His Majesty?
Colson Leland's face turned pale when he heard how Theo addressed Emor Tripas.
King Aryan was really dead?!
In an instant, all the rage that he felt just a while ago was washed off. His body suddenly felt weak and he ended up dropping to his knees.
With a nod from the new King, Theo lowered his sword and Emor shifted his attention back to Colson Leland. "My uncle is dead, Colson Leland. Tell me. What will you do now?" He clenched his fists and shouted, "You're the one who triggered the war and the one who drove my uncle to death! Are you satisfied?!"
Colson Leland couldn't say anything now. He lost all his energy and he blankly stared at the floor the whole time.
Emor Tripas narrowed his eyes at the Minister and slowly, his face turned nonchalant. Then he turned to Theo who quickly did the same with his head bowed. "Relay my order. Colson Leland is to be executed tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The young King turned his back at the Minister but... when one thing crossed his mind, he turned around, facing him once again. "If you see my uncle in the afterlife, you should beg for his forgiveness. After all, the one whom he trusted the most led him to his death." He briefly paused and added, "My uncle never trust anyone except you but it was the biggest mistake of his life."
Finally, Colson Leland looked up at the new King with an obviously devastated face. "Your Highness... "
Emor Tripas stood still for a while, never breaking his gaze on the criminal before he turned his back at him and walked out of the dungeon. Theo followed him out right away.
*
Emor Tripas was already alone in his chamber for a while and Theo walked inside.
"Your Majesty, I relay your order and also issued a notice to be put up in public places. The people will also read it by now."
Emor Tripas didn't say anything for a few seconds but when his gaze landed on the scrolls that Theo brought in before, he said, "The order for the execution is already made. I don't need these anymore."
The guard walked forward and took the scrolls.
"I never thought that I will begin my reign with an execution, Theo," the new King said, looking at his guard who had served him for years now.
"It's not your fault, Your Majesty," Theo promptly replied. "You only do your duty as the ruler."
"Ruler," Emor muttered. "I never once wanted to become the King but... here I am as the only surviving Tripas." He made a deliberate paused and continued, "I wonder what my father would think if he sees me now. I bet he will be very disappointed to see me and not my older brother on the throne."
"Your Majesty, please don't think about that. You've come this far and now, the throne is yours. You can work to create the world you want for the people. No one will dare to oppose you anymore," Theo said to his King.
As someone who knew and witnessed how hard life was for the new King during his time as the unloved Second Prince and the tormented Crown Prince, Theo was the one who was the happiest to see him coming this far.
Emor Tripas thought of the current situation of the royal court and also the officials. "I'm afraid more bloodshed will await us, Theo. The court is full of greedy and power-hungry officials who will even trade Nardodia to satisfy their own greed."
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. As long as you give the order, I will do anything for you and the kingdom," the guard earnestly said, earning a subtle smile from the young King.
"I don't remember myself being good to you, Theo. Instead, I always held you responsible for everything," he pointed out.
"I know you are like that because you struggled, Your Majesty. If I was in your situation, I might be even worse," Theo replied. "I never blame you, Your Majesty, and please be assured. I will always stay loyal to you even at the expense of my life."
* * *
The dinner Arin suggested to Iria was just a few hours away and Commander Nico just arrived at the palace. The Commander and his Petrus Army soldiers took care of the situation in the camp after the King and Queen left with the troops.
"I'm glad that you managed to come, Commander Nico," the Queen said to the Commander of the Petrus Army. She was the one welcoming the Commander back as the King was with Commander Julio and Vance.
"I can't refuse when you ask me to come, Your Majesty," Nico Petrus jokingly said to the Queen. "Besides, I'm glad that it's not a feast and just a quiet dinner this time. Just like you, I'm really not into huge gatherings."
Iria Helev chuckled at the Commander's words. "I'm still glad, Commander. I can see that you look a lot better now."
Nico Petrus flashed a little smile when he heard Iria. "It's all thanks to you, Your Majesty. I know how tempting it will be for you to do it yourself but... I want to thank you for letting me do that."
The young Queen calmly nodded. "Then what is your plan?" she asked.
"I thought of retiring but -"
"Retiring?" the Queen gasped with disbelief written all over her face. "You can't do that."
"I haven't finished yet, Your Majesty," Nico Petrus said and chuckled. "Retiring was my original plan but I changed my mind. I want to protect this kingdom and continue fighting for the people. I want to spend the rest of my life like that."
Iria looked at Commander Nico for a while and asked, "Why did you change your mind?" She briefly glanced at the braided bracelet on the Commander's wrist and wondered if it was because of the late Princess.
"I just don't want her to be disappointed with me," Nico Petrus said, proving Iria's thoughts true. "She always told me that spending one's life to protect the people is admirable and I want to keep on doing that. However, I will never remove her from my life.. She is my first love and she will also be the last."
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