EXECUTION

After reading the letters, you realize your father had been right all along. His brother did attempt to kill him. He really was manipulated by Aldreda.

She was an evil woman.

Meanwhile, outside the walls…

"So, Amah is the king?" Erza leans against the tree, watching the river flow.

"Yes," Jarean confirms. "I think Rhivenians will see better days under his reign."

"Don't forget the war," she reminds him. "I don't think Rhivenians will see better days anytime soon."

Both of them sit in silence. War is coming because of King Charles's mistakes. Now his son has to deal with the consequences. It's not fair.

"Amah trusts almost everyone," Jarean sighs. "I hope it will not cause any trouble for our kingdom."

"Our kingdom," Erza lets out a laugh. "I see you already consider yourself a Rhivenian."

"Do you have to remind me of my past every time?" Jarean glares at her.

"I didn't mean to offend you, fellow Rhivenian," she mocks him.

"Continue talking and I will throw you in the river," Jarean warns her playfully. Erza lifts her hands in surrender, the smile remaining on her face.

Back in the great chamber…

You lock the drawer with both letters inside of it and stand up from the chair. You wonder why the Sword showed this memory. Did it want you to learn the truth?

Or does it want you to expose everything?

"Your Grace." Gerard's voice is heard from behind the door. As only the ruler and their spouses can enter the great chamber, others stay outside and wait for their king or queen to walk out.

You open the door to see what the adviser wants.

"Your Grace." Gerard bows his head. "My apologies if I interrupted something."

"What is the matter?" you ask, starting to stroll down the corridor. He walks by your side slowly.

"Every chosen heir goes on their first hunt as the new king," he explains. You remember this rule. He talked about it in one of his lectures. According to Rhivenians, if the ruler returns empty-handed, it's bad luck. If they hunt a deer, then it's a fortunate sign.

Gerard clears his throat before adding, "But you must choose your companions wisely. We still have a traitor in our castle. You must be cautious."

You could be the next victim of the traitor who poisoned your father. You indeed have to act cautiously, but what if it's someone that you trust the most?

"Your Grace." Sir Arnold comes across you in the corridor. "Today is your day to leave the castle."

"What about the hunt?" You glance at Gerard.

"You can visit the forest tomorrow." The adviser smiles. "Visit the city as the new King today. See how people will react."

When you visited the city as a prince, no one paid attention to you because they didn't know about your true identity. They treated you like a commoner. You wonder how you will be greeted this time.

Gerard gives Sir Arnold a nod and walks away. The knight turns to you. "Matteo is nowhere to be seen, so I assume he's not available. We must bring someone else. "Clara will accompany me," you decide. You want to spend some time with her.

"Amah…" Sir Arnold sighs. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course." You frown at the concerned look on his face.

"Do you…like Clara?" he asks you. "Yes," you admit. He already knows, so there's no need to lie. Besides, Sir Arnold is no stranger. "I do like her."

"People say Richard has feelings for her," Sir Arnold says. He seems uncomfortable talking about this subject. "I will always support you no matter what, but I hope this will not end badly for you, Amah."

You hope so too. Clara has already mounted a horse and is waiting for you at the entrance of the gates. She is smiling excitedly. It's one of her happiest moments since she rarely goes outside the walls.

Soon, you and Sir Arnold mount your horses and join her. After Judgement Day, there's no need to hide your identity anymore. Of course, it will be very difficult for you to enjoy your visit while being the centre of attention. You must get used to being stared at.

"Look! This is King Amah!" one of the children exclaims as you ride into the marketplace. Everyone pauses what they are doing to watch you.

"I've heard there's a great tavern behind here." Sir Arnold points to the building. "It's much bigger than the one Jarean used to work in. They say there are musicians and dancers." Dismounting your horses, all of you enter the tavern. He's right; it's much more extensive and very well decorated. You assume Jarean's old tavern has lost its popularity now.

"Your Grace!" an old man greets you. Judging by his expensive jewellery and clothes, you can tell he's the owner of this tavern. It seems he really earns a lot of gold from this. "Welcome to our tavern!"

You sit at the front table where you can see the musicians and dancers well. Everyone dances to the melody, smiling and laughing happily. They sometimes pause to observe you attentively. You feel their gaze upon you every second.

"Your Grace." A young man with wavy raven-black hair and sharp green eyes approaches you. Noticing how much he looks like the tavern owner, you assume he's the man's son. "My name is Adrian. I've always been your admirer. I knew you would be worthy of the throne."

"What do you want, boy?" Sir Arnold gives the man his infamous glare.

"This is for you." Adrian shows you the red flower he's been holding. He smiles, flashing his white teeth. "This flower doesn't grow in Rhivenia. I found it during one of my trips to the South. It smells beautiful and doesn't die fast. You will honour me if you accept my gift. "Thank you." You take the flower from him. He nods and takes a step back.

"Have fun, Your Grace," he says before walking away. "You shouldn't take anything from people you don't know," Sir Arnold says after Adrian leaves. "What if it's a poisonous flower?"

"Sir Arnold is right, Amah," Clara agrees with him. "What if something happened to you because of that flower?" "I will never do it again," you promise. "It was foolish."

Clara smiles You watch as the bartenders set drinks down on your table. When you lift your head, your gaze finds one of the dancers. She sways her hips slowly, staring at you with her seductive brown eyes. She runs her fingers through her curly brown hair as she dances to the music.

"I will talk to the tavern owner," Sir Arnold whispers to you before getting up. You watch him leave the table.

"Where is he going?" Clara's voice makes you turn your head in her direction.

"He said he wanted to converse with the tavern owner," you answer. She nods and turns away.

"I want to explore the tavern," she says after a few moments. After receiving a nod from you, she leaves the table as well.

You cast a long look around the tavern. Some people dance to the music, while others talk and drink with each other. On the other side, Sir Arnold stands with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Adrian sits in a wooden chair, writing something down on paper. He sometimes steals glances at the dancer and bartenders to check if they're doing their work right.

The dancer woman pauses dancing to rest and drink something so she can get her energy back. The woman places her drink on the table and smiles when you approach her. She wipes the sweat off her forehead and says, "We're honoured to see you in our tavern, Your Grace." "I'm very glad I visited this tavern." Your eyes rove over her body.

"Do you want to take a closer look?" She steps forward, grinning. However, her smile fades when something behind you catches her attention. Her face grows serious as she clears her throat.

"I should go back to work," she says. "Maybe next time, Your Grace."

She joins the other dancers, leaving her drink half-empty on the table. "I see you're having fun." Sir Arnold smiles. You stand beside him and watch everyone. Clara stands in the corner, staring at the dancing people.

"The music is very rhythmic. Maybe you should dance with her," Sir Arnold suggests. "Be comfortable. I will protect you if anything happens." You approach Clara and hold out your hand to her. "Do you want to dance?"

"But I can't dance!" Clara shakes her head, stepping back.

"Me either." You shrug. No one has taught you how to dance. There was no time for that.

"We will be embarrassed," she says. "Everyone will laugh at us." "Let us have fun for once," you groan. She hesitates at first but then smiles and accepts your hand.

Her nervousness grows when you take her to the dance floor. She looks around, feeling a little bit relieved that no one is paying attention to her.

"Should we mimic them?" Clara points at the dancing couple. They are holding each other's hands while kicking their legs to the rhythm of the music. "Maybe we should just jump around," you suggest. She smiles and nods her head. Both of you start jumping around, twirling on the dance floor. As you get used to the rhythm, it becomes more enjoyable and less awkward.

She giggles, feeling much more comfortable. Your movements are now random and don't follow any style.

"I love this!" she exclaims. While dancing, you can't take your eyes off Clara. Everything about her is perfect: her beautiful blue eyes, golden hair and sweet smile.

You really do love her. After the music ends, you return to your table with huge smiles on your faces.

"It's time to leave," the knight says. You leave the tavern and mount your horse. After they do the same, you nudge your horse and ride slowly, making your way home.

"You little thieves!"

A man grips a girl's arm tightly, spitting curses at her while grabbing a boy by his collar. Why are their faces familiar? Where do you know them from?

"Let us go!" the boy shouts in fear. This is when you recognize them.

You saw them three years ago at the same spot. They were playing with sticks and talking about you and your siblings. You remember them calling Richard the better option. They also wanted him to be the king.

"He's hurting them!" Clara whispers.

"What is happening?" you ask loudly to get everyone's attention.

"These children stole a sack of gold from me!" the man explains the situation. "Not only did they steal my gold, they also wasted all of them! I will beat some sense into them!"

If you intervene, the children's opinion of you might change. They might start loving you. Maybe they would prefer you over Richard.

But you might lose the others' respect. Thieves and pirates are the most hated people in Rhivenia. If you defend those children, people might think you're a traitorous man."Leave the children alone," you command the man. The marketplace goes silent. Now you have everyone's attention. All eyes are on you.

"What?" The man is surprised. "These children stole my gold, Your Grace! Why are you defending them?" "Because they are just children," you reply. "They don't know what is right or what is wrong."

"Oh, I'm certain they do know stealing is wrong," the man argues as some people nod their heads in agreement. However, he follows your command and lets go of the children. With a click of his tongue, he returns to his shop.

"Thank you, Your Grace!" The girl smiles at you. "You are the best!"

"Yes!" The other boy nods his head, smiling. "We love you!"

However, you're uncertain if other Rhivenians think this way. "He wanted to beat the children." Clara's on the verge of angry tears. "What kind of man is he?" "The children shouldn't have stolen his gold." You shrug.

"I'm sure they had no option," Clara says. "I don't know what forced them to do this, but they are not evil."

"I do understand the need for stealing," Sir Arnold admits. "Thieves are not that dangerous. They can be justified sometimes. They are not like pirates."

You remember Freya's lover. Does he not deserve mercy?

Back in the castle…

Atheris sits on the stairs, staring at the training ground. Normally, she would spend all her time practising her skills and reading books about leadership. Back then, she had a chance to be a leader. She had a reason.

But now, she doesn't know what she wants to do anymore.

"You look sad," Isabelle observes, sitting beside the young woman. "It's such a shame that you were not chosen."

"Stop acting like you didn't want your son to be the king," Atheris spits without meeting her gaze.

"I did," Isabelle agrees. "But he never cared about the throne. I knew the Sword wouldn't choose him. He's not fit to rule, that's no secret."

She puts her hand on Atheris's shoulder. "But you are."

"What?" Atheris frowns at her. "What are you saying?"

"I've lost the battle I was fighting against your mother," she accepts her defeat. "Deep down, I've always thought you would be the leader we all need. After I heard about the upcoming war, I realized that I actually wanted you to be chosen. When the Sword chose Amah, I lost hope."

"Many people supported you," she adds with a sigh.

"Did they?" Atheris scoffs. "Rhivenians only loved Richard, not me."

"Are you certain?" Isabelle smiles. "Because during my visit to the city, I heard them praising you. A lot of people wanted you to be the ruler, Atheris."

"Why are you telling me this?" The younger woman loses her patience. "What are you planning?"

"I feel sorry for you, Atheris." Isabelle raises her voice slightly. "I may hate your mother, but you're innocent. I know Alvena never loved you. I know how bad your relationship with Amah is. Your family never cared about you, Atheris. That's no secret. I'm trying to comfort you because no one else will."

Isabelle gets up and returns to the castle without waiting for a response from the princess.

You return to the castle after riding for hours. It was nice to see a new place and new people. However, you did notice that they don't show you the equal respect they did to your father. Everyone used to tremble with fear in his presence.

But now people are not afraid to question you, although you're the king.

"I hope the man didn't hurt those children after we left," Clara says. She's still thinking about the incident.

"He wouldn't dare," you assure her. "He will not disobey me."

"I loved when you defended them." She smiles. "You are their hero now."

You wonder if they still think Richard would be a better leader. You make your way to your chamber so you can rest before the next meeting.

"Amah," your mother calls out.

You pause and turn to face her. She stops in front of you and says, "I saw you with Clara. Care to explain why, out of all the strong warriors, you chose to take her with you instead? "Don't question my decisions, Mother," you scold her. "I know what I'm doing. I'm no fool."

"I know," she says gently. "I'm just worried about you."

"There's no need to worry," you say before walking past her. After a tiring day, you return to your chamber and get rest before attending the meeting. You sit at the head of the table. In every meeting, you have to decide someone's fate. Now you understand how difficult leadership is. Almost everyone's life lies in your hands.

"I see you haven't gone hunting yet," Isabelle observes. You shake your head negatively.

"I will after the meeting," you let her know.

"Be careful," Alvena says. "The kings and queens are mostly attacked during hunting."

"Why would he be attacked?" Freya frowns.

"We've seen this before," Alvena speaks. "When Charles was chosen, he was attacked several times. Some people think they know better than the Sword. They think they are above Namherys."

"Even Prince Francis had supporters," Matteo adds. "Even if he wasn't suitable for the throne, some people did support him. They even started an uprising after his execution."

"Many people joined the uprising because they believed King Charles executed an innocent man," Daemir says. Since his parents were killed during this uprising, you assume it's a sensitive subject for him and Revna. "Well, it's questionable," you respond. You take out the letters from your pocket and put them on the table. "When I was chosen, the Sword showed me these letters. Read them."

Alvena reaches out to grab the letters. She looks at you for permission. You give her a nod.

She opens the letters and reads them loudly for everyone. The room is now quiet. Everyone stares anywhere but at each other. None of them knows what to say.

"I thought Prince Francis was innocent." Freya struggles to hold in her tears. "I thought he was perfect."

"No one is perfect," Atheris comments. "I knew our father was right about him."

"Your father was never an evil man," Isabelle says, eyes filled with tears. "He would never have harmed his brothers if they hadn't attempted to kill him. Prince Francis was his favourite brother, but he was naive."

"But why didn't he let Francis and Aldreda be happy?" Matteo asks.

"There are still so many things we don't know," Alvena responds. "Charles never spoke to us about his decisions."

"Both of us are as in the dark as you." Isabelle nods. "But I'm certain the Sword will show Amah more memories." "You must decide Princess Astryn's fate, Your Grace," Sir Arnold says. "King Erwan doesn't seem like he will move forward anytime soon. We don't understand why he's stopped marching, but we assume he has other plans."

"My suggestion is that we let her live in the castle as Xavier does," Daemir suggests. "Show her how merciful we are. Confuse her mind. Let her think they are the evil ones."

"Thanks to Lady Isabelle, all of her soldiers are dead now." Atheris gives Isabelle a hateful gaze.

"What is your order?" Sir Arnold snaps you out of your thoughts. "What shall we do with her?"

"Execute her," you decide. "Letting her live in the castle is dangerous. Besides, she is not useful at all."

"Of course." Sir Arnold nods hesitantly. "You also need to visit Asinea," your mother reminds you. "We need to see what Queen Lena's intentions are."

"We will leave for Asinea after hunting." You nod.

"Your siblings will come with you as well," Sir Arnold says. "Since you do not have an heir yet, they will accompany you." You watch as the guards drag Astryn out of the dungeons. She squints her eyes against the light. She has been in the dark cell for weeks. The light must hurt her eyes badly now.

The guards check her clothing in case she's hiding a weapon. Her hand moves to grip the locket of her necklace. You've never paid attention to it until now. You wonder if it has a meaning. Did it belong to her parents?

One of the guards grabs the locket and opens it. A small piece of paper falls to the ground. He crouches down and picks up the paper. The frown on his face tells you that he doesn't understand anything that is written on it. He hands it to Gerard before stepping back.

Gerard narrows his eyes, frowning. "I don't understand anything either. What language is this?"

"It's an ancient language," Astryn answers. "The paper is full of inspirational words about hope."

When the adviser attempts to put it back into the locket, Astryn steps back. She takes the necklace off her neck and throws it to the ground. "I don't need it anymore."

She catches your gaze. She doesn't plead for her life or attempt to change your mind. She accepted her fate a long time ago.