Ken was having a quiet breakfast in his chambers.A warm cup of tea, a plate he hadn't touched yet, and his gaze resting on the city beyond the balcony.The capital moved slowly… as if shaking off the dust of the Great Night of Arrests.
Marvin entered in silence, carrying an envelope sealed with red wax.
He placed it before Ken and said:
"A letter from Lady Elaine von Loren."
Ken lifted his eyes the moment he heard the name.He opened the envelope without hurry.The paper was soft… the handwriting steady, yet trembling beneath the surface.
He read:
"Your Highness Prince Ken,I am not writing to defend my father or our family, for I know well that he is involved.But I beg you—first as a daughter—please reconsider the charges against my father.He did not betray his kingdom nor his family… I saw with my own eyes the fear he lived in during the past months.Prince Darius pressured him… threatened him… exploited his weakness.I know the evidence against some of the arrested nobles is undeniable, but I am certain my father was merely a tool in Prince Darius's hands, not his partner.I write this while trembling… not out of fear for our family's status… but out of fear for my father.Please… do not pass final judgment before a full investigation.With all respect,Elaine von Loren."
Ken finished reading… folded the letter slowly.He didn't comment.He didn't sigh.He didn't show anything.
Just a brief glance toward the rising sun—as if that alone were answer enough.
Marvin observed the silence for a moment, then asked:
"Do you want me to—"
Ken stood, cutting him off:
"Begin arranging the interrogation files."
By noon, the king's voice rose through the main corridor of the palace.It was strong—nothing like the weary man who sat in council the previous morning.
He commanded the royal guard:
"Raid every institution belonging to Prince Darius.Seize all records and correspondence.Arrest every employee… without exception."
The guards moved instantly.The sound of metal armor clattered through the streets; startled cries echoed; doors were torn open…
The entire capital felt the royal decree sweep through its alleys.
Day Two of the collapse had begun—and the dust was rising.
Prince Leon returned at midday—tired from travel, yet wearing his usual cheerful grin.
He opened the door to the great hall… and saw the table buried under documents.
One file caught his eye immediately, its title written in thick black ink:
"The Construction of the Crises Series"
He pulled out a chair and sat.He began reading.
With each page, a piece of his usual lightheartedness slid off his face.A vein surfaced on his forehead; a heavy silence settled around him.
After the sixth page, he called for his aide:
"I want a full report on everything that happened since the Knights' Festival.Before midnight.Go."
He left the file open.As if he feared looking at it again.
In another office, Marvin sat before a wide table cluttered with maps, lists, and contracts.He drew lines between names, crossed some out, circled others.
Gray leaned over the paper:
"Forty names… all orbiting around Darius in one way or another."
Marvin replied:
"And some of them don't even know they were being used."
He lifted his head as Ken entered.
"I'll need access to the royal prison tonight."
Ken didn't ask why.He went straight to the king… and returned minutes later with a wax-sealed permit.
Marvin smiled faintly—a small expression carrying a hundred plans.
"It's going to be a long night."
The room was cold—stone walls, a wooden table at the center.On one side sat Marvin, arranging his papers with a precision that contrasted with the gloom of the place.
On the other side… Duke Havenar entered, hands bound.He sat with composure.His eyes did not waver.
Marvin opened the first file and spoke in a calm tone:
"We'll begin with something simple… timing."
He opened to the first page:
"Here… a record indicating you held a private meeting at Pine Estate,three days before the fourth crisis was announced."
Havenar—unshaken:
"It was a meeting regarding agriculture.Everyone knew we were facing a weak season."
Marvin turned to the next page:
"Funny. The agricultural minister didn't know.His report wasn't issued until two days after your meeting."
A flicker passed through Havenar's eyes—quick, but visible.
He smiled with forced confidence:
"Public reports are slow, Master Marvin.We men of the land see with our own eyes."
Marvin leaned forward:
"Strange.Records of travel indicate you hadn't visited your lands for two months before that meeting.Your estates were entirely managed by Darius's men."
Havenar's smile faltered—barely for a moment, but enough.
He adjusted his posture:
"I delegated the work.That isn't a crime."
Marvin opened the third page:
"Very well.Then explain to me why wheat prices in your private market shifted three days before the crisis…while prices in the capital didn't move until seven days after?"
Havenar:
"A single merchant raised the price.I had nothing to do with him."
Marvin:
"Really?Then why was that exact merchant present at your private meeting?"
Silence.
It wasn't defeat—but it was the first blow to unsettle his defenses.
Marvin tapped the table lightly:
"Notice I'm not accusing you of manufacturing the crisis…I'm only saying you behaved as if you knew it before it happened."
Havenar narrowed his eyes:
"You interpret timing however you please."
Marvin answered with a cold smile:
"And you hide behind it however you please."
He raised his hand toward the guards:
"The first session is over."
End of Chapter.