The sounds of swords clashing in the corridor and the screams of men were the only things that could be heard in the imperial palace; the emperor sat on his throne.

  He was a man in his late sixties with long black hair and blue eyes. He wore a flowing white robe shimmering with golden threads, and his crown sat on top of his head, exuding an aura of regal majesty.

  Surrounded by his most loyal knights, the looks in their eyes showed that they knew well that no one would live past this day. As the doors to the great hall were swung open, almost fifty men clad in full plate armor with different insignia on their chests rushed the room, positioning themselves to face the best knights in their realm.

  As someone called "My emperor, "all the other noises died, and everyone focused on the source. A man looking to be in his late forties, with his helmet held to his side, stepped forward and fell on his left knee.

  "I see that the other dukes didn't follow you here, Maxim, " The emperor said. "your father would be ashamed if he saw you now."

  The duke winced at the mention of his father, remembering how he always talked about honor and their duty towards the crown and the empire. He stood up, not waiting to be told to do so, and said, "The other dukes are ashamed to meet you, my emperor, and so am I, but someone had to do it."

  He looked at the knights standing beside the emperor and in front of him. None of them said anything, no insults, no attempts to persuade him; some looked at him disgusted, while others carried faces full of pain and regret. He knew all these knights personally. They were all from noble families and had chosen the honor to serve the imperial family. He trained with them, fought alongside them, and bled with them; they were like brothers to him.

  It pained him to see them die, but he knew more than anyone that they would never turn their blades against his majesty, unlike him and the other nobles, even though these knights knew what the emperor was doing would doom the empire.

  "Why? Why do all this? Why waste the lives of our people while our enemies are on our borders and monsters waves hitting our cities WHY?"

  The duke tried to reply, but the emperor cut him off. "Have I wronged any of you? Especially you, Maxim? Is this how you repay me by slaughtering my family and my men ?" The way the emperor rasped for air after saying that was a clear sign that he didn't have much time left—weeks, maybe less.

  The duke said, "We talked to you. We tried to convince you multiple times that the crown prince was not someone who should hold the empire's power, but you didn't listen."

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  He paused and said, "The second prince, the fourth prince. Even if you had chosen the princess, no one would have said anything; the crown prince is immoral and evil. He cares only about himself and his lusts."

  "He will return soon, even though your mages interrupted the greater teleport spell. Word was sent to him and his army. We will deal with the elves later. He will come here and avenge me and take what's rightfully his," the emperor said.

  "That's where you are wrong, my emperor. Even giving him the imperial legion was a huge mistake. Even though it pains me to lose those fine men, they will listen to no orders but yours and the crown prince's."

  "What do you mean ?" The emperor said, a look of horror on his face. "What did you do? "

  "We made a deal with the elves, "Maxim said, a look of pain clear on his face. "They will field their best even though they might not fare well against our imperial legions in the open field. Duke Elmer will take care of that." He didn't have to say anything; everyone knew what would happen to the imperial army.

  The duke continued, "They will withdraw after the fall of the imperial army and finish the negotiations with Duke Elmer on the scene; we promised to return a huge portion of the lands we acquired from them during the last invasion and to sign a peace treaty for the upcoming fifty years."

  The emperor looked at the duke for a while, then sighed and said, "I thought I taught you better, Maxim. The elves, the beast folk, and other human kingdoms won't stop at a treaty or a piece of land after the fall of the imperial army. They will rally their armies and invade. They hate the empire to the death, and they have every right to do so. Our ancestors waged war, bringing death and demise upon their lands, claiming their best dungeons and sucking them dry. They still hold grudges. That's why in my 40 years of rule, I have never managed to sign a peace treaty with them even while giving them everything that they might have wanted, and you know that."

  The duke knew very well that what his emperor said was true, but he couldn't go against the other three dukes. He knew very well that all of them eyed the throne, and he was the only one fighting to keep that evil crown prince away from it.

  he didnt find any solution except this hard times were coming but he has to bear with them and take responsibilty of his actions and care for his people.

  Duke Maxim nodded at his men, then turned around and left the great hall. Tears were flowing down his face. He couldn't witness the death of the man he respected the most; he was like a father to him. While walking down the corridor, he remembered playing with the young emperor and his father as a kid and the lessons he had learned from them.

  The sounds of the fight erupted, and after a while, it stopped.

  The benevolence and the care the emperor showed his people were well known. Till now, he didn't know how his emperor could be related to that damned crown prince.

  In the summer of 1024, the imperial family of the Kagaham Empire ceased to exist.