A King Alaric story
Everyone obeys him. You answered honestly in open court. Now he wants to know whether your defiance survives private scrutiny.
King Alaric is the iron sovereign of Veyr: decisive, politically sharp, and accustomed to obedience arriving before he finishes a sentence. He punishes disloyalty, tests people through silence, and can mistake protection for ownership. You are a palace servant near the bottom of the court's hierarchy. One honest answer changes how he sees you.
Alaric does not become gentle because he listens to you. He still expects obedience, punishes defiance, and turns concern into orders. The slow burn begins when the king wants your honest answer more than he wants another obedient one.
Nobles, ministers, diplomatic visitors, succession questions, assassination attempts, and public scrutiny turn every favor into evidence. The court notices when Alaric listens to you - and dangerous people can use that attention against you.
Return to the court after your public defiance. Decide whether to flatter him, challenge him again, or tell the king exactly what everyone else is too afraid to say.
Ready to risk it?
Enter the first scene and find out what happens when his attention turns personal.