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Darius bowed slightly. "Confusion of the battle. There was so much dust and falling rock... it must have seed blocked..."
Kai stepped close. "You also left with most of the mined star crystals." He opened his pack, withdrew a single piece. "We recovered only a loose piece."
Darius’s pupils shrank. Councilors whispered again, first threads of doubt weaving through the room. "Did he betray his team mbers? What should we do? This is very complicated." One of the elders asked the other elders.
Before questions could explode, twin doors swung wide and Princess Mia entered. Her aura stilled every tongue. She moved to the dais, her red eyes bright yet unreadable.
The vaulted ceilings of the War Hall echoed with hushed murmurs. Glittering torches set in gilded sconces cast long, wavering shadows across the polished marble floor. Little motes of dust drifted in the golden light, swirling like silent watchers of the great injustice about to unfold.
Kai stood at the far end of the dais, his two-star exoskeleton still bearing the faintest sheen of sweat and battle‐dirt. Beside him, Vexor leaned against a column, at the side. Princess Mia stepped forward. Her six-star aura flared softly, light enough to comfort rather than intimidate, yet strong enough to settle every ant present into a respectful hush.
"Brave warriors," Mia began, her voice carrying clearly across the silent hall. She inclined her head once to Kai, once to Vexor. "I know you have journeyed through perilous lands, endured harsh tempests, and faced savagery most vile. You have returned to share nightmares made flesh with the very gates of hell. Your valor and sacrifice have not been forgotten."
A ripple of respectful bowing spread among the councilors, other captains, and sergeants who lined the benches. Several younger ants dabbed at tears with folded leaf‐shrouds. For a heartbeat, Kai felt that justice might at last be served to Captain Darius. His secret betrayer, the man who had buried them on star crystals mine, ran from the predatory beast, and left friends to die.
But the mont passed.
Mia’s gaze drifted upward, as if acknowledging higher powers. Then she spoke again, her tone softening but hardening at the sa ti. "However... there are matters beyond your handling. Matters of blood, rank, and the ancient laws of our kingdom."
At her words, Kai’s mandibles snapped shut. He saw Darius’ evil smile in the background. There’s definitely sothing going on, without Kai’s knowledge. He used to be a soldier in his previous life, so he is ignorant of petty politics.
"Enough of this," she said softly. "There will be a full inquiry tomorrow. Tonight, honor the dead and tend the wounded."
She turned to Kai. "I would speak with you... now. Follow ."
They walked into a secluded courtyard where silver vines wrapped marble arches. Perfu of night flowers hung thick as velvet. Mia faced him beneath a crystal lamp. "Your report, Kai...I will judge it without any politics."
He told her everything, the mine, the ore‑eater predator, Lomar’s death, Thren self destruction, Renna’s injuries, Darius sealing the shaft. He kept silent about his Soul‑Cube secret, and crystal liquid or milk part.
Princess Mia’s eyes glowed softly in the pale courtyard light. Silver vines curled above them, scattering moonbeams like diamonds across the marble floor. At her side, a single white lily blood, its petals trembling as if moved by so inner magic.
Kai stood before her, the weight of the night’s revelations heavy on his shoulders. He had spoken truth in the War Hall, unmasked Darius’s betrayal, and now stood alone with the princess beneath the silent watch of the night sky.
Mia studied him in silence for several heartbeats. Then she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper yet cutting through the stillness like a blade.
"Kai..."
He lifted his mandibles in a solemn bow.
"Your courage tonight..." she began, then paused, searching for the right words. "It was more than I dared hope."
Kai hesitated. Then he sees the tears in her eyes, the sorrow she is feeling for all they had lost. For a mont, he saw again Lomar’s final sacrifice, Thren’s selfless end, Renna’s steady courage. A single, fierce vow burned in his mind: he would see Darius answer for his cris.
Mia seed to sense his thoughts. She reached out and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, a touch so light it was almost a breath.
"You have risked everything for truth and justice," she said quietly. "In our kingdom, that is a rare virtue indeed."
Kai looked up into her face, golden hair drifting around her like a halo. "Princess, I... I only did what was right."
Her red eyes softened. "And that is why I... admire you." She looked away for a mont, inhaling deeply the night air scented with lilies and jasmine. "But admiration alone cannot change our laws or save our friends."
Mia shivered slightly, and Kai prompted, "Princess?"
Mia drew a slow breath. "Kai, I know you wish to press for Darius’s punishnt. But..."
"Princess Mia," Kai said, step by faltering step, "Captain Darius... he must face judgnt for his treachery. He betrayed us. He nearly killed us all. He blocked the mine entrance. He—"
Mia was still touching Kai’s shoulder . "You know my heart, Kai. Yet I cannot grant him punishnt. It’s beyond my powers."
A gasp rippled through the air. Kai’s antennae trembled. "Why?" Kai burst out. "You are a Princess. Surely you can te out justice! The law belongs to you!"
Mia’s golden eyes were sad. She shook her head. Her golden hair brushing her shoulders like moonlight. "There is an older law. A law older even than my mother’s crown. A law of blood and birth, written before this city’s first stone was laid." She paused, letting the silence press in. "Only a noble female may pass judgnt in our realm. But Darius’ mother is Seven-Star rank," Mia said with inner rage.
"His mother," Mia repeated, "is a noble, The ancient laws of our ant kingdom are clear: lineage binds us to rcy. Only the Queen herself can punish him. But she won’t care about worker ants. In her eyes noble ants are more important. They have more potential. Darius also ranks up. It makes him more immune to the punishnt."
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