Chapter 55
Owen stared down at Eric, his eyes burning with fury.
Eric flinched instinctively.
The moment their eyes met, Owen grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward.
"You dared to touch my daughter?" Owen growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You dared to try and kill Aurora?"
Before Eric could answer, Owen threw him to the stone floor.
The impact knocked the air from Eric's lungs.
"Take him."
The knights immediately obeyed, dragging Eric through the cold corridors and into the dungeon's interrogation chamber.
The heavy iron door slammed shut behind them.
The sound echoed through the underground halls like a death sentence.
Turner and Alistair stood behind the duke, silent and tense.
Neither had ever seen Owen this angry.
The Duke of Ambrose had always been respected.
Today, he was terrifying.The cold dungeon suddenly felt colder.
Even the guards seemed nervous.
Eric's men had already broken under questioning. Some had confessed within minutes.
But Eric remained silent.
Owen stepped forward, "Who do you work for?"
Silence.
Eric lowered his head.
The duke's patience snapped.
His fist, slammed into the table beside Eric, making everyone jump.
"I asked you a question!"
Eric's entire body trembled, but he refused to speak. Not because he was loyal. Because he was afraid. Afraid of the man behind all of this.
Afraid of what would happen to his wife and son if he talked.
The room fell silent. Only the crackling of a torch could be heard.
Turner clenched his fists.
Alistair shifted uneasily.
Everyone could feel the tension building.
Finally, Owen let out a cold laugh, "You are protecting someone."
Eric's face paled.
Owen saw it immediately.
There.
The fear.
The hesitation.
The guilt.
The duke slowly sat down opposite him. His voice became calmer. Which somehow made him even more frightening.
"Tell me who it is."
Eric shut his eyes, "No."
Owen nodded slowly, "As you wish."
He turned toward one of the guards, "Bring in our guest."
Eric's eyes snapped open. Fear flooded his face.
"No..."
A few minutes later, the dungeon door opened. A frightened woman entered, tears streaming down her face.
Eric's wife.
Behind her stood a young boy clutching her hand.
Eric's son.
The little boy looked around the dungeon in confusion, "Daddy?"
Eric broke. Completely, "No!"
He struggled against the restraints, "Leave them out of this!"
His wife burst into tears.
The child started crying.
The sound echoed through the chamber.
For the first time, Owen saw genuine terror in Eric's eyes.
Not fear for himself.
Fear for his family.
"Please..." Eric begged. "Please don't involve them."
Owen stared at him, "I have no intention of harming them."
Eric looked up.
The duke's voice remained cold, "But my daughter nearly died because of you."
The words hit Eric harder than any blow. Guilt washed across his face. His shoulders sagged. The fight left him.
"I'll talk," he whispered.
Turner released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Alistair stepped closer.
Owen folded his arms, "Start from the beginning."
Eric nodded weakly.
And then he told them everything.
How two years ago his son had become gravely ill.
How no physician in the Duchy could help.
How he had been desperate.
How Lord Bracken had appeared like a saviour.
A physician had been brought in.
His son's life had been saved. But nothing came free.
Lord Bracken wanted repayment. At first, it seemed harmless. Small pieces of information. A few missing supplies. A few altered records.
Then more.
And more.
Until Eric found himself trapped.
He explained how the former head cook and former head maid had worked with him.
How supplies had been stolen from the estate and sold elsewhere.
How funds had quietly disappeared over the years.
How Lord Bracken's true goal was to weaken House Ambrose until the Duchy collapsed from within.
The room grew quieter with every revelation.
Then Eric revealed the worst part.
The attack on Aurora. The planned assassination. The order to make her death look like a robbery gone wrong.
Turner's knuckles turned white.
Alistair looked ready to draw his sword.
Several guards cursed under their breath.
Owen sat completely still.
Which frightened everyone more than if he had shouted.
His daughter.
His only child.
Had been marked for death.
And all because of one man's hatred.
When Eric finally finished speaking, silence filled the chamber.
Owen slowly closed his eyes.
Memories surfaced.
The Academy.
Long summer afternoons.
Sword training...Lessons...Friendships. And Lord Bracken. A man he once called a friend.
A man who had also fallen in love with Eleanor.
Bracken had never accepted her choice.
In his mind, Eleanor had chosen Owen because House Ambrose was wealthier and more powerful.
The jealousy had festered. Year after year. Turning into bitterness. Then hatred. And now revenge.
Owen opened his eyes. They were colder than ice.
"All these years...", His voice was barely above a whisper, "All these years you have been plotting against my family."
A dangerous silence settled over the room.
Then the Duke stood.
Every knight instinctively straightened.
Every servant lowered their gaze.
Because everyone knew what was coming next.
Lord Bracken had just declared war on House Ambrose.
And Duke Owen Ambrose intended to finish it.
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