Gardenia of Blooming Desire

Aster stood in front of five kneeling people. They were all the ones that didn't make it to Rosalie's list. There were still other people that weren't listed, but their position was already clear and stationed as officials under direct order of Emperor and Empress. They had high probability of betraying him.

Aster questioned the guards and servants whom he called before, and their reactions narrowed his search to these five people that didn't work under direct order of any royals. They were stationed as guard, servant, or small official. However, they seemed to not work in their supposed job. It was, as if they had other unnamed task.

Aster gazed down to these people. There were two guards, a butler, a maid working in laundry room, and a cook. Aster took particular interest on three people, a guard, the cook, and the maid.

He opened the conversation by showing his guard medal to everyone in the room. The people he called gasped and their behavior drastically changed, from lukewarm attitude to extreme nervousness.

Aster scorned. 'They got scared by a mere medal. Power is really... fun.'

"As you see, I, Young Lord of Grand Duchy Stormhill had just obtained the guard medal. I am here to take two of you as my subordinates." Aster said.

The people in front of him didn't answer, but their shoulder hunched when Aster drew near.

Aster was uninterested to the maid and the other guard. The maid worked in the laundry room, even if he recruited her, she wouldn't be able to move much. Thus, he immediately kicked her out. He also kicked the guard he was not interested in, because after Aster found out that the guard was stationed in the main hall, any movement he directed might get noticed too fast.

Thus, there were only three people left here, a guard, a cook, and a butler. Aster questioned the butler first. He observed his appearance, a butler around his early thirties, clean cut with his hair combed behind. He wore a rimless glasses and his posture was tall. He reminded Aster of Young Sir Douglass, his teacher and the grand duchy's head butler.

"What is your name?"

"This servant's name is Jain."

"And what is your main job?"

"Replying to Young Lord, this servant served as the room checker. This one checks whether each room has been cleaned every day."

"Just that?" Aster frowned.

The butler did not answer, but he nodded once. Aster raised his eyebrows. He had something in mind, but decided to hold back. He shifted his attention to the cook whose body trembled when Aster stood in front of him.

"Raise your head," Aster ordered. The cook raised his head, but his eyes darted somewhere else.

"What are you afraid of? Do you have a guilt to me?" Aster smiled. He seemed to remember that incident with the 'maid' girl before. Aster scorned, if this person was the one who wanted to poison him, then he needed to eliminate this cook immediately.

"No! Young Lord, this servant is just..." he stopped talking.

"Hmm? To whom does your loyalty lie?" Aster asked. If this cook was the one that tried to poison him, then he must be Empress' subordinate. But he already filtered all the people and these five people shouldn't have their loyalty to Empress and Emperor.

The cook clenched his fist. He just casted his eyes to the ground and did not answer Aster's question. Aster smirked, it seemed that there was someone else who targeted his life in this palace.

'It was unfortunate that I couldn't directly kill this cook, but I learned something.'

Aster left the cook and went to question the last one. He was a guard that was supposedly stationed to guard around the front gate, but he seemed to be able to roam around. Aster remembered his face, he was the guard who kept roaming around the garden endlessly and seemed to peek at him when he waited for that wretched Lady Merse.

"What is your name?" Aster asked.

"Replying to Young Lord, this guard's name is Irion," he replied immediately. There was something in his eyes that sincerely looked up to Aster. Aster also happened to look down upon him. Thus, their eyes met and there was a moment of realization that Aster had the itchy feeling in his heart.

'His eyes... reminds me of Ramuja...'

Aster observed this guard's face. A handsome man around his early twenties, few stubbles in his chin, and had a short hair. He had slightly bronze skin and his eye socket was deep. He also had scar on his cheek. However, rather than making him looked scary, the scar and few stubble just made him look even more masculine.

Now, this handsome guard looked at him with admiration. It was the same eyes like Ramuja, and it made Aster felt weak.

"You... which house do you come from?"

Irion showed a light smile and replied enthusiastically, "This guard comes from House of Swordheart, and my house is a barony."

Aster recalled in his memory that there was an obscure baron house as one of the vassal house of his grand duchy. It was strange, because usually the duchy never listed a baron house because their power was too little to be mentioned. Aster even forgot that the duchy had several unmentioned baron house. This House of Swordheart seemed to spark some memories in his brain.

'Wasn't this house the disgraced house? The one that rejected Emperor's command?' Aster finally remembered this house. This house was an Earl house with high military achievement. But the current king, Emperor Audric IV stripped the title from them, because the Earl pledged loyalty to Grand Duchy Stormhill.

Aster frowned. He once read the story of this house from a note made by his Mother. He was still a kid back then, thus, he paid no mind about this house. Now, he realized that it was simply baffling.

'If such loyal house bravely rejected the Emperor just to pledge loyalty to my duchy, and even willingly being stripped out of his title to a mere barony. Why do father and mother never mentioned them, not even invite them to any of duchy events?'

Aster's eyes seemed to stick to this guard called Irion. He must be either son or mistress' son in that barony, since only children of noble house able to be a palace guard. Aster was aware that he couldn't probe more about this matter of Irion's origin. If he wanted, he needed to use the guard medal to him.

Aster finally moved his gaze to the cook who still casted his eyes down. He sneered, he didn't need someone who already had his loyalty pledged to other people here.

"You, leave now." Aster ordered.

The cook finally raised his head in confusion. He thought Young Lord Aster would use the guard medal to him, because there were exactly three people here. But he didn't want Aster to change his mind. He immediately excused himself.

"Remember--" Aster said abruptly, "If you ever dared to poison or hurt me again, I won't be as merciful."

"Yes! Thanking Young Lord for his mercy!" the cook left the room in rush.

After the cook left, he took the guard medal and stood in front of Irion first. He pledged, "You will be my new subordinate. Under the name of Golden Camellia, the medal will be the witness of our bond. I, Aster Di Arlingdon, as your master, will grant you protection and glory."

Any oath in Golden Camellia Empire was sacred. Thus, there was rarely a case of someone lying or betraying their oath. Aster learned about all the oaths since he was little. The guard medal, he remembered that his parents had once each.

Irion's expression tightened and he looked serious. He had sharp eyes that seemed to be filled with deep loyalty and admiration to Aster. He pledged by kneeling deeply in front of Aster.

"I, Irion Swordheart, pledged to be the shield for my master. Had a sword ever touched my master, I shall follow my master to the highest heaven."

Aster was surprised that Irion would pledge such dangerous oath to him. They never met before, but why did he bravely pledge like that? The official oath only needed him to be the shield for his master, no need for the rest.

However, Aster just nodded in satisfaction. He still had time to question this man about his origin. Aster took one star hanging like a keychain on the medal and gave it to Irion.

Irion accepted it with his two palms and clenched it as if it was something very precious. "Thank you, Master."

Aster was unaccustomed by the title of 'Master.' He used to be called 'Young Lord', thus he said, "No need to call me Master. Just call me Young Lord."

"Ah! Yes, this servant understands, Young Lord!" Irion said with his voice raised happily.

Aster walked to Jain, the butler who works as room checker. He was obviously not a regular butler. Someone that could enter all room in this palace without any sort of punishment, even as butler, means that his position wasn't simple.

Aster stood in front of kneeling Jain and pledged the same oath as he did to Irion to him.

Jain kneeled and pledged his oath. "I, Jain Tellah, pledged to be the hand of Young Lord. I shall follow the order of my master and execute all tasks perfectly." He said.

Again, Aster was baffled. This butler named Jain was also pledged something more than he should said. It seemed that he had two new subordinates with unique origins.

Aster took the second star from the guard medal and gave it to Jain. Jain smiled and accepted it with obvious satisfaction in his face.

Aster wanted to ask both Irion and Jain about their origin later. But for now, he needed to do something else first.

"You two, Irion and Jain, are my new subordinate. Your life is in my hand, but I am not a vicious person. I shall give you two the glory of my duchy and ensure your wellbeing."

"Yes, Young Lord!" both Irion and Jain replied together.

"I shall summon you soon, but for now, you two may leave."

"Young Lord, pardon this servant's impudence, but does Young Lord have someone else to use the guard medal? Since Young Lord can use the guard medal three times," Jain said.

"... Yes. I have someone that I already reserved the last medal."

Aster's face that had been frowning since the morning suddenly brightened. Irion and Jain was stunned when they saw their cold new master suddenly showed a smile, and it wasn't just a slight smile, it was a blooming smile that made their heart racing.

'Ah, only him deserves the last medal.

He is the purest, the kindest, and the most precious.

My servant. My Ramuja.

My far oasis in this hellish palace.'