Arthur returned to the basement where the door had been closed locking the stellarium behind it and sealed with runes which can only recognize the King and his descendant's handprints.
The King had been sitting in the ground reading a book while using the oil lantern to illuminate the pages. But still he noticed Arthur as his heavy footsteps reverbrated throughout the basement. The King closed his book and awaited his son's arrival.
When Arthur arrived the only words he uttered were " You were right all along, father". To which his father replied
"Took you long enough"
Arthur's back had been stained with blood but it was not clearly visible. Arthur had to risk going to the local doctor to get himself bandaged. He knocked on the door of the doctor and the doctor who was studying new medicines late night opened the door. He saw Arthur bleeding and quickly escorted him inside.
The injury wasn't a big one since Arthur could move on his own. But the doctor had to make a choice to assassinate him or help him. The doctor was also a traitor but he had different goals. He wanted to use the stellarium for medicinal treatment and make a name for himself throughout the world.
But because he didn't knew the location he forced himself to treat the prince. His lack of Intel was his downfall. But even if he had Intel there was no way to access it. And the doctor was caught off guard as the royal family mostly get treated by the royal doctor this he didn't have any poisons prepared beforehand.
Thus he grudgingly and with a smile treated the prince. Maybe he could receive a reward for his service.
He was admitted to medicine and he was bandaged. Such that the bleeding had stopped after a while.
The instead of resting the prince paid the doctor and carried onto the palace where waiting for him on the door was his mother. Looking for both father and son duo.
When she saw Arthur heading towards the palace she allowed him to come to her and then held his hands.
"Arthur where were you late in the night, I was worried sick. Both you and your father were nowhere to be found"
With her oil lantern she finally could spot the blood on his clothes. "Whats with all this blood, did you get hurt". Arthur couldn't even make eye contact with her mother. He just kept asking himself what he should do while his mother kept worrying about her.
His mother was also a traitor, so how she should he interact with her should he use violence or remain normal or turn distant. He decided to unveil the news.
"Mother, I have broken my engagement with Roselina, because she backstabbed me".
Her highness the Queen was filled with many questions. She asked them like a rapid current.
"Where did you get hurt, what happened clearly explain Arthur"
" Why did you leave the palace late in the night"
"Roselina could never do such a heinous deed, she is a good girl, tell me Arthur how did it come to this".
Her words were filling Arthur's wavering ming with noise. Until he couldn't bear it longer. Arthur screamed as his eyes veins were very visible. "STOP!!!!".
Her mother's voice quietened and thus the silence now allowed him to breathe and think clearly. But his mind was still clouded by Roselina and her betrayal.
"Mother, both my father and I are fine, please don't worry. And leave me alone for now, I need some time".
Saying this Arthur entered the palace as he pushed the huge doors with both of his hands and both doors swung open at once. He looked back to make sure that his mother wasn't pursuing him. He walked in the corridors of the palace and stopped for a moment to listen for footsteps.
For he had a slight notion that someone his behind him. Finally he opened his own room door and changed his bloodied clothes to a set of new clothes and then pretended to sleep. For a few minutes and then he looked outside the windows and doors as silently as possible.
And sneaked his way onto the basement.
The King " when I was young, I was just like you I couldn't handle the truth.". His face was unchanging but in his eyes there was sadness where the truth had led him astray from his own life. He wishes to know it he had been blind to the truth maybe his life would have been the most blissful.
But as his father did to him he passed on the responsibility to his own blood. " Just like you, I had the love of my life with my side who is your mother but when I learned the truth I couldn't even bear to see her anymore".
Arthur was down as was his father. Even though he shared his own misery he didn't feel a single ounce of relief as if nothing had changed.
Arthur looked up to his father and asked "Father why is our entire kingdom filled with traitors through generations"
And his father replied " Simple, we were blind, for long we pretended that everything was fine. It was shown that way to the Kings.
" The stellarium is everything our lifeline, blood and curse ".
" This is all my child, everything is now before you. From today itself, the Kingdom is yours to command. Every step has consequences and eventually they will be your downfall if you're not careful "
" My time has come, all these years that I have served the throne are over. I shall soon leave the land into nothingness "
" But fret not, I have saved my life's hardest work in this diary. Everything you need to keep the kingdom running will be in this diary. When the mightiest in the kingdom shall bite the dust only then open this book".
The King hands over Arthur a diary it seemed to be over a decade old. And it was entirely filled with information.
While examining the diary Arthur remembered that there was more that needed to be asked.
" Father, what is the other truth? " Arthur asked as his curiosity peaked. "The truth shall reveal itself after you have prevailed" the King asked for Arthur's hand as he kept it on the gate guarding the stellarium behind it. And murmured some spells. As he did the entire gate light up and a sigil was implanted on Arthur's arm. It represented the symbol of trust. Written in a sigil language.
And with this they left the basement as dawn was about to approach and a big day was ahead of Arthur.