1406 Perceived And Real Truths

The dignitaries frowned at the comment and some of the old man's equals glared at him, expressing their discontent and disagreement.

But the old man, Archduke Micheal, didn't care. He made no effort of hiding his sudden fondness to this young man who appeared out of the blue.

His equals glanced at the throne, gauging the king's agreement or disagreement in this matter so they could react accordingly.

However, the man on the throne, mired in the darkness cast by the flaming orbs, remained still and silent, like an ancient stone that would not budge even against the mightiest of storms.

So, the Archdukes of the kingdom took their stances.

"A young man blaspheming the name of this kingdom's beloved princess, even a hundred deaths to his family and nine generations would fall short. I request to give him the worst of torture and strip Princess Sonya of her position for bringing a man like this."

A platinum-blonde man who looked to be in his 40s, seated closest to the king on the left, slammed the armrests and declared.

"The princess has made us proud. Even if she's not with us anymore, we cannot allow anyone to tarnish her image."

A pale man with an eyepatch echoed the sentiment. The followers of these two men chanted in agreement.

For a while, the throne hall sang death to the young man and his group.

Varian's eyes remained calm.

'Corinthian and Kriad, the ardent supporters of Prince Rudolph. High rank 9 archdukes.

They must be panicking already since they lost contact with Rudolph. Sonya returning now should've sent alarm bells. They want to get rid of her first before even investigating their prince's whereabouts.

My behavior just happened to be the perfect justification for their plan.'

That much was expected.

Unless someone was like him—with overwhelming strength to crush the entire political class—treacherous politics were expected in any ruling place.

What was surprising, however, was Archduke Micheal's support for him.

Isadora never bothered to build a faction or cultivate a relationship with any of the Archdukes. She couldn't care less.

So, if this old man voiced support despite that, it's likely genuine fondness or…a very calculated plan that he couldn't figure out yet.

The next faction began.

It was an old, old lady. The thin, sparse gray hair reached her waist, her skin was sagging and she looked like a grandma in her 90s.

Her eyes were still bright as a flame. It's just that this flame was flickering as if it was about to disappear at any moment.

"Two things.

One, the preposterous young man has used her name. It's the reason why we're all here, wasting our precious time. That warrants a great punishment.

Two, Princess Sonya, where is Prince Merov?"

Her voice, old but clear, was weak in volume but strong in pressuring her opponent.

Archduchess Seraphina.

A woman who was so old that she's said to have lived through the reign of two kings and was now living the third.

Even though there was a strong belief that she was going to kick the bucket in a century or two, no one dismissed her. No one dared to.

The king himself, despite his immense pride and arrogance, was said to consult her for a few important matters.

The old lady was also a high rank 9. She's the sole supporter of Prince Merov at her level but that alone made the prince the most influential.

"Speak up, Princess Sonya. What happened to Prince Merov?" The old lady pressed on, putting heavy pressure on the little princess.

Varian shielded her behind him and said. "I killed him."

A heavy, confused silence filled the hall.

"I said, I killed him. I killed Prince Merov. I also killed Prince Rudolph."

The archdukes looked at each other and then at Varian.

There was no anger in their eyes—only pure disbelief.

"As you're getting the worst punishments already, you are fearless to spout such lies." The eyepatch archduke Kriad laughed, dismissing Varian's words.

Others agreed.

"Hahahaha!" Varian started laughing. "I get it! I totally get it! This is why Isadora didn't even bother to attend this place. It's a clown's circus. You guys are so into petty politics that you didn't even bother to check who I am."

Like a pause button was pressed, his words froze everyone in the throne hall.

"I know why none of you took my claims about Princess Isadora seriously." He pulled Sonya to his side.

The people were surprised by her obedience.

Suddenly, something seemed off.

"You think this is a stunt by Sonya to become the crown princess, that this is a plan to use the prestige of her sister to gain power.

Everyone is worried that their favorite prince, Rudolph or Merov, is being disadvantaged by this shameless method.

Crown Prince.

That's the biggest thing you can think of. Even the Archdukes are believing that's all there is to it.

But open your eyes.

You are not only wrong, you're blind. I don't give a flying fuck about the crown prince candidate.

It's not Sonya who's making the decisions here. I call the shots."

A stiff, suffocating silence permeated the throne hall. The sounds of breathing halted altogether and the heartbeats of the members began to grow louder and louder.

Just as he said, they thought this was all a drama by Sonya. Using Isadora's name was a big factor but that alone wouldn't make them all attend this session. Sonya accompanying him changed it from a wild accusation to a political ploy.

So, everyone gathered.

But if this wasn't Sonya's plan at all.

If that guy was really telling the truth…

"Evidence."

A cold and extremely commanding voice rang from the throne, dissipating the darkness covering the throne.

A middle-aged man with sharp facial features, bronze skin, and brown hair appeared.

Clad in an outfit geared towards battle, his clothes didn't give the luxurious look of a king.

However, the overwhelming presence was enough to override all such superficial judgments.

Even if he wore the clothes of a royal servant, no one would mistake him for one.

Wherever he went, this man would stand out.

"Evidence."

The king said and the hall fell silent.