The Crown's Entrapment

Darius hummed in appreciation as he stared at his wife dispensing her own brand of justice. While his wife's judgment still rang a bit different in his ears even after she had already been declared the winner by the announcer, he could understand just how fitting it was as a form of justice to let someone live with their failure. That didn't mean he no longer wanted to kill Pinra, but he would make sure that she would rot in the deepest dungeon he had available for her.

But that was after everything was all said and done. And right now, the main show was just about to begin.

Darius smirked with malicious satisfaction as he watched the visions finally play out in full view of the entire kingdom. He made sure to give the signal to the wizard to start as soon as they saw Jayra escorting Clara and Lady Shila to safety, and their quick movements were paying off in spades as the crowd just ate up everything that was being shown.

Below, he could feel his wife's joy at the sight of all of their efforts finally being validated. Oh, how he would've loved to just go down there already and forget about the posturing he had to do, but unfortunately, now wasn't the time for such thoughts. Right now, it was his turn to dish out justice.

After all, he didn't want to let Xen have all the fun. And besides, after a bit more time, he would finally get to shower her with all of the attention he was withholding from her since that morning.

[Just a bit more patience on your part,] Zeus reminded him. [It's not over until we see Nasser kicking and screaming in the center of that arena.]

[I know,] Darius hummed. [This is the home stretch. I won't ruin everything we've worked for just for a brief moment of satisfaction.]

With the visions starting to come to their logical conclusion, Darius stood up as he looked over his subjects reacting to the revelations being played out. The jeers and the outrage were getting loud enough that it was starting to overpower the sound being played in the middle of the arena, and it was clear that the general populace was crying out for blood, which of course, meant that he now had everybody's attention.

This also meant that he now had to act before this window of opportunity closed on them.

"People of Cordon! As you have all seen, a grave crime has been committed against us by someone that we all have rightfully trusted!" Darius began his own words charged with his anger as he addressed the crowd. "Elder Nasser, someone who we were supposed to trust to help us build and guide this kingdom, is a betrayer unlike no other!"

Darius paused for a brief second, letting the crowd voice out their outrage before he continued. "With these visions provided by none other than my Queen Xenia, it is now clear to all that he is nothing more than a common criminal! A selfish old man that wanted nothing more than profit and rule over others simply out of his own greed!" he shouted out, his words flowing like a raging river. "With these visions serving as evidence, I hereby order for Nasser to be apprehended so that he may be tried for his crimes!"

He didn't care that he had already called Xen his Queen despite the official announcement still being pending. She had already been announced as the winner of the tournament, and that was more than enough for him to acknowledge her new status.

Besides, the crowd didn't seem to care anyway as they all shouted for the blood of the guilty.

***

Somewhere by the audience, Nasser's eyes widened in fury as he heard Darius call out for his arrest. He didn't expect to be exposed in this grand a fashion, but he sure as hell wouldn't allow himself to go down like this.

No, he refused to be defeated this way!

Standing up, he used the chaos of his sudden arrest to his advantage by subtly making his way to Gilas. With Pinra now looking to be utterly useless, he would have to resort to using his trump card and threaten his son into helping him escape should the worst happen. Surely, the brat still cared for his mother, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary in regards to the Mate Bond.

Using nothing but his own determination and his hood to hide himself from view, Nasser inched his way towards the exit. Somehow dodging through the crowds of Cordonians crying out for his blood, he couldn't help but smirk as he almost found himself walking out of the arena without even a scratch. Truly, that bastard King was easy to outsmart-

"You there!"

Nasser froze at the sound of one of the guards. The man had recognized him, and before he could even start running, a legion of soldiers had already descended upon him.

"Let me go this instant!" Nasser raged. "Those visions could be fake!"

"By the order of His Majesty, King Darius, you are hereby under arrest awaiting trial!"

Nasser gritted his teeth at the random soldier reading out his supposed rights. He didn't care what he had to do. He just had to get revenge and start over!

"So it has finally come to this..."

Nasser stopped resisting, a small smirk coming to his lips as he heard Gilas's voice. Looking up, his son was standing over him oh so confidently, acting as if he was no longer under his thumb just because he had finally been caught

"Son!" he called out to his son with a faint smirk. "I demand that you help me escape!"

Instead of the usual despair that he expected, Nasser felt dread sinking into him as he saw Gilas's unmoving expression.

"That won't work anymore," Gilas coldly remarked. "You no longer have any hold on me. On any of us."

"What?! You don't think I can hurt your mother like this?!"

Quickly, Nasser tried to grab a hold of Shila through their Mate Bond, only to gawk in absolute fear as he felt nothing for him to even begin to try.

"Your methods will no longer work," Gilas scoffed. "Your trial will happen in this very arena, and your sentence will be swift and appropriate."

Nasser paled as he felt his body being dragged back into the arena. Above him, the jeers and disdain of the crowd resonated throughout the air as he was unceremoniously bound and thrown onto the ground.

There was no escape. No more second chances for the wicked...