The First Stone Falls
Corruption does not collapse all at once.
It crumbles stone by stone.
After months of silent investigations, suspicion turned into certainty. Evidence converged, financial trails aligned, and patterns resurfaced from the past royal assassination.
One name appeared repeatedly:
The Minister of Commerce.
He was not the mastermind—but he was the gateway.
Arrest
At dawn, royal security forces entered the ministry without spectacle. No sirens, no force—only authority.
"You are under arrest by royal order for crimes against the state."
The minister smiled faintly.
"Finally."
Confrontation
Lee Soo-yeon entered the interrogation room alone.
Documents were placed on the table:
Financial transfers
Encrypted communications
Security protocol manipulation
Evidence linking both royal assassinations
"This was never personal," the minister said.
"Assassination is never personal," Lee Soo-yeon replied. "It is political."
The Truth
The minister admitted partial involvement:
"We protected stability."
Lee Soo-yeon answered calmly:
"A system that kills its king is not stability—it is decay."
The king chose public trial over immediate punishment.
Because corruption dies in light.
Ending
The kingdom watched in shock as the truth surfaced.
The first stone had fallen.
And everyone knew more would follow.
End of Chapter 19