Plans of Brutality.
The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the grand courtyard of the Byzeth castle. The table, adorned with goblets and parchment, stretched out before Aric as he sat calmly at one end, directly across from King Aszer.
The council members, eleven in total, flanked both sides of the table, their eyes sharp and their postures tense. Suspicion hung thick in the air, with some of the council members barely concealing their disdain.
They all discreetly released and flared ki and mana, all in an attempt to intimidate the prince and make him fumble, and although Aric did not show it—this gesture affected him.
The king himself watched Aric closely, intrigued but unreadable, waiting to see how the prince would play his next move.
A man sitting closest to the king—a thin, sharp-featured lord dressed in deep purple robes—spoke first, his voice laced with contempt.