…
"SURRENDER!" Sumin yelled to the fleeing thieves, flaunting the placement of his sword. He didn't need to say more to let them know that their teammate would die if they made any movement.
The captured man was young and less skilled however, he did not lack courage. Without hesitating he told his teammates to leave without him.
"He will go through a punishment worse than death." Sumin reminded the thieves as he pressed the sword a little more on the captured man's abdomen.
The man hissed when the sharp sword punctured his skin.
The thieves contemplated for a moment then signed something using their hands and fled the scene in a rush, leaving all the robbed items behind.
"Courage without perseverance is just stupidity." Sumin's eyes narrowed at the man lying on the ground as he said.
A team of inspectors came to Sumin's aid after a while. They examined the robbed materials and took away the captured thief.
In the cowshed, all the robbed items were scattered while the officers examined them thoroughly. There were gold coins, bars, precious gems, and a notebook.
Sumin picked up the notebook, it had symbols and scribbles on the first few pages and the rest was blank. "What language is this?" he thought after carefully analyzing the scribbles.
He still couldn't make out what was written but he could sense that there was more to these robberies, something big and he needed to find out.
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The King's Palace:
Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow across the opulent room. The king's chamber was adorned with intricate tapestries and valuable artifacts from across the kingdoms, reflecting the wealth and power of Hanna's ruler.
Maan was sitting before a grand mirror dressed in his undershirt and trousers, patiently waiting while the royal barber groomed him.
Meanwhile, two court ladies stood close to the king holding the royal garments. Their eyes were occasionally darting toward each other, suppressing sly grins. The reason was the red marks around the king's lips and neck, they couldn't help thinking that how far those red marks were on his body. A question only their imagination can answer or the queen.
Once the barber left after performing his duties, the court ladies and the man-servants came forward to dress up the king.
Under the guise of dressing the king, the court ladies examined his marks. The sensual tension that was born in the detached palace last night had traveled the whole palace through whispering words of the serving residents of the palace (Maids, court ladies, servants, courtiers, etc).
The court ladies were trying hard to not blush before the king because they couldn't hold their excitement in the face of the 'new addition' to the last night's events. They were dying to go out and tell this to their fellow court ladies and servants- the little joys of working in the palace.
Maan was aware of the matter and the secret glances of the court ladies who were dressing him up but he was too engrossed in his own thoughts to care. He appeared tired and exhausted; he had a long day ahead of him.
He knew how the rumors and gossip were born and died inside the walls of the palace, it was the first thing he had learned in the palace. But still, he hadn't gotten used to it, these rumors and gossip still bothered him.
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Shaom Holding Cell:
"He hasn't uttered a word." The prison in charge said to Sumin. "He has been sitting in that same corner since last night."
The captured young thief from last night's raid was sitting in one corner of the small prison, his hands tied with chains and one leg tied to a ringed nail hammered into the stone wall behind him. The cell lacked any basic amenities except the hay on the floor, it was just a small metal cage with a stone on one side and bars on the rest three.
'He is nervous.' Sumin saw fear in his eyes, the way he was crumpled in the corner. "He will break soon. Starve him. Only give water when he asks." Sumin ordered, his cold voice piercing through the underground cell.
The captive made himself even smaller after sensing Sumin's icy gaze on himself.
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The Royal Courtroom:-
Maan sighed, his finger coiled to make a fist as he maintained his posture while the ministers ogled him.
"Red suits your highness very well." A minister from the leftist side said suggestively and he wasn't referring to the king's royal robe.
Maan wanted to scoff at that old crook. "That is why I am the one wearing it." His snarky reply made the minister lower his head in embarrassment.
The royal advisor smirked at the minister with a scornful look but beneath it there was concern.
The assembly began by addressing small tax-related topics and the trade agreements which weren't opposed or discussed too much. Maan found it odd to see the assembly almost coming to an end without a debate or any aggressive blame game.
He wondered the reason, 'They seem to have plans or… are they setting up a trap.' He observed the ministers closely for any subtle signaling or hints.
Another person entered the courtroom, "Your Highness!" he bowed to the king and the queen-mother who was sitting behind the curtain.
It was Sumin, he had arrived to present the last night's raid and repeated theft incident to the assembly.
'This is why. They were waiting for the big game.' Maan smiled inwardly knowing that he can never have a peaceful day at court.
"Your Highness, I would suggest that we increase the security in the capital to catch the robbers." A leftist minister said.
Maan nodded while Sumin stood there waiting for the courtroom dramatics to end.
"The robbers are skilled in Martial arts and sword fighting. The civil department doesn't have that many personnel at the moment and calling them from other cities and villages will comprise the security of those places." Sumin stated. "I have come to make a request for assistance."
"Minister of Defense, assist the Inspector General with the military," Maan ordered.
"Your Highness…" the minister of defense came forward. "The problem remains the same with the military too, we cannot pull back the soldiers from assigned places and it will take time to call more from the base."
"Palace guards can assist for now until the troops arrive," Maan suggested. "Palace guards are skilled and capable."
"Your Highness…" The royal advisor said as he came forward. "… We must not give away the palace guards, what if this is what the robbers are waiting for? With security compromised, they could use this opportunity to attack the palace."
"What do you suggest then?" Maan said, he had realized the reason for the quiet atmosphere, they all had unanimously decided on one goal.
"If we could make use of a skilled army that isn't deployed anywhere and can arrive in time to the capital city." The royal secretary suggested, his words were bold and clear.
"Be clear, royal advisor." Maan wanted to laugh. 'They want the queen's army. With all these games, why make an excuse if they have already decided on what they want? Who are trying to convince when they all are together this time.' he thought.
As Maan had thought the royal advisor made a request to use the Maythene troops that had come to escort the queen and was currently resting at the outskirts of the capital city.
Maan agreed to it, he had to since all the ministers wanted to gain control of Maythene and its resources. Even though Maan didn't have a say in this, he still felt that the queen should have been informed about this beforehand.
"This calls for the Queen's approval," Maan said and asked a clerk to call the queen.
The ministers began murmuring, this wasn't supposed to happen. They never intended to seek the queen's approval.
"The king's word is absolute. We do not need a queen's approval, this isn't an internal court matter." Minister of War said.
Sumin glanced at his father, he had been inspecting and searching the location of the raid all night and his simple request was taking too long.
He knew what he was getting into when he told his father about the matter and was asked to bring the matter to the royal assembly.
"Everything here is about greed and power." Sumin thought while he heard the ministers argue about the queen's involvement and 'the king's rule'.
He had always hated the power abuse that goes on inside the palace, the reason why he never wanted to work in the palace. So, to serve Hanna's people better he took the job at the civil department and worked hard to make the investigation and civil security unit stronger and free from the influence of the palace officials.
He had dedicated seven years of his life to enhancing and making the investigation and civil security unit more efficient. After seven years, the investigation and security unit of the civil department was an independent body that solely looked out for the civilians and commoners instead of serving the wealthy, nobles, or the royals.
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"The queen's role is important but limited to the palace and internal court. This is defense and security, your highness…" The minister of war said.
"What roles are you referring to?" A sharp voice interrupted the court.
…