Lord Richberry’s face switched to the expression that King Henry had been looking forward to. It was not a good sight to behold. His face twitched in disgust at how Lord Richberry’s expression looked now. Had no one ever told him how ugly he looked in such an expression? What had even gotten into him to think that Roselyn would accept to get married to this man?

"But I’ve paid the bride price already Your Majesty," Lord Richberry voiced after a while of silence. He shifted uncomfortably on his seat. He thought that the king might be joking but the serious expression and vibe from him answered it all.

"I know. Which is why I’m going to repay you double. But you have to promise me one thing," Henry said in a low tone.

"I’m sorry but I can’t accept this Your Majesty. Almost everyone in the city knows that I was going to marry your daughter. This will stain my reputation. I cannot accept this, Your Majesty," Lord Richberry said without taking a breath after which he released a long sigh. King Henry had expected this. The man only cared about his reputation. And what about him? Did the fatty care about his reputation as a king? He was going to be a laughing stock in his own kingdom. That’s why he was going to do what he had to do, to save both his and his daughter’s reputation.

"I’m your king! I order you to accept the ransom Lord Richberry," he said, raising his authoritative voice. But as expected, the fatty was a hard nut to crack.

"Apologies Your Majesty. As a king, you are not supposed to force your subjects to do something they don’t want to, unless they are culprits which I am not." He said.

"What if you are one?" King Henry asked raising a brow. Lord Richberry looked at him with a confused expression. King Henry also saw the confused look on his face. Of course he wouldn’t confront the lord without a plan. That’s why he had investigated the source of Lord Richberry’s wealth and found out it was acquired illegally. And this was what he was going to use to confront him.

"I don’t know what you are trying to say, Sire," he said in a wavering voice. "My criminal record is clean, and you know that."

"Is it?" King Henry asked raising a brow. "If I were to summon you now and tell you to explain the source of your wealth, would you be so kind as to explain where it came from?" He asked. The question seemed to throw the Lord off but he was quick to regain his composure.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said. A slight tremor of fear could be traced in his wavering voice now.

"Young Master Nick RichBerry. Ever heard of that person?" King Henry asked. Lord Richberry’s face grew all shades of surprise and confusion. He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out, so he ended up closing it like a fish.

"I guess you do. That name rings a bell in your mind Lord Richberry," and bending closer to whisper something to his ear, "I know what you did to the rightful heir of the Richberry’s family and property. You massacred the young boy to acquire his wealth." He said and drew back to watch the Lord’s reaction. His face was the perfect definition of surprise. He had to remind himself to momentarily blink and breathe.

"It was a pleasure having you in my aboard, Lord Richberry," King Henry said and smiled wryly at the surprised Lord. "I hope we’ll have more time like this in the future, don’t you?" He threw the tantrum to only see the guy clench his fists.

"Escort Lord Richberry to his carriage," he told the knight. And turning to Lord Richberry, he said in a low tone," Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. Your bride price will be sent to your place soon." He winked at him making the Lord to clench his fists tightly.

"This is not the end," the fatty said with clenched teeth, and for the first time, King Henry was taken aback by his angry face. The expression on his face right now was enough to scare the heart out of someone. Scary was an under statement of how he looked. Of all the expressions, his angry self was the only one that at least gave off an impression. King Henry chuckled at that thought. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"This way My Lord," the knight said relieving the tension that hung in the room. His gaze darted between the king and Lord Richberry and he was certain a fight would ensue later, if not now. The daggers in Lord Richberry’s eyes! If looks could kill, RIP king Henry.

Lord Richberry eventually walked out of the room and gestured the knight not to follow him. He was not a kid after all. He knew his way around the palace and he had come alone. The knight escorting him would only add fuel to his already blazing inferno.

"Are you alright Your Majesty?" The knight enquired once Lord Richberry was out of sight. King Henry slouched back on his seat before he let out a sigh.

"Yes. I’m fine. Just need some time alone," he added. The knight took that as a signal to go so he nodded before he also exited the room. King Henry let out another sigh once the room was empty. He had lost count of how many times he had sighed today. But he was at least glad he had solved one problem.

And thinking of problems, he knew that it was the high time he reconciled with his family. That was why he needed to go back to Valoria, not for Roselyn, but for his wife. The few past days that he had stayed alone in the empty castle was enough torture to him. He wanted his wife back! Soon at that. He gulped down the contents of the glass in one go. Wine has been his confidant nowadays but for how long? He had to put an end to this!