The royal dining table was dead quiet. Too quiet for a family this big. You could only hear spoons tapping against bowls and cups scraping plates, nobody even dared to cough. Ever since Kaiden went missing the air in the palace felt heavy, like everybody was walking on glass. King Thane hadn't smiled once, he hadn't even looked at anyone properly, just staring at his food like it wronged him. And everybody knew why. Kaiden was his favorite. Everyone knew it, even the guards knew it.
The brothers and sisters though… they sat there with their heads up but their eyes kept flicking at each other, like little thieves scared of getting caught. And one of them already couldn't even raise her head. Princess Maraya, the fourth child. Her spoon just shook in her hand and most of the food stayed untouched. She couldn't bring herself to eat. She couldn't bring herself to look at her parents.
Because she knew the truth.
She didn't want it. She didn't plan it. But she was still in it. They told her to bring Kaiden with them, just a simple hunt, just some family time outside. She thought nothing of it. And out there in the woods, they did it. They stabbed him and left him. Then they turned on her, not with blades but with threats. If she said one word to anyone, they'd scream she was part of it too. And she believed them.
So now she sat there, her chest heavy, her stomach tight. Her heart wanted to cry out but her mouth couldn't open.
The silence dragged on until finally Darius dropped his spoon onto the table, loud enough to echo.
"Are we going to sit like this forever?" he said, leaning back like he was tired of it all. "We should already be preparing a burial in his memory instead of sulking."
The words hadn't even finished hanging in the air when…
BANG!
The king's fist slammed the table so hard the cups jumped. His head snapped up, eyes burning, and his voice came out shaking with anger.
"You insolent bastard! You speak of your brother as if he is dead!"
The whole hall froze. Even the servants stopped moving, some of them staring wide-eyed like they just saw lightning strike inside.
But Darius wasn't scared. He sat there calm, meeting his father's fury head-on.
"Let us be logical, father," he said, his voice sharp but steady. "Kaiden cannot survive alone in the woods for two days. You're clinging to hope that isn't there."
"Shut your mouth, Darius!"
This time it was Queen Serenya who exploded. She shot to her feet, her chair scraping hard across the marble floor. Her hands slammed the table as she glared at her son, her forehead veins showing clear.
"How dare you speak like this to your father! Bow down and apologize right now before I have you dragged out and flogged in front of everyone!"
The air was so heavy you could almost hear people breathing.
Lucien just narrowed his eyes, quiet but watching. Selene sat stiff, her goblet frozen halfway up, her lips parted like she couldn't believe Darius had the guts to talk back like that. And Maraya… Maraya just sat frozen, her heart hammering in her chest, because she knew this table was about to break apart.
Darius leaned back in his chair, his hand against his chest as he jabbed a finger at himself.
"You want me to apologize? For saying what's right in front of us all? I'd rather take punishment than swallow my tongue."
The whole hall went stiff again. Queen Serenya's eyes went wide, her lips trembling like she couldn't believe what she just heard. "Y-You—!" she stammered, her voice almost cracking from how angry she was.
But Darius wasn't done. He leaned forward, his face sharp, his voice loud enough to bounce off the walls.
"In case you people haven't noticed, the whole damn town hasn't been working right since Kaiden went missing. Shops are shutting down early, trade caravans are hesitating to even come near the gates. And why? Because the palace hasn't given them a single word of truth! You think silence will comfort them? No! They're drowning in rumors. Every street corner's got a new story, and nobody knows what to believe. And what do we do? We sit here. We eat in silence. We cry in silence. We pretend this is helping, when it's not."
His words hit like stones being thrown, one after the other.
King Thane's hand shook against the table, his whole frame trembling with fury. "One more word out of your mouth, boy," he growled, his voice dark and low, "and I'll send you to the dungeon for a week."
The color drained out of Darius's face instantly. The dungeon. Everybody knew what that place meant. It wasn't just cold cells and rats. That's where the most dangerous criminals rotted. No matter how strong you thought you were, a week in there broke you. A month left men hollowed out. Some never came back the same.
For a moment, you could see Darius's jaw clench, his throat swallow hard. But then, slowly, he lifted his head back up, forcing the color back into his cheeks like he'd never flinched. He opened his mouth—
"Father, he is right."
The word cut across the table like a blade. And it wasn't Darius who said it. It was Lucian.
Everybody froze, even the queen. Lucian rarely spoke unless he had to. He was the quiet one, the one who always watched from the corner while everyone else fought for attention. To hear his voice now was… unsettling.
King Thane blinked and turned his head, his anger stalling for just a breath. "What do you mean, Lucian?"
Lucian set his spoon down slowly. His tone wasn't loud, but it was steady, cutting through the room clearer than a shout.
"The search for Kaiden… it's tearing the kingdom apart."
"Rubbish!" the king barked, slamming his fist again. "How dare you say such things! I am not tearing anything apart."
Lucian shook his head and finally raised his eyes to his father, calm but firm. "Yes, you are. Think for a moment, father. Every knight, every patrol, every guard… they're all out combing the woods, scouring the rivers, pulling apart villages. The defenses of the city are stretched thin. The walls are poorly manned. The gates have fewer soldiers. The roads aren't safe anymore. Even the merchants whisper that it's too dangerous to travel here."
He paused, letting that sink in before continuing, his voice never shaking. "Already the bandits have noticed. Attacks have doubled. Caravans robbed. Farmers ambushed outside the city. The people are afraid. And our enemies, father…" Lucian's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone sharper now, "our enemies are watching. If you were in their shoes, would you not strike now? While our men are scattered like leaves in the wind? While the kingdom stands like a treasure chest with no lock?"
The words hit the king harder than Darius's earlier shouts. You could see it in his face — the way his eyes flickered, the way his lips pressed tight.
Finally, he exhaled through his nose, his glare shifting. "So what do you want me to do, Lucian?" he asked, his voice quieter but still sharp.
Lucian leaned back slightly, folding his hands on the table. "Call the army back," he said, each word heavy. "Before it's too late."