The dawn brought with it a strange silence.
The bells did not ring from the walls of the Kingdom of Carpathia. The wind barely stirred the banners above the towers.
But inside the royal palace, that silence was the prelude to a storm.
The doors to the council chamber burst open.
A messenger rushed into the room, covered in dust, with dried blood staining his clothes. He barely managed to remain standing before falling to his knees before the throne.
In his hands, he held a scroll sealed with the imperial emblem.
"Your Majesty…"
His voice trembled.
"The Third Imperial Prince is dead."
The nobles present froze.
The king slowly rose to his feet.
"Where?"
The messenger swallowed hard.
"Within the kingdom's territory."
A murmur swept through the chamber.
Some nobles went pale.
Others exchanged nervous glances.
No one needed to ask what that meant.
The king stared at the scroll for several seconds.
Then he spoke in a grave voice:
"The Empire will demand blood for blood."
No one contradicted him.
Because everyone knew this was not a simple threat.
It was the beginning of a war.
Two weeks later, a gray sky covered the capital of Carpathia as the main gates opened.
An imperial herald rode through the city, escorted by six knights clad in black armor.
He wore a crimson cloak and carried a golden banner bearing the emblem of the Ferrussi dynasty.
The horses' hooves struck the cobblestones in a slow, heavy rhythm.
Clack.
Clack.
Clack.
Each strike seemed to announce another disaster.
During the past two weeks, news of the death of the Third Prince, Leopoldo Ferrussi, had shaken the courts across the continent.
The Empire had accused the Kingdom of Carpathia of conspiring to assassinate him.
The nobles whispered among themselves.
The temples had begun praying for peace.
Merchants were talking about closing their trade routes.
And soldiers had been ordered to remain on alert.
But no one truly believed peace would last.
The herald finally reached the main square.
Thousands of people had gathered there.
Soldiers.
Merchants.
Nobles.
Citizens.
Everyone fell silent when the man dismounted.
The herald climbed the steps of the central platform and unfurled a scroll sealed with red wax.
Then he activated a spell.
His voice echoed across the entire square.
"By order of His Sacred Majesty, Emperor Ardeus Ferrussi Becker, bearer of the Crown of a Thousand Kingdoms…"
The air seemed to stop.
"…it is hereby declared that imperial blood has been spilled upon foreign soil."
Some citizens began to murmur.
The herald continued:
"The Kingdom of Carpathia has allowed a member of the imperial family to be murdered within its borders. For this crime, the Empire demands justice."
He paused.
His eyes swept across the crowd.
"However, the Emperor grants the kingdom one final opportunity to avoid total war."
The silence grew even deeper.
"Three conditions."
The herald raised one hand.
A blue flame appeared above his glove and remained suspended in the air.
"First condition."
The flame split in two.
"The Kingdom of Carpathia shall surrender completely to the Empire, accept vassal status, and swear eternal loyalty to the imperial throne."
A murmur of outrage swept through the square.
This was not a negotiation.
It was a surrender.
The herald raised a second finger.
"Second condition."
A second flame appeared beside the first.
"The Kingdom shall immediately surrender Lusian Douglas de Mondring."
The murmuring stopped.
The square fell silent.
"The Empire accuses Lusian Douglas of conspiring to bring about the death of Prince Leopoldo Ferrussi."
At the sound of that name, several nobles exchanged glances.
The Douglas.
The herald continued without hesitation.
"He shall be handed over under imperial custody."
Then he raised a third finger.
"Third condition."
A third blue flame appeared in the air.
"The Kingdom shall send ten thousand soldiers to the eastern front to serve under the imperial banner during the Spartacus campaign."
This time, no one murmured.
The number was too large.
Ten thousand soldiers.
A considerable portion of the kingdom's army.
The herald allowed the silence to stretch for several seconds before speaking his final words.
"These are the conditions offered by His Sacred Majesty the Emperor to preserve peace."
He slowly rolled up the scroll.
"The Kingdom of Carpathia has seven days to respond."
His gaze hardened.
"Once that period has expired, the Empire will consider the kingdom to have rejected its opportunity for redemption."
The imperial banner waved above his head.
"And the legions will march."
The silence broke.
Not with screams.
Not with protests.
But with the distant sound of a bell.
One.
Then another.
And another.
Until the entire capital understood what had just happened.
War was no longer a possibility.
Now it had a date.
Seven days.
The imperial envoys left the chamber without receiving an answer.
The enormous doors of the council chamber closed behind them.
BOOM!
The echo spread throughout the room.
No one spoke.
The imperial scroll remained on the table.
Three conditions.
Three threats.
King Felipe remained standing beside the throne, his eyes fixed on the document. Beside him, Queen Adelaine maintained a calm expression, although her hands were tense against her dress.
Finally, one of the councilors broke the silence.
"Your Majesty… we cannot accept this."
Felipe did not answer.
Another councilor slammed his fist against the table.
"They demand our surrender! They want to turn us into vassals!"
"And ten thousand soldiers," another added. "They intend to use our own army to fight their wars."
Adelaine slowly raised her eyes.
"That is not what they want."
Everyone fell silent.
The queen pointed toward the scroll.
"If they truly wanted our surrender, they would not have sent three conditions. They would have sent an order."
Felipe closed his eyes for a moment.
"Exactly."
He picked up the scroll.
"The first is unacceptable."
He placed it back on the table.
"The third is absurd."
His gaze returned to the second.
"But this…"
His voice faded.
He did not need to say the name.
Lusian Douglas.
The heir of one of the oldest families in the kingdom.
The son of Sophia Douglas.
And, according to the Empire, the man responsible for Prince Leopoldo's death.
"Do they really believe Lusian arranged the assassination?" one councilor asked.
Felipe gave a dry laugh.
"No."
"Then…"
"The Empire does not need him to be guilty."
Felipe raised his eyes.
"It needs him to appear guilty."
Silence fell over the chamber once again.
Adelaine was the first to understand.
"Leopoldo's death was the excuse they needed."
Felipe nodded.
"Yes."
He walked toward one of the windows.
The sky above the capital was still covered in clouds.
"For years, we knew that a war with the Empire was inevitable. We only needed time."
"Then… was this what we were expecting?"
Felipe slowly shook his head.
"We expected an invasion."
He looked at the scroll again.
"We did not expect them to sacrifice a prince to manufacture an excuse."
No one answered.
That was what troubled the king the most.
The Empire had not merely killed Leopoldo.
It had demonstrated that it was willing to sacrifice one of its own to obtain what it wanted.
Adelaine spoke quietly.
"Then Leopoldo was never sent with the intention of returning."
"No."
"He was sent to die."
Felipe clenched his jaw.
"Yes."
A councilor took a deep breath.
"But if the real objective is Lusian… we could hand him over."
Several heads turned toward him.
"If we surrender the culprit," he continued, "perhaps we can avoid the war."
Felipe watched him for several seconds.
There was no anger in his eyes.
Only exhaustion.
"And what do you think will happen afterward?"
The man hesitated.
"The Empire would withdraw its threat."
"No."
Felipe tapped the scroll with one finger.
"These conditions were not written to be accepted."
He raised his eyes.
"They were written to force us to choose."
Adelaine slowly nodded.
"And the choice has already been made for us."
Felipe looked at her.
"If we reject the ultimatum, we will have a war with the Empire."
"And if we hand over Lusian…"
A noble left the sentence unfinished.
There was no need to complete it.
Felipe remained silent for several seconds.
Then he looked at the scroll again.
"If we hand over Lusian, we will avoid a war with the Empire."
No one answered.
"But we will start a war with the Douglas."
One of the councilors frowned.
"A war? Your Majesty, first we would have to convince the Douglas. They will suffer the consequences as well. They would not risk challenging the Crown over a single young man."
Adelaine slowly raised her eyes.
"They would."
The councilor looked at her in surprise.
The queen spoke with absolute certainty.
"And I know exactly why."
Felipe remained silent.
Adelaine turned toward the nobles.
"I have known Sophia since before any of you sat on this council. I met her at the academy. And I have seen what she is capable of when someone threatens her son."
Her expression hardened.
"And if anyone tries to take her son by force, she will not kneel before the Crown."
She paused.
"She will declare war on us."
A murmur swept through the chamber.
One of the nobles shook his head.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, we are talking about a mother. Not a military rebellion."
Adelaine looked directly at him.
"No."
Her voice was calm.
"We are talking about Sophia Douglas."
The murmuring disappeared.
Felipe took advantage of the silence.
"And even if we ignored that, the problem would remain the same."
He stood and slowly walked in front of the table.
"The Douglas control one of the most powerful military forces in the kingdom. Their knights are veterans of countless conflicts. Their territories are difficult to conquer, and their influence extends far beyond their own borders."
He stopped.
"We are not talking about suppressing a rebellion."
He looked at those present.
"We are talking about fighting a civil war."
One of the councilors crossed his arms.
"And could we not win it?"
Felipe stared at him for several seconds.
"Perhaps."
The answer surprised everyone.
"But that is not the problem."
He pointed north.
"To defeat the Douglas, we would have to commit a considerable portion of our army. We would lose men, resources, and time."
Then he pointed toward the scroll.
"And while we are fighting our own countrymen, the Empire would get exactly what it needs."
"A weakened Carpathia," someone murmured.
"Exactly."
Felipe nodded.
"Suppose we defeat the Douglas. What will remain of the kingdom?"
No one answered.
"Damaged cities. Weakened borders. Thousands of dead soldiers. Divided nobles. Exhausted provinces."
His gaze darkened.
"And then the imperial legions will arrive."
Adelaine spoke:
"And we will no longer have the Douglas to stop them."
Felipe nodded.
"That is the point."
He looked at each of the councilors one by one.
"We cannot afford a war against the Douglas because we need the Douglas to fight the Empire."
The chamber fell silent.
The same noble who had suggested surrendering Lusian spoke again.
"But if we do not hand him over, the Empire will attack us anyway."
"Yes."
"Then what difference does it make?"
Felipe answered without hesitation.
"The difference is who will be standing beside us when it happens."
The man fell silent.
Felipe continued:
"If we surrender Lusian, we will lose the Douglas and become vassals."
"If we fight the Douglas, we will destroy our own army before the Empire arrives."
He paused.
"But if we keep the kingdom and the Douglas united…"
Adelaine finished the sentence:
"Then we have a chance."
Felipe nodded.
"Exactly."
Another councilor slowly shook his head.
"And you believe Sophia will agree to fight alongside the Crown after the Empire demanded her son?"
Adelaine gave a small smile.
It was not a happy smile.
It was the expression of someone who knew the answer all too well.
"You will not have to convince her to fight the Empire."
She looked at Felipe.
"You will only have to convince her that we are not her enemies."
Felipe held her gaze.
They understood each other without needing to say anything else.
Then the king turned back toward the nobles.
"That is why we will not surrender Lusian."
One of them opened his mouth.
Felipe raised a hand.
"And before anyone suggests it again, I want you to understand something."
His voice hardened enough to silence the chamber.
"I am not protecting a noble."
He pointed toward the scroll.
"I am protecting the only alliance capable of preventing the Empire from destroying us."
No one answered.
Felipe sat down.
"We will negotiate."
A councilor frowned.
"With the Empire?"
"Yes."
"To accept their conditions?"
Felipe slowly shook his head.
"To buy time."
He began issuing orders:
"We will mobilize our troops."
"We will fortify the borders."
"We will secure the granaries and mana storage facilities."
"And we will send a message to Sophia."
Adelaine approached her husband.
"What will we tell her?"
Felipe looked at the scroll once again.
"The truth."
He paused.
"The Empire is coming for her son."
Then he looked at the nobles.
"And Carpathia will not hand him over."
The silence that followed was different.
It was no longer uncertainty.
It was the weight of a decision.
Felipe slowly folded the document.
"Prepare our response."
One of the councilors bowed his head.
"What will we tell the Empire?"
Felipe looked at him.
"That we are willing to negotiate."
The councilor seemed relieved.
Only for a moment.
Felipe's expression turned cold.
"But we will not surrender Lusian."
Silence fell over the chamber once again.
Felipe picked up the scroll and slowly folded it.
"Prepare our response."
"And what will we tell them?"
Felipe raised his eyes.
"That Carpathia will not kneel."
He paused.
"If they want a war…"
He placed the scroll on the table.
"They will have to come and take it."