The bitterness of the tea was a remarkable fit for my mood as the hot sun warmed my bed at the castle and my body.

"Are you sure that tea is all you need for today Your Majesty?" asked my chief servant Ludik who stood beside my bed. "It is unhealthy to ignore breakfast."

"Yes Ludik, and thank you for being considerate," I replied with a sad smile. "My sad thoughts are killing my appetite. My experience at the church will bring me many nightmares in the future."

"I respect your desire to keep the story of the church to yourself," said Ludik. "But remember that it will only get worse Your Majesty. As more days pass, you will keep observing all the flavors of sadness and atrocities that humans can do. That is sadly why many kings throughout history had retreated to their castles and let their viziers take rein of their nations."

"But what is troubling me Ludik is not the atrocities of humans but Salamander," I replied.

"It does not matter," Ludik bluntly replied. "It really does not matter whether the atrocities come from humans, Salamander, or another inhuman. Your reaction to them is all that matters."

I looked at my hands thoughtfully. "But I am no longer sure if this body can handle all of this. I thought that as a king my life would be easier. I thought that nothing could stop me. But I was wrong, very wrong."

"The weight of kingship, I think, is unbearable for any human to hold Your Majesty," Ludik replied. "I agree with you. A common mistake of a commoner can only bring scars, but a common mistake of a king can only bring death. It is quite an unfair fact that I hate it. And commoners, unfortunately, do not understand this. They will blame kings for every mistake they make thinking that they are supposed to be perfect. They forget that kings are imperfect humans."

He did not deny my statement but soothed it...

"I see," I replied. "It is always calming to talk to you Ludik. I am starting to get why Father was so reliant on you beyond your duties as a servant."

"And you may also rely on me Your Majesty," said Ludik with a kneel. "I would be happy to lift some of the kingship burdens from you, even if a little bit. I am also sure that your three viziers would be joyful to do the same... Oh, I forgot."

"Hmm, What is the matter Ludik?" I asked.

"Vizier Vold of Commerce had asked for an immediate meeting with you Your Majesty," said Ludik in a hurried tone. "He said it is about the millionaire Vin Chaldoon."

I rested my tired head on my right-hand palm. "Oh my God, not again. What has he done this time? Bring Vizier Vold to me immediately."

"I will in a minute," replied Ludik. He then left my room in quick footsteps and closed the door quietly.

The conclusion of the church incident has been more favorable than what I had thought.

After the torture I had received from Salamander I woke up at this very bed. I saw Ludik staring at me with an anxious and sweaty face.

Ludik informed me that the cart driver, the same one who had delivered me to the church, had found me unconscious just outside the church.

My body had completely healed as Salamander had promised. The cart driver then had carried me to his cart and brought me to the castle. He could have abducted me for a vast ransom, but he did not... I should reward him.

Now once I received this story from Ludik, I issued quick orders to stop anyone from entering the church. If the public saw the massacre inside, an uprising may occur in the kingdom to butcher those who did the cruel deed.

Instead, I ordered the army to clean up the whole church and bury all the dead in secrecy outside the kingdom. The families of the deceased will still be under the assumption that none had died. So they will be told that the missing people had left the kingdom, and until we could find them, I will soothe them with a constant stream of gold coins.

After about a year or two, they will get used to them missing. I will then tell the families that the missing people were found dead outside the kingdom.

I am lying to them; I do not deny it. But I am at least giving the relatives a temporary hope instead of sharp terror and frustration. This is the most peaceful solution I could come up with.

At a personal level, I can still feel the endless torture I had experienced from Salamander. If I recall what happened vividly, my body shivers once again.

But what pains me more is the death of all the misfortuned ones at the church.

Lord Salam had brainwashed Pia and Kaya. But ladies could still be quickly disciplined. Salamander twisted Pia's head till her neck went loose, and exploded Kaya's body like a balloon.

Varian died because I chose it. I chose it against my will after Salamander sliced my body seven times over and healed it back again. It was something outside my control, yet for some reason, I still blame myself for it.

Rayan was a sword prodigy, a symbol of skill at our army. But he died with a brutal and arrogant slash from that abomination of a priest.

Yes, the priest is the only one who is still alive besides me from the church incident. Salamander had completely ignored him and kept him tied up. I have currently locked him in an underground jail for I am still hopeful that he could change.

Their death daggers my heart and swells my bloodshot eyes. But the incoming footsteps forces me to ignore my emotions, lock them in and face what is in front of me.

After a few door knocks, Vizier Vold entered my room with Ludik behind him.

"I apologize for interrupting you so early in the day Your Majesty," said Vizier Vold of Commerce with a smooth kneel. " "The matter is about Vin Chaldoon as Ludik had briefed you."

"Do not apologize, Vizier Vold, for I understand that it is urgent," I replied. "Tell me what is the issue?"

"Yes, but before that and I do not mean to disrespect you Chief Servant Ludik," said Vold. "Could you please leave us alone? I want to ensure full secrecy."

"Of course Vizier Vold," replied Ludik. "That was my plan."

After that note, Ludik left the room and Vold began to talk.

"As you may already know Your Majesty Vin Chaldoon has plenty of dark history behind him. He had inherited inns, metal, and wood production houses from his late father. He also inherited vast piles of gold amounting to a million gold coins. After five years of his father's death, Vin Chaldoon had bought half of the banks in the kingdom. This allowed him to dominate the movement of money in the capital."

A hundred copper coins equal a single silver coin, and a hundred silver coins equal a single gold coin.

A million gold coins can buy a thousand luxurious and vast houses. It is also equivalent to purchasing ten million young and fast horses.

In the military, Vin Chaldoon could use his million gold coins to raise a hundred thousand well-equipped soldiers. They can annex any small country that he wants in no time.

"I am well aware of his financial position Vold," I replied. "Last year he secured unfair deals with many companies. Whenever they borrowed money from banks, Chaldoon tripled the usual interest rates on them until they agreed to his unfair deals. It took Father months to clean these disputes. But what about this time?"

"His wood and metal production houses buy thousand tons of iron and timber from his suppliers monthly. These suppliers are the major iron miners, and forest wood-cutters in the kingdom. Vin Chaldoon's production houses have been buying from these suppliers for thirty years, back from the days of his father. The problem now is that he is delaying his monthly payments to these suppliers."

"For how long?" I asked.

"Usually he has to pay within thirty days after the iron and timber orders get delivered to him by the suppliers. But now he is only paying the suppliers once every six months. They also agreed on giving Chaldoon a discount on his payments since he complains that he is short on gold, in which he is not."

I tossed the teacup I was drinking to the wall in front of me in anger, shattering it.

This bastard is causing poverty. Cannot Chaldoon imagine how painful it is to sleep on an empty stomach?

"And what have you done about it Ludik?" I asked.

"At first I received complaints from his timber and iron suppliers," said Vold. "Then I spoke with Vin Chaldoon himself three times. For the first time, he ignored what I had said claiming that he is busy. In the second time, he shouted, arguing that he has gold shortages. He said that had helped them a lot by purchasing from them for years. So there is nothing wrong if they helped him this time."

Vold went suddenly silent which surprised me.

"What is wrong Vold? What happened in the third time?" I asked.

"He gave me a warning Your Majesty," said Vold. He then folded his right arm sleeve, revealing a deep scar.

It looks like I have to apply the teachings of Salamander on Vin Chaldoon.