Ch.29 The Weight of Truth

Chapter 29 — The Weight of Truth

Seraphina raised one hand slightly. Silvia stepped forward again and began placing additional documents on the table in front of Ren and Lyra, arranging them with careful precision.

“These are the original letters,” Seraphina said calmly. “Written in Prince Cedric’s own hand and stamped with his personal seal. You may examine the mana signature on the wax if you wish. It has been verified.”

Ren picked up the first letter. The handwriting was elegant but arrogant. In one passage, the prince clearly wrote that “the Eastern Wolf Territory must fall first” so that the supply of high-quality silver wolf slaves could increase. Another letter discussed the expected profits from a prolonged border war.

Next, Silvia placed several bound ledgers on the table.

“These are financial records from Duke Hadrian Voss’s trading companies,” Seraphina continued. “They show large payments transferred to the Blackfang Hyena Tribe in the months leading up to the attack on the Silver Wolf Tribe. Shortly after the massacre, the same companies recorded a sharp increase in the sale of wolf-type beastman slaves.”

Lyra’s hands had begun to tremble slightly, but she forced herself to keep reading.

Seraphina then gestured to a different set of letters — these ones rougher in quality, written on thicker beast-nation parchment.

“These are exchanges between Prime Minister Vaelrik Blackthorn of Fenrisgard and the leader of the Blackfang Hyena Tribe. They discuss the timing of the attack and the division of spoils.”

She paused, her blue eyes settling on Lyra with a heavier gaze.

“There is something else you were never told.”

The room seemed to grow quieter.

“There was a traitor inside the Silver Wolf Tribe itself. It was your older brother.”

Lyra’s head snapped up. Her crimson eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

“That… that’s impossible,” she whispered.

Seraphina did not look away.

“He was jealous of you. Even though you were younger and a woman, your talent and the support of your father made it likely that you would become the next head of the family. He could not accept that. So he contacted the Blackfang Hyenas in secret and helped them plan the attack, believing he would be rewarded with the position of tribal leader afterward.”

Silvia placed one final letter in front of Lyra. The handwriting belonged to the hyena tribe leader.

Seraphina’s voice remained steady, almost gentle, as she delivered the cruelest part.

“The hyenas betrayed him as well. In this letter, the hyena leader asks Prime Minister Vaelrik what should be done with your brother once the attack begins. The Prime Minister’s reply is clear: kill him during the raid, leave no evidence, and make certain that Lyra Valeford is captured alive. She was to be sold specifically to the Crown Prince of Valdoria.”

The words struck the room like a physical blow.

Lyra’s breathing became uneven. Her fingers clenched the edge of the table so tightly that the wood creaked. For a moment it looked as if she might stand up and tear the letters apart. Instead, she remained frozen, staring down at the proof that her own blood had helped destroy everything she loved — and had been discarded the moment he was no longer useful.

Ren watched her quietly, then reached out and placed his hand over hers. The simple contact seemed to anchor her.

Seraphina continued, giving them time to absorb the revelation.

“A map was also recovered.” She unfolded a detailed chart showing the border regions. Several routes were marked in red. “This is the exact path the combined forces of the human army and the hyena tribe used. It was a route that only someone with inside knowledge of both the Silver Wolf defenses and the hyena movements could have provided.”

Finally, she placed a single copied page from a secret royal court record on the table.

“This is a partial transcript from a closed meeting. Duke Hadrian Voss is recorded suggesting that a controlled, prolonged war along the eastern border would be ‘economically beneficial’ for certain trading houses. Prince Cedric was present at that meeting.”

When the last document was laid down, Seraphina folded her hands on the table and looked at both of them.

“This is the complete picture. The destruction of the Silver Wolf Tribe was not a simple act of tribal betrayal. It was a calculated operation arranged by a prince, a duke, a prime minister, and a jealous brother who paid for his ambition with his life.”

Silence returned, heavier than before.

Lyra’s eyes were damp, but no tears fell. The shock had already begun hardening into something colder and sharper. Ren remained still, his hand still covering hers, his mind rapidly arranging the new information into a clearer, darker shape.

Seraphina waited.

The truth had been laid bare.

Now it was their turn to decide what to do with it.

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