I deactivated Duratus (Freeze spell) to hear from them. It’s not as if I expect anything from whatever empty words they will be saying.

“Your Highness, please stop. We concede. Please forgive us.”

“Gaston, my dear captain, simply conceding is not enough.”

“Your Highness—”

“Dominatus (Domination in Latin).”

Dominatus is a Domination spell designed to control a person’s heart and mind. It’s an unfair contract where only the contractor can terminate it while alive. Those who defy the will of their contractor will experience intense pain. In the case of a powerful individual with godly powers, this intense pain may result in death and the reanimation of the contractee.

I extinguished the cerulean flame; the knights had already submitted. I suppose being burnt and healed caused them too much mental trauma.

“Gaston, why didn’t you attend the coronation of the crown prince?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“Why weren’t there any Imperial knights during the coronation? Why only the Citrine Order (knights of Adinerado)? Care to explain?”

“…”

“Gaston, don’t make me mad, or I’ll cut your tongue.”

“Yes, Your Highness, I’m very sorry. Please forgive me. It was an order from Duke Adinerado and the other three Ducal houses. House Coraje didn’t want to participate. Their loyalty remains with the imperial family.”

“And you were talking to me a while ago about disrespecting you?”

I grabbed Gaston’s shirt and slapped his face ten times until it bled in front of his subordinates.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Please forgive me.”

“Please forgive us, Your Highness. Please forgive us.” The knights begged me for forgiveness. Preposterous.

“Do you know that you’re under the Dominatus spell right now? This means even if I die, the contract spell will still work. Anything you do that defies what I want will give you a cycle of death and reanimation. But you won’t just simply die. You will burn slowly until you die and reanimate again.”

The knights couldn't believe what I’d just said. All of them were crying and kneeling in front of me, even though I hadn't used mind control.

“Well, you don’t really have a choice.”

“We will serve you with our utmost strength, Your Highness. We will be loyal to the imperial family.”

“Oh, Gaston, I heard your son is going to Colegio (College) soon. But I heard he has a righteous upbringing compared to you. Although I heard that he’s keeping a hatred towards you. I mean, why wouldn’t he? You keep playing around with the noble ladies in our Empire. Shall I cut your dick? To make sure you’ll not mess around and produce a lot of illegitimate children?”

“How did you—”

“How did I know? Why should I tell you? I know everything happening in the empire.”

“Forgive me, Your Highness, but please spare my son. Please spare my children.”

“I’ll think about it, Gaston. Depending on how you and the knights show your loyalty to us. But just to let you know, one wrong move and I’ll destroy all of you, you and your loved ones.”

Oh shit, I snapped. Well, whatever.

Esteban suddenly reminded me about the noble lady whom I left kneeling and bowing to the ground because of the Duratus (Freeze spell).

“Your Highness, the noble lady.”

“Leave her be until tomorrow.”

“All of you, the training arena at 3 AM. If one’s absent, all of you will suffer.”

Time to get some shut-eye; there's still a lot of work to do tomorrow.