After slipping away from the banquet on the pretext of relieving himself, Alfred hurried into the garden. "All of you, come out!"
At his command, more than thirty fully armed guards emerged one after another from the bushes, behind the rockery, and the shadows of the trellises.
They had been lying in ambush here, waiting for Alfred's order to seize that foreign merchant who had no idea how high the heavens were or how deep the earth was.
Pedro, the guard captain, strode forward and thumped his chest in assurance. "Master, does that fellow refuse to come out? Don't worry, we'll go drag him here right now!"
The other guards rubbed their fists and flexed their arms, greed gleaming in their eyes.
They all knew their master loved beautiful women above all else. Those foreign beauties were all peerless stunners. Perhaps once he tired of them, he would reward his guards with a taste.
Alfred suddenly flew into a rage and kicked over a nearby stone stool. "Get lost! All of you, get lost! That gentleman is one of the Pope's personal guards! Never mention this again, do you hear me?"
"The P-Papal Guard?" Pedro's face went deathly pale, and his knees buckled so badly that he nearly fell to the ground.
The other guards were frightened out of their wits, and several had already begun trembling.
In the Eternal Day Empire, the Holy See reigned supreme.
Even the head of a Holy Scion Lineage had to kneel and bow respectfully before the Pope.
Lowly guards like them had no right even to look a member of the Papal Guard in the eye.
Alfred waved irritably. "Get out of my sight! No one is to approach the main building tonight!"
After dismissing the guards, Alfred returned dejectedly to his luxurious