"The Temple? No! That can't be!"
"You must be mistaken! The Temple is holy!"
"This… This is blasphemy!"
"How could the Temple be involved in corruption?"
"No! This must be some kind of trick!"
People turned to each other, fear and confusion clear in their eyes.
"He's lying, right?"
"But what if he's telling the truth?"
"No! This isn't possible!"
A woman clutched her chest, looking pale. "The Temple has always been a beacon of justice!"
"Or maybe… maybe we were blind all along?"
A nervous energy spread like wildfire. People didn't know what to believe. The Temple was sacred. It was above suspicion. And yet—Kael stood there, grinning like a madman, throwing a truth too big for them to swallow.
And Ruth… Ruth didn't refute it.
The Grand Duke only stared at Kael, his eyes sharp as daggers.
"I'm sure he's lying!"
"How could the Temple steal public funds?!"
"Lies… It's all lies!"
