The King of Finagling: Shadows of Ambition (with short story)

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Credits and many thanks for the short story go to: A☆11

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The King of Finagling: Shadows of Ambition

After King Richard's death, the empire he had ruthlessly expanded began to fracture. His sons—Edwin the Bold, Alfred the Naive, and Victor the Shadowed—each laid claim to his throne. The king had ruled not through love but fear, taxing his people into despair and quashing dissent with cruelty. The seeds of distrust he sowed in his family now bore bitter fruit.

The dim light of a flickering candle dances across the chamber. Edwin stands alone before a map, his fingers hovering over the borders of his brothers’ lands, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

Edwin :
“They call me bold, but I am more than that—I am cunning. Alfred always played the fool, trusting in words while I moved with deeds. How easy it was to accuse him of treachery. A forged letter here, a whispered rumor there. Now he sits in a cold cell, shivering in chains, his cries for justice lost in the shadows.”

He steps closer to the map, tracing a line to Victor’s territory.

Edwin:
“And Victor... my dear brother, the shadow who thought he could outwit me. I promised him unity, a kingdom shared. He marched at my side, so eager to defend my claim. But I led him into a trap. His army scattered, his body left to rot in an unmarked grave. The people think me their savior. Fools.”

Edwin’s smile fades, replaced by a cold stare.

Edwin :
“Power is not about bloodshed; it is about manipulation. A forged document, a calculated betrayal—these are the weapons of a true king. My father ruled with fear, but he never understood the power of the mind. Now, the empire is mine.”

He turns from the map, addressing the empty room with quiet satisfaction.

Edwin:
“I am Edwin, the King of Finagling. I have no need for armies or allies—only the trust of fools and the weight of their inevitable downfall.”

He extinguishes the candle, plunging the room into darkness, where shadows hold the memories of betrayal and ambition.


With love, © Aífe