Chapter 15 - The Reconstruction of the Court
Back in the capital, the transformation of the government was swift and merciless. With Regent Malrec awaiting trial in the deepest dungeon and Duke Carrow stripped of his titles, King Rhys and Princess Amara initiated a sweeping parliamentary reform.
The high council was dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up, incorporating representatives from both the upper nobility and the working districts—a radical concept that sent shockwaves through the traditionalist factions.
In the grand library of the citadel, Sera sat at a heavy oak desk covered in parchment reports, reviewing supply inventories for the newly established public welfare funds.
The door creaked open, and Princess Amara walked in, holding two steaming cups of spiced tea. She placed one gently on the desk before pulling up a chair and sitting opposite Sera.
“You know, when Malrec first told me about the decoy plan, I thought he was just using you as a disposable shield,” Amara said softly, blowing across the surface of her tea. “I never imagined that swapping our faces would end up saving both our lives—and the entire kingdom.”
Sera offered a faint smile, tracing the rim of her cup. “Malrec underestimated everyone. He thought titles and bloodlines were the only things that mattered in this world. He forgot that people who have lived in the dirt learn how to look up through the cracks.”
“Rhys speaks of you often,” Amara added with a knowing smirk, her hazel eyes twinkling. “He says the high council is missing a fierce advocate for the common districts. He’s drafted a formal decree appointing you as the permanent Magistrate of the Outer Wards.”
May you like
Sera raised an eyebrow. “Magistrate? Me? A former street fighter with a burn scar on her palm?”
“Especially you,” Amara replied firmly. “Because you are the only one in this entire castle who actually knows what justice feels like from the bottom up.”
