“Your Highness?” Max’s voice cut through Ethan’s spiraling thoughts, pulling him back to the present.Ethan straightened, forcing his expression into something neutral despite the chaos raging inside him.“We found him,” Max reported, his tone professional. "The man Elara was using as a front for The Ghost. He was trying to leave the country—made it as far as the airport before our people intercepted him. He’s in custody now.”Max paused, studying Ethan’s face with concern. "He’s already confessed. Confirmed everything about Elara using him to cover her tracks, maintain the illusion that The Ghost was male.""Should we bring him in for questioning? I thought you might want to interrogate him yourself.”Ethan shook his head without looking at Max, his gaze fixed on some distant point beyond the warehouse.“There’s no need,” he said quietly. "I already confirmed it with Elara. Everything checks out.”“Then what do you want us to do with him?” Max asked.“Send him to one of our private

The murmurs intensified, questions overlapping as the council members tried to understand what was happening.Lara, seated in one of the chairs along the side wall, kept her eyes locked on Ethan, confusion and concern warring in her expression. "What is he planning? What truth is so terrible that it requires this much buildup?" She wondered.The chamber doors opened.Marcel entered first.Behind him walked Elara in handcuffs, her wrists bound in front of her.They stopped at the center of the chamber, Marcel positioning himself slightly behind and to the side while Elara stood facing the throne, facing Ethan.For a moment, she simply looked around the chamber, her green eyes traveling from one council member to the next. A scoff escaped her lips when Marcel left, followed by a smirk that held no humor—only bitter amusement.“Look at what remains of the mighty Order of the Eternal Flame,” she said, her voice carrying clearly through the chamber. "Just five people, still believing th

“I can’t believe it.” Cavill’s voice cut through the shocked silence that had fallen over the chamber after Ethan’s revelation.He stared at Ethan in disbelief. "Your Majesty… are you certain of what you just said? Are you absolutely certain that everything this woman told you about Magnus is true?”The chamber remained frozen, every person still struggling to process what they’d just heard.Magnus—their respected leader, the man who’d guided The Order through turbulent times—had been a murderer. Had orchestrated the deaths of ten Aurelius families. Had killed his own firstborn son. Had manipulated his brother into becoming a monster and then killed him too.And Ethan—their King—wasn’t chosen by destiny but manufactured through blood magic.It was too much. Too impossible to accept.Lara shook her head violently, her voice rising with desperation and anger.“Please tell me you didn’t just believe her blindly without confirming what she told you?” She gestured wildly toward Elara. "Pl

Ethan sat on the throne, still unable to move, his face a mask of pain and shame.Theo remained in his chair, completely frozen, his eyes staring at nothing as his mind struggled to process everything that had been revealed.Elara smirked, clearly satisfied by the outcome."Well,” Ethan said finally, his voice rough and hollow. "I guess you finally achieved your aim. You got to see The Order crumble.”Elara smirked wider, gleeful satisfaction in her eyes.“Oh, definitely yes,” she said. "But I’m not satisfied yet. This—” she gestured around the chamber mockingly, her cuffed hands sweeping in an arc, “this is not enough. I wanted everything associated with the Aurelius family name to crumble. Not just The Order. Everything.” Her smirk lingered.He took a deep breath, the weight of everything pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.He rubbed his face with both hands, his fingers pressing against his eyes as if he could somehow push away the reality of what had just happene

As Ethan stepped outside, he found Theo leaning against Ethan’s car.Ethan’s jaw tightened. He didn’t look at Theo as he spoke.“Just give it up, Theo,” he said flatly, walking toward the car. "There’s no point anymore. I believe every word Elara told me. It’s over.”Earlier, before Ethan had left the mansion, Theo had suggested that Ethan perform a spirit communion to speak directly with Magnus’ spirit and verify the truth."Get the truth from the source instead of trusting someone with a clear agenda," Theo had said.But Ethan had refused to.“But why? This could prove your father’s innocence—or at least give you certainty instead of this torment. Yes, there’s a risk that using death magic might drain some of your power permanently, but the historical records show most Kings of the World who’ve performed it retained their powers. The risk is minimal compared to—”“I said no!” Ethan had snapped, and that had been the end of the discussion.Now, as Ethan tried to get past him to the