Chapter 31 — The Price is Fear
The scream that echoed through the dungeon never reached the palace halls above.
The walls beneath the Silver Palace were built for that purpose.
To bury suffering.
To hide horrors.
And tonight—
The darkness below belonged entirely to Louis Toran Alaric.
The guards standing outside the chamber kept their heads lowered as the prisoner's desperate pleas slowly dissolved into broken sobs.
No one entered.
No one interrupted.
Because everyone serving the Silver King understood one new absolute law.
When it concerned Roseline—
Mercy ceased to exist.
Inside the chamber, Louis stood before the trembling assassin with terrifying calmness.
The man had collapsed completely now.
Chains rattled violently as he shook.
"I swear I never touched her!" he cried desperately. "We were only following orders!"
Louis tilted his head slightly.
"Following whose orders?"
The assassin froze.
His lips trembled.
Because answering meant betraying kings.
But refusing—
Might be worse.
Louis waited patiently.
And somehow that patience felt more frightening like boiling water.
Finally the assassin whispered weakly—
"King Hadrian of Veritas… Prince Elias of Norven… and…"
His voice broke.
Louis' silver eyes sharpened.
"And?"
"…Crown Prince Vallière."
Silence.
One of the guards outside nearly lost the feeling in his legs.
Three kingdoms.
Three royal bloodlines.
Louis slowly walked toward the nearby table before pouring himself a cup of water with elegant calmness.
No reaction.
No visible fury.
Which only made the assassin panic more.
"You don't understand!" the man rushed out desperately. "They said the princess had no value anymore after leaving Lovera Highcrest! They thought no one would truly—"
CRACK.
The silver cup shattered in Louis' hand.
The assassin stopped breathing.
Water mixed with blood as crimson dripped slowly from the king's fingers.
Still—
Louis' face remained expressionless.
That was the horrifying part.
The king calmly looked down at the blood running across his palm.
Then quietly—
"They believed Roseline was unprotected?"
The assassin immediately regretted speaking.
Louis lifted his eyes again.
And the temperature inside the chamber seemed to plummet instantly.
"She left the palace for less than a week…"
His voice lowered softly.
"And vultures already gathered around her."
The assassin began trembling uncontrollably.
Because now he understood.
This was never merely about an ambush.
To Louis—
This was proof the continent had started viewing Roseline as vulnerable.
Accessible.
Targetable.
Unacceptable.
The king suddenly turned toward one of the guards.
"Summon the war council."
The guard immediately bowed.
"At once, Your Majesty."
The assassin's face lost all color.
"No… no wait…"
Louis ignored him completely.
Instead he walked toward the chamber exit calmly.
Then paused.
Without turning back, he asked one final question.
"Which one fired the arrow aimed at Roseline?"
The assassin's mouth opened slowly.
"…Prince Elias soldier."
Silence.
Louis nodded once.
A small movement.
Yet somehow it felt like a death sentence.
Then the king finally walked away.
The heavy dungeon doors closed behind him.
Leaving the prisoner alone with the guards.
One guard quietly muttered afterward—
"…May the gods help Norven."
Another answered immediately.
"The gods abandoned them the moment they touched Lady Roseline."
Meanwhile—
Far from the palace—
Roseline remained unaware of the storm currently forming because of her.
The royal procession had resumed traveling under even heavier protection now.
Twice the number of silver knights surrounded the convoy.
Scouts patrolled ahead constantly.
No one took chances anymore.
Inside the new carriage, Roseline sat near the window quietly while snow drifted outside.
Kingston watched her carefully from across the seat.
"You're thinking too hard again."
Roseline sighed softly.
"I can practically hear Louis preparing war from here."
Kingston looked thoughtful.
"…That is probably accurate."
She stared at him.
"You are not helping my anxiety."
He smiled slightly.
"Sorry."
Roseline leaned back against the carriage cushions afterward.
For a while neither spoke.
Then quietly—
"Do you think Louis hates them already?"
Kingston nearly choked.
"Hates them?"
Roseline blinked.
"…Yes?"
Kingston looked genuinely concerned now.
"Roseline… your brother once threatened an ambassador because the man looked at you too long during a banquet."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"He did not."
"He absolutely did."
"…Louis told me the ambassador suddenly remembered urgent matters back home."
Kingston laughed helplessly.
"Yes. Because your brother frightened the poor man into fleeing the kingdom overnight."
Roseline covered her face slowly.
"Oh no…"
Kingston softened slightly afterward.
"Look at me."
She lowered her hands reluctantly.
"You see Louis as your brother and you just met him. You don't know him well." he said gently.
"But the rest of the continent sees him as the Silver King."
Roseline grew quiet again.
Because she knew he was right.
She remembered how servants trembled around Louis.
How ministers avoided disappointing him.
How foreign royals rarely met his gaze directly.
But to her—
He was just the older brother who disliked seeing her sad.
The same brother who has been searching for her for so many years. The brother who took up the burden of an adult from a very young age."
The same brother who will protect her at all cost.
To Roseline—
Louis felt human but lonely.
But perhaps only to her.
Suddenly the carriage slowed slightly.
A knight's voice echoed outside.
"We approach the eastern pass!"
Kingston immediately frowned.
"What now?"
The carriage curtain lifted moments later as Sir Cedric appeared beside the entrance.
His expression looked strange.
Almost confused.
"My lady…"
Roseline straightened slightly.
"What happened?"
Sir Cedric hesitated.
Then—
"There is someone waiting ahead."
Kingston's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Who?"
The knight still looked uncertain somehow.
"…King relatives."
Roseline froze.
Kingston blinked slowly.
"…Why are they here?"
Sir Cedric exhaled once.
"Because apparently," he answered carefully, "His Majesty Louis sent fifty silver knights to escort the Highcrest royal family personally."
Roseline already sensed disaster.
Sir Cedric continued.
"And King Louis has not announced about you yet. He planned to introduce you after your arrival. They probably thought you are his other half, so they want to meet the one who made the palace shaken with just her arrival.."
@Queenzayn