"A jest, King Timothy!" Arthur spread his arms and smirked. "A mere harmless jest"

"Oh a jest. I didn't know that Prince Arthur Vanadis is such a good comedian. Now I feel bad for telling your father that I will teach you a lesson in respect and courtesy. It turns out you are merely jesting. How rude of me." Timothy drank from the cup of wine he was holding.

"I was insulted King Timothy. I was hurt." Arthur put his palm on his chest. "Such big words. Respect and courtesy. What did you mean by that anyway? I am curious as to how could you teach me those things."

Timothy chuckled. He pointed the cup towards Arthur. "I will teach you how the world works Prince Arthur." He then turned his head towards the door. "Abraham, could you please get in here"

After a while, the door opened and a huge armored man entered the room. He was nearly seven feet tall and had a hulking body.

"What is it Your Majesty?" Abraham asked.

Timothy opened his palms towards Abraham. "May I borrow your dagger Abraham?"

"Of course" the big man answered. He then gave Timothy his dagger.

Timothy looked at Arthur. He saw that the Prince had become more tensed after seeing the dagger. Timothy put the dagger in front of Arthur.

"Cut one of your fingers" Timothy said.

Arthur's jaw dropped. He looked at Timothy like he was looking at a crazy person. "Are you insane!? Why would I do that?"

"As punishment for your rudeness towards Lucia. You are lucky that I am a reasonable man Arthur. Because you see.." Timothy smiled and shook his head. "Calling her a wench is just too much for me."

"But she is a wench! I will not cut my finger for telling the truth. I will die before I let you have what you want" Arthur yelled.

"Funny that you mention that." Timothy looked at Abraham. "Abraham if he doesn't cut his finger, kill him."

Arthur was now shaking. "Kill me!? How dare you!"

Timothy tilted his head towards Abraham. "It seems the Prince doesn't believe that you could kill him Abraham. Tell me, are you capable of killing a Prince?"

"Just say the word King Timothy and the world will have one fewer Prince by the end of the day." Abraham answered.

"Heard that? Abraham is willing to end your life. Like what I said, I am reasonable. But I am also impatient. So make your choice now Arthur, your finger or your life?"

By now Timothy could see the fear in Arthur's eyes. The Prince was sweating hard. He was still obstinate but he was now afraid. He was shuddering. Timothy decided that it was enough.

"A jest!" Timothy exclaimed. He then laughed. "It was a jest Prince Arthur. A mere harmless jest."

The fear in Arthur's eyes quickly turned into anger. His lips folded and his eyebrows met. "Are you a fool!" He grabbed the dagger and pointed it towards Timothy "My pride will not be trampled like this!"

Abraham acted quickly and grabbed Arthur's wrist. With a flick of his hand, Arthur was forced to let go of the dagger.

Abraham then used his other hand to pin the Prince on the table. Arthur struggled but his strength was incomparable to Abraham's.

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"Pointing a dagger towards the direction of His Majesty is unforgivable." Abraham said.

Meanwhile, Timothy again grabbed the bottle of wine. It was already empty. He raised it and poured the last remaining droplets into his mouth.

Arthur was glaring towards Timothy. He was still panting. "I am Prince Arthur Vanadis. I am the heir to the Kingdom of Vanadis!"

"So you are. And now one word from me and you'll die. Kings, Princes, nobles, all of us will die. Where is your wealth now? Where is your position? When faced with death, all men are equal." Timothy said.

"Is that a threat!?"

"It is. I am threatening you" Timothy walked towards Arthur and put his mouth close to the prince's ear. "Tread lightly Arthur, for you are in the den of a predator. You said earlier that I am weak, that I have no power. But I am more powerful than what your puny stupid mind could imagine. You will become a King when your father dies, but you will never possess the same power as I do. One word from me and thousands will die. Fear me Arthur because I am a person to be feared. I am dangerous so watch your filthy mouth. You also said that the support of the people is intangible, that it is useless. How wrong you are. The support of the people is everything Arthur. Coins, armors, castles, ships, they are all useless without the people. It is they who are giving us, royals, the power. We are powerful because they decided that we are. Our power stems from an idea Arthur. It is merely an illusion. And you are a party magician who can't even do party tricks. While I… I am a damn illusionist."

Arthur calmed down. He was close to tears. His mouth was shaking. Timothy continued.

"Never, ever insult Lucia again Arthur. Lucia, your father and I are doing our best to save all our asses. Do not be a hindrance. I will tell you what you're going to do. From now on, you will behave. You will not talk unless talked to. You will not do something unless we told you to. You will follow like a good Prince. But most important of all, you will watch. You will learn respect, humility and wisdom. You will learn how to become a good King for the future of your Kingdom." Timothy paused to let his words sink in.

"If you don't do these things, then we can't be friends Arthur. If we can't be friends, then Lucia and I will be your enemies. To tell you frankly Arthur, you don't want us to be your enemies."

Timothy straightened his back. With a single gesture from him, Abraham let go of Arthur. But the Prince did not move after that. He just stared at the horizon.

Timothy walked away. He did not look back. He hoped that Arthur had learned a lesson today. He hoped that the Prince will someday change.

After opening the door, Timothy saw King Edmund waiting for him. The King looked at Timothy. "Walk with me King Timothy."

Timothy nodded and followed him. They walked side by side towards the garden of the villa. Neither of them talked.

"Thank you" King Edmund said after a while.

"I thought you are angry with me for treating your son like that"

"I am. I love my son and hearing him being lectured harshly makes me uncomfortable." King Edmund answered. "But I am impressed King Timothy. You are wise despite your age. You are firm like a rock. And what you did is the right thing. My son challenged your authority and insulted Lucia. Nobody should challenge a King's authority and insult his woman."

King Edmund stopped and sat on a stone bench in the garden. It was already dark but the villa was well-lit. He leaned and rested his back against the backrest of the bench. "I was worried, you know. As I watched Lucia grow, I realized that I will have trouble finding a suitable partner for her. My daughter is beautiful, smart and kind. She is a gem and finding a suitable match for her seemed impossible. So you can imagine how devastated I was after Lucia left Holm to marry you." He then looked at Timothy. "But now I am finally assured that she found her match. You are a good man Timothy and I approve of your relationship with my daughter."

Hearing King Edmund's approval made Timothy smile from ear to ear. He was really happy. Getting the approval of Lucia's father meant a lot to him.

"Thank you King Edmund."

"Father" Kind Edmund smiled. "Even though we are equals, I want you to call me Father whenever we're alone. That is if you're fine with that."

Timothy felt emotional. He felt a strange connection with this old man. The bond between a man and the father of his betrothed had always been strong. Both men were committed to protect a single woman. In their case, both Timothy and King Edmund wanted to make Lucia happy. That was the bond they shared.

Timothy nodded. "Yes Father"

**********************************************************

The next morning, Timothy and his allies started their journey towards Solon. It will take them ten days to reach the city.

Fifteen thousand mercenaries went to Knightsend while the rest will go with them. King Edmund also left the Vanadian Navy to defend Greenwater. If they lost the war, then Greenwater would be their escape route. But Timothy had no plans to let things come to that. They will win. With Lucia at his side, no army could defeat them.

He was happy that he found a father in the form of King Edmund. But now, it was time to face his own father. It was the time to strike. The wheels of the civil war had started turning.