Each noble, entering with important reports, read the atmosphere of the displeased king first.

Sitting deep in his chair, the king spoke.

“Tell me what I need to know first.”

Then one of the five stepped forward and said, “Well, let me go first. Mikhail Kyoung, who rules the western plain highlands, has requested a new priest.”

“A priest? Why? Are they offering prayers? Didn’t we send a priest to that region last month?”

In response to the king’s question, the substitute nodded.

“Yes. We offered prayers last quarter. This time, the land is drying up.”

“The land is drying up?”
“The outlying lands adjacent to the desert seem to have dried up a bit. It appears to be an area where agricultural zones are spread, so the damage is not insignificant.”

“Hmm.”

Although the water-rich kingdom rarely experienced drought, it wasn’t an entirely nonexistent phenomenon. There were occasional droughts with unknown causes.

The king, not taking it seriously, nodded casually.

“Send one priest.”

A simple matter was resolved.

“In my territory…”

As the king listened to the next report, his brow remained furrowed with concern for the princess.

“I shouldn’t just leave it alone.”

After all, even applause needs to be reciprocated.

“Could it be that he has already laid hands on the princess?”

Anger surged for a moment, but the blunt face of Giovanni quickly came to mind, and it quickly subsided.

“Hmm. It doesn’t seem like that. I really can’t understand his feelings.”

Given what remained in the kingdom, there must be a purpose, but not knowing what it is was the problem.

“The situation is complicated…”
“The situation seems to suggest an improvement in relations between the two countries on the surface, but one cannot believe it outright. The reason given for the improvement in relations is just an excuse, and ultimately, what matters is the royal marriage. However, there doesn’t seem to be much interest in the royal marriage, making the heart feel frustrated.

“The situation is complicated…”

For now, the royal marriage proposed by the Imperial side was not an official offer. It was merely the intention expressed by Prince Kun, not Emperor Khan.

Moreover, in the kingdom, they were reluctant to present Princess Jeongtong and instead opted for a substitute princess of the same status, making the progress of the marriage uncertain.

“The barbarians are making the situation even more complicated. It would have been better if they had expressed their dissatisfaction and left.

[Is the Crown Prince of an age to marry soon?] [I don’t know.] [What about Egréane?] [….] [She’s not my blood, but I truly think of her as my daughter. She’s no less than any noblewoman in appearance and temperament. It seems she views the Crown Prince favorably….] [That woman?] [Yes. Didn’t you feel it?] [….] [It’s so amusing; I’m more curious about the Crown Prince’s thoughts.] [I have nothing to say.] […Is that so?] [I guess I need to find out more.]

‘Whether he genuinely wants to learn more about Egréane or said it because he had nothing else to say remains unclear. He’ll likely act like a simple and ignorant barbarian.

It would be better if they left soon. The kingdom should keep a distance from the empire. They could pretend not to notice the raids on the outlying villages to maintain this distance. The most challenging part was the fact that the Imperial Prince was on the kingdom’s land.

‘There doesn’t seem to be any signs of illness.’ After observing, the Imperial Prince seemed healthy, actively wandering around. Of course, it would have been uneasy even if he stayed locked in his room.

‘But, on the other hand, having the 5th Prince show favor to the kingdom is a good thing.’ From the kingdom’s perspective, they could only think about the period after the change in imperial authority.

‘Lodlucki only believes in his noble lineage and is an arrogant guy who doesn’t care about anything. If that barbarian becomes the emperor, I don’t know what fate awaits me.’ Giovanni is a bit better, though not ideal. However, he is only better compared to Lodlucki, and the overly silent young prince is annoying.

‘I need to scrutinize Egréane more. Given her background, she will likely be loyal to me even with a little favor.’ The king, having finished various calculations in his mind, smiled contentedly. Finally, the reports from his subordinates started to reach his ears.

“What’s this? Even though I’ve been searching diligently, there’s no result.” Leo scrolled through the list of places where Hube was likely to be but shook his head in disappointment. With Hubert’s mansion empty, now was the perfect opportunity to find Leo’s whereabouts.
Now is the perfect opportunity with Hubert’s mansion empty. To find Leo’s whereabouts…

He explored not only places where Leo might be hiding but also abandoned temples and the central temple where they first met, but Leo’s whereabouts remained elusive.

Returning to the mansion without any success, now was the time.

As he touched Leo, who had now turned into an ordinary stone, he thought.

This is not Leo.