?Chapter 1617:


    The King’s displeasure was evident. His tone turned frigid. “And what does that have to do with me? If I wanted to deal with you, I would’ve done so long ago.”


    They had clearly known each other for years. But T had grown far too bold. The King had tolerated his arrogance only because he held the key to Yata’s survival. Taking him down wasn’t an option.


    Not yet. Besides, too many nobles relied on the T Organization for their wealth. If not for that, the King would’ve erased them long ago. Realizing his tone had been too sharp, T forced himself to soften his voice. “It was attacked. I came to see if you were responsible.” With his approach slightly gentler, the King’s attitude grew softer too. Leaning back in his chair, he studied T before speaking. “How could it be raided? If I recall correctly, the defense system there is formidable.” A ce like that wasn’t so easily breached. Whoever did it had to be skilled.


    T’s expression darkened. “That’s exactly why I thought of you.”


    The King frowned. This was gettingplicated. He folded his hands over hisp. “Haven’t you considered Vincent? Everyone knows the two of you are enemies. And with Katelyn dead, he has every reason to act against you.”


    However, T remained firm. “No. It wasn’t him,” he said, shaking his head. “If it were, he wouldn’t have bothered to erase the evidence.” At that moment, the King understood. It made sense. Only someone familiar with the courtyard would go to such lengths to cover their tracks. If it had been Vincent, he wouldn’t have needed to hide anything. He had no reason to.


    “Are you suggesting I’m to me? If I genuinely desired your valuable belongings, wouldn’t I have acted on it long before this moment?” the King refuted.


    The King’s sharp rebuttal struck T silent.


    The King’s words held the weight of undeniable truth. From the outset, T’s ascent to power had been entirely dependent on the King’s favor. He owed his elevated position solely to the King’s unwavering generosity and endorsement; without them, his rise would have been impossible.


    Their futures were inseparably linked; if the King was brought down, the T Organization would crumble into ruin as well.


    T, grappling with the King’s implications, sank deeper into confusion. Who, in truth, was pulling the strings? The very notion seemed beyond the realm of his understanding.


    Once he’dmanded the board from the darkness, moving pawns unseen, now every fiber of his being danced to a hidden puppeteer’s tune. His own maneuvers twisted back as phantom hands manipted him through invisible wires. A relentless chill gnawed at his resolve, the breath of an unseen watcher clinging to his every step like a second shadow. Insecurity hollowed him from within, bite by relentless bite.


    Had a shadow force silently entrenched itself within Yata’s veins? He’d assumed Katelyn’s demise would end everything, yet now it loomed as the spark that ignited a far more formidable force, an ominous genesis.


    The two menpsed into a heavy silence. Though they grasped the crux of the matter, the further their minds wandered, the more their dread swelled, toward the faceless architect weaving chaos from the dark.


    Atst, T broke the heavy silence. “Remain alert,” he warned, the gravity of his tone sharpening. “Whoever is orchestrating this is far from amon foe. I suspect this is merely the opening move in a far deeper thread of strategy.”


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