Gold-carved vine patterns sparkled on the marble pillars, and the ground was spotless and glowed like glass. No matter from which angle it is viewed, the room is exquisitely palace-like.
No, maybe it is.
Khalil stared blankly at a mirror in front of him. The person in the mirror had a handsome face, but the excessive paleness and gloominess ruined everything.
If you saw him with your own eyes, you wouldn't think he was handsome, you would just think he was eerie and scary.
In the soft light around him, he looked like a ghost. His expressionless face brings a subtle boredom. Only if you look carefully can you detect the disgust hidden in the details.
+You don't seem to like the room I arranged. +
A voice sounded, not in the air, but in Khalil's heart.
Psionics.
What a power of convenience.
+Don't tell me you like it. +
+I have to design everything in this style. This ship in a sense represents the symbolic status of the Emperor. It could just be a ship, but, in most cases, it's not. +
+Is it another consideration of political significance? +
+This is what I must do if I am to become Emperor. +
+Does your list of 'musts' include talking to me psychically? +
+Yes. +
+When does the dinner start? +
+Forty minutes later. Get ready as soon as possible, one of my sons may ask you a lot of questions at the dinner party. +
+I don’t have to answer. +
+I also hope that you can not answer or even attend this dinner, but you and I both know that this is impossible. +
Khalil Lohars closed his eyes and sighed deeply. The sound in my ears has gone away. It fades and disappears little by little, but the echo remains.
This was the first time he had had a conversation using his psychic powers. It felt strange, but Khalil didn't like it.
He didn't ask Ghost whether he would attend the dinner. He already knew the answer.
And since the ghost is participating - no, since Conrad Curze is participating, he must participate.
Nothing else but political significance.
When he saw the religious decorations on the ship and the people's worship of the 'Emperor' along the way, Khalil understood many things.
But, it’s just understanding.
"Dinner party," he said to himself, still looking in the mirror. "I'm actually going to a dinner party."
At this point, he smiled. For no other reason than that he suddenly realized the identity of Khalil Lohars.
Is there any problem for a noble son to attend a banquet? At most, it's just that the nature of this banquet is a little special.
An emperor who is recovering the lost land of humanity in the galaxy brings his demigod son to the banquet...
The food will surely be rich.
Maybe there will even be someone on the side who will record what they all said, what they ate, and draw the scene...
But, can I still eat normal food?
With a sigh, he stood up. There is a special changing area in the spacious room. No one explained this to him. It seemed that the 'Emperor' had already told him that no introduction to common sense was needed.
He really doesn't need to.
He didn't even want the room.
Khalil walked into the changing area with a blank expression. It was a long corridor with dark carpets on the floor.
The ceiling is a mirror, and a huge mirror is also placed at the end. There is a dark wood grain door on the right hand side, which is opened.
Inside is a splendid shower room, which provides a large tub for bathing, and the flushing nozzle is hidden above the ceiling.
There is a strange incense smell spreading from inside, which comes from some white boxes placed on the wall, which reflect the light like white jade. A total of thirty towels were hung on the gold hanging platform, waiting softly.
The two sides of the corridor are filled with men's clothing of different sizes, ranging from dark robes embroidered with gold thread to tight tops with lace sleeves. There are even dozens of styles of boots.
Staying at the door, Khalil did not walk in immediately. He studied the place and took another deep breath. After that, he walked into it expressionlessly.
The sound of bathing started quickly and ended quickly.
------------------
"Believe me, Conrad, the dinner will be great."
"...How rich?" Conrad Coates asked confused.
Fulgrim couldn't help but smile. He spread his hands and made an exaggerated gesture - this was very unusual.
“Very rich.”
he said softly. "I have eaten more than a hundred dishes alone. Today is the day of your return. Father should ask those respectable chefs to prepare more. Tonight, you can enjoy it."
"enjoy?"
"Yeah...look how skinny you are."
Leaning against the door of the fitting room, Fulgrim inevitably sighed: "My brother, this is the smallest size of clothing I can find, but it still looks roomy on you."
"Isn't it good to be lenient?" Coates asked.
He stood in front of a fitting mirror with a double-headed eagle carving, wearing a loose black robe, with a pendant gifted by Fulgrim hanging on his chest. The black hair was combed back, and a special fragrance was spreading in his nose.
He didn't like the taste very much.
"Clothes that are too baggy will make you appear frivolous and spiritless—and most importantly, disrespectful of etiquette, Conrad. Didn't he teach you that?"
"..."
"Conrad?"
"...Do we need etiquette when eating?"
"Of course." Fulgrim nodded. "If you indulge yourself and eat and drink a lot, you may lose more things while losing your manners."
But I would rather wear loose clothes or squat in a corner and eat nutritional cream.
Staring at the mirror, Ghost thought.
Loose clothing can hide more weapons, and Khalil likes to wear clothes with wide and long sleeves so that others can't see his knife.
Concealing weapons is necessary. The ghost said to himself in Khalil's voice.
He didn't like the man in the mirror, not at all.
The person in the mirror looked like a god under the decoration of his clothes, and his eyes as dark as agate made this feeling of alienation even stronger than before.
It's not like the ghost has never seen his own appearance before. When climbing up buildings and spires in the cold wind, he would occasionally see his own reflection in the glass. Sometimes I can see my own face in the cloudy mirror formed by the acid rain.
That face was his first understanding of his own appearance. And now this one...
He didn't like the change, and he didn't like it here.
Ghost never thought that he would miss that dark corner.
"Conrad? Are you okay?"
Fulgrim's voice came from far away from the other end of the corridor, with obvious concern, not fake, but genuine. This kind of emotion that has no reason and comes purely from blood makes the ghost unable to resist.
He remembered each of their names.
Rogal Dorn, Fulgrim, Ferrus Manus, Lorgar Aurelion.
And they called him Conrad Coates.
I'd rather be called a midnight ghost. he thinks. The man you call father has not even said a word to me.
"...I'm fine." The ghost replied in the voice of Conrad Curze. "Will Khalil come to the dinner?"
"Of course he's going to be there! Oh my gosh, man, do you think we'd be rude enough to not allow him to come? He's—"
Fulgrim stopped talking and shook his head, looking a little apologetic.
"Sorry, Conrad," he said softly.
"...Why do you need to apologize?"
"What?"
"Why do you apologize, Fulgrim?"
Konrad Coates repeated, turned around, and pursed his lips tightly: "You have been good enough to me, why do you still need to apologize? Other people who meet for the first time will only use curses and bullets instead of greetings. , why do you want to apologize?"
"I--"
Fulgrim was stunned.
"——Don't apologize. I know the reason, but please don't apologize."
Conrad Coates said calmly. "If you don't let Khalil participate, he won't mind, and neither will I. But I won't participate either."
“Of course we’re going to have him in – no, no, of course we’re going to have him in!”
This was the first time the Chemos people were so panicked since they decided to pursue the glory sown by their father.
He didn't understand why his brother would say something like not attending the dinner when everything was normal, although he soon realized that the problem came from his wording, but...
“Words spoken unintentionally are often true thoughts.”
Conrad Coates said. "Mr. Fulgrim, I actually know that you look down on him."
"Emperor, I did not say so, Konrad!"
“The truth is revealed in the details.”
Conrad Coates replied calmly. "To you, Khalil Lohars is but a mere mortal. I know that."
"So, even if he raised me, it was just his luck. Even if he protected me in Nostramo, it was just a coincidence. I am grateful for your love, but I don't think I deserve to have such a heavy thing."
"Brother!" The Chemos man stood there with a pale face. "Please, don't do this."
"I must, Khalil said, if you have any dissatisfaction, you should raise it as soon as possible, instead of letting it take root in each other's hearts and become a bloody barb. So, don't apologize, Mr. Fulgrim."
He was silent for a moment.
"I know you see me as your brother, but have you ever thought about whether I would like to be your brother? The man you see as your father - he has not spoken a word to me."
"And Khalil..."
His language became fragmented, seemed a little illogical, and finally looked like a one-and-a-half-year-old child.
"You look down on him."
Ghost pursed his lips, widened his eyes, and his voice trembled.
"You're only apologizing because you accidentally said what you really thought, because you didn't want to hurt my feelings. Mr. Fulgrim, you're apologizing, not because you are truly sorry for what you said."
Fulgrim finally had nothing to say.
His lips trembled, and his noble appearance was a little weak due to his pale face. His eyes were full of sadness and shame - the sadness came from seeing the truth spoken by Konrad Coze tremblingly, shame, It also comes from the truth he told.
silence.
Unparalleled silence.
"But I will come to the party," Ghost said. "I don't want to break your hearts."
