Duke Monopolis smiled softly as he looked around the ruined banquet hall.
"So you are the proof, huh?" he said calmly.
His relaxed tone sent chills down everyone's spine. There was something deeply wrong about how easy he sounded.
"But you are forgetting one simple thing," he continued, his eyes sweeping over the nobles.
"All of you need to be alive to be proof."
The meaning of his words hit like a hammer.
Gasps erupted everywhere.
Some nobles froze in disbelief. Others immediately collapsed to their knees.
"No… no, please!"
"Your Grace, spare us!"
"We were forced into this!"
"I swear I knew nothing!"
Voices overlapped in panic.
A fat noble crawled forward, his forehead hitting the bloody floor repeatedly. "Your Majesty, please! I have children! I will give everything I own, everything!"
Another screamed in rage and fear, pointing at the throne. "This is the king's fault! He is the one who betrayed the kingdom! Kill him, not us!"
