The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

Saint Crentine, Vorbudda Palace.

Unlike the elegant decor of the White Rose Palace, this palace, built of dark gray granite, features rugged and imposing architectural lines, symbolizing the absolute authority of the kingdom.

King Austin Everett III sat atop the throne, wearing the crown of power, his deep blue eyes, like icebergs, gazing upon everything before him.

In the hall below, a clerk bowed his head and, in as steady a voice as possible, reported the entire incident, from the official start of the ceremony until the intruder disappeared.

Austin listened in silence, his face devoid of any emotion, but the depths of his dignified eyes seemed to grow even colder.

Such silence is far more frightening than any outrage, and no one knows how His Majesty the current king will react.

When the final report ended, the clerk didn't dare to breathe, feeling his back soaked in cold sweat.

For a moment, the King's Hall fell into absolute silence.

"The Second Prince Raymond conspired with outsiders to plot some kind of ritual conspiracy, which resulted in a public and heinous incident. The ritual was unexpectedly interrupted, and an unknown intruder suppressed all the soldiers present and took away the Fourth Prince Eric, who was involved in the matter. Is that the whole story?"

Austin spoke slowly, his tone surprisingly calm, but his final rhetorical question made the clerk in charge of the report break out in a cold sweat.

No matter how carefully worded, this report is undoubtedly a huge scandal for the royal family. Not only was the news of the entire ceremony made public, but the mastermind was none other than His Highness Prince Raymond.

What made the royal family even more humiliated was that, in such a momentous occasion, an intruder overpowered all the knights and took away Prince Eric in broad daylight, leaving no trace of the intruder afterwards.

Under immense pressure, Hines, who was in charge of the report, could only lower his head further and force himself to speak:

"Your Majesty, although the situation on the scene was beyond everyone's expectations, His Highness Raymond did take measures to mitigate the damage immediately after the incident."

"Loss-mitigation measures?"

"What kind of damage control measures can salvage the dignity of the royal family?!" Austin slammed his right hand heavily on the armrest of the throne, his face filled with anger.

No one dared to answer the question. The many royal family members present were all afraid that the king would lose his temper and take it out on them first.

After uttering these words, which sounded almost like a venting of emotions, Austin leaned back slightly against the back of the throne and fell into deep thought.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally sighed, a hint of weariness appearing deep in his eyes.

"Transmit my order: from this day forward, block all news and public opinion. Explain the events and casualties within the White Rose Palace to the outside world by claiming that an outsider launched a rebellion and was ultimately suppressed by the Royal Guard Division."

"All the victims of the incident were honored and their families were given generous compensation."

"As for the second prince Raymond, his will was weak and he was misled by certain forces. He was stripped of his control of the Royal Guard and his cabinet seat and sent to the northern border to guard the area."

"Thoroughly investigate all leads related to this matter, purge all members of Raymond's faction involved, especially those from the Southern Continent, conduct a unified public trial, and deal with them strictly!"

"In addition, the Kingdom has approved all three policies proposed in Parliament and promised to implement them as soon as possible. On this basis, I will also increase their funding by 10%."

Austin quickly issued a series of orders, his voice regaining its usual calm and steady tone.

Little did they know that each of these words caused a violent upheaval in the hearts of the royal family members present.

If the second prince's faction is purged of those involved... wouldn't that implicate thousands of people?!

This number is still the most optimistic estimate, which shows how serious the impact of the whole incident is.

They had to admit that His Majesty the King had considered the remedies very well.

By covering up part of the truth with lies, balancing the situation with severe punishments, and appeasing the public with benefits, he quickly transformed a disastrous scandal into an opportunity for the royal family to consolidate its authority and demonstrate its credibility.

However, the compensation given for this is a bit too much.

The three policies that are about to be implemented alone are conservatively estimated to cost 7% of the kingdom's annual revenue, which will be an enormous sum.

The funding shortfall could not be made up by increasing taxes, nor could military spending be reduced at this critical juncture; the royal family had to foot the bill themselves.

"The version of events given to the public must be the truth that the royal family can accept and the truth that the public is willing to believe. This is up to you to decide," Austin added in conclusion.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The scribe Hines bowed and turned to convey the decree.

Then, the king said no more, waved for everyone present to leave, and left himself to think quietly for a moment.

Silence returned to the King's Hall, as if the series of cold decisions that had just been made had never happened.

Above the throne, Austin wearily rubbed his right temple, his gaze unconsciously drifting into the distance.

He sat alone in the empty, cold hall for a long time, his face showing a complex expression and a hint of barely perceptible guilt.

That seems to be some kind of guilt towards family ties.

Finally, he slowly rose and walked into a hidden door behind the throne. Behind the door was a dark corridor leading to a secret chamber deep within the palace.

Inside the secret chamber, portraits of past kings hung on the walls. In the portraits, the former kings were dressed in robes and wore noble crowns, gazing at a certain place with majestic eyes.

Austin stopped in front of one of the portraits.

In terms of appearance, the person in the portrait bears some resemblance to him, but their temperaments are completely different; the other person's ambition is much stronger in his eyes and brows.

He raised his head and met the gaze of the former king. His face, which had been tense for a long time, showed a rare hint of confusion and doubt.

"Father, I wonder if you, back then, also harbored the same conflicting feelings, and stood on the same side?" he spoke softly, his tone less like a complaint and more like a questioning of his own heart.

"Generation after generation, we repeat the same steps, but after a long time, even I don't know if this approach is correct."

Silence filled the dim space. No sound answered his words, and the portrait of the former king could not possibly reply. Only his majestic gaze remained fixed on what lay ahead.

Austin suddenly chuckled self-deprecatingly, then continued:

"But today this tradition has been broken. Regardless of right or wrong, I can only stop here and stop this cruel path."

"I hope our choice was really the right one."