The royal council chamber was drowning in a heavy silence.The long table stretching across the hall was filled with ministers and advisors, every face carrying shadows of worry and anticipation.The king sat at the head of the table, his head slightly lowered, as if decades of rule had suddenly settled on his shoulders all at once.
To his right sat Ken—still, composed—his gaze drifting across each face in the room.Behind him stood Gray, hands clasped behind his back, his expression steady, not a single eyelash stirring.As for Marvin, he stood before everyone, placing a heavy wooden box on the table—filled with the files the court had been waiting for over the past few days.
The king spoke in a quiet but steady voice:
"Begin, Marvin..."
Marvin opened the first volume, and a tense stillness swept through the hall.
Marvin:"Four years ago… the great Metals Crisis erupted.The Environmental Commission declared that three major mines were contaminated with heavy metals.An emergency shutdown was ordered… and the workers withdrew."
The Minister of Economy lifted his head, trying to defend himself:
"The shutdown was to protect lives. We had no oth—"
Marvin cut him off, placing a document on the table:
"These are the original test results.The water was completely clean… not a single trace of contamination."
A ripple of confusion spread through the hall.The king suddenly raised his head.
"Then… who issued the shutdown order?"
Marvin flipped another page:
"The order was based on a forged report.The original was replaced."
Then he set another document down:
"Three days after the shutdown… the Dawn Metal Company purchased the operating rights to the mines.And a week later… resumed operations without any problem."
The minister responsible froze in his seat.
Marvin:"Half of that company… was owned by Prince Darius."
Shock spread like a spark hitting dry tinder.Faces shifted, ministers exchanged frightened looks, as if someone had pulled the ground out from beneath the table.
The senior advisor whispered:
"…We were deceived."
The king closed his eyes for a long moment.
"He controlled the crises… because he created them."
Ken remained silent, but his fingers tightened over the table.He had been waiting for this moment.
Marvin opened the second volume.
"The second crisis began when finely crafted counterfeit coins appeared in the markets.Merchants panicked… the markets froze."
The Minister of Finance placed a hand on his forehead, reliving those days:
"We never found the source of the molds… we assumed it was foreign smuggling."
Marvin lifted a sealed document:
"The molds weren't smuggled from outside.They were produced in an official workshop belonging to the Trade Council."
Everyone immediately turned toward the Minister of Trade.He shot to his feet, startled:
"Impossible! That workshop is under council protection!"
Marvin:"It was under the protection of Lord Savin…and Lord Savin was under direct influence from Prince Darius."
The minister's pen slipped from his hand and hit the table.No one picked it up.
Marvin moved to the third volume.
"Three royal banks declared bankruptcy on the same day.People withdrew their savings.The kingdom's currency dropped by 55% against the continental Benoir."
The Minister of Finance spoke anxiously:
"At the time… the Financial Stability Fund saved us.Without it, the kingdom would have collapsed."
Marvin:"It was the savior… but it was also the trap."
He laid out a set of contracts before the king.
"The families that invested in the fund…all of them were under abnormal financial pressure before the crisis.Debts, loans, veiled threats…and all of them came from companies linked to Prince Darius."
The senior advisor slowly lowered himself into his seat:
"He forced them… into investing."
Ken spoke quietly, almost to himself:
"He pulled them in step by step… until they became his dependents."
Marvin reorganized the files and began the fourth volume.
"The fourth crisis erupted when several families' agricultural and industrial projects suddenly collapsed.That was when the king established the Credit Council to save them."
The king nodded, remembering that period.
Marvin handed over sealed documents:
"But every restructuring contract…granted companies belonging to Prince Darius shares in those projects."
Then he added:
"It was a full-scale acquisition plan… disguised as rescue."
A chilling silence fell.Even breathing felt heavy.
The door to the hall slowly opened.
Prince Leon walked in, speaking with a half-sleepy smile:
"Good morning, I heard there was a meet—"
He stopped.
He looked around… saw the shocked faces, the stacked files, and the king staring into the void.
He raised an eyebrow, walked quietly to the nearest seat, and sat.
He whispered to himself:
"…Alright… looks like I walked into a disaster."
To continue...the next chapter.