Stalemate

This was indeed significant news.

Gawain sat there quietly, little emotion visible on his composed face, though he was clearly deep in thought. Victoria, standing beside him, instinctively sought confirmation from Amber. "Wales has been crowned? Is the information reliable?"

"The information is reliable—we've kept our intelligence operatives in Saint Suniel City active the whole time, and they're far more dependable in this regard than your Royal Shadow Guard," Amber said, glancing at Victoria. "The full details are still unclear, but it's confirmed that the new king's coronation has temporarily stabilized the situation in the royal capital. All Knight Orders and military corps in Saint Suniel have now sworn loyalty to the king, and Silver Castle has also announced that reinforcements will soon arrive. That has initially reassured the city's residents as well. In short, things in the royal capital are improving—for now."

Gawain nodded as he listened, then looked toward Victoria. "You said you understood Wales. Did you expect this move?"

"This..." Victoria hesitated slightly before slowly shaking her head. "This exceeded my expectations."

"I had some idea it might happen," Gawain said with a soft exhale. "Saint Suniel is a quagmire. You and I both know how those nobles operate. Even if news of reinforcements reached the city, they would still each have their own agenda. To bring the situation under control, Wales and Baldwin did not have many options."

"Is that so..."

Victoria spoke softly. Her face, seemingly forever veiled in frost, concealed all her thoughts. No one knew what the Grand Duke of Ice and Snow was feeling at this moment, but everyone understood one thing: the king who had been crowned at this moment had already stepped into the eye of the storm, and Ansu's regent duke system, which had lasted for a century, had