Once the party from Earth and Radagan passed through the pillar and vanished towards the main castle, the Keepers of the Catacombs turned around when they noticed another Dimensional Tear opening in the air. The Dimensional Tear widened into a large circle, and various soldiers wearing black and red armor plating marched out and formed a straight line with a space in the middle for someone to walk through. A long red carpet slowly rolled out from the Dimensional Tear and opened up between the two lines of soldiers before a woman calmly walked out of the Tear and stepped on the red carpet. The woman was wearing an outfit that you would normally only find on the Duchesses and Queens on Earth. She had on a long red and black gown that flowed down to the ground, and the gown had a beautiful black embroidery pattern that showed it had been made for royalty. The woman’s eyes were lidded and scornful, and anyone she gazed at would immediately think that she was looking down on them! She had a small, round, beautiful face that was framed by long red hair, and her eyes were a piercing gold that scanned her surroundings with bored impassivity. This woman was Queen Hesabeth, ruler of the world of the Minari, seventh seat in the Council of Nine and One, and supreme Overlord over her Primordial Domain.
The Faceless Keepers immediately fell to one knee the moment they laid eyes on Hesabeth, and Hesabeth only spared them a single glance before she turned away and looked around at the pavilion with bored eyes. Hesabeth did not want to be here at all. When she had been told by the council that there was to be a hearing concerning a rebellious world that refused to follow the orders of their overlord, Hesabeth thought that it was an absolute waste of time. Why should she have to leave the comfort of her own world just to listen to the cries of some pitiful world that wanted special treatment? Hesabeth had been a literal moment away from refusing to appear at the council meeting altogether! But then things had changed when Hesabeth learned who exactly it was that they would be listening to today! Jason Marc of Earth.
Hesabeth raised her fan to cover the bottom of her face, and she felt a small smile bloom on her face when she remembered her last encounter with Jason Marc. The defiant eyes and guarded stance that he held was something that Hesabeth was not used to in any man. The world always worked in Hesabeth’s favour, and the world ensured that every man that Hesabeth had ever met treated her like she was a precious diamond that could only be gazed upon! And although Hesabeth knew that this was how things were supposed to be—after all, she was the most precious being in the world and everyone was to worship the very ground that she walked upon! But there was something about the way Jason had acted toward her that made it difficult for Hesabeth to get him out of her head. Their interaction was very memorable and even after she left Jason on Ruen to go for the ball she had been invited to, Hesabeth couldn’t get rid of the image of his scornful and guarded eyes from her head! Those eyes did something to her! It made an interaction that shouldn’t have any meaning at all stand out in ways that she couldn’t begin to explain!
Once Hesabeth learned that Jason was the one who was going to stand in front of the council, she didn’t hesitate to agree to the hearing! The world always guided Hesabeth on what she should do because everything worked in her favour, and Hesabeth was certain that this too was the will of the world at play. Hesabeth finally came back to the present, and she allowed her impassive eyes to glance over the Faceless Keepers as they remained in the position they were meant to be. On their knees before her.
The Head of the Keepers spoke as they bowed their head to Hesabeth.
"We are honored to greet the Seventh Seat of the council. Welcome, Queen Hesabeth of Minari. May your reign be long."
"May your reign be long."
The other Faceless Keepers all echoed the greeting as they also bowed their heads, and Hesabeth huffed as she watched them. Even though Hesabeth was pleased by their greeting, there was a seed of irritation that pricked at the back of her head as she gazed upon them. Because Hesabeth knew that the Faceless Keepers were not showing her this much respect because she was Hesabeth, the Queen of the Minari and the favourite child of the Primordial Expanse. Rather, they were showing her respect simply because she held the seventh seat in the council. Would they still show her this much respect if she were not one of the council? No, they likely would not. And that irritated Hesabeth. How dare they patronise her?
Hesabeth spoke up with an irritated scowl.
"Get your filthy selves away from my path before I tell my men to have your heads. Your honor is worth less than the dust beneath my shoes."
Hesabeth’s declaration brought no reaction from the Faceless, and they all stood with their heads still bowed and moved out of the way obediently to allow Hesabeth to continue on her way. Hesabeth began to walk towards the pillar so she could travel to the Catacombs as well, but she stopped a few feet away from the Head of the Faceless and asked a question:
"Has the man, Jason Marc of Earth, arrived at the Catacombs yet?"
The Head answered respectfully.
"Yes, he has. Jason Marc, along with the rest of the representatives of both Earth and Radagan, have arrived and are waiting on the arrival of the rest of the council at the catacombs."
Hesabeth’s eyes narrowed when she heard the Head say ’the rest of the council’ and she realised that some of the council members had already arrived here before her. Hesabeth immediately asked another question.
"Who else is currently present in the catacombs?"
"Other than the representatives of Earth and Radagan, the Eighth Seat of the Council, Lamina, the Vampire Queen of Drakul, as well as the third seat in the council, Farlow, the Elven King of Arandell, are present in the Stone Catacombs and are awaiting the arrival of the rest of the council."
Hesabeth felt her hand squeeze into a tight fist the moment she heard the name ’Lamina’ and her entire face darkened in irritation. There was a harsh wind that suddenly blew across the pavilion as the world responded to Hesabeth’s anger with its own fury, but Hesabeth was able to rein in her anger and she turned away from the Faceless and glared at the pillar in front of her. Honestly, Hesabeth did not want to meet with Lamina at all. Hesabeth would have preferred if anyone else were present at this meeting, but Lamina was the one person that Hesabeth couldn’t tolerate. And although it was not Lamina’s fault at all that Hesabeth was this angry, just the sight of Lamina and the crown that Lamina wore always reminded Hesabeth of what had been taken from her so long ago. The one and only thing that the world refused to grant Hesabeth no matter how desperately she asked for it. Lamina was a reminder of Hesabeth’s one and only failure.
Hesabeth took in a deep breath and released it calmly to try to relax herself. Even if this was not the ideal situation, Hesabeth knew that the world had a reason for bringing her to this moment as well. At the end, all things worked out for her, so even this must be the will of the world. Hesabeth didn’t bother to pay the Faceless Keepers any more mind, and she finally walked forward and passed through the pillar to reach the Stone Catacombs.