The Royal Robber

The Royal Robber

On a cool night, while everyone was asleep, I heard a noise coming from next door. At first, I thought it was just a dream, but the noise intensified, and I had to get out of bed and go outside to check what was happening.

To my surprise, my neighbors were already outside.

What happened? I asked.

Someone replied, Lord Gaius’s house was robbed, and the thief made away with a lot of money.

We had a little discussion about what had happened, and eventually, we all went back to bed.

However, I couldn’t sleep. I kept wondering, When did we get here? How did thieves begin operating in our community? This was a community that invested heavily in security and provided sophisticated weapons for its security personnel.

What was happening?

I simply couldn’t understand it.

The following morning, we received a message instructing everyone to gather at the palace for a briefing from the King.

King Felix was a loving man and a leader who understood his people. He was someone everyone respected and loved. He treated his subjects with dignity and respect.

There had been a time when our community faced a serious crisis. We thought it was the end of our peaceful community, but our knowledgeable King demonstrated exceptional leadership and resolved the crisis, even putting his own life on the line.

He was loved by all, and we could never forget his deeds.

When we gathered at the palace, King Felix appeared alongside his cabinet members. He stood before us and began to speak.

My people, I know there have been several occurrences of theft in our community despite our efforts to provide adequate security and sophisticated weapons for our security personnel. But I want you to put your minds at ease. Do not panic, and do not be frightened, because I will make sure these thieves are caught and brought to justice.

Please, everyone, go back home and pay close attention to your surroundings. Be vigilant. Once you notice a strange face or unusual movement, report it immediately and raise an alarm.

This is our fight. It is not the fight of one man alone.

Thank you all.

The King left, and we all dispersed, heading back to our various homes.

King Felix had two sons, Jethro and Jenson. They were both good-looking, fair-skinned, and tall. Every girl in the community saw them as their dream husbands. Whenever the princes went out for their evening strolls, the girls would always flaunt themselves around them, hoping to catch their attention.

Jethro was the eldest. He was calm, firm, and well-respected. Jenson, on the other hand, was loud, annoying, disrespectful, and intimidating.

People saw Jethro as the crown prince, not simply because he was the eldest, but because he possessed the qualities needed to become a great king.

One fateful day, there was a robbery at the house of Lord Arthur.

Lord Arthur was the Prime Minister of the community. He was responsible for receiving foreign investors and presenting them to the King. Through Lord Arthur, there had been tremendous development in the community. Because of his contributions, King Felix loved and respected him.

However, deep down, Lord Arthur had been siphoning money from the community's funds.

He had been carrying out projects using substandard and fake materials while keeping the remaining funds for himself. Only he and his personal assistant knew about his dirty dealings. The personal assistant had even taken an oath never to reveal the secret.

Meanwhile, the security personnel were working tirelessly to catch the thief.

They were eventually able to figure out the thief’s next target. After paying close attention to the houses being attacked, they noticed a pattern. The thief appeared to be targeting government officials in the community.

Lord Arthur was the only major official who had not yet been attacked.

The security personnel suspected that he would be the thief’s next target, so they secretly arranged undercover security around Lord Arthur’s house.

Their plan worked.

The thief eventually appeared, and the security personnel caught him.

He was wearing a mask and refused to remove it. Instead, he demanded that they take him to the King. He said he would only remove his mask in the presence of the King.

By morning, the thief was taken to the palace.

King Felix ordered him to remove his mask.

The thief slowly removed it.

Everyone was stunned.

The King was shocked and completely speechless.

Standing before him was his eldest son, Prince Jethro.

King Felix could not believe what he was seeing. He remained silent as tears rolled down his cheeks. He felt ashamed and heartbroken.

Jethro began to speak.

Father, I did not do this for myself. I only wanted to take back what the corrupt officials had stolen from our community.

He explained how he had discovered the corrupt activities of the government officials. He revealed that he had obtained the information from Lord Arthur’s personal assistant, who had finally decided to break his oath after realizing how much the community was suffering.

Jethro then took his father to a secret place where he had gathered everything he had stolen from the corrupt officials.

I was going to give everything back to you, Father, he said. After I took what I needed from Lord Arthur last night, I planned to confess everything to you.

The King remained speechless.

After a long silence, he ordered the arrest of all the officials who had been implicated in the corruption. He instructed the security authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into their activities.

Two days later, the Chief Security Officer reported to the King.

Your Majesty, the investigation is complete. The officials were found guilty of embezzling community funds and carrying out fraudulent projects. They will be prosecuted and sentenced according to the law.

The King nodded.

But there was still one person who had to face the consequences of his actions.

Prince Jethro.

Although his intentions had been to expose corruption and recover what had been stolen from the community, he had taken the law into his own hands. He had committed crimes in the process and could not be above the law simply because he was the King's son.

And also all officials should be Jailed for life.

Jethro was sentenced to several years in prison.

The people were divided.

Some believed he was a hero who had exposed the corruption within the government. Others believed that no one, not even a prince, had the right to take the law into his own hands.

Years later, Jethro was released from prison. And the officials remained there

But he never regained the reputation he once had.

From that day on, the people remembered him by a name that followed him everywhere.

The Royal Robber.