The Debt Of Fate-Chapter 316: Favored by the gods.

A few more days passed, quiet and uneventful on the surface.

Life in the palace returned to its usual rhythm. Courtiers resumed their polite smiles. Servants moved as they always did. It was as though the poison incident, the punishment, and the tension hanging in the air had all been carefully swept aside.

The next news arrived from the sixth region just before dawn.

General Robert had secured the roads and begun preparations for his return to the royal city. The third prince, now stripped of his banners and titles, was being held under heavy guard. He would be brought back as a prisoner, bound as instructed by the king.

King Edward was glad, but during the morning court, more news came, this time from the third region.

On his way toward Lowe Pass, Colonel Simon’s men had intercepted a small group attempting to flee through a nearby village close to the border. Among them was Lord Aureline.

He had been captured alive with a few of his loyal soldiers.

The news spread quickly through the palace halls, carried from room to room in hushed voices. Lord Aureline’s name alone was enough to stir fear. For weeks, he had successfully escaped the pursuit of the royal army.

Now he too was in chains.

In the council chamber, the king listened in silence as the report was read aloud. His expression was calm, but his fingers tapped slowly against the armrest of his chair.

"So," Edward said at last. "They are both coming back to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the minister replied. "General Robert is expected to arrive within weeks, while Colonel Simon, having received the news, should arrive within ten to fifteen days," he explained.

Edward nodded. The victories were piling up, one after another. The rebellion was no longer a threat—it was a lesson waiting to be displayed.

"Make preparations," the king ordered. "When they arrive, the city will see them."

Outside the council chamber, the palace buzzed once more.

The rumors that King Edward had been rejected by the gods became a joke until a lord asked a question during a meeting.

"Your Majesty, permit me to ask—the second prince has been missing for months now. There has been no news of whether he is dead or alive. I worry something unexpected may occur," the lord said.

He sounded as though he cared for the royal family and its safety, but the man was loyal to Lord Aureline. He stayed within the royal city to send news back to him. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

This time, he asked about the second prince to stir speculation.

King Edward frowned. Indeed, he had forgotten the issue of his missing brother. Perhaps because there had not been strong reactions when his brother and his family were kidnapped, he had cared less—but now...

"Lord Cris, sometimes no news is also good news. This incident has been unexpected, but now that most of our internal conflicts have been taken care of, there are more hands available to investigate and find the prince," Edward said.

The lords and nobles looked at one another and felt that the king had made a valid point.

...

A few days passed after that meeting.

There was still no news about the second prince.

No messenger arrived. No trace was found. The palace guards reported nothing unusual. It was as though the prince and his entire household had vanished into thin air.

At first, people were patient.

Then the whispers began.

They started quietly, passed from servant to servant, from guard to guard, always spoken behind closed doors.

"The second prince has been missing for far too long. Even if the people of Kurs were responsible for his kidnapping, by now they should have made demands."

"Not even a single body was found."

"Is it truly an accident?"

"I doubt it is an accident. Before, I would have suspected Lord Aureline or the third prince, but they have both been defeated. If they had the second prince in their hands, they would have already used him to negotiate with the king."

"Shh, lower your voice," someone said. "Maybe the rumors are true about the king poisoning his nephew."

Soon, the whispers grew bolder.

Some claimed the king had ordered the deaths in secret. Others said the prince’s entire family had been wiped out to remove future threats to the throne.

The rumors spread quickly through the city and the entire kingdom.

Then someone brought up the old rumors about King George murdering Prince Christopher for the throne.

It had been a bloody secret for years, but secrets never stayed buried forever.

"If the father did it," someone whispered, "why wouldn’t the son?"

Although the people of the royal city had once doubted the news of the late king killing his brother, they now began to believe it.

The words passed from mouth to mouth, changing slightly each time, but growing darker with every telling.

"If there is a father, there is a son."

"If there is a father, there is a son."

Soon, the saying changed again.

"If there is a father, there is a son just as cruel."

The rumors reached the temples. They reached the markets. They reached the taverns where soldiers drank and spoke too freely.

And slowly, the story took another shape.

They said the gods had turned their backs on King Edward.

They said the poison incident, the rebellion, the missing prince, none of it was coincidence.

"A wicked king cannot be favored by the gods."

"But he won against those people," some said, still doubtful.

"Victory does not mean approval."

"He may win wars," others whispered, "but the heavens have already judged him."

"Ah! May the wrath of God not fall on us because of the king," a few prayed.

While these were just baseless assumptions, the wise men of the kingdom—those who specialized in predicting weather and seasons—suddenly foretold famine.

"Ah! At last, the heavens have shut against us. Without rain, where can we grow crops?" the common people cried.

Then, as if to prove the claim, a plague broke out in the fifth region. Many were said to be dying from a strange sickness.

Inside the palace, officials tried to silence the talk, but it was too late. Once doubt took root, it was hard to kill.

Even some nobles began to hesitate in court, choosing their words carefully when speaking to the king.

Edward noticed the change.

He wanted to force people to keep quiet about the rumors, but lessons from the military camp the last time made him remain calm.

"Once the third prince and Lord Aureline are brought back to the royal city, let us find a seer to speak to the people," Lord Williams advised.

"No. I will not let any seer speak for me. Tell the high priest of the church that Lord Aureline’s and the third prince’s crimes are to be labeled as the reason God is angry with the land. Too much blood has been shed, causing God’s wrath," King Edward said.

Lord Williams thought this was a good plan, so he stopped speaking.

...

The days that followed were peaceful and soon report got to the palace that Colonel Simon group were sited close to the royal city.

The procession moved carefully along the main road, choosing villages close enough to the capital to ensure swift reinforcements if needed. Lord Aureline rode in chains, his hands bound, his expression unreadable. Around him were elite guards, seasoned soldiers who had fought through the rebellion and survived.

"At this pace we should arrive the royal city before night fall," one guard spoke to Colonel Simon excited. This time they have captured a rebel and would definitely be rewarded by his majesty.

Colonel Simon was also very pleased, perhaps this time he would get promoted.

"Keep formation," the captain said. "We pass through the village and continue straight to the royal city."

The small village appeared around a bend in the road—quiet. Doors were shut. No children ran outside. No farmers stood by the fields.

A captain frowned."Something’s off."

Before the words fully left his mouth—

A cart rolled suddenly into the road.

The horse at the front reared, screaming.

"Stop—!"

An arrow struck the captain in the throat.

He fell without a sound.

Shouts erupted.

Arrows rained down from rooftops and trees. Horses screamed and bucked, throwing men to the ground. Steel rang as swords were drawn in panic.

"Ambush!"

A guard beside Lord Aureline raised his shield just as a blade cut through his arm. Blood splashed across the dust. Another man fell at Aureline’s feet, his helmet rolling away.

"Kill the prisoner!" Simon ordered as he raised his sword and killed one of the attackers. He understood it was best to kill Aureline and stop him from future problems.

Too late.

Masked men rushed in from the alleys. They moved fast, cutting only the guards, striking without hesitation. One of them grabbed Lord Aureline’s reins.

"Now, my lord."

A blade flashed.

Lord Aureline did not know the people that came to rescue him but if given a chance to live, no one would insist on death.

So he took the chance and escaped with the unknown men.