The chamber of the House of Lords seemed a lot smaller now, and the tension was thicker than before. All the Major Lords were sitting down at their seats, and the Prime Minister was standing before the House. He looked defeated and angry. How could his own allies turn on him for everything he's done for this kingdom? Didn't they know all the tales about human empires that ended because of mysterious outside forces that didn't let them prosper? Duval is just trying to do his duty, to save his kingdom from itself. And if Rya were to become the Crown Prince's wife, then they would have an empire. Couldn't they see the path she was leading them was to their own destruction? He couldn't let this happen; he would make the rest of the Major Lords see reason. Somehow!

  "Prime Minister, I hereby call this session to order. You may proceed," Cyndre stated.

  Duval took a deep breath and then cleared his throat.

  "I... I don't have the words to describe how... disappointed I am," he said slowly, "It was clear that I was not given the opportunity to make my case, and you did not even give me a chance to defend myself."

  "You were the one who brought a battered and bruised Prince to sway this court to go against Princess Rya... You have no one but yourself to bme, Lord Duval... You are the Prime Minister, not the King..." the Earl of the Aurora Pins said.

  "But-"

  "There is no room for argument, Lord Duval," the King cut him off, "I would have understood your compints had you come to me and expined your case. But you did not. I have been lenient with you, and you have not done anything worthy of me changing my mind. But it is not my pce to change how the House of Lords decides on whether or not they will vote. I can only advise it. So, if you wish to appeal your case, then you will have to do it now."

  Duval clenched his teeth. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was almost as if they were all against him. "Fine... Fine. Then let's get this over with."

  "Baroness Ysandra Fairchild... You were the first person to vote for No Confidence. May I ask why?" the King asked.

  Ysandra took a deep breath.

  "Because I am starting to believe that the Prime Minister's goals to help our Kingdom are no longer attainable, and it will severely weaken the Kingdom if we force the Crown Prince to marry Princess Hilda. I don't have anything against the girl, but I fear she's the only cog that the Divine Three don't care about. And if we give them any more power, we will all end up losing more than just our pride. We will lose everything."

  The King nodded his head in understanding while a few of the other Nobles murmured in agreement.

  Duval was furious; how could Baroness Ysandra be so blinded by the Dark Elf that she could actually say such things?! He would make her pay for this!

  "You really think the Holy Alliance wants to conquer our Kingdom, Baroness?" the Marquess Duval Wrightwood scoffed, "Don't make me ugh."

  "I fear that's exactly what they want to do, Marquess. Their actions became unmasked when Princess Rya came into the picture. Rumors about them gathering their armies are spreading faster than the pgue. I would be a fool if I didn't take precautions against them," Ysandra responded.

  "I agree, my dear Baroness," Earl Nathaniel Valerian nodded his head, "They have been pnning this for a while, and we have not taken them seriously enough. It's time we started paying attention to what they are doing instead of sitting back and letting them dictate our lives. If we do not act, then we are doomed. And if that is the case, then I will gdly go down fighting and take as many of them with me as possible."

  "Are you mad!? They wanted peace! Why would they send us their best princess and have her marry the crown prince, only to turn around and wage war with us?!"

  "When has anyone among them ever shown respect for women, Marquess Duval?" the Earl retorted, his voice steady yet filled with disappointment. "Never. They cling to the outdated belief that women are inferior. Don't let their venomous words cloud your judgment."

  Fury ignited in Duval's eyes. "You know nothing! Those who dared to betray me will soon witness my truth, and they will rue the day they chose to stand against me!"

  Earl Nathaniel Valerian shook his head, sorrow washing over him. The room was thick with tension, every gaze fixed on Duval, shocked to see the usually composed man lose his temper so utterly.

  “And YOU!... How could you betray me like this?! After everything I’ve sacrificed for you, everything I’ve done to ensure your people were safe and thriving? And now, you choose to side with those I’ve dedicated my entire life to fighting against?! How can you do this to me?!” Duval's voice thundered through the room, fury lighting up his eyes as he gred at his coalition. They stood frozen, shock etched on their faces, unable to respond. Only Ysandra and Octavius met his fiery gaze, their expressions icy and resolute, unyielding against his wrath.

  "And you, Octavius!... Of all the people here, I expected you to be the most loyal. I was wrong. And I am ashamed to call myself a friend of yours," Duval hissed.

  *Sm!*

  Octavius smmed his palm down onto the table with such force that a jagged crack splintered the surface, sending a shiver of surprise through Duval, who instinctively flinched at the sudden impact.

  "Ashamed, you say!?... I'm the one who's ashamed of calling YOU a friend. I thought you were smarter than this! But my eyes have been opened when I saw you turning a blind eye to the biggest threat to our Kingdom! All this focus on the Dark Elf has made you an ally of Aric! A man who's selfish, vindictive, and power-hungry!" Octavius yelled.

  "Don't talk to me about—"

  Duval paused as he forgot that Octavius was the one who brought him the evidence of Aric's embezzlement of his own finances.

  "What is the matter?... You can't speak, or do you remember something?" Octavius said mockingly. "You betrayed us, Marquess! And even if by some miracle, the Dark Elf did leave the kingdom, and the Crown Prince married Princess Hilda. Is that really going to smooth things over with the Holy Alliance? It has been almost a month of Princess Rya living inside the walls of the pace! Do you think that all will be forgiven by them?!" Octavius yelled.

  Everyone in the room looked uncomfortable.

  "They would not forgive us, and they would send their armies to wipe out all of the sinners who failed to rid the pace of a wicked creature. And they don't like the fact that we have dwarves as part of our citizens. They would be looking to purge them, too! Do you want our citizens and loved ones to suffer the same fate as the people of the other kingdoms and vilges that got by them?" Octavius demanded.

  "But..." Duval said, unable to speak.

  "We can't go expect peace anymore, Marquess... War is inevitable. Whether it be by the Holy Alliance, Duke Aric, or maybe even the Kingdom of Marn... We can't hide behind these walls and expect to no longer feel their wrath. This kingdom will soon see bloodshed, and we must prepare for the worst. The Divine Three and their Padins will not stop until they have purged our souls," Octavius warned.

  Duval was speechless yet again as the chamber was silent. Cyndre stared down Duval from his throne and spoke, "If that is all, Duval... Then let's vote on the motion for No Confidence..."

  Duval stood up, "No! I won't let the peace treaty die because you all wish for war! There's always a way out of every situation. If it wasn't for diplomacy, then there would always be war. And war leads to more wars. The st war cost the lives of hundreds of thousands. Know that it wasn't me who didn't want this peace. I wanted it as much as anyone else here. But all of you undermined me at every turn. And even though I was able to make the Holy Alliance give us time to fulfill their demands, it wasn't an easy task. But you all want to throw it away. Just like your votes! So I will have my say even if it means a No Confidence vote. You will all hear me out. Because if you cast your vote for a No Confidence vote. Then know that I will never forgive any of you. You can't have peace without trust, and if we can't have trust, then there can't be peace." Duval yelled as he gred at everyone.

  But his words felt hollow, as his words were filled with bitterness and resentment. His eyes were cold and he seemed distant from his fellow lords.

  The rest of the council was silent, and Sebastian nodded his head, but the majority of everyone looked skeptical.

  Lord Brice cleared his throat, "I feel the debate is over. Shall we cast our votes, My Lords?"

  "Yes," Cyndre nodded his head.

  The chamber was silent as the votes were cast. Duval watched with apprehension as they began the vote.

  "All those in favor of removing Marquess Duval Wrightwood from his office. Raise your hands," Lord Brice called out.

  As the council gathered, an air of tension filled the room. One by one, Duval watched as eight hands slowly ascended, his heart plummeting into the pit of his stomach. The heavy silence was pierced by Lord Brice’s commanding voice, “All those who oppose?”

  With a surge of courage, Duval raised his hand, joining Count Sebastian Ingram in defiance. Only two hands stood against the tide while Viscount William Lysander and Baron Alistair Dravenhart remained silent, their neutrality casting an eerie shadow over the proceedings. The weight of the moment hung thick in the air as the council's fate teetered on the brink.

  "Viscount William... Baron Alistair... How do you both vote?" Lord Brice asked.

  William spoke first, "My Lord. We both are present and won't be choosing a side. Not without our Lord's input,' the Viscount said in a pyful yet serious tone.

  Duval frowned, but he wasn't surprised. William and Alistair aren't loyal to him. William was only loyal to Duke Aric Revelia, and Alistair did only what his friends told him.

  "Very well. This will be taken into consideration. And with eight votes against and two abstentions. The measure passes, and Marquess Duval Wrightwood is hereby—"

  "WAIT!... I INVOKE RULE 31B OF THE COUNCIL GUIDELINES AND REQUEST A TWO-WEEK EXTENSION TO PROVE TO THE COUNCIL I STILL DESERVE MY SEAT. WITH THE RIGHT TO A VOTE IN THIS COUNCIL'S POLICIES," Duval decred loudly, and everyone's eyes turned to him.

  Sebastian knew this Rule could only be enacted if two other members of the Court agreed with the accused's request, and only a handful knew that Rule 31B existed.

  "I second the Marquess's request," Sebastian replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, which wasn't a lot.

  Half of the Court knew about this rule and were more puzzled than before. Duval needed one more member to third the rule for it to go into effect, and the Marquess didn't know who would agree. He needed to move quickly before Brice finalized the No Confidence Vote.

  "Is there anyone else who wishes to third the rule!?" Duval asked the Court, and the rest looked around to see who would step up. But it was looking grim as Lord Brice was about to stamp his seal on the no-confidence vote.

  "I, Baron Alistair Dravenhart, will third the Marquess's request," Alistair replied with a hint of mirth in his voice.

  William looked at Alistair as if he was a moron, and before he could ask him why he would side with Duval, the Marquess spoke.

  "Rule 31B is hereby enacted. For the next 14 days, I will prove to you all my worth, as Prime Minister, and we will have a meeting to defend my honor after the two weeks are up," Duval decred. He quickly pulled out a piece of parchment that had Rule 31B's conditions, and he pced the seal of the Court on it with Sebastian's and Alistair's names on it.

  "I will see you all in two weeks! Have a good day," Duval said as he quickly left the Chamber Hall before anyone could object, and Sebastian chased after him.

  "Alistair!? What the hells were you thinking?" William asked Alistair as the other nobles stared at the noble.

  "It's simple... You all forced me here during a perfect day for hunting, and I wanted back at the Marquess by giving him false hope. You all can enjoy him making a foul out of himself while I'll be hunting!" Alistair stated before standing up.

  "Hah! Haha! You have no idea what Rule 31B entails, do you?" William said as he started ughing, and the others mumbled in annoyance.

  "Oh? So enlighten me, what happens during these fourteen days?" Alistair asked with a smirk, and his friends joined him in chuckling.

  "Well... The two members who voted for Rule 31B must attend the meeting, and you will have to support Duval's case. And you have no idea how boring Duval is going to make this trial..." William stated, and Alistair's expression was priceless.

  "Wait! You're lying!"

  "He's not joking, Alistair... Just look at the parchment if you doubt him," Earl Nathaniel Valerian urged, his voice steady yet ced with urgency.

  Alistair opened his mouth to protest, but the Earl's piercing gaze silenced him. In that moment, he realized that his friend William was dead serious. With a frustrated sigh, Alistair turned his attention to the parchment left behind by Duval. As he read the damning words, a surge of anger bubbled within him. In a fit of rage, he ripped the parchment to shreds, only to be stunned as the Prime Minister's seal shimmered with a fierce light and magically mended itself.

  “GODDESS BE DAMNED!” he erupted, his frustration echoing off the stone walls.

  "You can't escape from this trial, Alistair. You're just going to have to suffer with the rest of us... You should leave the pettiness to me, old friend," William smirked at the Baron, and Alistair gred at him.

  "No! I'll demand that I resend my vote. I didn't know the rules, and I want out."

  "Haha! Good luck with that, Alistair! I'll wait outside for you once Duval kicks you out," William ughed and waved goodbye as he walked out of the Hall.

  "Goddess be damned... This will not stand!" Alistair's voice rumbled with intensity as he stormed off in search of the Marquess. His determination was palpable, a force to be reckoned with.

  Lord Brice gnced between the King and Queen, a nonchant shrug escaping his shoulders. Rianna’s displeasure was palpable, her eyes narrowing with discontent, while Cyndre simply shook his head, clearly troubled by the unfolding drama.

  As the st signature was affixed by the final Lord in support of the Vote of No Confidence, a palpable tension filled the air. With a decisive fir, Lord Gawain took the parchment, its weight heavy with the fate of the realm, and approached King Cyndre. The king, his countenance a blend of apprehension and resolve, extended his hand, grasping the parchment. At that moment, the flicker of his magical royal seal danced to life, illuminating the room as he pressed it down with authority. The seal thudded against the parchment, marking a turning point in their tumultuous kingdom.