The Great Hall was packed.
Every seat filled with nobles, ministers, merchants, military officers. Those who couldn't get seats stood along the walls, crowding the doorways, straining to see. The Emperor sat on his throne, raised above the assembly, flanked by his council. Edrin stood to his right, newly confirmed as Crown Prince the day before. His expression was neutral, almost bored, but I caught him watching me as I took my position at the center of the hall.
Theron's empty seat beside the Emperor was a wound everyone could see but no one mentioned.
The Emperor raised his hand, and silence fell.
"We are here to examine evidence of conspiracy against the Crown. Of treason, corruption, and coordination with foreign powers that resulted in invasion of our eastern provinces. Imperial Warden Halvar will present the findings of her investigation."
He gestured to me. Every eye in the hall turned.
I stepped forward, carrying the weight of three months of work, dozens of witnesses, and evidence compiled from blood and loss.
"Your Majesty. Lords and ministers. What I present today is the result of an investigation that began with a single ambush on the northern road. Senior Warden Harven was killed. But before he died, evidence was recovered that led us here."
I held up the Rothera token, letting it catch the light.
"This token was found on a mercenary hired to kill imperial Wardens carrying evidence of border raid coordination. It bears the mark of House Rothera. But as we investigated further, we discovered the conspiracy went far deeper than one house."
I laid out the evidence methodically. The payment records. The witness testimony from brokers and merchants. The coded ledgers showing ministerial involvement. The proof of coordination with Rumanth that led to the eastern invasion.
The hall was silent as I spoke, punctuated only by gasps when particularly damning evidence was revealed.
When I reached the ministerial conspiracy, I named names.
"Ministers Corvas, Hallon, and Greave coordinated border garrison delays. They facilitated payments to criminal networks. They actively enabled foreign invasion in exchange for personal profit."
Murmurs rippled through the hall. The three ministers, present in chains, sat in the accused dock. Corvas tried to speak but guards silenced him.
"The evidence against them is overwhelming. Five witnesses have testified. Payment records confirm their involvement. And their own confessions, given to the Emperor, admit they were following orders from someone higher in the conspiracy."
I paused, letting that sink in.
"Princess Theron."
The hall erupted. Shouts, denials, shock. The Emperor raised his hand again, demanding silence.
"Princess Theron," I continued, my voice steady, "coordinated with Rumanth trade ministers. She forged imperial authorizations. She directed the Cast-Runner, Maros Welle, to organize payment networks and hire killers. She positioned herself to profit from the chaos while maintaining her public image as a loyal member of the imperial family."
I held up the letter Sael had died to obtain. The one with Theron's signature.
"This is proof. Direct correspondence between Princess Theron and Rumanth officials discussing terms for eastern territory occupation. It was recovered by Magistrate's Envoy Sael Varr of House Theylan, who gave his life pursuing this evidence."
The hall went quiet. Mentioning Sael's death made it personal. Made it real.
"Princess Theron," I continued, "learned of her impending arrest and fled Cerasis three days ago. She is currently believed to be in the Freemen Cities of Toma, beyond imperial reach. But her network remains. Her co-conspirators remain. And they will face justice."
I turned to address the assembly directly.
"What you see here is not the action of one house or one conspirator. This is systematic corruption that reached the highest levels of imperial government. It cost lives. It enabled invasion. It betrayed the trust of every person in this realm who believed their leaders served the Crown."
I let my gaze sweep the hall, watching faces.
Some looked horrified. Some looked calculating, wondering how this affected their own positions. And some looked guilty.
"The Emperor has empowered me to continue this investigation. To root out everyone involved, at every level. No one is above scrutiny. No house is protected. No position guarantees safety." I paused. "If you participated in this conspiracy, if you took payments or enabled corruption or looked the other way while people died, you have one chance. Come forward. Testify. Help us dismantle what remains of this network. Or be found and face justice without mercy."
The silence was absolute.
Then the Emperor stood.
"The evidence is clear. The conspiracy is proven. Ministers Corvas, Hallon, and Greave are convicted of treason. They will be executed at dawn." His voice was iron. "House Rothera is stripped of imperial favor pending further investigation. Assets are frozen. Members are confined to their estate until cleared of involvement."
He looked out over the assembly.
"My daughter's betrayal shames me and shames the Crown. But it will not protect those who enabled her. Imperial Warden Halvar has my full authority to continue her investigation. Anyone who obstructs her work obstructs the Crown itself."
He sat back down, and the hall erupted again. This time, guards couldn't silence it. Nobles arguing, ministers protesting, the accused shouting denials. Chaos spreading like fire.
I stood in the center of it, holding the evidence that had cost so much, and watched the realm fracture.
The hearing lasted six hours.
Witness after witness testified. Brokers. Merchants. Clerks who'd processed payments. Each one adding another piece to the puzzle, another name to the list of conspirators.
Edrin watched it all from his position beside the Emperor. I caught him looking at me several times, his expression unreadable.
When one witness testified about payments to "unnamed nobles who supported Princess Theron's network," I saw something flicker across Edrin's face. Not quite fear. Calculation.
As if he was measuring whether his name would come up.
The witness continued. "I processed payments to at least a dozen noble houses. Large sums. But the records were coded. I was never told who received them, only account numbers."
"Do you still have access to those records?" I asked.
"No. They were destroyed after Princess Theron's escape. Someone went through the payment offices and burned everything that might have connected additional conspirators."
"Who ordered the destruction?"
"I don't know. It happened the night of her escape. By the time anyone noticed, it was done."
The timing was suspicious. Too convenient. Someone had known exactly when to act.
I glanced at Edrin again. He met my eyes, expression still neutral.
But something in my gut twisted.
After the hearing ended, I returned to my office to find Joss waiting with a document.
"This came while you were presenting," he said, handing it to me. "From one of your informants. The one tracking financial records."
I unfolded it and read.
Payment records from a private bank. Dated months ago. Showing regular transfers from a coded account to various nobles and brokers. The amounts matched what we knew about conspiracy funding.
And at the bottom, a note from my informant.
*The source account belongs to someone in the imperial family. I couldn't get a name, but the account was opened three years ago with authorization from the heir's office.*
The heir's office.
Which meant either Theron, who'd been positioning for power for years.
Or Edrin, the official heir apparent.
I stared at the document, my hands steady even as my pulse quickened.
"Ryn?" Joss's voice was careful. "What is it?"
"Evidence that someone in the imperial family was funding the conspiracy. Someone who had access to heir authorization."
"Theron?"
"Maybe. Or..." I didn't finish.
Joss looked at the document, then at me. "You think it might be Edrin."
"I think we need to find out."
"That's dangerous. He's Crown Prince now. Investigating him without ironclad proof could destroy you."
"Not investigating could let him continue what Theron started."
Joss was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "What do you need?"
"Access to the heir's financial records. Three years back. And discretion. If he's involved, I need to know before he realizes I'm looking."
"And if you find proof?"
"Then I take it to the Emperor. And we find out if he values justice more than his heir."
That night, Edrin came to my office again.
He entered without knocking, carrying wine like before. But this time, his smile was tight.
"Impressive presentation today," he said, setting down the bottle. "You've made quite a few enemies."
"That was the point."
"Was it? Because from where I'm sitting, it looked like you declared war on half the court." He poured two cups, sliding one toward me. "Do you have any idea how many people left that hall wanting you dead?"
"I can guess."
"And you're not worried?"
"Should I be?"
He studied me. "You should be careful. Some of those people have resources. Connections. The ability to make problems disappear."
"Like Theron did?"
His expression flickered. "Yes. Like Theron did."
I picked up the wine but didn't drink. "Tell me something. When you heard the witness testify about payments to unnamed nobles, did you recognize any of the account numbers?"
"Why would I?"
"Because you have access to heir financial records. You would have seen transactions going through those accounts."
"Ryn, are you accusing me of something?"
"I'm asking a question."
He set down his cup carefully. "The payments went through coded accounts. I wouldn't have known what they were for unless I specifically investigated them. Which I didn't. Because unlike you, I'm not naturally suspicious of everyone."
"Maybe you should be."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means someone destroyed evidence the night Theron escaped. Someone who knew exactly what to burn and when to do it. Someone with access and authority."
"And you think that someone was me." It wasn't a question.
"I think I need to investigate every possibility. Including uncomfortable ones."
He stood, anger finally breaking through his careful control. "After everything I've done to help you. After I've supported your investigation, given you resources, protected you when others wanted you silenced. You're going to investigate me like I'm some common conspirator?"
"You offered to help. I didn't ask for it. And help doesn't buy immunity from scrutiny."
"This isn't about scrutiny. This is about trust. Or rather, your complete inability to trust anyone." His voice rose. "I've been honest with you from the beginning. I've shown you my hand. I've offered you everything I can offer. And you still look at me like I'm the enemy."
"Are you?"
The question hung between us.
Edrin's jaw clenched. Then he exhaled slowly, visibly controlling himself.
"No," he said quietly. "I'm not. But you'll never believe that, will you? Because believing it would mean letting someone in. And you'd rather be alone and suspicious than vulnerable and supported."
"I'd rather find the truth."
"Then find it. Investigate me. Dig through my finances. Question my staff. Do whatever you need to do." He walked to the door. "But when you don't find anything, when you realize you wasted time suspecting an ally while real enemies moved against you, remember this moment. Remember that I offered to help and you threw it back in my face."
"Edrin—"
"Save it." He opened the door. "I'll still support your investigation publicly. Because that serves the realm. But privately? We're done. I'm done trying to convince you I'm not the villain in your story."
He left, and I sat alone with my wine and my suspicions.
Maybe he was right. Maybe I was so damaged by betrayal that I couldn't recognize genuine help anymore.
Or maybe my instincts were correct, and his anger was the reaction of someone who knew I was getting close to the truth.
Either way, I had to know.
Even if it cost me the only ally I had left.