The capital was unusually quiet—as if the palace itself were holding its breath after the storm Ken had unleashed in the council.Night was falling slowly, and with it spread the whispers—sharp and weightless—as though the city were breathing rumor instead of air.
"The fourth prince tried to smear the kingdom's savior.""They say he's jealous of his brother Darius.""No, he wanted power—and failed."
The words drifted through corridors like sparks in a room full of smoke.Even the guards at the gates murmured his name, torn between old respect and a new fear.
Gray entered Ken's chambers in a hurry, worry etched across his face.He removed his cap, his voice low but urgent.
"My lord, Darius's men have set up new checkpoints around the capital.They claim it's to protect the markets, but they're all concentrated near the ports and storage depots."
Ken didn't answer immediately.He tilted his head toward the window, where the lights of the city shimmered like cold gold.
"Money isn't stored in palaces, Gray," he said quietly."It sleeps on ships."
For a while, neither of them spoke.Only the wind answered, sighing through the tall windows.
That evening, the door burst open—Eliana stood there, pale, eyes full of worry.She stepped forward, her voice trembling between anger and grief.
"Father signed the decree today. Darius now holds expanded authority—he's been named High Overseer of the Royal Council. He doesn't even need the king's approval anymore."
Ken looked at her for a long moment, expression unreadable.Then he whispered:
"He's become a king twice, Eliana—once by blood, and once by gold."
She stared at him, seeing in her brother the last flicker of defiance in a palace gone silent.
"Be careful, Ken," she said softly before leaving."Everyone speaks in Darius's name now… even Father."
The candles had melted halfway down, wax pooling on the great desk strewn with maps and documents.Marvin sifted carefully through the papers while Gray stood nearby, watching in tense silence.Ken entered quietly—but when he spoke, his voice cut through the air like steel.
"The next battle won't be in the palace.We'll meet him on his own ground—economics."
Marvin lifted his eyes, cautious.
"There's a project that began two years ago. They call it The Golden City in Savina.Every document traces massive funding from within Orvalis, but the source is buried."
Ken leaned over the map, placing his hand on the parchment.
"Then we'll uncover it."
"If we can prove the kingdom's money is being funneled there," Marvin said, "we'll turn public opinion against him."
Gray added, tightening his gloves:
"But Eren—the clerk who supplied us the documents—is in danger. Darius's men are hunting him."
Ken nodded firmly.
"Protect him at any cost. Lose him, and we lose our only thread to the truth."
He paused, eyes fixed on the flickering candlelight.
"Darius is rebuilding the kingdom house by house."
Marvin's voice dropped to a murmur.
"Then?"
Ken's reply came like a verdict.
"We strike the foundation—not the walls."
Gray frowned.
"We're no longer safe inside the palace."
A thin, bitter smile crossed Ken's lips.
"Who said wars are fought from inside?"
A Week Later
Marvin returned to Ken's chambers at dawn, face pale from sleepless nights.In his hand—a small, sealed file.
"This arrived from Eren just hours ago," he said, handing it over."The Golden City project is financed through hidden taxes collected under something called The People's Stability Fund."
Ken raised his brows slowly, turning the next page.Marvin continued, his voice tightening.
"And worse, my lord… the checkpoints Darius established aren't for protecting the capital.They're for moving shipments—money and goods—through to Savina's ports under military cover."
Ken stood motionless for a long time, then spoke with cold precision.
"He's stealing the people's money to build his new kingdom."
Gray stepped closer to the desk.
"What do we do?"
Ken looked up, eyes like tempered steel.
"We make sure the first voice raised against Darius doesn't come from a prince…but from the people themselves."
He sat down, took up a pen, and began writing a short message in his unmistakably sharp hand.When he finished, he handed the documents to Marvin.
"Copy them. Send them to The Capital Gazette through an anonymous courier.No names, no trail."
Marvin bowed in assent, and Gray slipped out through the balcony into the city's shadows.Ken remained alone, staring at the map spread before him—its glowing marks tracing Darius's projects across the realm.
"The king thought they were walls protecting the throne," he murmured,"but they were bars around it."
He lifted his gaze toward the darkened skyline beyond the window and said softly—like the promise of a coming storm:
"If his kingdom is made of gold… then let's see how gold melts in fire."
End of Chapter.