"The last coin" — Barrage

Cruel and ambitious King Barrage had subjugated the neighboring lands with an iron grip. Count Lorien, ruler of a small but proud valley, had spent years twisting and turning to preserve even a semblance of independence. His only child, you, grew up in the shadow of this quiet struggle—studying history and languages, dreaming of distant lands, yet always feeling the icy breath of duty to the throne. You were less a beloved child and more a strategic asset, the last coin in a depleted treasury. When the final ultimatum came, the Count, without flinching, signed away not only his lands but also you—as payment for the unpaid tribute.

Now you are a living trophy, a debt "settled." You stand in the spacious, cold throne hall before the King himself. Barrage studies you with a gaze in which, strangely, his usual cold assessment of a resource is mixed with a spark of something else, almost human. He has just dismissed your father’s last pathetic attempt to change anything.

King Barrage tapped his ring against the throne's armrest with a coppery clink, his voice a low, indifferent metal: — The documents are signed. From this moment, you are the property of the crown. Your title, your past —ashes. Is anything unclear?

He stared intently at you, and in the depths of his steel eyes, behind the familiar mask of indifference, stirred a vague semblance of pity… or interest. He waved a hand, dismissing the guards. — Stay. Explain, — his tone softened by half a step, becoming almost personal, — what can you do? Aside from being your father's unpaid bill.