Each word landed like a physical blow. Finn forced himself to stand still, to keep his face neutral.
“You have no training, no education in diplomacy, no understanding of court protocol.” Thomas’s voice rose. “You’re going to embarrass us in front of the entire World Council. You’re going to destroy our reputation and prove to everyone that Darragh made a catastrophic mistake in choosing you over qualified candidates.”
The words echoed in the small room. Finn’s throat tightened, but he kept his voice steady. “So you tried to make sure I failed.”
“I tried to make you see reason.” Thomas turned away, unable to meet Finn’s eyes now that he’d said the words out loud. “If you failed badly enough, you’d leave voluntarily. Darragh could find someone suitable. Sure, you two would still be married, but you’d disappear into the wilderness of Winrone, and Darragh could have someone by his side who actually knows what they’re doing. I was trying to save Safe Harbor from humiliation.”
“By creating the humiliation yourself?” Darragh’s anger was cold and controlled, more frightening than if he’d shouted. “By sabotaging the summit you claim to be protecting?”
“I would have fixed it.” Thomas’s voice was defensive now. “Before the delegates arrived. I would have corrected everythingand made sure the summit ran perfectly. I just needed Finn to realize he wasn’t capable…”
“Finn IS capable.” Darragh’s words cut through Thomas’s explanation. “He figured out what you were doing. He set this trap. He’s been managing an entire castle, coordinating a summit, and dealing with your sabotage simultaneously. That takes competence you clearly can’t recognize.”
“He doesn’t belong…”
“He’s my husband.” Darragh’s voice dropped to something dangerous. “He’s king consort. And you’ve betrayed both of us and this kingdom with your snobbery and sabotage.”
Thomas finally looked at Darragh, a look of grief crossing his face. “I served your father for twenty years. Served you for five. Everything I did was for Safe Harbor.”
“No.” Darragh shook his head. “Everything you did was for your idea of what Safe Harbor should be. An idea that values appearance over substance, tradition over growth, and protocol over people.”
Helena moved forward, her expression carved from granite. “You have a choice, Thomas. Resign quietly tonight and leave Safe Harbor. We’ll provide references for service rendered prior to this incident. Or face formal charges for sabotage and treason, which will be tried publicly and will destroy not just your career but your family’s reputation.”
Thomas looked between them, calculating. Finn saw the moment he realized his career was over either way.
“I’ll resign.” His voice was hollow. “I’ll leave tonight.”
“Pack your belongings.” Aldric’s disappointment was palpable. “Be gone by dawn.”
Thomas nodded once. He walked to the door, paused, and looked back at Finn. “You still don’t belong here. Nothing changes that.”
He left, the door closing behind him with a quiet click.
Finn stood frozen, Thomas’s final words reverberating in his skull.You still don’t belong here.
“Finn…” Darragh started.
The shaking hit without warning. Finn’s hands trembled violently. His legs went weak. He grabbed the edge of the table to stay upright.
“He was right, though.” Finn’s voice came out strangled. “I don’t belong here. I’ve been failing at everything except the things he sabotaged. All my mistakes were real - the diplomatic incident with Count Villiers, the problems with the staff, the confusion in council meetings. All of it. Thomas just made it worse.”
“That’s not true…”
“It is!” Finn’s control shattered. “I seated Count Villiers wrong because I don’t know protocol. I reorganized the laundry and broke the entire household system because I don’t understand how castles work. I confused import and export taxes because I never learned economics. Those weren’t Thomas. Those were me.”
Darragh moved toward him, but Finn backed away.
“Thomas was trying to protect Safe Harbor from me. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should leave before I destroy everything at the summit.”
“Stop.” Darragh crossed the distance between them in two strides and gripped Finn’s shoulders. “Don’t give him that power. He was wrong about you. Wrong about everything.”
“How?” Finn’s voice cracked completely. “How was he wrong? Name one thing I’ve done successfully as king consort. One diplomatic success. One policy improvement. One…”
“You rebuilt the morale of the entire castle staff within a month of arriving. You identified and solved the structural issues in the east wing that we’ve been ignoring for years. You created organizational systems for this summit that are so thorough that even Thomas’s sabotage couldn’t break them.” Darragh’s fingers tightened. “You saw through his manipulation when the rest of us missed it. You planned this trap. You stood here and faced him down without flinching.”
Finn shook his head, tears burning his eyes. “I changed everything about who I am, and it still wasn’t enough…”
“Because he never wanted it to be enough.” Darragh pulled Finn against his chest. “He wanted you to fail regardless of what you did. You could have been perfect, and he still would have sabotaged you.”
