CHAPTER 311: SPECTACLE

10 days had passed since Grim had met with the Empress.

The Imperial Grand Ball was the social event of the season. Every noble house of significance attended. Ministers, generals, foreign dignitaries, and merchant princes all gathered in the palace’s great ballroom to see and be seen.

And this could not come at a better time. War was soon to unfold and a well timed ball was good for the soul.

Grim stood at the edge of the crowd, watching the elaborate spectacle unfold. Men in silk and velvet discussed politics over wine that cost more than most soldiers earned in a year.

Women in jeweled gowns maneuvered through conversations that could make or break political careers.

All of it felt like theater. Pretty costumes and rehearsed lines performed by people who had never felt real consequences for their actions.

That was about to change.

Max Luminaris held court near the center of the ballroom, surrounded by lesser nobles who laughed too loudly at his jokes and nodded too eagerly at his opinions.

He wore a blue doublet with the Luminaris family crest prominently displayed. His hair was styled perfectly. His smile was confident.

He looked like a man who believed himself untouchable.

[There he is,] Caius observed. [Your target has arrived.]

"I see him."

Max’s voice carried clearly across the ballroom as he regaled his audience with some amusing anecdote about trade negotiations. Several young ladies giggled at appropriate moments. A few older lords nodded with what appeared to be genuine interest.

The perfect picture of a popular heir to a powerful house.

Grim moved through the crowd with deliberate patience. He exchanged pleasantries with people he knew. Accepted congratulations on his successful return from Yanyu territory. Made small talk about the weather and upcoming harvest predictions.

All while positioning himself for maximum effect.

The moment came when Emperor Yanyu’s ambassador approached Max’s group. The foreign diplomat bowed appropriately and began discussing recent developments in his homeland.

"Such a tragedy about the diplomatic incident," the ambassador said with practiced regret. "Lady Levenhart’s imprisonment could have created serious complications between our kingdoms."

"Indeed," Max replied smoothly. "Though I understand the situation resolved itself favorably."

"Thanks to Lord Ambrose’s intervention," someone added.

"Yes, most fortunate." Max’s smile faltered slightly at the mention of Grim’s name. "Though one wonders what brought such harsh treatment down upon a simple diplomatic courier."

The opening Grim had been waiting for.

"That’s an excellent question," Grim said loudly enough to be heard across half the ballroom.

Conversations slowed as people turned to see who had spoken. Grim walked directly toward Max’s group, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor.

"Lord Ambrose," Max said with forced joviality. "How good to see you returned safely from your adventures."

"Adventures. Is that what you call rescuing torture victims from elven dungeons?"

The words carried clearly through the increasingly quiet ballroom. More conversations stopped as nobles turned their attention to what promised to be interesting drama.

"I meant no offense," Max said quickly. "Merely expressing relief at Lady Levenhart’s safe return."

"Ah yes, Lady Levenhart." Grim reached into his jacket and withdrew a folded document. "Since you seem so concerned about her welfare, perhaps you can explain this."

He held up the paper so the Luminaris seal was clearly visible to everyone watching.

Max’s face went pale. "I don’t know what you mean."

"This is a letter from you to Emperor Yanyu Du Shi Wang. Dated three weeks before Lady Levenhart’s arrest." Grim’s voice carried the authority of someone presenting evidence in a trial. "Would you like me to read the relevant portions?"

"That’s private correspondence," Max said desperately.

"Was. Past tense." Grim unfolded the document with deliberate care. "Let’s see what it says about Lady Levenhart’s diplomatic status."

The ballroom had gone completely silent. Even the musicians had stopped playing. Every eye in the room was fixed on the scene unfolding between the two nobles.

"I quote: ’The woman traveling under diplomatic protection is my former lover who betrayed me with state secrets.’" Grim’s voice carried clearly to every corner of the vast room. "Your former lover. Those were your words, weren’t they, Max?"

"This is ridiculous," Max protested, but his voice lacked conviction.

"Oh, but it gets better." Grim continued reading. "’She carries intelligence about Celestis military positions and has been feeding information to our enemies.’"

Gasps rippled through the assembled nobles. Several ladies placed their hands over their hearts in shocked dismay.

"Intelligence about military positions," Grim repeated. "About a woman on her first diplomatic mission outside the empire."

"You’re taking it out of context," Max said weakly.

"Am I? Let me read the final paragraph." Grim’s tone grew colder with each word. "’Given your past conflicts with the Celestis Empire, I thought you should know what kind of spy they’re sending to your court.’"

The gasps became exclamations of outrage. Voices rose throughout the ballroom as nobles began discussing the implications among themselves.

"Past conflicts," Grim said, letting the words hang in the air. "You deliberately triggered Emperor Yanyu’s hatred of our empire to ensure Lady Levenhart would face execution."

"She refused my marriage proposal," Max said suddenly, his composure cracking completely. "She humiliated me in front of half the court. Someone needed to teach her proper respect for..."

He stopped, realizing what he’d just admitted in front of hundreds of witnesses.

"There it is," Grim said with satisfaction. "The real reason. Lady Levenhart faced torture and death because Max Luminaris couldn’t handle rejection."

The ballroom erupted in angry voices. Noble houses that had daughters of marriageable age looked at Max with disgust. Politicians who valued diplomatic stability saw him as a liability. Even his own supporters began stepping away.

"You used false accusations of espionage to condemn an innocent woman to death because she wouldn’t marry you," Grim continued relentlessly. "Is that the behavior expected from the heir to House Luminaris?"

"I... that’s not... you don’t understand," Max stammered.

"I understand perfectly. You’re a coward who hides behind family influence instead of accepting personal responsibility."

Grim had Chen Xing forge a document and embellish a little just for this moment.

Max’s face flushed red with humiliation and rage. "You can’t speak to me like that!"

"I just did." Grim folded the letter and returned it to his jacket. "In front of everyone who matters in this empire."

The crowd around them had grown to include most of the ballroom’s attendees. Whispered conversations carried Max’s shame to every corner of the gathering. His reputation was being destroyed in real time.

"You’ll pay for this," Max hissed.

"Will I? With what? Your family’s political influence?" Grim’s smile held no warmth. "The same influence you abused to harm Lady Levenhart? I don’t think that currency has much value anymore."

Lord Luminaris himself pushed through the crowd, his face dark with fury. But his anger seemed directed at his son rather than at Grim.

"Explain yourself," his father demanded of Max. "Is this true?"

Max looked around desperately, seeking support from allies who were no longer there. The nobles who had laughed at his jokes minutes earlier now avoided eye contact. The young ladies who had giggled at his stories whispered behind fans.

"Father, I can explain..."

"Explain what? How you nearly started a diplomatic crisis because a woman refused your marriage proposal?"

"She needed to learn respect!"

"You needed to learn honor!" His coixe boomes through the hall. "And clearly failed that lesson completely."

The family confrontation drew even more attention. Servants appeared at the ballroom’s edges, drawn by the unprecedented drama unfolding before them.

"Your actions have shamed our entire house," Lord Luminaris continued. "Abusing diplomatic channels for personal revenge? Lying to foreign rulers? Condemning innocents to torture and death?"

"I didn’t mean for it to go that far," Max protested.

"You recommended execution," Grim said quietly. "How much further did you intend it to go?"

Max had no answer. His mouth opened and closed without producing sound. The confident heir who had held court minutes earlier was gone, replaced by a broken man whose reputation lay in ruins around his feet.

"This gathering is over," Lord Luminaris announced. "For our family."

Lord Luminaris had purposely lied and had his son take the blame for his actions.

He turned and walked toward the ballroom’s exit without another word. Max hurried to follow, his head down and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

The nobles parted before them like water before a ship’s prow. No one spoke to either man as they passed. The silence was more damning than any insult could have been.

As the ballroom doors closed behind the Luminaris family, conversation slowly resumed throughout the gathering. But the topic was universal: Max Luminaris’s spectacular fall from grace and what it meant for the political landscape.

Grim accepted congratulations from several nobles who approached to shake his hand. Comments about justice being served. Observations about the importance of protecting diplomatic immunity. Praise for his courage in exposing the truth.

All of it felt anticlimactic after weeks of life-and-death combat against elves.

[Well executed,] Caius observed. [Though perhaps too clean. Some enemies require messier solutions.]

"This enemy is finished. His family will never trust him with authority again. Other noble houses will avoid him like plague. He’ll spend the rest of his life as a cautionary tale."

[Sometimes living with consequences is worse than dying from them.]

"Exactly."

Grim made his way toward the ballroom’s exit, ready to return home and prepare for his departure to Yanyu territory. The Max Luminaris problem was solved.

Time to focus on more important matters. Like ending an elven invasion permanently.

He was almost to the door when a voice called out from behind him.

"Lord Grim van Ambrose!"