The sun sinks slowly beyond the roofs of Liveria, staining the sky in bruised shades of orange and crimson.
Outside Rowan's house, Erwin stands guard at the front gate, spear in hand, eyes scanning the empty street.
Inside, silence hangs heavy.
Elsbeth remains unconscious on the bed upstairs, the sleeping potion Harlan forced down her throat finally granting her body the rest her mind refused to accept.
Sir Rowan is asleep as well. Not willingly.
Erwin had slipped sleeping medicine into his water after hours of watching the old knight sit beside Leonard's bed without blinking, without eating, without even breathing properly.
Rowan refused to rest even for a moment as if closing his eyes would somehow kill his son.
The front door creaks open.
Tiny footsteps patter across the porch.
Layla steps outside rubbing her sleepy eyes, clutching the edge of an oversized blanket.
Daddy? she whispers.
Erwin immediately softens.
Layla looks around the yard before asking quietly,
Where's big brother Leonard… and the fairy brother?
The question punches straight through Erwin's chest. He kneels down, placing a gentle hand on her head.
His name is Luan, he says softly. "And don't worry. They just had somewhere important to go. They'll come back soon."
Layla nods slowly.
…Okay.
"Now go inside. It's getting dark."
She turns obediently and after a while, the sound of wheels grinding against stone echoes through the street.
A luxurious black carriage stops in front of the house.
Then another.
Armed mercenaries descend first, hands resting near their swords.
Erwin immediately steps forward, instincts sharpening.
Who goes there? he shouts.
The carriage door opens.
A man dressed in dark noble attire steps out gracefully, brushing dust from his gloves with amusement dancing in his eyes.
Azik.
"Well now," he says with a faint smile. "And who might you be, gentleman?"
Erwin stiffens. Even without introduction, he can tell immediately:
This man is dangerous. Not because he carries a sword. Because he carries power.
Still, Erwin doesn't move aside.
"I'm guarding this house."
Azik raises an eyebrow before laughing softly.
Guarding the home of the Captain of the Knights? How amusing.
His gaze drifts toward the house.
Would you kindly tell Sir Rowan that I'm here for business?
Erwin hesitates.
There's something strange about this noble.
No arrogance. No disgust in his eyes.
Nothing like the others.
Still cautious, Erwin bows slightly.
My apologies, sir… but Sir Rowan cannot meet anyone right now.
Azik sighs dramatically.
That troublesome old knight…
Then he snaps his fingers lightly.
The second carriage door opens.
Erwin's eyes widened instantly.
"Leonard?!"
Leonard steps down slowly, barely able to stand. One of the knights supported his weight while blood-stained bandages wrapped tightly around his torso beneath his coat.
His face is pale.
Too pale.
Yet his eyes are still alive.
"I'm fine," Leonard mutters before Erwin could panic. "Help me inside."
The moment Erwin grabs his arm, Leonard nearly collapse.
"Damn it…" Erwin whispers. "You're burning up."
"Still alive though," Leonard replies weakly.
Inside the house, Leonard drops heavily into a chair while Azik calmly removes his gloves and observed the room in silence.
Where is Father and Lady Elsbeth? Leonard asks quietly.
They're asleep, Harlan's medicine finally knocked them out.
Leonard loweres his gaze.
…Good.
The word sounds hollow.
Azik walks toward the window overlooking the darkening streets of Liveria.
What happened today, he said quietly, wasn't chaos. This kingdom is dying. Corruption has reached its bones.
You realized this kingdom was rotten only after your businesses started collapsing, didn't you, Sir Azik? Leonard replies in a low voice
Erwin freezes.
But Azik simply smiles.
You really don't know how to talk to nobles properly. That's why I like you.
His smile fades slightly.
But yes. Profit is part of it.
His voice lowers.
And I refuse to watch fools destroy something I built my life in.
They used fear perfectly, he continues. Poisoned peasants. A terrified crowd. Holy Knights already waiting nearby.
His expression hardens.
That wasn't coincidence. It was theater.
Leonard clenches his jaw.
Ivy poison... Azik continues: a poison obtainable only through the Crown, the Church... or the highest nobles.
Erwin looks between them in confusion.
"So they planned all of this from the start? Sir rowan also said something similar."
"They planned every scream," Azik replies coldly. "Every corpse. Every accusation."
His eyes darken.
"They turned the jester into a monster before they killed him."
The room grows heavy.
Leonard stares down at his trembling hands.
"...And we can't do anything."
Azik suddenly looks directly at him.
"No."
His voice sharpens.
"You survived."
Leonard freezes slightly.
"That matters."
A bitter laugh escapes Leonard's throat.
"Survived?"
His voice cracks.
Luan was butchered in front of us. I couldn't save him.
"I couldn't protect Lady Elsbeth."
I almost died like some useless idiot in the mud while she—
His voice stops.
Because he faintly remembers Elsbeth kneeling in blood.
Protecting him with her own body while the crowd hurled stones.
Leonard covers his eyes with one shaking hand.
"...she was begging them for help."
Silence swallows the room.
Even Azik has no immediate answer for that.
Finally, he speaks quietly.
"That girl was never meant to survive in this kingdom."
Leonard slowly lowers his hand.
"...What?"
Azik turns fully toward him now.
"The crown fears compassion," he says. "Because compassion exposes corruption."
"Elsbeth was trying to stand for the poor. Speaking for commoners. Questioning the corrupts."
His voice grows colder.
"She was trying to remind the people that rulers are supposed to protect them."
"And men like Theoron cannot allow that."
Erwin swallows hard.
Azik turns back toward Leonard.
"So tell me honestly. Will you help me rebel?"
Leonard doesn't even hesitate.
"Yes."
The answer comes instantly.
I'll make Lady Elsbeth The Queen.
His tired eyes harden.
No matter what.
Silence fills the room.
Then Leonard lowers his head. But first…we have to find Luan.
Azik's fingers begin tapping lightly against the table.
"I've already started searching," he says.
Informants, merchants, underground routes, even corrupt knights.
His expression darkens.
But there's nothing.
Leonard's jaw tightens.
The Holy Knights took his body to the Church, he mutters. "And then he vanished."
"Like he never existed," Azik says quietly.
A bitter laugh escapes Leonard.
I thought a man of your influence could find anyone.
Azik's eyes narrow.
"And I will."
His voice carries sudden weight.
"I don't care how much gold I burn. I'll search every corner of this kingdom if I must."
"That's my promise to you and the Princess."
For the first time since entering the room, Leonard looks genuinely relieved.
Only for a second.
Then reality crashes back into him.
But how are we supposed to fight an entire kingdom? he asks quietly. "Protect Elsbeth. Find Luan. Survive the throne."
His fists clench.
We can't do all of that alone.
Azik smiles faintly.
You think I came here without a plan?
Leonard looks up.
The Princess cannot survive in the Central anymore, Azik says. "Not after today."
The people fear her even more. And fear is far stronger than truth.
Leonard stays silent.
Now we stop surviving.
The atmosphere shifts instantly.
"We build power."
Leonard stares at him silently.
The people already fear the nobles and the Throne, Azik continues. "They obey because they believe resistance is hopeless."
But fear changes quickly when hunger grows.
He steps closer to the table.
The merchants are angry. The outer territories are neglected. The smaller nobles despise the Central.
The knights are divided.
His eyes narrows slightly.
This kingdom has started to rot from the inside.
Leonard's breathing slows.
Azik leans forward slightly.
And rotting kingdoms collapse very easily… if someone pushes hard enough.
Something dangerous flickers behind Leonard's exhausted eyes.
Azik smiles.
The Princess cannot remain in the Central anymore. If she stays here, they will bury her politically before winter arrives.
Leonard stays silent.
So we leave. We gather allies. We rebuild her image.
We make the people see her not as a cursed princess…but as the only hope this kingdom has left.
Leonard lets out a slow breath.
And how exactly are we supposed to do that?
Azik answers immediately.
"Patrin."
Leonard stands so abruptly his chair nearly falls backward.
"No."
The single word carried genuine fear.
Azik's looks him into the eyes.
You still can't face them?
Leonard looks away.
His fists tightens hard enough to shake.
"…I abandoned them."
"Years ago."
And now you want me to crawl back asking for help?
Azik stepscloser.
"No."
His voice is firm now.
I want you to trust the people who once trusted you.
The words hit harder than Leonard expected.
Azik sighs quietly.
"You cannot carry this alone."
His gaze drifts upstairs toward Elsbeth's room.
"She needs more than swords now."
"She needs allies."
A kingdom is not ruled by kindness alone, Leonard.
His expression darkens.
It is ruled by influence.
"Fear."
"Food."
"Trade."
"Loyalty."
"The throne controls all of those things."
He pause briefly.
"So we will take them away piece by piece."
A knock interrupts the room.
Come in, Azik says.
The door opens slowly.
A blonde-haired woman steps inside wearing noble attire with a silver insignia pinned near her collar.
Her eyes are sharp and calculating.
She is Grace, Azik says. "One of my advisor."
Grace bows politely.
"I've already begun gathering information regarding sympathetic nobles outside the Central," she says calmly. "If Lady Elsbeth is willing to move, we can begin building support immediately."
Leonard frowns slightly.
"Why help us?"
Grace looks at him for a long moment before answering.
"Because kingdoms ruled by fear eventually devour everyone."
Even Azik smirks slightly at that answer.
Leonard slowly leans back into his chair, exhausted beyond words.
"…Damn it."
Azik steps closer.
You cannot defeat monsters by staying broken forever.
Silence.
Then Leonard exhales slowly.
"…Fine."
His tired eyes harden again.
"Let's begin."
He turns toward Erwin. You and Layla stay here with Father.
Erwin immediately stands straight.
"Understood."
Father acts tough, Leonard mutters, but he's reckless when emotions get involved.
A faint smile appears on Erwin's face. I noticed.
Azik folds his arms.
I'll handle matters inside the Central, he says. Sir Rowan still holds enormous influence among the knights. Many would follow him without hesitation.
But one thing is certain.
His eyes moved upstairs again.
The Princess will wake up soon.
The warmth vanished from the room.
And when she does…either this tragedy destroys her...or it creates someone the throne will never be able to control again.