Lord Damaris' death caused shockwaves in the court.
By dawn, every nobleman's household buzzed with rumors of his untimely death.
By noon, the rumors had become something else altogether.
Murder. Betrayal. A secret war.
And Cerida's brother Aric at its center.
Aric sat behind his desk, hearing Cedric's briefing.
"The court is split," replied Cedric. "Some think he was assassinated by his own men. Others that he was killed by order of the Duke for treason."
Aric smiled. "And what do they think of me?"
Cedric blinked. "They… think you were involved. But there's no evidence."
Aric relaxed, pleased. Good.
Aric's murder was too coincidental to have been an accident, but with no evidence, no one could accuse him.
And yet, fear had established itself at the court.
The nobles no longer knew who was actually in charge.
Which meant it was time to shift.
Sometime during the evening, by the light of candles and fires, the Duke himself had called an emergency gathering of the noble council.
The grand hall of the palace was tense, with lords and ladies whispering behind gloved hands.
When Aric arrived, everyone's attention was on him.
He met their gazes with subdued amusement. Let them speculate.
The Duke stood at the front of the room, his face impassive.
"Lord Damaris is dead," he said, his tone somber. "And I mean to discover why."
A gasp of shock circulated around the hall.
Lord Montclair advanced, his eyes sharp. "Surely it was not.natural causes?"
The Duke's gaze turned icy. "A man like Damaris does not keel over and die."
Silence.
And then Lady Evangeline, another old friend of Damaris', stepped forward.
"We need to ask the question that must be asked, Your Grace." She looked at Aric. "Who stands to gain from his demise?"
Ah. There it was.
Aric grinned. "Are you suggesting something, Lady Evangeline?"
She paused, but Montclair did not back down. "You have risen too rapidly in this court, Lord Aric. Too rapidly, some would say."
"Ambition a sin?" Aric replied smoothly.
Montclair's jaws clenched. "Not a crime. But when ambition is combined with… opportunity, it is questionable."
The Duke observed them both intently.
This was a test. A perilous one.
Aric's words were measured.
"If I were guilty," he said, voice smooth, "do you think we would be sitting here talking to each other?"
A moment of silence.
Then Montclair looked away.
The inference was plain. If Aric had, in fact, murdered Damaris, then provoking him might be hazardous.
And that was the fear he intended to sow.
Once the meeting was done, Aric acted swiftly.
He sat with tiny factions—lords who had originally served Damaris but now had no leader.
Some required convincing—but then, they required persuading.
Others… required a sterner hand.
[ Sovereign's Brand Activated. ]
With each speech, with each careful exercise of authority, the court began to change.
By midnight's stroke, Damaris' control had been swept away.
By dawn, Aric occupied her place.
And the System spoke to him in his mind.
[ Power Consolidation: 75% Complete. ]
[ A new threat is coming. Prepare accordingly. ]
Aric exhaled.
One battle was won.
But the war was hardly over.