"W-what?" Lord Omani croaked, his voice trembling as his tongue felt heavy, nearly paralyzed with fear.
His eyes darted around the room, searching desperately for support from the other ministers, silently begging them to back him up. But now that Lord Omani's sins had been exposed, the others were unwilling to risk becoming the next target of King Oberon's ire. Recognizing the king's tactics, they had no intention of aligning themselves with Omani, who was now the unfortunate scapegoat.
King Oberon wasn't done with him. His icy gaze locked onto Omani as he asked, "Tell me minster Omani, what is the penalty for attacking a royal?"
Omani's nerves were frayed, and he hesitated as fear held him in a tight vice. The look in Oberon's eyes warned him that stalling would only bring more suffering. With a dry swallow, he stammered, "D-death, Your Majesty."
