The royal council hall gleamed under a suffocating golden light — bright enough to choke the silence rather than ease it.Rows of nobles and ministers lined the long table. At its head sat the king, weary-eyed and still, while Darius stood beside him like his political shadow.
Ken entered several minutes after the meeting had begun.His steps were slow, but his eyes carried more presence than every word spoken before his arrival.He sat down without greeting anyone, placing blank sheets of paper before him — as if he had come to write something new against the kingdom itself.
Darius was already speaking with calm confidence, commanding the room with numbers as though they were soldiers in his private army.
"The Unified Maritime Trade Project," he said smoothly,"will make us the beating heart of commerce between the two kingdoms.Revenues will double within two years, and our ports will become the golden arteries of Orvalis."
A brief silence — then came Ken's voice, sharp and cutting, like a blade slicing through still water.
"And who pays for this golden heart, Darius?Where does the money come from — the royal treasury, or a pocket we're not supposed to see?"
The air froze.All eyes turned toward him; a few ministers exchanged uneasy glances.One of them tried to speak, fumbling for words.
"The funding, your Highness, is a mix of royal capital and… private support—"
Ken interrupted, his tone flat but lethal.
"Private support?Or is my dear brother paying the bills while the king merely signs the receipts?"
A ripple of whispers swept through the chamber, the kind that tries to bury fear beneath polite murmurs.Darius didn't flinch. He raised an eyebrow, his smile sharp as polished glass.
"My fourth brother… still as direct as ever.But we are no longer at war — we are building.The kingdom needs action, not suspicion."
Ken brushed the blank papers aside with deliberate calm.
"A renaissance built on secrecy collapses with the first wind.Ministers who don't know where their gold comes from aren't running a kingdom — they're running a market stall."
Darius gave a short, measured laugh.
"If we hadn't moved this fast, the throne would already be ash.As for who pays — better the man who acts than the one who merely watches."
The king's tired voice cut through their duel.
"Enough.This is a council, not a battlefield."
But the damage was done.The room had already split — not by words, but by glances.A silent line had been drawn between brothers, in full view of the crown.
After the meeting, the king summoned Ken privately.His face held anger more than concern.
"You turned the council into whispers against itself.What do you want, Ken — a war inside my palace?"
Ken's reply came cold, almost detached — as if he were answering himself.
"I just want to know who rules our gold, Father —the king… or my brother."
The king turned his back, his voice heavy.
"The truth isn't what you think it is.Truth costs more than gold, and you have yet to pay its price."
Ken bowed slightly, said nothing, and left.
In the long corridor leading back to the main hall, he crossed paths with Darius.As they passed, Darius leaned close and murmured, his voice thin as a blade:
"Politics isn't won in chambers… but in accounts."
Ken didn't reply.But the look he gave was enough — We'll see who wins where.
Gray caught up with him in the hallway, his voice tense.
"He dragged you into the open, my lord — right in front of the king and the ministers."
Ken didn't slow his pace.
"Let him think I lost my composure."
Marvin added with a faint, knowing smirk:
"Sometimes a show of weakness is stronger than hidden power."
Ken stopped before a tall window overlooking the palace courtyard.His reflection was dark against the glass as he said quietly, with a finality that cut the air:
"We'll see who stumbles first —the one hiding behind numbers… or the one standing against them."
The days that followed hung heavy with tension.Ken ordered Gray to compile a list of all guards and officers receiving "support" from Darius's projects.
Two days later, Gray returned with a thin gray file and laid it on the table.
"Three unit commanders send their reports directly to Darius instead of the Ministry of Defense."
Ken lowered his head, speaking softly.
"One of them… I'll see tonight."
That night, the back courtyard of the palace was nearly dark.Ken waited beneath the dim glow of a lone lantern until the officer arrived — nervous, eyes darting, voice trembling.
"Your Highness… I can't talk.They're listening. Even the walls have ears."
Ken took a step closer, his tone calm but firm.
"I'm not asking for treason — just one word.Do your reports go to him?"
The man hesitated, panic flickering across his face.He backed away two steps and whispered, shaking:
"They watch everything, my lord… everything."
Then he turned and hurried off — leaving behind an echo of fear that even Ken couldn't decipher fully.
Hours later, Gray knocked on Ken's door, his face grim.
"They found him dead in his apartment, my lord.No sign of forced entry… and his service file is gone."
Silence filled the room.Ken spoke at last, his voice low but burning beneath the surface.
"An hour after I spoke to him."
Marvin flipped through their notes rapidly, eyes narrowing.
"Darius has eyes inside the palace.This isn't just an economic network — it's an intelligence one."
Ken rose slowly, turned toward the door, then back to his men.
"From now on, no one enters my quarters without permission."
Marvin looked up.
"He knows we're moving."
Ken smiled faintly — a thin, cold smile.
"Good.He'll make his first mistake when he feels safe."
Gray stared at the dying candles on the table, his voice low, almost a whisper:
"Or we'll pay the price… if we don't move faster."
End of Chapter