Chapter 56: Without Proof

There were things a king could not do simply because his heart demanded it. William could not abandon reason simply because he was a grieving father, nor could he ignore the council’s demands, even when he wanted nothing more than to do exactly that. He felt so helpless. Knowing that, despite being the king, if the entire council agreed that Basil should be punished, his power as king might not be enough to stop it was a bitter reality he could not ignore. The only reason he had been able to protect Basil so far was because some members of the council were still speaking up for him. He had to remain patient and measured, no matter how desperately he wanted to protect both of his sons.

I’m tired of being a king.

Lord Edward Harrington leaned forward, his expression stern. "I agree with Lord Thompson. Prince Basil must be punished for what happened to Prince Darius. I refuse to believe he took His Royal Highness to that particular boutique that day without a reason. Why that boutique? Why that day? Why would he take Prince Darius there only to leave him behind moments before the accident? I cannot believe he did not intend to kill His Highness"

"If Prince Basil is to be punished simply for bringing Darius to the boutique that day," King William finally spoke, his deep voice cutting through the chamber with quiet authority, "then you had best order my arrest as well. And the Queen’s." The chamber fell dead silent. Several lords exchanged uneasy glances.

"Your Majesty?" Lord Thompson asked, his tone faltering slightly.

"It was the Queen and I who instructed Darius to overhaul his wardrobe," King William stated coldly. "It was our decision to send him to Maison Estellio. Basil did not even know he would be escorting his brother until the order was given to him. We only wanted them to bond as brothers. How, then, do you propose he masterminded the entire setup?"

Lord Thompson cleared his throat, stiffening his posture. "Be that as it may, Your Majesty, Prince Basil still chose to leave him behind. Prince Darius would not have been standing in that parking lot when the vehicle struck him. Someone must take accountability! For weeks now, Your Majesty has shielded Prince Basil from consequence. It is time for accountability. If he is not to be imprisoned, then he must at least be stripped of his status as Crown Prince!"

"Calm yourselves, gentlemen."

Prime Minister Jonathan Ashcroft finally rose from his seat, clearing his throat as the voices around the table began to overlap. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

The room gradually quieted.

"I understand what everyone here is feeling," the Prime Minister began. "We have all been shaken by what happened to His Royal Highness Prince Darius. We all want answers. We all want whoever is responsible to be held accountable. But we cannot allow our desperation for justice to turn into an accusation without proof."

He looked directly at Lord Thompson. "Lord Thompson, you have presented circumstances that certainly deserve investigation. Prince Basil was with Prince Darius before the accident. But nobody knows why he stormed out of the boutique. Something must have happened, and the security footage has been wiped. These are facts that must be examined. But none of those facts establishes that Prince Basil arranged the accident."

The Prime Minister rested both hands against the table. "If Prince Basil truly intended to harm Prince Darius, why would he choose a method that would place suspicion on himself so immediately? Why would he take Prince Darius to a public boutique where numerous people could see them together? Why would he deliberately leave behind witnesses who could later say that he was the last person with Prince Darius? If he had planned this, there would have been far more discreet ways to accomplish it."

Lord Thompson opened his mouth, but Prime Minister Ashcroft raised a hand.

"Please, let me finish."

He continued, his voice remaining calm. "There is another fact we must consider. The very same Prince Basil you are accusing has spent almost every waking moment beside Prince Darius since the accident. For the past month, he has barely left the hospital. He has watched over his brother day after day, sleeping in hospital chairs, refusing to leave for more than a few minutes at a time. Everyone who has visited Prince Darius knows this."

His expression softened slightly. "The boy is barely recognizable now. Prince Basil has always been energetic, outspoken, and difficult to contain. Since the accident, he has become a shell of himself. You can count the number of times he has returned to the palace since that day. He is almost always at Darius’s bedside."

He looked around the room. "So ask yourselves this. If Prince Basil were responsible, would this truly be his behavior? Would a man who had successfully arranged his brother’s murder spend every single day sitting beside him, watching doctors fight to keep him alive? Or would he be concerned with protecting himself, destroying evidence, and preparing for whatever came next?"

Nobody answered.

"We cannot convict someone because the circumstances make us uncomfortable," Ashcroft continued. "Lord Adrian Mercer has confirmed that the CCTV footage was deliberately wiped. That is evidence of interference, not evidence of Basil’s guilt. Instead of spending another council meeting arguing over which theory sounds more convincing, we should put our resources into finding the person who erased that footage and identifying the driver who struck Prince Darius."

He turned toward Lord Thompson. "For all we know, this could have been a genuine hit-and-run. The driver may have panicked after realizing whom they had struck. Perhaps they were frightened when they discovered they had hit the Crown Prince and fled without thinking. We do not know yet. That is precisely why we need an investigation."

The Prime Minister paused before adding, "We need to approach this with clear heads. Someone must be held accountable for what happened to Prince Darius, but we will not find that person by deciding the answer before we have uncovered the truth."

William felt some of the pressure in his chest loosen. He had not realized how desperately he had needed someone else to say those words until they had been spoken.

The Prime Minister turned toward the King before continuing. "As for the matter of removing Prince Basil from his position as Crown Prince, I believe that decision should also be postponed."

Several council members immediately shifted in their seats.

"Prince Darius remains the rightful Crown Prince," Ashcroft said. "And we all pray that he wakes up. But until we know what will happen, Prince Basil should retain his position."

Lord Thompson frowned. "Even after everything?"

"Even after everything," Ashcroft replied firmly. "Because if, heaven forbid, something happens to Prince Darius and he does not wake up, Prince Basil remains the Crown Prince. Removing him now would create another succession crisis at the exact moment this kingdom can least afford one."

The room fell silent again.

Ashcroft looked toward the King. "This is not about choosing Prince Basil over Prince Darius. It is about refusing to make an irreversible decision while the fate of one of your sons remains uncertain."

William slowly blinked back tears. For the first time in weeks, he felt as though someone had taken a fraction of the weight from his shoulders.