my King. I never imagined that I would visit this magnificent Castle more than once in my life."  said the associate. "Please join us; we were just about to eat,” the king remarked as he ushered them into the ballroom. A long table was located in the centre of the room. The queen sat at the far end of the table. As soon as the visitors began to enter the room, she leapt to her feet. "I don't want you to miss out on the feast, so please take a seat. It was getting colder by the minute "As he rushed to his own seat, the king said. His guests were grateful for his kindness. They formed a circle around the table, everyone taking a seat near the far end. Soon after, servants entered the room with trays piled high with delights.

"I hope none of you are allergic to meat. My servants were tasked with preparing the greatest cuisine they could. In fact, I tracked down the Deer myself,” the monarch said, praising himself. "Wow, my King, I never thought you were a hunter,” one of the guests commented. For a few moments, the king was silent, and the visitor assumed he had insulted him in some way. He then asked everyone to let off steam. "That's something I've heard a lot. I do, however,I enjoy hunting. Growing up, it was one of my favourite pastimes.  My father would always take me on his camping expeditions where we would hunt for days and live off the food we caught,” he continued as he poured wine from a jug on the table into a chalice close to him. As though following his lead, the associates did the same. The food was placed on the table, and one of the servers took out a strong blades from thier scabbards. He started slicing through the lump of venison that had steamed all over their table. As the blade delved deeper into the bones, the tender meat began to fall out of the bones, provoking gluttonous glares from the visitors.

"My King, the food smells fantastic. One of the guests stated, "I can't wait to try it."  King Vonner Replied with nothing But a smile. The dish was served to them by the servers, who cut exquisite slices from the roasted Venison. They made their way around the table, feeling each place with a piece of flesh before ending the journey by placing a strip of meat on both the Queen's and the King's plates. Another servant went around the table, laying forks and knives near to the dishes. The guests couldn't wait to get their hands on the meat. "“Thank you so much for your kindness, my King,” one of the visitors remarked as he took a fork and a cutting knife from the table. "“You are quite welcome, and please eat as much as you want,” the king said. The visitors couldn't wait any longer and jumped right in, shredding the flesh and stuffing it into their mouths. It depended entirely on their mouth size; the larger the mouth, the larger the bite. They ate the meat for quite some time, not pausing to talk to one another. The Queen then reached for her cutting blade, but King Vonner swatted her hand away. She quickly retracted it, terrified.

“Not you, no! "The king spoke to her in hushed tones.  Some of the visitors saw of what happened,  but they were aware that there was a line they couldn't cross, so they chose to ignore it. "Tell me, Mr. Ethel. How's it going with your daughter? It must be difficult for her not to be competing in the trials with her friends?” The king inquired. As Mr. Ethel turned to face him, he observed that the king never took a single mouthful of his supper. "She is faring well King."  Mr Ethel replied, "My wife went to see her last week and she is doing OK. " 

"I heard she ran into a bit of trouble at her aunt's place,” the king asked, falling back into his seat. The place fell silent all of a sudden. Everyone had heard about the rumours circulating throughout the Kingdom regarding a link between King Vonner, Mr Starkridge's death, and the attack on the Ethel residence. Some rumours even claim that the king was the mastermind behind it allThe mention of the storey made the visitors feel uneasy, and their eating speeds slowed. Others reached for their wine-filled chalices.

“Yes. However, the issue was quickly handled once the cops came. I haven't heard anything about the investigation yet, but it has been put on pause. Before they can share the complete storey to the public, they need to gather more information. or, at the very least, that's what they told me,” he explained. "So, what are your thoughts on all of this? I mean, it was your sister's home that was broken into. It has to be terrifying for you,” The king expressed himself. Mr Ethel and his visitors were both uncomfortable as a result of their chat. The monarch did not appear to read the chamber and went on his way. "If that is okay with you, Mr Ethel, I would like to speak with your daughter,” the king said, taking a sip of the wine next to him. The Queen remained as still as a rock during all of this. She practically vanished into the background, and the guests almost forgot about her, oblivious to the fact that she was a part of the meal. "I don't believe she'll be comfortable meeting you right now. "  Mr Ethel responded, confident in his response, “but I can try my hardest to organise a meeting as soon as possible.” The chalice was replaced on the table by King Vonner, who gulped the wine that was still in his mouth.

“Let me rephrase my comment, because I believe you misinterpreted it for a request,” he said, straightening his overcoat and speaking more forcefully.

" It wasn't a request; I'm saying I'd like to meet your daughter as soon as possible,” the King said again, this time with a more assertive tone than previously.

Mr Ethel took a deep breath and swallowed hard "Please pardon me, my King. But she's thousands of miles away and won't speak to me. I swear I'll do everything I can to get her to meet you,” he promised. The King made an unpleasant look, as if to express his dissatisfaction with the response he had received.

“ My father taught me to be aware of the people with whom you dine; those closest to you have a motive for being so. He also informed me that a long speech or a graphical picture of what can happen to them isn't the best method to show folks you're serious about business. He told me that experience is the finest way to intimidate someone.” the king's said. He returned his gaze to his plate once he finished speaking. The meat had not been handled. Mr Ethel examined his body as well as the meat he was consuming. One of the guests on the opposite side of him suddenly reached for a cup of wine. As though he were suffocating, He flushed it down hard. even after all of that, he felt a strange sensation around his neck, as if acid was being poured from the inside and down his throat. Other people soon followed, reaching for the glasses of wine and flashing them down. As they fought to inhale, their tongues protruded. Others slammed their fists against their chests to relieve the agony. Mr Ethel began to get a tingling sensation in his throat on that point. It was like lighting a fire inside one's throat as the sensation expanded tremendously. As their knees moved involuntarily, the visitors knocked food and dishes off the table, causing their feet to knock the table's bottom and spill the food.  King Vonner stood there watching them struggle for air, their hands clawing into the imaginary air as if grabbing it and tossing it into their lungs.

The Struggle prolonged for over a minute.

The king turned to face his wife, seeing her trembling hands. He  appeared  repulsed by the fearful aura she was emitting.

The majority of the tourists had collapsed on the ground by that point. Most of them were terrified of dying, and they couldn't face the prospect of losing their lives in such a prominent setting, murdered by their own king. When they finally got to his field, some of them had already started passing out. The servants stood far away from the dining table, quietly watching everything that was going on.The king slowly motioned to them and they stepped forward, pulling out syringes filled with  a dark blue potion. They approached the guests and slowly injected the potion into them. The response was not instantaneous. It took a long time for them to regain their breathing capabilities and taste the air once again.

Mr Ethel pushed himself up to his feet. His eyes, wide with surprise, conveyed it all. The threat was serious; the king could have let them choke to death if he wanted them to die, and they knew it.

"I expect that your daughter will be at my doors as soon as possible Mr Ethel," the King remarked, "the next time I ask something of you, it will be advisable for you not to answer me so disrespectfully, as if I am your equal."

Mr Ethel trembled as he answered, "Yes, my King." The visitors staggered out of the ballroom and dashed to the exit. They didn't want to stay in the Deathly Castle for another minute. Their ideal visit turned into a life-threatening situation, and they reflected on why they bothered to befriend Mr. Ethel in the first place, unaware of the dangerous people who surrounded him. It was then that they realised all of the rumours and stories they'd heard were true, and some were scheming to abandon the kingdom as soon as they stepped beyond the gates.

Mr Ethel was approached by one of the visitors. He swung a Fist at him, but it was severely missed. The rest of the visitors raced to him and held his hands down while he gathered himself for another swing.

"You fool, how could you bring us to die in this Castle? Did you know? Did you know the king was going to poison us?" he demanded, his voice shaky and difficult to hear due to his rage.

"I'm as horrified as you are. I thought he invited me to negotiate business terms and then we'd be on our way; I never expected him to poison us!" Mr Ethel replied, his voice sincere.

"Well, this is the last time I want to be with you; you're going to cost me my life!" exclaimed the restricted man, spitting on Mr. Ethel's boots. He withdrew his hands from the other visitors' grasps and went away, over to his car. Mr Ethel was stunned for a minute before following suit and returning to their automobiles, still coughing their lungs out. He promptly straightened himself and took his phone out of his pocket. He dialled his wife's number, but the call was immediately disconnected. Something wasn't quite right.