The Debt Of Fate

Chapter 335: Surrender

The royal guards shouted and rushed forward.

Steel flashed.

Ernest’s men reacted at once. Swords were drawn. The sharp clash of metal echoed through the hall.

The first guard who reached Ernest was blocked. One of Ernest’s men stepped in front of him and forced him back.

Another guard lunged forward.

Blades collided.

The sound was loud and harsh.

The hall fell into chaos.

Tables were overturned. Chairs were pushed aside.

Ernest did not retreat. Two of his most trusted men stood close, guarding him carefully.

The royal guards were many, but Ernest’s men were skilled. Their strikes were quick and firm.

A guard cried out and fell to the ground.

Another was disarmed and kicked aside.

The nobles and lords, shocked by the sudden violence, quickly moved away from the center of the hall.

They gathered in one corner, pressing against the cold stone walls.

Some crouched behind pillars.

Some covered their heads in fear.

But not all of them stayed back.

A few younger lords, trained in combat, looked at one another.

Slowly, they picked up the swords of the fallen guards.

"For His Majesty!" one shouted, stepping forward to aid the royal guards.

"For Prince Ernest!" another answered, rushing to stand beside Ernest’s men.

Even within the same hall, loyalties split.

Friends avoided each other’s eyes.

Inside the hall, the fighting grew fierce.

Boots slipped on the polished floor, now stained with blood.

The air grew heavy with the smell of steel and fear.

Edward stood near the throne, gripping the armrest tightly.

"Take him!" he roared again.

But every step the royal guards took toward Ernest was met with fierce resistance.

A guard finally found space between Ernest’s men and charged toward him, but he seemed to forget that although Ernest had been standing still, he was a general.

Ernest drew his sword and, in a swift movement, killed the guard.

This made Ernest leave the circle of his men.

The royal guards, seeing that Ernest was no longer well protected by his men, rushed forward. They divided into two: one group forced his men into combat, while the other tried to surround Ernest, but his movements and skills were fast.

One after another, every guard that came close to him was injured.

He kept defending rather than attacking. Some thought Ernest was still weak from the poison he had suffered some time ago, so he did not engage in a full battle. Only when it was too late did they realize that Ernest had been guarding them all along in order to get close to the king.

"Protect His Majesty!" a guard shouted as he noticed Ernest’s sword pointing toward the king.

The king’s personal guards, who had not left his side, engaged Ernest in a fight.

This time, Ernest’s men played the shield, stopping other guards from reaching the king.

In two moves, Ernest killed the first guard. The second guard moved forward. Ernest raised his sword but then looked at Edward.

"Why don’t you pick up your sword and fight? If you win, I surrender. If I win, you surrender. They are all men of the same kingdom; there is no need to kill each other," Ernest challenged Edward.

King Edward did not want to fight; after all, there was a chance he would lose. But seeing everyone looking at him, he was forced to draw his sword.

"Challenge accepted," he said, moving forward.

Those fighting paused, but their guards were up. Each side still had their swords ready to defend.

Ernest stepped forward.

Edward met him halfway.

Their swords clashed.

The sound of steel striking steel rang through the hall.

Edward attacked first. His strikes were heavy and fast. He aimed for Ernest’s shoulder, then his side.

Ernest blocked calmly.

Step back. Turn. Block again.

The force of their blows made sparks fly.

The nobles in the corner held their breath.

Edward was strong. He had trained since he was young. His anger gave power to his arms.

But Ernest was steady.

He moved with control.

He did not waste strength.

Edward swung low.

Ernest jumped back.

Edward pushed forward again, forcing Ernest to give ground.

For a moment, it looked like Edward was gaining the upper hand.

He turned his wrist and almost cut Ernest’s arm.

Gasps filled the hall.

But Ernest twisted his body and struck back.

His blade slid past Edward’s guard and cut across his sleeve.

Blood appeared.

Edward’s face hardened.

He attacked harder.

Their swords met again and again.

Each clash echoed loudly.

Edward was slightly at a disadvantage now. His breathing grew heavier.

Ernest’s movements were still smooth.

He struck once.

Edward barely blocked.

He struck again.

Edward stumbled one step back.

The throne was just behind him.

Ernest raised his sword.

Edward saw it.

For the first time, fear flashed in his eyes.

He knew he was about to lose.

Suddenly, Edward shouted, "Now!"

At that same moment—

A scream tore through the hall.

"Ahh!"

It was Anastasia.

Everyone turned.

A royal guard stood near the side entrance, holding her tightly.

A knife was pressed against her neck.

A thin line of blood ran down her skin.

"Stop!" someone shouted.

Ernest froze.

His eyes widened.

For a single second, his focus broke.

Edward used that moment to step back quickly, putting distance between them.

He moved closer to his remaining guards.

"Drop your sword," Edward said coldly.

The knife pressed deeper against Anastasia’s neck. She winced but did not cry again.

"Surrender," Edward declared, his voice loud and clear, "or she dies."

Edward gambled on the fact that Ernest would save his wife, either because of love or because he claimed he was seeking justice for his family.

"You..." Ernest pointed his sword at the king. He looked at Anastasia, whose neck was bleeding. "We had a deal," he said.

Everyone in the hall lowered their heads, feeling that Edward’s actions were disgraceful, but no one spoke.

All is fair in war and love, they say. Ernest also understood this.

"If you kill her, your mother and brother will also die," Ernest said.

Edward hesitated. He looked at Ernest. It was a known fact that his mother had fallen into Ernest’s hands, but his brother had been missing for months. How was he in Ernest’s hands?

"You were the one who kidnapped my brother?" Edward came to a realization.

"Don’t act surprised. You ordered it," Ernest lied. Even if everyone could see that he had been planning for a long time, he wanted the court to remember that he had been loyal.

"You..." Edward felt his gaze turn dark. He never expected that Ernest would dare to lie so openly. He had never ordered the kidnapping of his brother, but given the situation, even if he spoke up, no one would believe him.

"Surrender, or she dies," Edward said. After all, to order the death of his mother and brother, Ernest would have to send a message first. There was still time to save them later.

The hall was tense, but at that moment the door was pulled open. A guard covered in blood rushed in.

"Your Majesty, urgent news arrived at the gate earlier. The second region has fallen under Prince Ernest’s control," the guard said.

"Impossible..." Edward refused to believe it. Ernest should have moved his main force to the royal city. He could not divide them.

"What is so impossible?" Ernest asked. "The second region is only less than three days’ march away. I left my elite soldiers in the second region and marched toward the royal city. Last night they attacked the second region, and news should reach you by today. The people of the second region do not have much faith in you anyway," Ernest said.

Edward was furious. Indeed, he had almost lost the second region due to Lord Aureline. Even when he had won against Lord Aureline back then, those people never cheered. They believed that he had been rejected by the second region.

"Oh... I forgot to mention, those soldiers who abandoned their oath back then were hiding with me. For a chance to save their lives, they were willing to fight on my side," Ernest suddenly added.

King Edward could not help but cough. He was so angry that he wanted to kill someone. Simply because he beheaded a few soldiers to warn them against spreading rumors, those soldiers turned against him, and after a bloody battle they believed some baseless rumors and became deserters.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Just as Edward wanted to speak, another guard hurried inside. "The Eastern Gate has been besieged, Your Majesty. We must leave the royal city now," the guard said, arriving with a small reinforcement.

"I will not leave," Edward thundered. Then he turned to Ernest. "Do you surrender, or shall we kill her?" he asked.

Ernest looked at Anastasia, who was looking pale. His heart was beating fast. He had made all his plans, but he had miscalculated her safety. Although he knew Edward would play some tricks, he never expected him to be so shameless.

"I..." Ernest moved to drop his sword.

"You can’t trust him, my lord," Anastasia said. She knew even if Ernest dropped his sword, King Edward would not keep his word. If Ernest surrendered now, they might all lose their lives. One of them had to stay alive to take care of their children.