“Your Son.” the king replied.
“Oh! My son. Regardless of who he is, he should be hanged.” Silas laughed reflexively.
“Even his family—” His voice died.
“Wait… WHat…? My son….?” He blinked, confusion spreading across his face.
“Your son.” the king repeated calmly.
The words fell cleanly. Calmly.
Silence descended upon the court.
Everyone, including the duke, took a few moments to process as they remained motionless and dumbfounded.
Then—someone laughed seeing the bewildered expression on the duke, and soon the entire court followed, erupting into sharp, cruel and unrestrained laughter, while the duke's expression became pale. His face drained of color as he stood frozen, mouth half-open.
Clang.
The king lifted the sheathed artifact sword slightly and struck its tip against the stone floor causing a noise, making everyone stifle their laughter.
Once the court settled, King Aurelius spoke without raising his voice. “Since everyone is in agreement, we shall proceed with the judgment.”
“Send the offender to the gallows. Duke Silas’s house will also provide compensation to the count.”
The words were delivered as casually as assigning the next agenda.
“Wait—wait, please wait, my lord!”
Duke Silas snapped back to himself, panic flooding his voice.
“What is it, Duke Silas?” the king asked calmly.
“My lord,” Silas stammered, “I believe we should reconsider. Maybe the punishment exceeds the crime— no mistake, yes, the charges are exceeding the mistake he made.”
Aurelius’s gaze hardened.
“Exceeds? He assaulted and publicly humiliated a noble’s daughter. What future do you think awaits such a girl? What becomes of her dignity?”
The king’s tone sharpened.
“What am I to answer when my people ask me—
if a noble’s daughter can be treated this way, what of a commoner?
Are they people, or merely livestock?”
A chill swept the hall.
“Where is the safety and security in my kingdom? Where lies justice and order?”, Aurelius demanded.
This made all the nobles flinch.
The king continued coldly, “And besides, this punishment was your own suggestion. You declared that such an idiot should be hanged.”
“That—th-that was a slip of the tongue, my lord,” Silas said desperately. “Surely such punishment is excessive for a
high noble
.”
“It was a slip,but it was the correct judgment.” the king replied, unyielding.
“It is
precisely because
he is a high noble that his punishment must be harsher. He abused power, disgraced his status, and sullied the name of nobility itself.”
He paused.
“The sentence is justified. It will be carried out to set an example for everyone.”
“My lord, please—please reconsider—”
“I have already passed judgment, Duke Silas,” Aurelius said flatly. “Or would you like to add your house to the punishment as well?”
Silas froze.
“N-no, my lord…” he muttered, visibly shaken.
Watching the previously arrogant duke reduced to panic, the king’s loyalists sneered inwardly.
‘These idiots oppress the weak, sacrifice the innocent, calling it strength, taking everything for granted as their birthright,
stating that they are skilful, noble and brave.
‘Yet they fear death and loss more than anyone else.
‘This court is filled with such hypocrites.’
“My lord, wait,” Duke Silas shouted anxiously, “after careful consideration, I appeal to the court to veto this decree.”
The court stirred.
“The ancestors of the noble houses founded this kingdom along with the first king,” he continued, voice rising with practiced reverence. “They ruled and protected the land of Aetheria for generations. In consideration of their loyalty, I believe punishment upon their descendants must be weighed with greater care.”
“My son will take the girl as his concubine. He will be placed under house arrest for two years, and compensation will be paid to the count’s household.”
“This should be a fitting punishment.”
“What do you think? Those in agreement—rise.” he asked loudly, looking at the nobles seated in the court for support.
Silence.
No one moved.
Some nobles smirked. Others watched with open amusement, enjoying the show.
“It appears that the court does not agree, Duke Silas.” the king said calmly.
“W-wait, my lord. Just a moment.”
Silas turned sharply to the nobles.
“Don’t you all agree?”
He searched all their faces—only to find them looking at him with strange gazes in return, as if asking, ‘
What will we get in return for supporting you?
’
Silas understood immediately.
If it was someone else in his place, he would have done the same.
His expression darkened as he shot them a glare, asking—’
Why are you all being so greedy? We are all allies, are we not? Help me out here.’
But none responded.
They have all been doing this same routine for so many years, that everyone understood each other's glances, pauses, unspoken bargains with just their gazes and gestures in this particular situation.
Grinding his teeth, Silas finally gave a small nod, followed by a subtle hand gesture.
‘Fine. I’ll compensate you all.’
As if on cue, nobles began to rise—one after another.
“My lord, we believe the duke speaks reasonably,” one said.
“I, too, support Duke Silas,” another followed.
“What the duke said is true, a high noble’s judgement should be different in consideration to our ancestor’s loyalty.” third added.
“I agree.”
“So do I.”
Soon, a clear majority stood. Only a handful remained seated, silent and stiff.
Seeing this, Silas exhaled in relief.
“You see, my lord, the court agrees.” he said, forcing a smile.
The loyal retainers of the king, who are in disagreement and seated, gritted their teeth in frustration.
The king looked across the hall, expressionless—at the seated few, at all the corrupted nobles and the farce taking place in his court.
After a moment of silence.
“Very well,” Aurelius said quietly, “but amend the sentence. Change the house arrest to
ten years
. And compensation will also be paid to the royal court.”
“Ten years?” Silas blurted out.
“Do you object?” the king asked, his gaze sharp.
Silas stiffened.
“N-no, my lord. No objections at all,” he said quickly. “I will comply.”
“Then you may sit now," Aurelius said. “We shall proceed to the next agenda.”
The nobles sat.
Silas collapsed into his chair, wiping cold sweat from his brow—relieved, shaken, humiliated.
The court continued as though nothing had happened.
This time, however, Silas did not dare interrupt again. Another noble took it upon himself to oppose the Chancellor’s proposals instead.
Inside, Silas seethed, as he continuously cursed the king and his greedy comrades.
‘Damn it.
‘He laid a trap for me.
‘I must be careful with my words in front of him.
‘This king… he is too cunning, if we noble houses hadn’t suppressed him together, he would have already crushed everyone who stood against him.’
Soon, noon arrived.
Duke Silas rose abruptly.
“Your Majesty,” he said curtly, “it is past midday. I have urgent matters to attend to. I shall take my leave.”
The duke did not wait for the king’s consent.
He turned and left the court, followed closely by members of other noble houses.
A deliberate insult—once again—meant to oppress the king’s authority.
One by one, more nobles rose and departed, until the once-crowded hall stood empty for the most part. Only those houses still loyal to the crown remained behind.
“How dare they leave without the king’s permission,” the steward said, fists clenched. “They grow more brazen with each passing day.”
“Previously, they acted from the shadows, now they are blatantly disrespectful.” one noble said bitterly.
“They are leeches upon the kingdom, a disgrace to their ancestors.” another spat.
“Let it go, it is already noon. The court is to be adjourned regardless. It is only that, for many things, they no longer care whether they have this king’s permission or not.” Aurelius said, smiling gently, as though consoling them.
“But, my king—”
“It is pointless to dwell on it. Instead, reduce the court sessions to once every three to four months. There is little to no value in holding them any longer.”
The steward hesitated, then sighed and nodded.
Turning to the remaining nobles, the king continued, “From now on, we will hold court sessions in my personal chamber. It will be sufficient to accommodate these few people who still remain.”
The nobles exchanged glances, then smiled wryly.
The Grand Chancellor rose once more
“My lord,was it truly acceptable to change the punishment?”
“What other choice did we have?” Aurelius replied with a wry smile.
“At the very least, we should not have allowed the girl to become that pig’s concubine.” the Chancellor said quietly.
“It was the count’s request, he likely sees it as an opportunity to form ties with Duke Silas’s house.”
“But my lord… what of his daughter?”
Aurelius gave a faint, humorless smirk. “Did the count look like a man who cared what happened to her?”
“…No, my lord,” the Chancellor admitted with a sigh. “Still, that son of Silas is known to be a sexual deviant. If she enters his household, she may not survive long.
“And Silas would never allow her to become a legal wife to his son,” the Chancellor added. “Even when forced to compromise, he accepted her only as a concubine. It is beneath him to even consider her as a concubine to his son.”
Aurelius nodded slowly, “Send an offer to the girl, if she does not wish to enter Duke Silas’s household, she may come to work within the royal castle instead.”
“If she accepts,” Aurelius continued, “inform the duke that his son’s house arrest will be reduced by two or three years, and that the matter of the concubine will be dropped.”
He rubbed his temples lightly.
“And make it clear that he will owe the crown a favor.”
The steward’s eyes widened slightly.
“Have the duke serve at
Thornhold
for one year to repay that favor,” Aurelius added.
“Appoint the new heir of the Vaelxen house to work under Duke Silas. For all his faults, he remains a capable general and he will have many things to learn from him in regards to battle and strategies.”
“I just hope that he will only learn his skills as a general and remain uncorrupted and loyal to the crown.” the king pinches his temples, sighing.
“Yes, my lord,” the steward replied.
Despite everything, the king remained wise and composed—still thinking clearly, still planning efficiently.
The king’s gaze drifted across the quiet, desolate hall.
“Why does it feel as though fewer people stood with us today than during the previous court?” Aurelius asked softly.
The steward smiled bitterly.
“My lord, knowing how matters would unfold, many of our loyal houses chose not to attend at all.”
Aurelius nodded faintly, murmuring. “Some may simply be unable to stomach this farce any longer. Others may be considering defection”
He calmly looked once more at the empty seats with melancholy and spoke softly, “Just like always, just a bit more empty, I suppose.”
Copyright © [January] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
It was noon, yet the sun already hung low, its light fading as night slowly crept across the sky, swallowing the horizon in shades of dusk.
At the border of
Raven Crag’s territory
, a procession of carriages rolled steadily along the road.
The
Viscount and his entourage
, having been
successfully extorted….sorry, having been successfully compensated
—for their silence—by the Baron of Raven Crag, were making their departure.
Each carriage was drawn by sturdy horses and bore an engraved crest.
At the front rode a far more luxurious carriage, its frame reinforced with enchanted steel and drawn not by horses, but by a single-horned
monster sheep
, its massive hooves thudding rhythmically against the earth.
Inside, the Viscount sat near the rear window, fingers folded calmly atop his lap. His gaze was distant, unreadable. Beside him sat a fully armored knight and the robed priest.
Across from them lounged the Viscount’s crooked-nosed assistant, flanked by two other auditing subordinates, their expressions light and satisfied.
They were heading toward a previously selected resting point—as they are yet to decide their next destination. The carriage rattled onward carrying laughter and gold.
“Hahaha! You should have seen the baron’s face,” the knight said, bursting into laughter. “He was furious—absolutely seething. Cursing us under his breath the entire time.”
“Hahaha! Truly,” the crooked-nosed man replied, slapping his knee. “No matter how many times I see it, it never gets old. His daughter was still not ripe to my taste but it was fun.”
“What fun did you have for a
fast shooter
?” the knight teased.
“Shut up, muscle brain,” the crooked-nosed man shot back, glaring.
“Hahaha!”
Laughter filled the carriage. Everyone was in high spirits, reveling in their successful
earnings
.
Only the priest remained serious, his brows furrowed. The Viscount, meanwhile, merely smiled gently, as if observing from a distance.
“What’s wrong, Sir Priest?” the knight asked, glancing at him. “Not having fun?”
“It’s nothing, just not in the mood.”
“Is that so?” The knight smiled outwardly, though inwardly he sneered at the priest’s tiresome righteousness.
The crooked-nosed man leaned back smugly, “It always works. No matter how careful the nobles are, it’s nearly impossible to keep all their accounts clean and accurate.
“Even if
they
are efficient, their subordinates and lesser lords will inevitably make mistakes.
“And those mistakes pile up over the years.
“All we need to do is magnify those numbers with our skills.
“Then we accuse them of embezzlement and threaten their lives and noble status. That’s all.
“After that, they come to us of their own accord—to
compensate
us.” He chuckled. “It never fails.”
He glanced at the knight.
“And this muscle-brained magic knight and his guards will deter them from doing anything reckless. They can’t touch us.”
“Oi. Shut up, fast shooter, Who are you calling muscle brain?” the knight growled.
The crooked-nosed man ignored him and continued.
“And the magic contract drawn by the priest ties up all loose ends and keeps them silent. Everything works perfectly.”
“Sir Viscount, you truly are a genius for devising such a plan,” one subordinate said eagerly.
“Yes, yes. We were fortunate to be employed by you,” another chimed in.
The Viscount spoke, his tone calm and measured. “Still, we must not forget to pay the duke and those in the middle.”
“When we return, submit the modified records and original taxes to the Hall of Wealth, allocate fifty percent to the duke and ten percent to expenses.
“Twenty percent will be distributed among the guards and auditors.”
“I will take the remaining twenty percent.”
He paused, then added thoughtfully, “This time’s earnings were slightly lower than those from the previous territory.”
“I suppose people who live righteously tend to be less wealthy.” A faint smile curved his lips.
“Even so, with this addition, I believe I have earned enough to persuade the count to agree to marry his son to my daughter.”
“And on future trips, I can earn enough to cover my daughter’s wedding expenses—and my son’s admission and costs at the magic academy.”
“My lord,” the crooked-nosed man asked, “aren’t we heading to another territory next?”
“No. With this new addition, we’ve nearly reached the limit of what we can safely carry while traveling.”
“I don’t want to get entangled with robbers while hauling this much money. We should return as soon as possible.”
He paused, then asked, “Which territory is next on the list anyway?”
“According to the assignments from the Hall of Wealth, we’re supposed to inspect the territory of Countess Ravenna. I think we should go, my lord.”
“Have you gone mad?” the knight snapped. “We don’t want to clash with someone of
count
rank. And if the count is a woman, she’s likely even more capable.”
“Shut up, muscle-head,” the crooked-nosed man scoffed. “We’re not going to the countess directly.
“Even if we
did
approach her, we wouldn’t threaten her. That would be a waste of time.”
Turning to the Viscount, he continued, “My lord, just beyond this territory—adjacent to it—there’s a small baronetcy.”
“
The Ravenscrest.
”
“According to the information we gathered at Raven Crag, it’s ruled by a baroness who was once a commoner.”
The Viscount raised an eyebrow.
“Interesting. A commoner who became a baroness? That’s extremely rare. How did that happen?”
“I don’t know the details, my lord, but if the information is accurate, she assumed the position about a decade ago.
“And supposedly, there are no magic knights in her baronetcy.
“That would make things much easier for us. It’s a bit of a detour, but we can squeeze out some chump change.”
“What do you say, my lord?”
The carriage fell silent as everyone turned toward the Viscount, their gazes filled with expectation.
After a moment, he sighed and nodded.
“Very well. We’ll take the detour.”
“This will be our final stop on this trip. After that, we return.”
He smiled faintly. “Perhaps I can earn a little extra for my daughter’s dresses—and my son’s pocket money.”
“That’s more like it,” the crooked-nosed man said eagerly.
“We’ll find a suitable place to rest tonight and move out tomorrow.”
Excitement spread through the carriage.
“I can’t wait.”
“I wonder how beautiful the baroness and her maids will be.”
“It’s rare for a woman to lead a noble house after all.”
While the others indulged in their anticipation, the Viscount gazed out the window, lost in thought.
A commoner woman who became a baroness…Perhaps I shouldn’t underestimate her.
I should observe first before acting.
What about her family? Is she old? Young? I wonder what her story is?
He chuckled softly to himself, muttering, “No matter who she is, she’ll never be as beautiful as my wife.”
(End Of Chapter)
Copyright © [January] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
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