AN: Hello again! I'm sorry I haven't uploaded a new chapter in almost two months now, I've been busy recently with so many exams and it's just crazy! Once I'm off for good, I'll probably be able to upload faster, but it's not for certain. I am just warning you I will probably say 'I'm sorry' about two hundred times within the end of this story. I am, and probably will still, be nervous with every small chapter I upload due to the fact of my inexperience other than learning from others and learning better diction from AP English. I hope you enjoy this small chapter in the meantime! If you read this I thank you so much, it really means a lot!

~A

"What the hell was that?"

The King yelled as he and one of his servants entered the kitchen area. His majesty was angry, and above all else, disappointed.

"S-Sir, there are still two more days left to find a person to be your roya-"

"Don't you understand? I've seen enough already! Every single damn peasant who came in to my hall made absolute fools of themselves, and not in the good way at all." He raised a hand up to the annoyed expression on his face and pinched the bridge of his nose.

The day started off seemingly bright; his meetings had gone well and were brief, but once the sun began to set and the auditions began six o'clock sharp, things only tumbled downhill for his majesty. One after the other, peasant men and women stepped into the large hall before the King's throne and attempted to impress him by any means necessary. Some tried performing magic tricks, which bored his majesty due to his knowledge of the "trick" itself, and one even swallowed fire, however, it resulted in the man nearly choking to death and he had to be escorted out immediately before causing an further damage. Others took a more personal approach, attempting to tell jokes and a couple of women even danced or tried to be seductive to win the heart of his majesty. However, the same unimpressed expression remained on his face, and soon hours had gone by without a single one succeeding in cracking any expression of joy whatsoever. Finally, after about four horrid hours and almost a hundred acts, it was over.

Tired and upset, his majesty went on.

"…I don't believe I want to do this again. It was incredibly boring. Everyone would try to do the same show over and over again; the foolish acts were not entertaining at all, no one tried to attempt anything new. None of them were worth paying even a shilling of my wealth to."

"Your majesty, if I may inquire…" The servant wiped his brow briefly, nervous to argue with his king on the matter. "I urge you to give it one more day, at least. We can cut the third day from the schedule and instead make tomorrow the last day to audition…o-of course, but if you don't want to-!"

The King pondered the idea for a moment, pacing the floor and tapping the stove top. Hm, I suppose it wouldn't do much more damage than already established anyways. Coming to a silent agreement with himself, the King crossed his arms and looked back towards his servant. "No, it's fine, Matsuda. Perhaps another day. But only one more day, I don't think I can handle so much absurdity in one week."

"Yes sir! I will arrange it as soon as possible!"

With that, the aloof servant almost skipped out of the kitchen, leaving the King to finally go back up to his bedroom to perhaps read and then retire for the evening.

Ryuzaki found himself kicking the dirt along a pathway nearby the village, in search of a place to make his residence in as to not depend on the little girl he came to know as Maki for a home any longer. The breeze was gentle today, thankfully. His face softened slightly and emitted a sigh, partly due to being alone again, and as he walked on he found himself gazing up into the blue sky instead of watching where he was going. Days like these shouldn't be wasted, I suppose. Even as he relaxed in a bit of a stroll, his mind continuously ran like pending machine in the background.

There were countless ideas, discussions, and topics Ryuzaki carried with him at all times, waiting to be released when the time was right, but with this came a consequence; what person would listen to his ramblings if he chose to voice them? His conscious played a large role as well, as he constantly worried about the future that lay ahead.

A job was important and constantly on his mind as well. Simple tasks of everyday life became struggles for him, and with the unbearable summer heat around the corner Ryuzaki knew he had to earn money somehow. However, the man was not one for farming nor any other types of physical labor; a problem in itself for a peasant. Most of these jobs were already occupied anyways.

Something with satisfaction. Fulfillment, possibly. Where can I obtain a job as such?

Instead of thinking further on the matter, once again his brain shifted and thoughts began to flow in his mind like a rising sea as he began to ponder the moralities of the dictatorship occurring in his village once again. Although only witnessing the King on few occasions, when his majesty would trot down the paths in the heart of the village known as Bathum every once in awhile, he received an insidious vibe surrounding him. Yes, the King was a charming one, to say the least. Even Ryuzaki himself could not deny such. But, he recalled a time when the King's honey eyes turned darkly, with an almost hidden evil lurking in his pupils. The way, when a citizen had called out to his ways of control negatively, he had played along and smiled convincingly. But Ryuzaki could see the flash in his eyes, one of pure hatred.

One of a power-hungry individual.

Ryuzaki shivered, convincing himself it was the breeze which caused it. What could that man possibly be hiding? He longed for the King to step down from the position, to stop intimidating and fooling everyone in the village. He saw how his 'majesty' took advantage of the fear, how he held it in his cradling hands only to squish it hard in his grasp, resulting in deaths and more hush of the citizens. But above all else, Ryuzaki wanted knowledge. How could someone possibly murder people in such a short time span, even with his knights and guards? It didn't make sense. It gave Ryuzaki purpose; to find out what the King is hiding. Although he would never admit it out loud, he was secretly excited to be able to have something to contemplate, like a puzzle he was sure no one else knew the method to.

And so the strange man in the white long sleeve and suspenders smirked to himself as he approached closer to the village, beginning to bite on the tip of a slender finger.

AN: Reviews make the world go 'round~ Thanks!