A Royal Obligation
Chapter 78: The Price of Failure

Chapter 78: The Price of Failure

King Thaddeus paced back and forth in the grand hall, his heavy boots echoing against the stone floor. His face was a storm of fury, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as he fumed, barely able to contain his anger.

Prince Carl, his eldest son, stood nearby, watching his father’s every movement, concern flickering in his sharp eyes. On the floor, crumpled in a pool of blood, lay the messenger who had delivered the news that had sent the king into this rage.

Caledon, the king’s chief advisor, stood not far from the king, silent and still, his face a mask of calm though his mind was spinning with the consequences of their failed assassination attempts.

"I warned them!" King Thaddeus growled, his voice low and dangerous. "I warned them not to fail me again. Do you know how many men we’ve lost this time?" He turned sharply toward Carl, his face twisted with rage. "Do you?"

Carl lifted his chin, meeting his father’s eyes with a steady gaze. "Father, I understand your anger, but this rage will not bring those men back. We must be rational."

"Rational?" Thaddeus thundered, slamming his fist onto the armrest of his throne. "Twice! Twice the assassination attempts on that wretched Prince Eirik have failed. Twice! How can I be calm when we’ve lost more men, and he still draws breath?"

The room felt heavy with the weight of his fury, and Carl could sense the rising tension in the air. He knew his father well, knew the temper that flared when things didn’t go according to plan. But this... this felt different. The stakes were higher now, and the king’s patience was thinning to a dangerous degree.

"Father," Carl said, his voice steady, though the weight of the situation pressed down on him. "Let me handle this from now on. We must not act in haste. We still have time to execute our plan, but we must be careful. If we rush, we risk exposing ourselves."

Caledon, standing with his hands folded in front of him, stepped forward cautiously. "Your Majesty, Prince Carl is right. We must remain focused on the goal. If we let our emotions guide us now, we may make mistakes."

King Thaddeus glared at Caledon, his breathing ragged, chest heaving with frustration. "Don’t speak to me about mistakes, Caledon. It was your men who failed."

Caledon bowed his head slightly, accepting the reprimand. "Indeed, Your Majesty. But we cannot afford to fail again. We must plan more carefully."

Carl nodded in agreement. "Father, we have already set the wheels in motion. Prince Eirik’s wedding is the perfect opportunity. We will stick to the plan. On the night of his wedding, he will not survive."

King Thaddeus paused, his eyes flicking between Carl and Caledon. His jaw tightened as he considered their words, but the fire in his eyes did not dim.

Before he could respond, the heavy doors to the grand hall creaked open, and a guard entered cautiously, his armor clinking with every sstep

As the guard’s eyes fell on the dead messenger lying on the floor, his face paled, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. Cold sweat formed on his brow, and he could feel his legs weaken beneath him.

The guard bowed deeply, his voice shaking as he greeted the king and prince. "Your Majesty... Your Highness..."

King Thaddeus’s gaze fixed on the guard, eyes sharp as daggers. "Speak," he ordered, his voice cold and cutting.

The guard swallowed hard, trying to steady himself, but the presence of the dead messenger and the king’s fury made it nearly impossible to control his fear. "A letter from Zephyros, Your Majesty," he said, holding out the sealed parchment with trembling hands.

King Thaddeus dismissed the guard with a wave, not bothering to look at him any longer. The guard, eager to leave the hall, rushed out, nearly tripping over the corpse on the floor in his haste. He stumbled but caught himself, hurrying through the doors as if the devil himself were chasing him.

Thaddeus snatched the letter from the guard’s hands and tore it open with a sneer, scanning its contents quickly. His lip curled in disgust as he read, and without a second thought, he crumpled the letter and tossed it to the ground like garbage.

Carl raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his father’s reaction. "What does it say?"

The king sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "An invitation to the royal wedding between Prince Eirik and that insufferable Crown Prince Kaelix of Zephyros."

Carl’s mouth twisted into a smirk. "They’ve pushed it forward, haven’t they? It seems they suspect someone is trying to stop the marriage."

Caledon stepped forward, his brow furrowing as he thought aloud. "They’ve likely tightened security. We must be more careful now. It won’t be easy."

King Thaddeus’s eyes darkened further, his rage giving way to cold calculation. "We will stick to the original plan," he said, his voice low but steady. "Make sure Prince Eirik does not survive the night of his wedding."

Carl nodded, his face calm, though beneath the surface his mind was already racing with ideas. "Yes, Father. I will take care of it personally."

Thaddeus finally sat down, his chest still heaving with the remnants of his fury. "I don’t want any more failures, Carl. This is your responsibility now. Don’t let me down."

Carl met his father’s gaze, his own eyes hard and determined. "I won’t, Father. I promise you."

As silence settled over the room, Carl’s mind began working through the details. The wedding would be a grand affair, with both kingdoms coming together in a show of unity and peace.

Security would be tight, especially now that their previous attempts had failed. But Carl wasn’t worried. He was smarter than that. He knew how to navigate difficult situations, and he had already started forming a plan.

He glanced at the crumpled letter on the floor, the one inviting them to the wedding. An invitation to the enemy’s most important celebration, where they would expect nothing but smiles and diplomacy. How poetic that it would also be the setting for their greatest tragedy.

Carl’s gaze flickered with intensity as he turned to the chief advisor, his voice low and edged with authority. "Caledon," he began, leaning forward just enough to emphasize the gravity of the moment, "this isn’t something we can afford to misstep. We need to inform our spies in Zephyros, but make sure they understand this time, failure is not an option."

Thaddeus’s fingers drummed rhythmically against the wood, his anger slowly ebbing as he watched his son step into the role of leader.

This is what he wanted, a son strong enough to carry out his orders without hesitation, without fear. His lips tightened into a thin smile, though the anger still burned beneath the surface.

Caledon bowed his head, his posture respectful but tense under the weight of Carl’s gaze. "I will see to it immediately, Prince Carl," he said, voice low, almost reverent.

Carl didn’t miss a beat, his tone sharp as he continued. "Make sure they understand the consequences of failure. No mistakes this time. The wedding is in just a few days, and any slip-up could cost us everything."

Thaddeus’s eyes narrowed as Carl spoke, his son’s confidence clear. A dangerous satisfaction flickered in the king’s chest, but his face remained hard as stone. This was no time for weakness, not with so much at stake. He had raised Carl to be decisive, to crush anyone who stood in their way, and this moment was proof that his son had learned well.

Caledon shifted nervously, bowing once more. "I will personally ensure the message reaches the right hands. Our best spy will deliver it, someone who cannot afford to fail."

Carl’s gaze didn’t waver, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. "See that they don’t. Remind them that mercy is not infinite."

The king’s approval deepened, though he remained silent, his sharp eyes never leaving his son. Carl had taken the reins, and for now, that was enough to calm the storm of fury that had raged through him moments before. Thaddeus’s fingers stopped drumming, his expression unreadable as Caledon moved to leave.

Before the chief advisor could exit, Carl spoke again, his voice softer but more menacing. "And Caledon," he said, almost lazily, but the threat in his words was unmistakable. "If there’s a single misstep this time around, it won’t just be the spy who suffers the consequences."

Caledon stiffened, nodding quickly before hurrying out, leaving the air thick with tension.

Thaddeus leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of pride and lingering anger. "You’ve learned well, Carl," he said, his voice gravelly, the words a low rumble that resonated through the chamber. "But don’t forget, failure falls on all of us. If this plan fails, it will be both our heads."

Carl turned to his father, meeting the king’s cold gaze. "It won’t fail," he said confidently, the weight of his father’s approval not lost on him. "Eirik will not survive the night, and the the two kingdoms will be ours to take."

Thaddeus’s lips curled into a cruel smile, his anger finally giving way to grim satisfaction. "Good," he said, rising from his throne. "Make sure it stays that way."