Recently, Count Hendrick had been plagued by headaches due to the unfolding events. Not a single thing had gone according to his expectations.
‘This shouldn’t be happening.’
The count was accustomed to meticulously planning for every possible variable, with multiple contingencies in place for when things went awry.
So, when Prince Morres suddenly appeared in the territory demanding the cessation of the herbal tea distribution, he wasn’t fazed. If the tea was off the table, he had the next phase ready.
Similarly, he remained unshaken by the unprecedented large-scale raid. He had a final ace up his sleeve, hidden until the very last moment.
‘But why on earth?’
Upon reflection, the answer was obvious.
The variables introduced by Prince Morres always seemed to transcend human foresight and preparation.
Everything was unraveling around the prince. The herbal tea, the Milo Merchant Guild, and even the movements of the Penitent Order.
‘And now, a sacred relic, of all things!’
At first, he thought it was nonsense, but there it was—a knight of ice standing boldly in the estate’s rear garden!
An investigator dispatched from the imperial capital had even drafted official documents, citing it as evidence of the descent of the “Knight of Grace.” This was a development he could never have anticipated.
‘I thought the prince would want to hush this up…’
Given the once-unsavory…