Chapter 272: The weight of the king's back

Amidst the sea of bewildered onlookers, which included not only the common folk but also the distinguished knights and loyal soldiers who had assembled to witness the king's actions, the young and enigmatic monarch, his demeanor a curious blend of purpose and a macabre fascination, stepped forward with an air of determination. 

King Conradin, his regal countenance etched with a sense of foreboding, extended his hand towards Leather's long, unkempt hair. The young king's fingers deftly wove themselves among the tangles and knots, and with a firm, resolute pull, he yanked on the captive's hair. Leather's severed head dangled grotesquely through the intertwining locks, now held aloft as if it were a grim and unsettling prize, a sinister emblem of the power and authority wielded by the monarch of Sicily.Leather's severed head's eyes stared lifelessly into the distance, frozen in a perpetual expression of shock and horror.