THE KING'S POSSESSION

Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Divulgence

Lucian stood frozen as the guard's revelation echoed in his mind. His son might still be alive. Only one person could be responsible for his disappearance. Without another word, he bolted from the courtyard, his mind racing as he made his way to the palace dungeons.

"Where is that knight?!" Lucian's voice thundered through the dim corridors, startling the prison guards. They responded with confused looks, unsure of his intent.

"Sire?" one managed to stammer.

"Open the gates!" Lucian demanded, not pausing to explain. He charged down the rows of cells, his eyes scanning each one for Tristan.

But cell after cell revealed nothing.

"Are these all the cells in here?" he demanded, turning to the guard trailing behind him.

"Yes, sire," the guard confirmed.

Lucian took a deep breath as a sense of relief washed over him. He chuckled quietly, covering his mouth as the realization dawned on him. Suddenly, his quiet laughter erupted into a jubilant roar.

"My son is alive! Hahaha! He is alive!" Lucian exclaimed, his voice filled with both joy and disbelief. The echo of his laughter filled the dungeon, confusing the guards.

~

The very next day, Lucian summoned all his high-ranking subjects and made an important decree in front of his ministers, especially in front of Head Minister Marlowe, who looked troubled.

"Your Majesty, all of your subjects are present," Lucian's attendant informed him. Lucian nodded, looking at everyone from left to right until his sight reached the other side.

He then took a deep breath and glanced at Victoria, who was nervously sitting beside him, her hands clenched while she quietly gritted her teeth.

"Is there anyone in this kingdom more powerful than the king?" Lucian suddenly asked, causing murmurs to ripple through the crowd.

Head Minister Marlowe scoffed lightly, then replied, "There is no one as powerful as the king, sire." He paused. "But the king may have forgotten that without his subjects, he is no one," he added with a smirk.

Lucian hummed, bringing his finger to his lips as if in deep thought. He then paused and looked back at Minister Marlowe.

"Is that so?" he chuckled, which alarmed the minister. "Have you forgotten that I can banish you whenever I want to? Or is it because you think I am still the fool of a king you once controlled according to your will?"

Lucian smiled widely at the shift in the minister's expression.

He stood up, savoring the taste of victory, and pointed at Minister Marlowe, shocking everyone with their audible gasps.

"You, Head Minister Rowen Marlowe, are convicted of treason!"

"Your Majesty, that is not how it should be! Minister Marlowe has always been a loyal subject to you!" Queen Victoria suddenly interjected.

"Ha! I suggest you keep your mouth shut, my queen. I am still not done," Lucian sternly and bitterly spoke in a threatening tone.

Immediately, Victoria dropped back down in her seat, her hands trembling in fear. Head Minister Marlowe was her only chance of surviving in the palace. Now, with Lucian's suspicions, she couldn't turn back to her own father, the Western Kingdom's king, for help.

Victoria watched in horror as Head Minister Marlowe was taken away by the royal guards.

"Your Majesty! This cannot be! I have rights! I am the Head Minister! How can the king convict me of a crime I have not committed?!" Marlowe protested, struggling against the guards' hold.

Lucian, unfazed by Marlowe's outburst, took out a scroll from his robe. He unrolled it with a deliberate slowness, allowing the tension in the hall to build. When he began to read, his voice was steady and authoritative, silencing the lingering murmurs.

"Let it be known to all present that Rowen Marlowe, Head Minister, stands accused of high treason," Lucian declared. He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "The charges are as follows: conspiring against the crown, undermining the authority of the king, and the unlawful execution of an innocent child under false pretenses."

Gasps rippled through the assembly as Lucian continued. "Minister Marlowe has been found guilty of manipulating royal decrees for his own gain, spreading false information to incite unrest, and using his position to weaken the kingdom's defenses. Moreover, he is directly implicated in the disappearance and presumed death of my son."

Marlowe's face turned ashen, his bravado crumbling. "This is a lie! Prince Julian is perfecly well inside his chambers." he shouted, but still his voice wavered with fear. "I have always served the kingdom faithfully!"

Lucian's eyes blazed with fury. "Your treachery ends here, Marlowe. The evidence is irrefutable: intercepted letters, testimonies from trusted advisors, and records of your clandestine meetings. You have betrayed your king and your country."

Victoria's eyes widened, her grip tightening on her chair. She had underestimated Lucian's resolve and the thoroughness of his investigation.

Lucian stepped closer to Marlowe, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You will be stripped of your titles and lands. You will be imprisoned and tried for your crimes. May the gods show you the mercy that you denied my son."

As the guards dragged Marlowe away, Victoria abruptly stood with an authoritative shout, "Stop right there!"

All eyes turned to her, and the tension in the room thickened, matching the panic rising in her chest.

"You shall not take away the minister! I will not allow it!" she declared, her voice trembling with defiance.

Lucian, anticipating this moment, calmly smiled and reclined in his seat. Everything was unfolding according to his plan.

"With all the evidence provided, you still protect him, my queen? Could it be that you and the minister...?" Lucian's voice dripped with mockery, insinuating a forbidden affair.

As he expected, Victoria erupted in anger, unable to control her emotions. "How dare you! He is my father!"

Gasps rippled through the assembly, but Lucian remained unfazed. He had suspected this all along.

"Oh? But I thought you were the West King's daughter?" Lucian scoffed, feigning confusion and concern.

Victoria began to stutter, "I... I..."

"Could it be that the West King sent a mere servant to pose as his daughter? Is the king too afraid to give his princess to Lucian the Ruthless?" Lucian asked, his tone dripping with mock ignorance.

"I am the West King's daughter!" Victoria shouted, her voice cracking.

"Then why do you call the minister your father?!" Lucian interrupted, standing abruptly, his voice booming.

"Tell me, Victoria, as I will ask you just once," Lucian paused, deliberately refusing to call her his queen. "Did you conceive someone else's child before you stepped into my kingdom?"

The room fell deathly silent, the weight of Lucian's accusation hanging in the air. Victoria's face paled, her composure shattered. She stood frozen, unable to answer as the truth laid bare for all to see. Lucian's eyes bore into her, unyielding and relentless, as the walls of deceit around her crumbled.