<strong>Chapter 394: Just righteousness… right?</strong>
King dimir of Haran stood, his towering frame casting a shadow that stretched far beyond the table. His expression was unreadable, stone cold, but brimming with suppressed fire.
Somto’s eyes narrowed.
Here ites.
“King Somto,” dimir said, voice smooth butced with venom, “we appreciate your… emotional exnation of your father’s death.” He stepped forward, his thick cloak dragging slightly behind him. “Tragic, truly. Heroic, even.”
He paused, letting the sarcasm simmer in the air.
“But surely you don’t expect the entire continent to believe that a king in peak health, one of the most powerful men in the realm, just so happened to die in a spontaneous assassination attempt… all to save a single girl?”
Gasps echoed.
Nnenna froze.
Somto kept his sharp gaze on him, but said nothing yet.
“E-Especially” King dimir stammered a little under Somto’s intimidating gaze then he steadied himself and smiled slightly. “Especially a girl who, ording to public knowledge, wasn’t even blood.”
Tension snapped tight again. It felt like the walls themselves were listening now.
Online, the sparks ignited:
@RoyalExposeHQ: “OH he’s calling Nnenna a liability???”
@CrownDebate101: “King dimir’s had beef since the engagement was called off.”
@WolvesOfHaran: “Finally someone’s speaking TRUTH.”
@TeamNnenna: “He’s just bitter his son and daughter got dumped. Sit DOWN, d.”
Back in the hall, nobles nced around nervously. Some were shocked. Others smirked, secretly pleased someone had the guts to say it out loud.
Even Queen Chioma’s lips curled in amusement. But because this would ruin Nnenna’s reputation. As for dimir trying to smear dirt on her son, she was furious about that and already was making ns to get back at him.
dimir continued, “All I ask is that we use logic, Your Majesty. Emotions cloud judgment. And your story, while heart wrenching, conveniently clears the two people who benefited the most.”
He let the implication linger.
Somto and Nnenna.
A perfect target.
But Somto finally smiled, a slow, cold smile that sent a chill through the room.
The tension in the room snapped taut like a pulled bowstring.
King dimir took a step forward feeling the support of the crowd. “Who in this entire continent would dare send assassins into the pce of Lionara?” His voice rose. “You must be joking!”
A wave of murmurs swept through the hall like a crashing tide.
Offline whispers stirred:
“Is he calling the new king a liar?”
“He has a point, though… assassins inside Lionara’s pce? That’s unheard of.”
“Unless someone inside helped them…”
“Maybe this king Somto is just covering for his little sister.”
“He’s trying to tie a pretty bow around a bloody mess.”
Online, thements were flooding fast:
@DramaFromTheThrone: “dimir’s NOT pulling punches today.”
@RoyalTeaTime: “He’s saying what people are afraid to say.”
@NnennaLoverForever: “Ugh, he’s just mad his daughter and son got rejected. Sit down, war king.”
@SwordAndnder: “Maybe dimir knows something. Haran is always watching.”
@Peacekeeper07: “If true, this means even the royal pce isn’t safe. Terrifying.”
Somto didn’t blink.
His golden eyes remained on King dimir with such piercing sharpness, it was as if the very air turned to ice.
The hall went silent again.
dimir felt it.
That gaze, it wasn’t just royal. It was dangerous. Predatory.
A strange chill crept down his spine. How could this boy, this boy barely older than his own son, make him feel this… small?
What is this presence? he thought, swallowing.
dimir tried to meet Somto’s eyes again, tried to hold his ground like the war king he was.
But he couldn’t.
He blinked, faltered, and looked away.
And the entire room noticed.
He shifted ufortably, stammering now, “W-what I mean is… perhaps… we should, ah, further investigate before clearing anyone so quickly.”
King dimir knew, this was the point of no return. There was no turning back. His voice hardened as he stepped forward, the weight of the moment pressing down like a storm.
“You’ll need to provide something more than words,” he said, eyes narrowing. “Verbal ims aren’t enough. Even if everyone present that day stood by your story, they could still be in league with you. You need evidence, real proof.”
Somto finally smiled, calm andposed, his eyes glinting with something cold and sharp.
“So, you’re Mr. Justice now?” he said, almost amused. “I didn’t know you were so close to my father… Close enough to be this determined to uphold justice for him. Strange, he barely ever mentioned you except in normal politics and trades. Not among his friends, not even his political allies.”
dimir went silent.
For a moment, the room was thick with tension. Everyone could feel it. Somto’s words hit their mark. He was right, and dimir knew it. But he wasn’t about to admit that, not here, not now.
“I’ve spent time with King Ikechukwu,” dmir continued, more solemnly now. “Lionara is connected to Haran through trade and diplomacy. In those meetings, I’vee to admire his courage… his wisdom. I won’t stand by and let a man like that die without fighting for justice.”
A murmur spread through the onlookers. The bnce was shifting.
Was dimir hiding something?
Why hadn’t thete king ever mentioned him a lot?
Could Somto be exposing cracks in the truth?
Even some of the guards exchanged nces. Suspicion, once just a whisper in the shadows, was beginning to take shape.
But dimir stood tall, his expression unreadable.
Inside, however, he could feel the pressure building, slow, creeping, dangerous.
“Oh, so that’s it,” Somto said, his smile still faint but no longer yful. His voice didn’t waver, it cut like a de through the charged silence. “That’s noble of you, truly.”
He took a step forward, eyes never leaving dimir’s face.
“I just assumed… after the cancetion of the engagement between me and Anya, your daughter, and my second sister and Alexei, your son, you might’ve been looking for a chance to get revenge on Lionara.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“This has nothing to do with revenge, right?” Somto asked, tilting his head slightly. “Just righteousness… right?”