Chapter 29 — The Silver King Moves
The atmosphere inside the Silver Palace became suffocating.
Not loud.
Not chaotic.
Worse.
Silent.
The royal advisor standing beside the desk felt cold sweat gather beneath his collar as King Louis Toran Alaric slowly rose from his chair.
No anger showed on his face.
No visible rage.
Yet everyone who served the Silver King knew the truth.
Louis was most terrifying when calm.
"My king…" the advisor spoke carefully, "should I summon the captains?"
Louis said nothing at first.
His silver eyes remained fixed on the dark window overlooking the sleeping kingdom of Lovera Highcrest.
Then quietly—
"Where is Roseline's procession now?"
The advisor immediately answered.
"They should have crossed the northern mountain roads by now."
Should have.
Not have.
Louis noticed the wording instantly.
His fingers tapped once against the desk.
A single tap.
The advisor nearly stopped breathing.
Because he recognized the sign immediately.
The king was thinking about killing someone.
"Bring me the communication reports," Louis ordered softly.
The advisor hurried away without delay.
Meanwhile—
Hundreds of miles away beneath the moonlit forest, the surviving assassin remained kneeling in the snow while silver knights surrounded him completely.
Roseline watched him silently.
The man looked terrified now.
Not because of death.
But because he finally understood whose sister he had tried to murder.
Kingston stood beside Roseline protectively, his sword still dripping faintly with blood.
The assassin swallowed hard before laughing weakly again.
"You people are insane…"
One silver knight tilted his head slightly.
Then calmly kicked the assassin onto his back.
The man groaned painfully.
The captain approached slowly afterward.
Cold silver armor.
Expressionless face.
"You were sent by whom?"
The assassin immediately shut his mouth.
The captain nodded once.
"As expected."
Then he drew his sword.
The assassin panicked instantly.
"WAIT!"
The captain stopped.
The man's breathing turned ragged.
"You don't understand…" he whispered fearfully. "If I speak, my kingdom will—"
"Burn?" Kingston interrupted dryly.
Silence.
The assassin looked at him.
Kingston sighed tiredly before rubbing his forehead.
"Yes. That is exactly what will happen."
Roseline glanced toward him helplessly.
"You say that too casually."
"Because it's true," Kingston replied honestly.
And unfortunately—
Everyone present knew it was true.
The assassin suddenly looked toward Roseline desperately.
"You must stop him!"
Roseline blinked.
"…Stop who?"
"The Silver King!"
The forest became quiet again.
Even the knights stopped moving.
The assassin's face had turned pale from pure fear now.
"He's not human," the man whispered shakily. "Do you know what people say about your brother?"
Roseline frowned slightly.
She knew Louis was feared.
But hearing strangers describe him always felt strange to her.
The assassin continued anyway.
"They say he once executed an entire duke's bloodline because someone insulted you during a banquet."
Kingston looked upward thoughtfully.
"…That sounds believable."
Roseline stared at him in disbelief.
"That is not helping."
One of the silver knights coughed discreetly into his fist.
Possibly hiding laughter.
Possibly not.
The assassin looked even more horrified.
"You think this is funny?!"
"No," Kingston answered calmly.
"I think you made a catastrophic mistake."
The captain finally spoke again.
"Bind him."
Immediately two knights dragged the assassin upward.
This time—
He did not resist.
Because somewhere during this conversation, the man had realized something horrifying.
Death would be merciful compared to Louis finding out who ordered this ambush.
The knights began securing the destroyed convoy quickly afterward.
Injured horses were treated.
Wounded guards received medical attention.
The dead assassins were stripped of identifying symbols before being piled together for transport.
Roseline quietly watched everything.
The efficiency unsettled her.
No panic.
No confusion.
No emotional reactions.
The silver knights handled slaughter the same way ordinary people handled rainstorms.
Kingston noticed her expression immediately.
"You're cold."
Roseline blinked before realizing he was right.
The mountain wind had become harsher.
Without another word, Kingston removed his gloves and gently covered her hands with them.
"You should rest."
Roseline looked around the blood-covered road.
"…I don't think I can sleep after this."
"That's fair."
Then suddenly—
THUD.
A knight landed from above directly before the captain.
Roseline startled slightly.
The newcomer immediately knelt.
"A royal hawk has arrived from the palace."
Every silver knight froze.
The captain's expression changed instantly.
Kingston muttered quietly—
"…That was fast."
Too fast.
The knight carefully handed over a sealed silver message.
The moment the captain saw the seal—
His face darkened.
Because only one person used black wax on silver parchment.
The Silver King.
The captain opened the letter silently.
Then his posture straightened immediately afterward.
"His Majesty has issued orders."
No one spoke.
The captain lifted his eyes toward the surviving assassin.
And for the first time tonight—
The silver knight smiled.
It was not a pleasant smile.
"The kingdoms involved are to be surrounded immediately."
The assassin stopped breathing.
The captain continued calmly.
"No borders are to open."
"No nobles are permitted to flee."
"No royal family members are to leave their estates."
Kingston exhaled slowly.
"…Louis moved already?"
The captain folded the letter carefully.
"His Majesty began mobilizing before the message fully arrived."
Roseline's eyes widened slightly.
He knew?
No.
Not knew.
Felt.
Kingston looked upward toward the moonlit sky before laughing under his breath.
"That man is terrifying."
The surviving assassin finally broke completely.
"You can't do this!" he shouted desperately. "You can't wage war over one woman!"
The forest fell silent.
Every silver knight looked at him.
Wrong answer.
Very wrong answer.
The captain's eyes became glacial.
"One woman?" he repeated softly.
The assassin realized his mistake instantly.
Too late.
The captain stepped closer slowly.
"That 'one woman' is the blood of the Silver King."
His voice lowered dangerously.
"And you dared spill blood on roads protected by Lovera Highcrest."
The assassin trembled violently now.
"Please…"
But mercy had already disappeared from this situation long ago.
Far away—
Inside the Silver Palace—
Louis stood before the massive kingdom map while military commanders knelt around him.
The atmosphere felt like standing before a coming storm.
Deadly quiet.
One trembling messenger finally gathered enough courage to speak.
"My king… should we prepare diplomatic warnings first?"
Louis slowly lifted his silver eyes toward the man.
The commander immediately regretted speaking.
Because the king's gaze held something chilling tonight.
Something cold enough to freeze blood.
"Did they warn Roseline," Louis asked softly, "before trying to murder her?"
The room fell silent.
Louis looked back toward the map.
Then calmly placed a silver dagger directly onto one kingdom's territory.
"They touched what belongs to me."
Another dagger.
Second kingdom.
"They endangered her."
Third dagger.
"And now…"
His fingers rested lightly against the final blade.
The candle flames flickered violently from the pressure of his aura alone.
The commanders lowered their heads instinctively.
Because every person in the room understood one truth.
War had already begun.
Louis' voice echoed softly through the chamber.
"Erase them."