The palace fell silent.
The king looked at Lakyus for a long time.
Then he turned his head and looked out the window.
Outside the window, sunlight streamed onto the stone walls of the palace, making the ancient carvings exceptionally clear.
In the distance, on the streets of the Royal Capital, the people had already begun their busy day.
The cries of vendors, the laughter of children, and the rumble of horse-drawn carriages drifted faintly into the palace.
"Lakyus."
"Exist."
"You go out first. Let me... think about it."
Lakyus stood up, bowed slightly, then turned and walked towards the palace exit. After a few steps, she stopped without looking back.
"His Majesty."
"Um."
"Mr. Higashino only gave the Re-Estize Kingdom one month. After one month, he will return from the Baharuth Empire. If the Re-Estize Kingdom has not changed by then, he said—"
She paused.
He will come and change it himself.
She stepped out of the palace. Her footsteps echoed in the corridor and gradually faded away.
The king sat in a high-backed chair, gazing at the open door.
The morning light streamed in from outside the door, casting his shadow on the wall behind him, solitary and slender.
"Gazef."
"Exist."
"You go out too."
"His Majesty--"
"Go out."
Gazef was silent for a moment, then knelt on one knee, stood up, and walked out of the palace.
The door closed softly behind him.
The king was the only one left in the palace.
He sat there, the scroll of parchment on his lap, the scepter he had used for forty years in his hand.
The jewels on the scepter gleamed dimly in the morning light, as if they had lost all their luster.
He lowered his head, looking at the list, looking at that name.
Barbro.
His eldest son. His first child.
He once held him in his arms, lifted him above his head, and spun him around in the sunlight.
He taught him to ride horses, to use swords, and to be a king.
He forgave him when he made mistakes, encouraged him when he failed, and guided him when he lost his way.
But now, he stands at a crossroads, with two paths before him.
One path leads to justice, the other to family...
And the Abyss.
He has to choose one.
There's no turning back, no hesitation, no regrets.
The king closed his eyes.
He recalled something Higashino Makoto had said—
"You are a good person. Kind, compassionate, and concerned for your people, but not a good king."
He remembered what Lakyus had said—
"If people like this don't deserve to die, then there's no one in this country who deserves to die."
He remembered what Gazef had said—
"His Highness the First Prince is not an enemy."
If not an enemy, then what is? Family. His son.
The king opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. The ceiling was painted with portraits of past kings, from the first to himself.
Every face is different, but every pair of eyes is looking in the same direction.
Ahead.
They watched over the future of the Re-Estize Kingdom, the well-being of the people, and the rise and fall of the nation.
And he was looking at his son.
"Barbro..."
He murmured the name, his voice hoarse, carrying an indescribable emotion.
It wasn't anger, nor sadness, but a deeper, more profound pain, as if something had torn it apart from within.
He picked up the scepter and used it to support himself as he stood up.
His legs were trembling, and his knees were aching, but he didn't sit down.
He leaned on his scepter, walked step by step to the window, and pushed it open.
In the distance, people are busy on the street. A mother holds her child's hand as they walk on the stone-paved road.
An old man sat on the steps, basking in the sun. A young businessman was haggling with a customer, a smile on his face.
They were unaware of this list.
They had no idea what was happening inside the palace.
All they knew was that it was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, perfect for going out.
The king looked at them for a long time.
Then he turned around, walked back to his desk, and sat down.
He picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and wrote a few lines on a blank sheet of parchment.
"First Prince Barbro Andreen Yerud Lyle Vansef, having colluded with the criminal organization Eight Fingers, accepted bribes, and betrayed the country, is hereby stripped of his right to the throne and handed over to the Re-Estize Kingdom's court for Judgment."
After he finished writing, he put down his pen and stared at those few lines for a long time.
Then he picked up the parchment, folded it, and set it aside.
He picked up another blank sheet of parchment and continued writing.
"The Second Prince, Zanac Valleo Igna Lyle Vansef, is hereby appointed Crown Prince and will act as regent."
After finishing writing, he put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
Tears slid down his cheeks and dripped onto his withered, wooden hands.
He didn't wipe it.
He simply sat there, quietly shedding tears in the morning light.
Outside the door, Gazef leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed.
His lips were slightly pursed, and his brows were furrowed.
Lakyus stood at the other end of the corridor, leaning against the wall, her long golden hair falling over her shoulders, her emerald green eyes staring at the ceiling.
Neither of them spoke.
The hallway was quiet. So quiet that you could hear faint, suppressed sobs coming from inside the door.
Gazef opened his eyes and glanced at Lakyus.
He cried.
"I know."
Lakyus was silent for a moment.
"I don't either."
Gazef turned his head and looked at the closed door. "More than twenty years."
He was wounded on the battlefield, humiliated in the imperial court, and endured countless pressures alone in the dead of night.
But he never cried.
He paused.
He cried today.
Lakyus didn't speak. She just stood there, staring at the ceiling, her emerald green eyes gleaming with a complex light.
"Lakyus."
"Um."
Do you think... Higashino Makoto did the right thing?
Lakyus remained silent for a long time.
"Have no idea."
"You do not know?"
"I have no idea."
Lakyus's voice was calm.
"But I know one thing: without him, 'Eight Fingers' would continue to run rampant. The nobles would continue to be corrupt. The people would continue to suffer. His Majesty the King would continue to sit in the palace, striving yet powerless."
She paused.
"Perhaps his methods were too brutal. Perhaps he shouldn't have threatened the king. Perhaps he shouldn't have broken those people's limbs. But he did what we wanted to do but couldn't."
Gazef fell silent.
He stared at the closed door, at the faint morning light filtering through the crack.
"You're right."
He finally said.
He did what we wanted to do but couldn't.
The corridor fell silent again.
In the distance, the bells of the clock tower rang out, long and deep, echoing in the morning breeze.
Inside the gate, the king stopped crying. He wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, took a deep breath, picked up his scepter, and stood up.
He walked to the door and pushed it open.
Gazef and Lakyus straightened up at the same time.
"Gazef."
"Exist."
Go and fetch Zanac.
Gazef bowed slightly.
"Yes, sir."
He turned around and strode out of the corridor.
The footsteps faded into the distance.
The king watched his retreating figure, then turned to look at Lakyus.
"Lakyus."
"Exist."
Where is Mr. Higashino now?
He said he would go to the Baharuth Empire and return in a month.
The king nodded.
"One month..."
He repeated it to himself in a low voice, then turned and walked back to the palace.
"His Majesty."
Lakyus called out to him.
The king stopped walking, but did not turn around.
"Are you... alright?"
The king was silent for a moment.
"Not good."
He walked back to his desk and sat down. The scepter rested against the side of the chair, and the parchment lay open on the table.
He picked up his quill, dipped it in ink, and continued writing.
This time, he didn't write an order.
It is a letter.
Recipient: Higashino Makoto.
Content: "Thank you for everything you've done for the Re-Estize Kingdom. The list has been received. Barbro's right to succession has been revoked and will be handed over to the court for Judgment. Zanac has been appointed Crown Prince. Within a month, I will do everything in my power to change the Re-Estize Kingdom. If I cannot, please come in person."
After writing it, he folded the letter, put it in an envelope, and sealed it with sealing wax.
"Someone come here."
The door was pushed open, and a servant entered, kneeling on one knee. "Your Majesty."
"Deliver this letter to Mr. Higashino Makoto."
"Yes, sir."
The attendant took the letter, stood up, and left the palace.
The king leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
He did what he was supposed to do.
The rest is up to time.
Give it to that man with black hair and black eyes.
Entrusting the future of this country.