The silence that fell over the hall was unlike any silence before it.It was heavy, warm, and charged down to the last breath of air…as if everyone suddenly realized that a single extra step could turn this political ceremony into an open war.
When the king said clearly:
"There will be no signing… until we understand what is happening."
everything froze.
The Safinan delegation stepped back slightly, as if trying not to become part of the conflict.The nobles involved exchanged brief looks—looks that felt like a quiet acknowledgment of shared danger.Darius's personal guards moved along the walls, their steps slow, precise… as though waiting for a single word to draw their weapons.
Ken noticed, leaning slightly toward Gray without changing his expression:
"Stay ready."
Gray gave only a small nod, his hand already resting on his dagger.
The king extended his hand to Ken, his voice low but sharp:
"Give me the other files."
Ken stepped forward and handed him the thick folder: the report on the Third Crisis.
The king opened it and began to read.With every page he turned, his face darkened—as if each line tightened a new chain around him.
Darius tried to regain control and stepped forward:
"Your Majesty, allow me—"
The king raised his hand harshly:
"Be silent."
It was the first time Darius had ever been publicly silenced.
Lord Hafner rose to his feet, his voice trembling:
"Your Majesty… we were forced to sign the contracts. Prince Darius's men threatened to seize our lands… and sometimes… our children."
A muffled shock swept across the hall.
Another noble spoke with bottled-up anger:
"Yes! We had no choice! He pressured us!"
Darius turned sharply toward them—one glare was enough to silence two of them—but the damage was already done.
A noble from Darius's inner circle shouted:
"Liars!You're just trying to save yourselves!"
Then he turned to the king:
"Your Majesty! Every decision Darius made was approved by the Treasury Board!"
Ken answered immediately:
"A board he created… appointed… and granted himself exclusive approval rights over."
The sentence dropped like a stone into an already shaking pond.
Darius stepped forward again, voice strong but carrying a subtle tension:
"Your Majesty… these documents require technical explanation.I was correcting years of accumulated corruption.These are not scandals—They are tools that kept the kingdom stable."
Ken replied without emotion:
"Kept it standing… while you built your own kingdom beneath it."
Darius raised an eyebrow:
"I saw what none of you could see."
Ken moved slightly closer:
"And you also saw how to manufacture crises… before they happened."
The king closed the file slowly, as if the paper itself weighed more than he could carry.He looked at Darius for a long moment, then at Ken, then at the entire hall.
His voice came out low:
"Enough…I will not allow this conflict to tear the kingdom apart."
He continued:
"I will form a royal investigation committee.Under my supervision… and under the authority of the royal guard alone."
A taut silence spread.
Then he added:
"And Prince Ken's files will be included in the investigation as well."
The sentence fell like a blade:No exoneration for Darius…No judgment on Ken…Only a declaration of an open struggle.
The nobles split into two sides:those trying to protect themselves, and those trying to avoid the fire altogether.
The Safinan delegation began preparing for a diplomatic withdrawal.Darius's men tightened their hands on their weapon hilts.The royal guards straightened, waiting for a new order.
Darius narrowed his eyes at Ken.Ken met the look without flinching.
In that moment, they were no longer brothers.They were rivals before one throne…on one floor…surrounded by nobles ready to flee or fight.
Ken didn't speak, and he didn't move.But he felt the ground shifting beneath him…and he knew the king no longer trusted anyone.
And in that minute, everyone understood:
The alliance would not be signed.The peace between the brothers was over.
And the war?It had only just begun.
End of Chapter.