The Reasons Why.

"When deciding what to do with a criminal, you must ask one important question."

"Why."

"For why a crime occurred is at times more important than the fact that it happened at all."

"As every crime has a motivation behind it."

"Sometimes this motivation is jealousy."

"Sometimes revenge."

"Sometimes, it is only to send a message."

"No matter what, the reason is important." 

"A person's, reason can decide whether you give them a break or sentence them to the harshest punishment."

"It can also expose problems in your society that have long been forgotten."

James Larant, creator of Dynasties Online and CEO of Dynasties Inc.

….

When he first received the news, Kodjis Kendari, the genius crown prince of Nathia, thought it was a joke like everyone else.

After all, such an event seemed utterly ridiculous.

However, as more reports and witnesses said the same thing, seemingly confirming the incomprehensible news, it turned from a joke into something far more serious.

Someone had actually managed to enter House Cale's castle and slaughter everyone in one night, including the Viscount, his wife, and children.

Yes, that's right, even the children were not spared from this mysterious man's wrath, a thought that made the more righteously inclined crown prince wince.

Because he had always believed that a child cannot be blamed for the actions of their parents and vice versa.

But Kodjis was no fool when he became king. He knew that, at times, he would need to make uncomfortable, ruthless decisions for the good of his kingdom and its citizens, even if that meant ordering the execution of families to ensure all future problems were rooted out.

But this is not that.

There was no justification for this atrocity.

This was revenge, plain and simple, and an example of a threat made to every noble house who would dare to scheme against Quinten Amberguard.

No not Quinten Amberguard, Railius Aurellion.

Unlike everyone else who was scrambling around trying to find the culprit, he already knew who it was.

After all, he had the reason somewhat sent to him by a man he suspected to be Baron Malwin Thornsworth, who had disappeared alongside Railius and the other Aurellion loyalists nearly a decade ago. So if Railius and Leon were alive, then there was a good chance that the intelligent baron would be, too.

A man smart enough to escape from Chavaria would be able to find a way to survive. And what better place to go to than the current house he served that had a young lord with almost limitless potential?

He was also likely the reason why House Aurellion didn't decline and even thrived in their exile, gathering wealth and influence despite having no lands and having to hide from the wrath of one of the few superpowers on the continent because the baron nearing 40 years of age was well known for his skill in administrative matters.

A superpower that had his kingdom in its sights.

With Leon Mantalon leading the Pelican Guards and Baron Malwin taking control over the domestic affairs of the exiled noble house, it should have been unsurprising that they had managed to maintain their strength by fining new income streams even though Kodjis suspected that many of the ideas came from the young 10-year-old lord due to how unconventional they were.

A fact that could not be ignored now or in the future

Once his brother Rahlan Kendari finally found out, the emotionally ambitious second prince, in his typical fashion, raged for days when he heard what happened to Viscount Kale instead of trying to figure out what happened.

In his anger, the second prince demanded that Duke Robar Rounten, his man in the Ministry of Justice, find out who exactly did it an order that put the powerful duke in an awkward position even if he did have a grandmaster to protect him and his family almost guaranteeing that neither Railius nor his men would go after them.

Not that Kodjis couldn't understand where his brother's anger came from, as even he would struggle to contain his rage if such a humiliating thing had happened to him.

Despite the waves this atrocity had created throughout the Kingdom of Nathia, it was the second prince who would take the most losses, while he himself would usually not have lost much.

Unfortunately, that was not the current state of affairs.

For now, at least

This was because he was not suspect number one in many people's eyes, which would include his father, the king, an enemy that he could not afford to have at the moment as, despite people's perception, the old king still held tremendous power I his hands, he merely decided not to use it.

The only silver lining is that no evidence can be used in a court of law as the scene had been meticulously cleaned up as if professionals did it because Kodjis would be in a terrible position if there were evidence linking him directly to this murder or someone close to him.

His brother, however, had lost much as a landed noble from a distinguished house under his protection and had died in such a horrible way without Prince Rahlan being able to do anything about it.

The second prince couldn't even avenge them as he could not be sure who did it exactly, not that such a move would even be wise.

Wealth and power are no good to you dead, so those nobles who may have once considered joining the second prince's faction now started to waver, having to think long and hard whether they can deal with the consequences of taking part in such a dangerous political battle as one for the throne.

'It all makes sense now.'

Kodjis thought with a sigh.

He should have known that House Aurellion swearing loyalty to him and the Kingdom of Nathia was not just because they wanted a new home to live in was too good to be true.

But this really was going too far, way too far. Kodjis could now see why many Chavarian nobles hated House Aurellion with passion.

They played the game of power by their own rules, not those dictated by broader society, making seemingly incomprehensive moves that pay off in the long term.

Alongside the letter declaring that Railius had decided to take his side was damning evidence against five other nobles closely connected to Viscount Kale, the man that House Aurellion had killed so publicly.

This evidence of egregious wrongdoing was strong enough to potentially kill them or take away their lands and titles, which would be a massive win for Kodjis' cause.

It did not take a genius to connect one with the other, but also, in the letter, was the reason why the Aurellion loyalists remaining in the kingdom took such brutal action.

A reason Kodjis Kendari almost couldn't fault.

Viscount Kale and his friends had inadvertently plotted to kill their lord, the last of his line, after the rest of his family had been killed in Chavaria years ago.

Yes, the target was Kaila, not Railius, but he was still threatened and likely would be dead alongside her, something Leon and Malwin would not countenance. If, for some reason, Railius died even accidentally, then Kodjis could only begin to imagine the rampage the young lord's subordinates would go on within both Nathia and Chavaria.

They had pulled on the lion's tail and had gotten viciously murdered for it.

Something that no one in the world would forget, whether they be peasant, noble or king.

The crown prince would bet that there are no more loyal men in the world now than those in service to House Aurellion, who were as loyal as those crazy religious fanatics who cry out to burn the heretics every day.

Their beloved lord for whom they were willing to betray an empire to uphold their oaths to him and his house.

And without Railius being in the country to keep him under control, it is not surprising that the grandmaster of loyalty pulled off such a stunt and got off his leash, retaliating against those who had dared to attack their lord. What surprised him, though, was that Malwin went along with it.

Malwin was an intelligent man who was politically astute and was likely able to see the potential consequences of allowing such an atrocity to happen, but he went along with it anyway.

The Pillars of House Aurellion could accept if all six got punished, but leaving one out because of lack of evidence was unacceptable in the eyes of the Aurellion loyalists, a sentiment that even Malwin wholeheartedly agreed with.

Leaving those who did it alone because of their status would only embolden them and others who wanted to make trouble for them to take further dangerous actions and schemes.

So, they had to teach those arrogant nobles a lesson.

Send them a message that they will never forget for generations to come.

And boy, did they accomplish what they wanted, and, like in most things House Aurellion did, they exceeded everyone's expectations, even their own.

"Your Royal Highness Prime Minister Winston is here requesting to see you alongside Vice Minister Robar Routen."

Vice Commander Vale, the leader of his royal guards, said, his voice devoid of emotion as many royal guards were as they were soldiers who carried out the orders of the royal family no matter what or how immoral they may be.

"Let them in Vale. The sooner we speak, the sooner I can clean up this mess and regain my lovely peace and quiet."

The crown prince said lazily, yawning slightly.

After receiving his orders, Vale bowed respectfully and left. He then turned to Flintorus, who had just finished draining his 5th glass of wine, though it seemed not to affect the raging alcoholic.

"Flint couch, we have reputations to uphold after all."

The crown prince, gesturing towards the nearby luxurious leather sofa, said to his friend, who sighed before snoring on the couch, looking to be out cold drunk as far as the world was concerned despite being anything but.

It was a mummery they often did, and through it, both he and Flintorus had found out some very useful information and dangerous schemes, especially when the crown prince excused himself for a few minutes, allowing potential enemies the comfort of thinking they were alone and safe to talk and plot and scheme amongst themselves.

It also helped that Flintorus was a very heavy-weight drinker who could drink most people under the table, a most useful talent of his that helped sell the lie despite the young heir preferring to drink tea or fruit juice.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and the crown prince's two guests stepped in. After some pleasantries, they asked the most important questions.

"Did you have anything to do with it?"

"And if you did…."

"Why?"

Winston asked calmly, though he already knew more than most.

"I had no involvement in this, but one of my new allies or those loyal to him did."

The crown prince said sincerely.

"Your new allies?"

Lord Routen asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. If nothing else, he could use this conversation and atrocity to out more of the crown prince's allies, especially any they may not know about.

"Yes, Quinten Amberguard, I imagine you know him. He has become quite a wealthy man recently, I believe."

The crown prince said calmly, continuing to spin his silver goblet. He had many uses for Railius and House Aurellion, so he did not want to find out the young lord's true identity just yet, especially as he had just sworn his allegiance to him.

"Is that not you?"

Duke Robar asked, visibly confused and shocked as, until now, everyone had assumed that Quinten Amberguard was nothing more than an identity forged by the crown prince so that he could set up his own merchant group loyal to him.

"No, why would it be me?"

The crown prince said innocently, shocking Duke Robar, who looked to the calm prime minister who didn't seem surprised by the news and calmly sipped on a cup of tea so graciously provided to him by the guards.

"Because he has not been heard from for over half a year!"

Duke Robar angrily roared.

"Not my fault you misunderstood who he was and thought that he and I were the same people. Quinten is 100% a real person, though the name could potentially be an alias used by someone else. However, I assure you I had nothing to do with the death of Karstan Kale and his immediate family, though I may have an idea why they felt like they had to take such a drastic measure."

The crown prince said with a smirk that made Robar's blood run cold because while the murder of Viscount Karstan Kale and his family was a shocking event and grave crime, why it happened would have a massive effect on the response and stance taken not only by the Kingdom as a whole but the noble class as well.

 An attack on a noble family because they had schemed against you is entirely different in the eyes of the nobility than a random attack done for pleasure.

If the attack was provoked, then there was far more leeway than if it was not, especially if that noble family had invertedly angered a grandmaster in the process as House Kale did.

Despite how shocking the death of a landed noble was, grandmasters, have done similar things in the past as it was usually just done as a last resort or in a fit of anger.

"And why is that?"

The prime minister asked, putting down his tea and giving his full attention to the crown prince.

"Because Karstan Kale tried to kill Quinten, that is why his men remaining in Nathia and the grandmaster who has a close relationship with him did what they did."

"They can be quite protective of him, so don't be surprised to get stung if you threaten their queen bee."

The crown prince paused, taking a breath.

'Though the Pelican guards being protective of the last scion of House Aurellion is the understatement of the century.'

Kodjis thought, knowing that if Nathia decided to act against them, all hell would break loose, especially as Railius was safe from their grasp due to his gallivanting abroad, but still continued in his explanation.

"There is also no evidence to convict them of anything people may know who ordered or did a crime, but proving it is a completely different matter as the days of assumed guilt and judgement by man instead of by the law are long gone."

"This attack by the second prince's forces is also why they have sought my protection and offered me their services and support should I need it.

The crown prince said, dropping a bombshell and turning this incident into a conflict between factions vying for the Nathian throne. This is a much more palatable explanation for the nobility and kingdom as a whole, as it would almost eradicate the fear the lower nobles were feeling right now.

Well, the fear of those not involved anyway, as the crown prince still very much intended to move against the other five fools who had started this debacle in the first place.

"So an entire castle is slaughtered, and a noble is murdered, and your recommendation is what! That we do nothing!"

"That we let this atrocity go unpunished!"

Duke Robar continued his angered screams, making the crown prince wince and rub his ears slightly as they began to ring softly.

"Could you please speak a little quieter, as I would rather not go deaf?"

Kodjis said as Robar was so loud that it even made Flintorus begin to stir from the sudden noise, something that would happen whether he was drunk or not.

"And what would you suggest we do, your grace."

The crown prince continued mockingly, not helping the good duke calm down in the slightest.

"That we arrest and execute them, of course!"

Duke Robar shouted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, only for the prime minister's calm words to break up what would soon become a shouting match, a waste of time the old minister could ill afford if he wanted to be working at full capacity on the morrow.

"And how we go about that, Robar?"

"How do we arrest someone who has disappeared for half a year and a grandmaster we don't even know the location of?"

Winston asked in his calm, raspy voice, but Robar was silent and lost for words, as he didn't even know the answer to that question just yet.

They had no leverage, no evidence, only suspicions about who could have done it.

"Worse, Your Grace, how do we stop similar incidents from occurring while we waste time on a nationwide manhunt for a man we don't even know or have proof is guilty yet?"

"Or is it only the nobles who get the privilege of needing evidence to convict them of a crime?"

Winston finished coldly, his ice-cold gaze baring into the duke, who suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and sweat began to drip from his forehead, which he wiped away.

"Surely your royal highness can set a trap for them to fall into?"

Robar asked desperately, not liking in the slightest the direction this conversation was going as it seemed both the crown prince and the prime minister agreed to turn this incident into a factional conflict between the two princes to help deal with the rising unrest of the lower nobility.

"And then if we catch them, and that's a big if, by the way, what then?"

The crown prince asked seriously. All things considered, the plan was semi-decent and had a good chance of success if they could gather the resources to pull it off.

"We execute them for murder!"

Duke Robar said emphatically.

"With what proof?"

The crown prince asked with a dark expression, masking his face as if he could predict what the vice minister of justice would say.

"We don't need proof. Our word is enough! Since when have crime and guilt ever been related to each other? "

Duke Robar said with a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"True enough, we could execute him on false charges if we catch him, and he is not of noble blood, but have you forgotten what happened in Chavaria only a decade ago."

The crown prince said, emphasising the if, but it was his last words that surprised both men though for differing reasons.

"What has Lucius Aurellion's treason against the Chavarian Empire got to do with this."

Duke Robar asked, confused as to why the crown prince would ask about the fall of House Aurellion so long ago.

'If only you knew just how much that case had to do with our current problem, Robar.'

The crown prince mused as Robar was still unaware, unlike he was, about Quinten Amberguard's true identity.

"Nothing, just a reminder of the consequences of what happened the last time someone tried to frame someone for crimes they didn't commit with the backing of a grandmaster and failed to hit the target."

"It took a decade for a superpower like an empire to recover from the fallout. How long do you think we will need?"

Kodjis said, his voice now turning cold.

"Lucius Aurellion was a well-respected general who was loved by his soldiers. This situation and what happened back then is completely different to our current one as we are not dealing with someone so respected by the army that a large part of it resigned once they heard of the wrongful conviction of their general."

Duke Robar retorted.

"And what if we fail, Robar? Have you considered the consequences if your little scheme fails your grace?"

"Because it is evident from what happened to Viscount Kale that we are dealing with people who will retaliate should we fail."

"And such retaliation has already proven devastating and capable of cracking our kingdom's very foundations."

"It is truly worth the risk?"

Kodjis asked, remaining cool, calm and collected.

"And how do we know these people won't just kill another noble family because they feel like it."

Duke Robar said mockingly.

"Because I have been assured of such, that is why, as well as what the price will be, should this matter continue to be pursued."

"Also, because if it were not for your damn greed and attempted murder, albeit unintentionally, of Quinten Ambeguard, we would not be in this situation in the first place."

The crown prince said, his forehead creasing as his anger began to bubble to the surface because it was the second prince and his factions meddling that led to their problem in the first place.

"You can ensure that another such incident will not occur again, Your Royal Highness?"

Prime Minister Winston asked calmly, taking another sip of tea.

"Yes, I can guarantee that as long as no one does anything stupid like trying to murder someone who has the support of such a ruthless grandmaster again, then no incidents like this will ever occur."

"As I can assure you, plotting the murder of Quinten, even unintentionally, is crossing a line we do not want to cross."

The crown prince replied confidently, as this was the outcome both he and House Aurellion wanted.

"Ever."

Kodjis stressed darkly.