Chapter 25: Hardliners
The Royal Edict spread across the Kingdom of Aragon like wildfire.
By the time the week was out, it had been read aloud in town squares, copied in city halls, and nailed to the doors of churches and guildhouses. "Abolishment of Feudal Privilege" and "Unified Civil Code" became the talk of the capital—then the countryside, then the ports.
But inside the gilded estates and cathedral halls, it sparked something colder than conversation.
It sparked resistance.
In the ducal palace of Valencia, Duke Luis Ronda slammed his cane against the marble floor as his advisers read the last paragraph of the edict.
"Dissolved," the young clerk muttered, hesitating as he looked up from the scroll. "All hereditary administrative rights over land... dissolved."
The silence that followed was thick.
The duke turned away from the long oak table, walking toward the fireplace. His eyes were locked on the dancing flames, but his mind raced with fury. A life of inherited dominance—titles, privileges, unquestioned command over thousands—wiped away by one man with a pen.
"I warned them," he growled. "I said the boy was dangerous."
Beside him, his son and heir, Rafael, spoke cautiously. "They say the peasants cheered when it was read out loud in Tarragona."
"Of course they did. They always cheer when they think they’re free." He turned sharply. "But they’re not free. They’re just ownerless. Which makes them more dangerous."