Realm of the Sun

Chapter 28

They moved quickly. Treason and espionage was not treated lightly within the palace. Hushed whispers of rumours spread like wildfire within the older house members. A high ranking military officer, a traitor? Even if they were from a low house, it was still so astonishing to everyone that someone among them could be capable of betraying the crown. The call for a council meeting was only spread by word of mouth, and even then, everyone managed to show up.

The rules for whistleblowers were simple: if the accused was convicted, all property owned by them would be seized and redistributed, the whistleblowers included. To prevent drama among the court, they were always anonymous, but usually, people were able to find out who blew the whistle anyway.

Gwen did not want to be a whistleblower. She did not want the money, the notoriety, the drama, or anything else that came with the package. All she wanted was to serve her country, and if it meant calling out one of her own, so be it. She had made sure that she and Roza would stay anonymous, taking every precaution necessary. Writing with her right hand instead of left, dropping off the report through the messenger box instead of directly through a chain of messengers, and everything in between. Still, it did not stop some speculation throughout the courtroom.

Right now, they were listening to Judge Wu, of House Tryalois, give the evidence to every member in attendance, except participants of the covert unit. They were delegated to the welcoming procession for the Bensons, which was a strange but not unusual task for the unit.

"... and that concludes the evidence presented. As a descendant of Tryalois, I can say with certainty that whoever submitted this information was being, in their own mind, truthful, and while I cannot deduce whether or not they were acting with bias, I can confirm that the information is written truthfully."

An immediate uproar among the crowd began, before being stopped by a silencer from House Kim.
"Thank you, Sonia." Judge Wu gave a nod of approval, before continuing his speech. "With the evidence presented, it is only fair to conclude that Corporal Feiyi Yin is worth investigating. Due to the urgency of this situation, a trial will be held tomorrow for the prosecution of the accused. If anyone sees the corporal leave-" his eyes darkened. "You know what to do."

Kill on sight. Bring them to justice, dead or alive.

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The council was dismissed quickly, and elite guards were notified immediately of the verdict. By then, the Bensons had been spotted approaching the gate, and every single available elite had been dispatched for the welcoming ceremony.

It was really loud. There were trumpets, cornets, flugelhorns, and all kinds of other brass instruments used to trumpet the arrival of the foreign royals. It was so silly, seeing how people from foreign countries that once were known as enemies needed such a grand and boisterous announcement of arrival. What had they done to deserve such a warm welcome? They were invaders, who had been driven out by the might and will of the gods. They should've held no status here, or hell, even a status below the ones of variens living under the poverty line. They shouldn't have been welcome here.

Yet here they stood, frivolous frumpy ball gowns, suits and all, giving that fake royal smile where they pretend that they're being genuine, when really, all that laid underneath was pure malice.

In Gwen's opinion, at least.

"Queen Marilyn," King Magnus greeted coldly. In case of a potential act of violence, the King had brought all of his generals to bear witness and retaliate if necessary. The Queen had made a similar move- she had brought what seemed like an entire militia with her. It was a silent agreement of neutrality and peace; whoever made the first move would pay dearly in blood.