I'm Trapped Inside a Prince as the Most Powerful Entity-Chapter 82: The Big Meeting Starts

King Noor IV walked with a heavy heart. Captain Thomas led the way, and King Noor followed, his face grim. Eric and Alina trailed behind him, their steps quiet on the hard floors. The sound of their walking seemed loud in the otherwise still palace.

King Noor glanced at the guards they passed. Each one stood tall and strong in golden armor. He felt a power from them, much like Captain Thomas.

A thought pricked King Noor: Thomas was probably just a normal Imperial soldier. He wasn’t sure he could beat even one of them. This thought made his steps feel heavier. The Empire was truly a giant.

They walked and walked. Eric felt his palms start to sweat. Where were they going? Why did it feel like they were walking into a trap? Finally, Captain Thomas stopped before huge, dark wooden gates. Gold patterns shone on the wood.

King Noor’s breath caught in his throat. He knew these gates. He had stood before them once, a long time ago. It was not a good memory. This was the Council Meeting Ring Room. This was where the Emperor judged rulers. His worry deepened.

Captain Thomas pushed the heavy gates. They groaned open. King Noor, Eric, and Alina peered inside.

The room was vast. Eric saw many people sitting on raised chairs in a large circle. They were dressed in rich, royal clothes, and their faces were stern. Kings and queens, he realized, all looking at them.

At the far side, an enormous, empty throne waited. Two golden-armored soldiers stood stiffly behind it.

Eric’s stomach churned when he saw all those rulers. Their eyes turned, fixing on his father, then on him. The seriousness of the room felt like a physical weight.

The [System Interface] had tried to warn him, and now its silence was terrifying.

"System Window!" he thought desperately. "What were you saying? Why won’t you answer me now?" He repeated the plea in his mind.

He’d wanted to be independent of the System, but a part of him had always believed it would save him if things got truly bad. Now, it was gone. His fear grew. If the System abandoned him, what chance did he and his father have?

Alina gasped softly. So many powerful people, all looking at them. She felt their eyes on King Noor, then on Eric, then on her. She was scared. She reached out and clutched Eric’s arm tightly. Her hand was cold.

King Noor IV took a deep, slow breath. He would not let these staring faces or this grand room scare him. He started to move, intending to find his seat among the other rulers. He was a king, after all.

But Captain Thomas suddenly stepped forward, right in King Noor’s path. He blocked him. King Noor stopped, startled. Eric and Alina also looked up in surprise.

Thomas gestured with his hand, not towards the seats where the other kings sat, but to an empty stone platform in the very center of the room. It was lower than all the other seats.

"All three of you," Captain Thomas said. His voice was sharp and cold, all previous politeness gone. "Are to stand there. On the accused’s platform." He paused, his eyes hard.

"Your powers, your authorities, any magical abilities you might have, have all been nullified within this chamber by Imperial decree. You will stand before this council and answer. You must prove whether Prince Eric committed this crime or not. And you, King Noor, must answer for your son’s actions." Captain Thomas fell silent, his hand still pointing to the platform.

Eric felt a jolt of pure terror. Powers nullified? He couldn’t use his strength? Standing in the center like a criminal? The [System Interface]’s warnings screamed in his mind, even though the System itself was silent.

He felt trapped. King Noor looked at Thomas’s unyielding expression.

He looked at the cold faces of the other kings. No one was going to help them. He understood now. This was not a meeting; it was a trial. Their situation was terrible.

King Noor IV turned to Eric. His son’s face was white with fear. Alina was trembling beside him, her eyes wide. King Noor forced a small, tight smile. "Don’t worry," he said, his voice low, just for them.

"As long as I am here, I won’t let anything terrible happen to you." He tried to sound brave. He hoped they believed him.

Then, King Noor IV squared his shoulders and walked towards the central platform. Eric took a shaky breath and followed. Alina stayed close to Eric, her eyes darting around at the watching rulers. They stepped onto the cold stone, surrounded.

In one of the grand chairs, King James of Roland watched them. A cruel smile touched his lips. He leaned back, looking very pleased. Behind his throne, his son, the First Prince, kept his face carefully neutral, but Eric thought he saw a flicker of triumph in the Prince’s eyes.

On King James’s other side stood Princess Lily. She wore a red dress and had a sword at her waist. She looked at Eric with a thoughtful expression, not smiling, but not unkind either.

All the kings and queens were seated around them. King Noor, Eric, and Alina were in the very middle, looked down upon by everyone. King Noor knew they were in deep trouble.

A cold anger began to build inside him. ’When we get out of this,’ he swore to himself, ’after I deal with the problems in my own kingdom, Roland will pay. Even if the Empire stands in my way, Roland will answer for this.’

Suddenly, a hush fell over the entire room. All the kings and queens quickly stood up.

Another set of huge gates, even grander, opened on the far side of the room, behind the Emperor’s empty throne.

Golden-armored soldiers marched in. They were even bigger and looked more powerful than the others. Their heavy footsteps echoed. They lined up, making a path.

Then, Emperor Sir David walked in.

He was tall, with striking white hair and eyes as blue and sharp as ice. As he entered, Eric felt a wave of invisible pressure, an aura of immense power that made it hard to breathe.

This was Sir David, the warrior-emperor, the most powerful man on the continent. Stories of his might were legendary: he could defeat armies alone, they said. Eric felt a shiver of awe and fear.

Emperor Sir David walked to his great throne at the head of the council ring and sat down. He moved with a calm authority that filled the room.

Once Sir David was seated, all the kings bowed their heads low towards him. King Noor IV also bowed and gently nudged Eric. "Bow," he whispered. Eric quickly bowed his head. Alina copied them.

After everyone was seated again, Emperor Sir David’s piercing blue gaze fell upon King Noor IV and Prince Eric on the central platform. Eric felt that gaze like a physical touch. The Emperor raised a hand.

"Let this Imperial Council meeting," Emperor Sir David announced, his voice calm but powerful, echoing through the silent hall, "begin."

The moment the Emperor finished speaking, King James of Roland stood up. He bowed deeply to the Emperor. Then, he began to speak, his voice loud and filled with what sounded like deep sorrow, but King Noor knew it was fake.

"Sir David, great Emperor of this Empire," King James said, his voice ringing out. "We of Roland were peacefully obeying your laws, maintaining the peace you decreed. Then, the Third Prince of Estoria—" He pointed a dramatic finger directly at Eric.

Eric flinched. "—that is, Prince Eric, he invaded our borders! He killed many of our loyal soldiers! And when my own son, the First Prince, went to speak to Prince Eric peacefully, to remind him of Imperial law, Prince Eric attacked my First Prince! He injured him and showed nothing but contempt for your authority, Your Imperial Majesty!" King James finished, his voice trembling with false emotion.

Hearing his father’s words, the First Prince of Roland stood. He bowed to the Emperor. His voice, unlike his father’s, was calm and sounded sincere.

"Emperor Sir David, I have proof of Prince Eric’s aggression and his complete disregard for your law." He reached into his coat and pulled out a piece of a broken sword. The metal was jagged.

"This was used when he fought me." Then he produced a small, glowing magical crystal. "And this records his actions." He handed both items to an Imperial soldier who approached him. "I present these two pieces of evidence, Your Imperial Majesty," the First Prince declared, his voice firm. "They prove Prince Eric’s guilt."

The soldier took the broken sword piece and the glowing crystal. He turned and began to walk towards Emperor Sir David. Every eye in the room, especially Eric’s, followed those two items. Eric’s heart pounded. His future felt like it was walking away with that soldier.