CHAPTER 8 — "THE GREATEST TRAITOR WAS THE MAN WHO HAD STOOD BESIDE THE KING FOR TWENTY YEARS."
The throne room exploded into panic.
Guards rushed toward the doors.
Steel clashed against steel.
Richard immediately drew his sword.
"Seal every entrance!"
But it was already too late.
From the shadows stepped Chancellor Edwin—the king's oldest advisor and closest friend.
For more than twenty years he had stood beside King Aldren.
He had attended every council meeting.
Every royal funeral.
Every celebration.
The king looked at him in disbelief.
"Edwin..."
"You?"
The old chancellor slowly removed the royal seal from around his neck and let it fall onto the marble floor.
"I grew tired of waiting."
"You hid the greatest power in history beneath a helmet."
"You buried the future."
King Aldren's voice trembled.
"I trusted you like a brother."
Edwin's eyes were cold.
"And that was your greatest mistake."
He revealed a hidden dagger and pointed it toward Elina.
"I don't care about kingdoms."
"I don't care about truth."
"I care about control."
"As long as she lives..."
"No ruler will ever be able to lie again."
Behind him, dozens of palace guards suddenly switched sides.
They had secretly served Edwin for years.
Richard charged first.
His sword collided with Edwin's dagger in a shower of sparks.
The throne room erupted into battle.
Elina stood frozen as loyal guards fought traitors across the marble floor.
King Aldren, though old and weakened, lifted his sword one final time to defend his daughter.
But Edwin had been planning this moment for decades.
Hidden archers appeared on the palace balcony.
A single arrow flew through the air.
Richard shouted,
"NO!"
King Aldren pushed Elina aside.
The arrow struck him deep in the chest.
He collapsed into his daughter's arms.
Blood spread across his crimson robe.
With his final strength, he reached into his pocket and placed the ancient iron key into Elina's hand.
His voice was barely a whisper.
"The helmet..."
"...was never your prison."
"It was my promise..."
"...to your mother."
His breathing slowed.
"I was never afraid..."
"...of what the world would do..."
"...I was afraid..."
"...of what the world would make you become."
The king smiled one last time.
Then his hand fell still.
Silence swept through the throne room.
Elina looked down at the key that had defined her entire life.
Tears streamed down her face.
When she finally raised her eyes...
She looked directly at Chancellor Edwin.
For the first time, she did not look away.
Edwin's confident smile vanished instantly.
His knees buckled.
His face twisted in terror as every lie, every murder, every betrayal he had committed came crashing back into his mind all at once.
He screamed so loudly that the sound echoed through the entire palace.
Then he dropped his weapon and fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
The traitors surrounding him slowly lowered their swords.
One by one, they confessed everything.
The battle ended without another blow.
Standing in the center of the throne room, with the ancient key still clutched in her hand, Princess Elina finally understood the truth her mother had died trying to protect.
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Her gift was never meant to punish people.
It was meant to give them one final chance to face the truth—and choose who they would become afterward.
