Chapter 211: Another house down.
"Is it your wish to plead for the prime minister?" The King asked.
Viscount Durin nodded. Other nobles, Ladies and Ladies stood up, adding weight to Viscount Durin.
The king was not surprised to see other nobles standing up for the prime minister. Many of them owed him, for others, he knew their secrets and held their lives in his hands. Some were simply trying to join the cause because the tides in politics changed like the weather on the sea.
It could be calm today and unstable another. Today the prime minister was set to fall but it did not mean the end of the Windrider house. They were an old noble house whose wings spanned to other friendly neighboring kingdoms.
If someday they rose to power again, these nobles were hoping to be remembered.
King Raff leaned his head down on his right hand and said, "I would like to remind you all of the crimes that the prime minister is being charged with. Unlawful extraction of resources, illegal ownership of mines, endangering lives and betraying the trust of his king. What punishment do you think is best suited for his crimes?"
Murmurs rippled through the room as people pondered on what punishment he should be granted. The standard punishment was stripping of a noble title and death.
Before the decision of the king could be made, the prime minister lent his voice to the matter. "Your highness, Lords and ladies, I am guilty of my crimes and I am not going to hide from the punishment. What I do plead for are the lives of my wives and children. They are innocent in this matter as they knew nothing of this. As for my sons that knew of my crimes, they were drawn into this unwillingly by me.
They could not betray their father knowing too well what the punishment would be. My son Desire, he was at the mine closing it down. I can swear this on my ancestors. He is a righteous man that urged me to inform the king about the mines and use whatever proceeds I still had left to help in the food crisis of the North.