Marvin had not yet finished speaking…but the hall was no longer what it had been at the beginning.
Whispers once smothered in chests turned into glances,and glances into exposed tension that required no explanation.
The judge remained seated, unmoving.He did not interrupt.He did not comment.
As if his role was no longer to judge…but to allow the truth to be completed, thread by thread.
Marvin stepped forward—only one step.No more.
He spoke clearly, without emotion, without escalation:
"What has been presented so far is only the visible framework.The crises were not separate,nor were they improvised.They were built layer upon layer,until they became a network strangling the kingdom from within."
He raised one of the documents.
"But the network… was not closed."
Several seats shifted.
A duke tightened his grip on his cane.A viscount slowly turned his head toward the back rows.
And in the middle row, one duke barely moved.He did not turn his head—only his eyes.
He leaned slightly toward his aide on the right and whispered, his voice tense and barely audible:
"I want to get out of here… imme—"
Before the whisper could be finished,his body froze.
A cold shiver ran along his spine.He lifted his eyes forward.
Among the rows of seats,no one was looking at him directly.But at the edge of his vision…there was a sideways glance.Steady.Calm.
It was…It was…Du—Duke...Faidor.
The duke stopped moving for a few moments.He swallowed.Then slowly, deliberately, leaned back into his seat.
He no longer thought about leaving.Nor about speaking.
The judge did not look at the accused immediately,but at the king.
A slight nod—nothing more—was enough.
The gavel struck.
Tap.Tap.Tap.
"Following the presentation of the sequence of crises and their backgrounds,the court orders the transition to the stage of public response.Let the accused stand."
The senior nobles implicated rose to their feet.
Duke Fitzberg stepped half a pace forward, speaking before the others:
"What has been presented here… is not false,but it is not the full truth."
No one interrupted him.
"The crises occurred, yes.The decisions were made, yes.But linking them to an intent of treason?That is interpretation… not fact."
He continued, his voice steadier:
"The mines were collapsing.The roads were threatened.The treasury was bleeding.Had we not acted, the kingdom would have exploded from within."
Montefra spoke immediately after him, his tone dry and calculated:
"We did not operate in the shadows,but away from prying eyes.There is a difference… for those who understand how kingdoms are governed."
As for Havenor,he offered only one sentence:
"What was presented is a sequence of events,not a sequence of responsibilities."
The accused nobles exchanged glances.Some began to show support.
Before the judge could speak…one person moved.
Prince Darius.
He raised his voice calmly, directing his words straight to the throne:
"If I had not done what I did…you would not be sitting here today."
His eyes were locked onto his father, the king.
"I made filthy decisions…because time did not grant us clean ones.Or rather…they were not available when they were needed."
The hall froze.
The judge struck the gavel this time with force:
"The court did not grant the prince permission to speak."
Darius replied without emotion:
"But the kingdom is listening."
The guards took a step forward…then stopped at a signal from the king.
The king did not speak.
But his gaze alone said:the words had landed.
The sun had just risen.
Yet it knew something had changed.
The wall had not collapsed…but it was no longer whole.
Smoke still lingered in the air.The fire had gone out,leaving behind dense blacknessand the scent of burnt oil.
Outside the wall…there were no screams.
Inside the wall…there was confusion.
On the nearby hills,Savina's men did not celebrate.
They were digging.
The first trenches were completed.Water points were sealed.Nearby supply stores were placed under guard.
Soldiers moved in disciplined silence.
Deep within the forest,the central group halted.
The Supreme Commander dismounted.He looked at the ground…then at the sky, whose light was beginning to change.
An officer approached:
"Messages have left the interior, sir."
The commander nodded.
"Good.They will receive the news in two days."
He paused, then said quietly:
"And even if they wish to move…the distance alone is two continuous days before the news reaches them,and it is impossible to command an army for two days without rest."
Then he added:
"Send a messenger to the king.Inform him that we have secured the borders,that the operation succeeded with minimal losses…and that we are ready for the next step."
On a distant dirt road,a caravan advanced without banners.
The men did not speak of victory.
They spoke of names.
"I heard whoever secures the eastern well of that village…will have his pay doubled."
"And the forest?Anyone who holds there will have his name recorded in the guild's ledgers."
A short laugh.
"It's enough that my name is remembered.I don't care where."
At the front,one man did not speak.
His sword was sheathed.And his eyes watched only the road.
The sound returned to the hall.
The judge, in a taut official tone:
"The court acknowledges that the presented facts affect the security of the kingdom.Accordingly…the session moves to its final stage."
He paused.
"The session is hereby temporarily suspended,pending careful review of the necessary decisions."
The trial was not over.
End of Chapter.