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The Lost Lightning Prince: Unveiling the Royal Mark in the Colosseum Pit The Sun-Marked Heir’s Return and the Battle for the Throne of Solaria / Chapter 5 / 15

Chapter 5 - Poison at the Banquet

To demonstrate to the kingdom that the prince was safe and legitimate, King Aurelius decreed a Grand Coronation Banquet in the Great Hall. Nobles from all seven provinces gathered to pledge allegiance to the returned heir.

The hall hummed with music and laughter, but the air was thick with tension. Leo sat beside his father at the head table, wearing the crown of the heir apparent. Vizier Malakor stood nearby, pouring wine into the King's goblet with fake solemnity.

"A toast!" Malakor announced, his voice carrying across the silent hall. "To Prince Leo! May his reign bring eternal light to Solaria!"

The nobles raised their goblets. Aurelius lifted his cup to drink, but Leo's keen senses picked up the faint scent of bitter almonds coming from his father's cup—the classic scent of Nightshade venom.

"Father, don't!" Leo shouted, knocking the goblet from the King's hand just as the liquid touched Aurelius's lips.

The goblet shattered on the marble floor, and the spilled wine sizzled, eating through the stone itself. The crowd gasped in horror.

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"Treason!" Malakor shrieked immediately, pointing a finger at Leo. "The boy has used dark magic to corrupt the King's cup! Guards, arrest this imposter before he slays the King!"

Before Aurelius could countermand the order, the palace guards—corrupted by Malakor's bribes—drew their swords and surrounded the royal dais. The trap had been sprung in broad daylight.

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Chapter 6 - The Traitor Revealed
Chapter 7 - The Stolen Crown
Chapter 8 - Trials of the Wildwood
Chapter 9 - The Siege of Solaria
Chapter 10 - The Sovereign of Thunder
Chapter 11 - The Shadow of the Frost

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