Kael nodded. “You probably could. But here’s the Bastard’s Dilemma you haven’t seen: If you win the throne by playing the Game, you inherit a court full of people who know only how to play the Game. They will turn on you the moment you stumble. ”
Lord Vennix, the spymaster, immediately began forging letters that implied the late King’s heir had plotted treason. General Thalia, who had always despised the backroom scheming, found her supply lines cut—someone wanted her army hungry and angry at her . The Keeper of the Coin, a quiet woman named Sera, discovered her ledgers had been altered to show massive embezzlement. Kings Fall Bastard Games
And so began the King’s Fall Bastard Games. Kael nodded
Kael gathered a small group of equally overlooked people: a stable hand who knew every secret tunnel, a scribe who could spot forged documents, a cook who heard every whispered conversation in the kitchens. They will turn on you the moment you stumble
The cleverest player was a woman named Miren, the King’s former bastard daughter, raised in the shadows. She had been taught the Games since childhood. She approached Kael one evening, knife-sharp smile on her face.