Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 335 - Three Hundred And Thirty Four

The heavy wooden doors of the Great Hall closed again. Lord Colton was gone. The room was tense, waiting for the final and most important judgment.

The Chancellor unrolled the longest scroll of parchment. His hands shook slightly. He cleared his throat. Everyone in the massive stone room leaned forward. Even the air seemed to stand still.

"Bring forth the prisoner," the King commanded. His voice was tired and full of sorrow.

The side doors opened. Six heavily armored royal guards marched in. In the center of their formation was Prince Liam.

Liam looked nothing like a royal prince today. His fine clothes were stripped away, replaced by a simple, dirty gray prisoner’s tunic. Heavy iron chains wrapped around his wrists, his waist, and his ankles. His hair was a wild, tangled mess. The bruise on his cheek was dark purple and yellow. His eyes, still slightly red from the powder Marissa had blown into them, darted around the room frantically.

The guards forced him to stop at the bottom of the King’s platform, right next to where Derek stood.

Derek did not look at him. Derek kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, standing tall in his dark military uniform. His back burned with sharp pain from the arrow wound, but he ignored it. He was focused purely on justice.

The Chancellor began to read.

"Prince Liam of Eudora," the Chancellor’s voice echoed loudly. "You are brought before this court to answer for the highest crimes against the crown and the people."

The Chancellor looked at the scroll and read the long, terrible list.

"You are charged with orchestrating the brutal massacre of the Thompson army," the Chancellor announced. The nobles gasped. "You are charged with the murder of Commander Theodore."

Derek clenched his jaw. His hands curled into tight fists at his sides. Hearing his brother’s murder spoken out loud in the royal court finally made it real.

"You are charged with selling state secrets to the Mercian enemy for gold," the Chancellor continued, his voice rising in anger. "And you are charged with high treason, raising a secret army to overthrow His Majesty, the King."

The Chancellor lowered the scroll. He looked down at the chained Prince.

"For these unforgivable crimes," the Chancellor declared, "Prince Liam is sentenced to be executed in five days."

The Great Hall erupted into a deafening roar of shocked gasps and loud whispers. A royal prince was going to be executed. It was a historic, terrifying moment.

Prince Liam did not fall to his knees. He did not cry. He did not beg for his father’s mercy.

Instead, he slowly lowered his head. His shoulders began to shake.

A low, dark sound came from his throat. It grew louder and louder.

Liam laughed.

It was not a normal laugh. It was a high-pitched, completely insane cackle. It echoed over the whispers of the nobles, silencing the entire room. It was the sound of a mind that had completely shattered. The weight of his failure, the loss of his power, and his crushing ego had finally broken his sanity.

Liam threw his head back. He looked around the Great Hall with wild, manic eyes. He pulled hard against his heavy iron chains, making them clank loudly.

"Do you think you all can get rid of me?" Liam shouted. A trail of saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth. He grinned a wide, terrifying smile.

He looked directly at King Alistair.

"You are weak, old man! You deserve to rest and let me take over." Liam screamed at his own father. Then he looked at Derek and laughed harder. "And you are a fool! I won! I took everything from you!"

Liam pulled violently against the guards holding him. His eyes were wide and unblinking. He completely rejected reality. In his broken mind, he was still the untouchable master of the kingdom.

"I will be King!" Liam roared at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing off the high stone ceiling. He stomped his chained feet on the marble floor. "The throne is mine!!! You hear me? It is mine! Bow to me! Bow to your King!"

The nobles watched in pure horror. The Crown Prince had gone completely mad.

King Alistair closed his eyes, unable to watch his son’s pathetic, crazy display. He waved his hand wearily.

"Take him to the darkest cell," the King whispered to the captain of the guard.

The guards grabbed Liam’s arms tightly. They dragged him backward toward the heavy wooden doors.

Liam continued to laugh and scream as he was dragged away. "I am the King! The throne is mine! I will kill you all!"

The heavy doors slammed shut, cutting off his insane screams. The Great Hall fell into a heavy, uncomfortable silence.

King Alistair the Fourth slowly stood up from his golden throne.

He leaned heavily on the armrests. He looked incredibly old and fragile. He looked out over the sea of nobles, lords, and generals. The hall was so quiet that everyone could hear the wind blowing against the large glass windows.

He addressed his people.

"My loyal subjects," the King began. His voice was sad and broken. "Today is a dark day for Eudora. I have failed you. I failed to see the evil growing in my own home. I failed to raise a son worthy of this great kingdom."

The King took a slow, deep breath. He removed the heavy golden crown from his head. He held it in his wrinkled hands.

"I am old," the King announced, his voice carrying a deep sense of resignation. "My heart is heavy with grief and shame. I am unfit to rule anymore. The kingdom needs strength. It needs honor. It needs a leader who will protect the people, not betray them."

The King turned his head and looked directly at Derek. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Derek stood perfectly still, his dark eyes locked on the old King.

"I am abdicating the throne," King Alistair declared clearly.

The words sent a massive shockwave through the room, but no one dared to speak.

"I pass this throne," the King continued, pointing a shaking finger at Derek, "down to my nephew, Grand Duke Derek of Denver. He has proven his unmatched loyalty to this crown. He has proven his strength on the battlefield against the Mercians. And today, he has proven his honor by exposing a great evil, even at a terrible personal cost."

Derek’s breath hitched slightly in his chest. King. He had never wanted to be King. He only wanted to be a soldier, a husband, and a father. But duty called him, as it always did.