00:00The next morning, the Grand Council Chamber buzzed with murmurs and rustling silk.
00:07Nobles filed into their seats, casting curious and uneasy glances at one another.
00:12They all knew why they'd been summoned, the news of the red-light district's chaos having reached throughout the entire
00:19kingdom, but none dared speak it aloud.
00:23At the front of the chamber, King Tobias stood beneath the towering crest of Lockmere, his expression unreadable.
00:32His guards, resplendent in ceremonial uniform, stood like statues at his side.
00:40Behind him, slightly to the right, stood Duke Collins and Prince Alistair, silent sentinels, their presence as pointed as the
00:49blades on their belts.
00:50Slowly, Tobias stepped forward.
00:55When I was crowned king, I swore to uphold the laws of Lockmere, to protect the people of this kingdom,
01:04to leave behind a legacy of order, not chaos.
01:09Peace, not corruption.
01:12No one moved, not a breath stirred.
01:17There are those among us who have forgotten what it means to hold power, who have used their titles, their
01:25influence, and their gold, not in service of this realm, but in service of vice, violence, and exploitation.
01:36He took another step forward.
01:38By now, I am sure you all know we have captured the keeper.
01:44However, the red-light district did not exist in isolation.
01:50It thrived because it was protected.
01:53By coin, by silence, and by names that should have stood for honor.
02:00A few nobles shifted in their seats.
02:22This book contains the names of every man and woman who did business with the keeper of the red-light
02:31district.
02:32Mouths tightened.
02:34Eyes darted around the table.
02:37Tobias let the words sink in before continuing.
02:42Effective immediately.
02:44The red-light district is outlawed.
02:47Trade with its merchants is forbidden.
02:50Its safe houses, gambling dens, and brothels are to be dismantled.
02:55And those whose names appear in this ledger?
02:59He paused, glancing up.
03:01We'll be stripped of their titles and lands.
03:05You have dishonored your oaths.
03:07You no longer deserve the protection of the crown.
03:12Gasps echoed through the room.
03:15Suddenly, a chair scraped loudly across the stone floor.
03:19Bertram, a portly noble with a florid complexion and trembling jowls, shot to his feet, his face red with fury.
03:29This is outrageous!
03:32He bellowed.
03:34You have no right to strip us of our birthright over unproven.
03:42Tobias raised a brow.
03:45Sit down.
03:46I will not!
03:49Bertram jabbed a finger at the ledger.
03:51Who's to say that wretched woman didn't forge those names to save her own skin?
03:58I've served this kingdom loyally for decades.
04:05By laundering coin through the red-light district?
04:08Edgar asked quietly, stepping forward.
04:13Bertram's bluster faltered.
04:15I...
04:16I invested in property.
04:20I didn't know where the funds were going.
04:23You expect us to believe that?
04:27Tobias said coldly.
04:29That you handed sacks of gold to ghosts?
04:33Bertram turned, trying to rally support from the others.
04:38You'd let a madwoman scribbles.
04:41Damn men who have sat in this chamber since before you were born.
04:47I let the truth damn them, Tobias said.
04:51And you.
04:53I know you worked with her.
04:56With that, Tobias gave a single nod to the guards.
04:59At once, two of them stepped forward from the edges of the chamber.
05:04Bertram flinched as their hands seized his arms.
05:09Unhand me!
05:10He shouted, twisting violently.
05:13This is tyranny.
05:14I am a peer of the realm.
05:18Not anymore, Tobias replied.
05:23Bertram's struggles turned into pleading as he was dragged through the chamber doors.
05:28The heavy thud of boots and his echoing protests the only sounds.
05:33Then Tobias turned back to the assembly, calm as ever.
05:38Anyone else?
05:40Not a soul stirred.
05:43Eventually, Reed cleared his throat.
05:48Your majesty.
05:50Tobias gestured to Reed, urging him to speak.
05:55Reed stood up, bowing his head to show his respect toward the king.
06:00And what of the displaced workers?
06:03Not all in the red light district were criminals.
06:06Many had no other place to go.
06:09What will become of them?
06:11Before Tobias could respond, Mark, the court official, shot up from his seat with a scoff.
06:18We didn't hesitate to imprison Declan, and he was one of your own.
06:23Why show leniency now?
06:26Round them up, all of them.
06:28Throw them in the dungeons where they belong.
06:31Many of the nobles murmured, agreeing with Mark.
06:34That's not justice, Reed argued.
06:38That's vengeance.
06:41Dominic stepped into the fray.
06:44Your majesty.
06:45What of the remaining quarters?
06:48The brothels, the dens, the forgeries?
06:50They're still standing.
06:52They're waiting for someone new to take control.
06:54What's the plan?
06:57A murmur rolled through the room like a wave,
06:59and suddenly the council erupted into competing voices.
07:02Use the land for military storage.
07:07Let's let them burn the entire thing to the ground.
07:10How many more times can they light the place on fire before it's just a pile of ash?
07:16Imprison the merchants.
07:18Set an example.
07:22Tobias held up a hand, but the din continued to grow.
07:26Then, slam.
07:28A fist struck the table.
07:30However, it wasn't Tobias.
07:34It was Alistair who stood up.
07:37Enough.
07:38He paced, circling the table slowly,
07:41his arms intertwined behind his back.
07:44Then he stopped and turned to Tobias, his gaze direct.
07:49This kingdom has one king.
07:52Whatever happens next should come from him.
07:56The future, the answer to all these questions,
07:59rests in one man's hands,
08:02and one man's hands alone.
08:05Tobias inhaled slowly,
08:07his hand clenched into a fist at his side as he stared at Alistair.
08:12There was a lot of truth in his words.
08:15However, at the same time,
08:18Tobias felt the weight of every eye in the chamber.
08:22The nobles, the guards,
08:25the scribes by the doors.
08:27They were all watching him.
08:30And he realized then,
08:32what happened next with the red light district.
08:36Whatever decision he made,
08:38wouldn't just reshape Lockmere.
08:41It would define his legacy.
08:44How he handled this
08:45could define his entire reign as king.
08:49Under all of that pressure,
08:51he knew he had to make the right decision.
08:55Tobias straightened, eyes sharp.
08:58I am still deciding the best course of action.
09:02But, know this,
09:05I will not allow more corruption
09:07to rise from the ashes
09:09of what we've just torn down.
09:12Lockmere deserves better.
09:14And I intend to deliver it.
