The Dirrium kingdom act 13
Desperation is a powerful poison. It forces even the most righteous man to drink from a tainted chalice. For Prince Lumiya, that chalice was the Coalition of the Five Dukes—the very nobles who were secretly stockpiling Pollium to overthrow his father.
"If I can prove Leornars is their supplier," Lumiya whispered to himself in the dead of night, "I can expose the whole conspiracy. I have to play the traitor to catch the traitor."
He met them in the "Iron Cellar," a windowless vault beneath a nondescript townhouse. The air was thick with the scent of expensive tobacco and treason.
"Highness," Count Vane said, leaning back in a velvet chair, his eyes darting nervously. "We didn't expect the Crown Prince to seek an audience with the 'disloyal' faction."
"The Crown Prince is a pragmatist," Lumiya lied, his heart hammering against his ribs. "My father is blinded by Leornars. I want the boy gone, and I know you want the grain taxes abolished. Give me the records of your dealings with Avangard, and I will ensure your Houses are 'protected' when I take the regency."
Vane smiled, a greasy, hollow thing. "A bold proposal. Let us discuss the terms."
What Lumiya didn't see was the small, silver-capped pen sitting on the table, its internal mechanism recording every syllable of his "treacherous" proposal.
The Audit of Blood
The following night, the cellar doors were kicked open with the force of a battering ram.
Lumiya leapt to his feet as a squad of Royal Paladins flooded the room, their swords drawn. At the center of the formation stood King Jilim, his face aged a decade in a single moment. Beside him, dressed in a sharp black overcoat, was Leornars.
"Father!" Lumiya gasped, stepping forward. "Wait! This isn't what it looks like—I was infiltrating them! I have proof—"
"The only proof I see," Leornars interrupted, his voice cutting through the air like a guillotine, "is a Prince sitting at a table of conspirators, discussing the subversion of the throne. Count Vane, tell the King: who initiated this meeting?"
Vane, already on his knees and clutching a "pardon" letter Leornars had given him an hour prior, pointed a shaking finger at Lumiya. "The Prince... he promised us tax immunity if we helped him remove you, Sire! He called you... 'feeble'."
"Liar!" Lumiya screamed.
Leornars stepped forward, his crimson eyes glowing with a cold, intellectual triumph. He held up a ledger. "This is the record of the Coalition's activities. And here," he pointed to the last entry, "is your signature, Lumiya, agreeing to provide them with the Royal Seal to bypass the harbor tolls."
"I signed that as bait!" Lumiya turned to his father. "Father, please! Everything I've done was for the kingdom! I was trying to save you from him!"
Leornars tilted his head, a mocking curiosity on his face. "Tell me, Highness... since when is being a traitor considered 'helping' the kingdom? Does the law of Dirrium have a clause for 'righteous treason'? Or is that just the arrogance of a boy who thinks he's smarter than the Crown?"
The King's breath hitched. He looked at his son, then at the evidence Leornars had meticulously placed before him. The manipulation was perfect; the logic was ironclad.
"Father, look at him!" Lumiya pointed at Leornars. "He's smiling! He planned this!"
Leornars turned to the King, his voice dropping to a soft, manipulative hum. "Your Majesty, the law demands execution for state treason. But as your advisor, I urge you to follow your heart. Think of the people. Would they rather see a dead prince, or a king who is merciful to his own blood, even when that blood betrays him?"
The King's hands trembled. The weight of Leornars' suggestion—masked as mercy but designed to isolate Lumiya—sank in.
"I cannot kill my own son," the King whispered, his voice broken. "Lumiya... you are stripped of your title. Your name is erased from the annals. You are exiled to the Barren Wastes. If you ever cross the border of Dirrium again, the sentence will be carried out without trial."
"Father, no!"
As the guards seized the Prince, dragging him toward the door, he locked eyes with Leornars.
The "Shadow King" didn't look away. He leaned in, a dark, jagged smirk splitting his face—a look that said I won before you even woke up today.
"Enjoy the Wastes, Lumiya," Leornars whispered, just loud enough for the Prince to hear. "The patterns there are much simpler. Just sand, wind, and the sound of your own failure, you should have known who was your opponent before jumping trying to be a martyr "