"They weren't attacked," the king said, stopping abruptly. His voice lowered. "They were poisoned — after being condemned for certain crimes they confessed to."
"What kind of crimes?" Bruce asked.
"Crimes like laundering money, abusing their power, and… other things."
"And these crimes," Bruce pressed, "are they true?"
The king sighed deeply, the sound of a man carrying years of disappointment. "They weren't always like that," he said. "But after seeing how much the rogues profited from corruption, greed consumed them. They started following the same path they once punished others for."
He shook his head, frustration lacing his tone. "I reprimanded them. And they stopped. But when people began to notice irregularities — things missing, shifts in trade, unaccounted produce — instead of admitting guilt, they blamed innocent men. It became routine. And because no one could prove otherwise, they got away with it — until now."
