The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 323: Seeds Of Doubt

William moved swiftly toward the northern watchtower, where he knew Louis would be stationed. The pale light of the moon bathed the towering Mount Lumina in an ethereal glow, casting long shadows across the landscape.

As William reached the edge of the watchtower, his sharp eyes caught sight of movement—a dark, ominous mass creeping down the mountainside like a living shadow.

The Altanian army was descending upon Elodia.

A sense of dread tightened William’s chest. He wondered why the city’s defenses appeared so sparse. It was unusual not to encounter more guards as he approached the tower, where the highest concentration of soldiers should have been stationed. Something felt wrong, deeply wrong, as if some invisible, malevolent force was weaving its influence through the city, keeping its defenders at bay.

At the base of the watchtower, Louis stood, tall and vigilant, scanning the horizon. The moment he spotted the figure of the great white wolf approaching, he instinctively drew his sword, signaling his knights to prepare for a potential attack.

The ten knights who surrounded him mirrored his movement, their blades gleaming in the moonlight. At the signal, archers stationed on the walls surrounding Elodia raised their bows, their arrows poised, ready to fly at a moment’s notice.

William’s heart swelled with pride. Louis had anticipated the Altanian threat and positioned the archers strategically to defend the city. But even with the forces gathering outside the walls, the real threat was already inside—those who had infiltrated the city had to be dealt with first.

"It’s me!" William called out, his voice transforming as his body shifted from the wolf’s form back into his human shape. "Louis, what are you still doing here? Don’t you know where you should be?"

Louis turned, his face twisting in confusion at the sight of the wolf transforming into his uncle. His grip tightened on his sword, the familiar features of William Kaiser now clear, though the sight of the transformation left him and his knights visibly shaken. The knights, still alert, hesitated, their hands hovering over their weapons.

"The King is dead, Louis," William said gravely. "We don’t have time. You should be anointed as King immediately."

Louis’ eyes widened, and for a moment, he looked as if the world beneath him had shifted. The death of his father was not something he had expected to hear. The knights around him exchanged uneasy glances before falling to their knees in reverence.

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!" they chanted in unison, their voices ringing out into the night.

William joined them, kneeling before his nephew with a proud smile. He was ready to serve Louis, the rightful King of Ayberia. The boy he had watched grow into a man was now stepping into his destiny.

"Father... is dead?" Louis stepped forward, his voice heavy with disbelief. He barely registered the soldiers around him, his eyes locked on William as if searching for a lie.

The archers still held their bows aimed at William, and the knights remained vigilant, unsure of how to react to the revelation that William Kaiser, a man they had long known and trusted, could transform into a wolf—a Theodulf wolf, no less. Their loyalty to Louis demanded caution, especially in these uncertain times.

"Celena killed him," William explained, his tone low but firm. "She then tried to hurt Cordelia, but Jessamyn intervened and saved her."

Louis’ face contorted with a mix of anger and anguish. His love for Cordelia was evident, and the thought that she had been in danger twisted his heart. His first instinct was to protect her, to make sure she was safe.

"Cordelia... is she safe now?" Louis’ voice cracked, betraying the depth of his worry.

William nodded. "She’s safe, for now."

But the tension around them did not ease. One of Louis’s strongest knights, Harold, stepped forward, his brow furrowed with suspicion. "Jessamyn?" he asked, his voice sharp. "You mean the Archduchess is here, in the capital, right when the King passed away?"

The question lingered in the air, heavy with implications. Louis glanced at Harold, doubt flickering in his eyes. William could see it—the seed of mistrust that had been planted, the natural skepticism that any leader would harbor in such uncertain times. It was expected, even wise, but time was not on their side. Explanations would have to wait.

"How is it possible that you shift into a wolf when you bear the Kaiser name? Where does your loyalty truly lie?" Harold pressed, his suspicion growing.

William sighed, knowing the question was inevitable. "Jessamyn left to find Jerrick. She’s no longer in Elodia. And as for my loyalty, it has always been with the crown, with you, Louis. Cordelia will attest to everything I’ve said. Jessamyn saved her life."

William’s gaze remained fixed on Louis. Convincing him was all that mattered now. The rest of the court, the knights, even Harold—none of them mattered. If Louis believed him, they could move forward.

"You’re the King now, Louis. Why haven’t you been summoned to the throne room? Where is the Primarch to arrange your coronation? Why are you still here, when the kingdom is leaderless?" William’s voice held urgency, pushing Louis to act.

Louis frowned, deep in thought. His hands clenched into fists as uncertainty warred with his instincts. Harold’s voice cut through the tension again, sharp as a blade. "He’s untrustworthy, Your Majesty. He’s... a Theodulf, and we’ve long known their ambitions. The throne was always in their sights."

Louis’s face hardened, and he took a step closer to William. His voice, once strong and assured, now trembled with emotion. "What proof do you have that the army descending Mount Lumina isn’t the Archduke’s forces? Why should I trust you, William, when so many lords have voiced their support for Jerrick to take the crown? You’ve hidden your true nature from me for years. What else have you kept from me?"

Louis’s voice cracked as the weight of his words hit him. His father was dead, and his uncle, a man he had trusted all his life, had revealed a secret that shattered the foundation of their relationship. The loss of his father, the betrayal he felt—it was all too much.

William’s heart broke at the sight of Louis, his beloved nephew, struggling under the crushing weight of grief and suspicion. The boy who had once looked up to him now saw him as a potential enemy, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The rift between them grew with each passing moment, and yet, William knew that this was not the time for emotional wounds to fester. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I have kept nothing from you that wasn’t necessary to protect this kingdom," William said, his voice softening. "You are the King now, Louis. I am here to serve you. And I will prove my loyalty, not with words, but with actions. But first, we must defend this city, or there will be no kingdom left to rule."

Louis’s eyes searched William’s face, torn between doubt and the love he had always felt for the man who had been like a second father to him.