A Dance of Two Worlds

The Verdict

Chapter Thirty-Two

The Verdict

The bitterest defeat is when someone trumps you in your own game.

Aden

5L 15/15/1/16

"Yes, I accept the fact that this coverup was a wrongful action on my part, and I am ready to accept the punishment. But first, you all must understand why I chose that path."

Samuel was an ocean of calm amidst the raging storms. Samuel's grace in the face of adversity swayed public emotions in his favor. During the trial, Olivier and Malcolm repeatedly hinted that Henry committed all those crimes under extensive orders from Samuel, but he never slighted anyone. He drove home his points and very subtly reminded people about what he had done for them, but also made sure that it never felt as if he was boasting about his achievements. Many Adeners believed that this whole trial was a dirty political game to dethrone the king who had dared to empower the commoners.

A perfect example of this was his ingenious reply when one of the judges asked him that why he didn't notify the Council about the botched-up mission seven years ago and instead opted for the coverup?

"Irrespective of what honorable HighMinister thought about my intentions, he must have surely misunderstood me at some point, God knows that my sole intention of sending troops to Elisium was to defend Aden from any foreign threats. When I came to know that the mission had taken a violent turn, I decided to take its full responsibility and give up the throne at that very moment. But then I realized that if I recuse myself from my position, without a proper person present to take it over, it would lead to utter chaos. By God's grace, I also had some ambitious plans for the development of Aden, so I decided to hold on to this opportunity to serve the people of Aden for another seven years."

"But why did you keep the Council in dark?" One of the judges asked.

"Holy angels. Honorable minister, just tell honestly, if I had told you all the truth, would you have let me continue as the King? Would you all have let me do what I did in the last seven years? Just go and ask Adeners, and they will tell you what our regime achieved in the last mini-cycle. We brought remote parts of this world into the fray. We gave common people representation in the Council. We provided scientists and scholars a chance to have a say in the policy matters of this world. Yes, I am guilty of stealing seven years, but I didn't steal them to beef up my defenses and protect my throne, but I stole them for Aden. I stole those years to fulfill a dream. And Almighty is my witness that this dream was not to sit on the throne forever, but was to turn Aden into a much more united, developed, and prosperous world."

"That doesn't wash away your crimes." One of the judges tried to silence him but the crowds started jeering. Samuel's every word resonated with the masses. He was their messiah.

"They were no crimes, they were mistakes. Big mistakes, no doubt, but I want people to know that what I did, I did it with a clean heart and noble intentions. I have never even once said that I must be spared. If I had wanted to escape, I had seven years to do so. But here I am, in front of the people, ready to face my sentence."

King of the common men had wooed Adeners. A majority of them wanted him to continue. They were least bothered by what happened in Tenebra or who committed those massacres, all they cared about was what was best for their world. And Samuel was the best thing that had happened to Aden after Solomon. The administrative brilliance he had shown was unprecedented. What he had achieved in seven years hadn't been achieved in that many cycles.

***

It took Henry a few days to realize that he was the scapegoat that Olivier had prepared for sacrifice. All the bloodshed was pinned on him. Olivier and Malcolm kept repeating that Henry knowingly did all this on Samuel's orders. Most army officers from the mission testified against Henry. He vehemently denied all the allegations, but he had walked right into Olivier's trap and there was no escape.