Night fell.
The night sky over Cecil City was blanketed in stars, their light mingling with the artificial lights below. A faint glow spread over the city, giving the starlight a hazy, dreamlike texture. Sir Golosh looked up at the stars of this foreign land and heard faint music drifting from the bustling districts in the distance.
The stars above Dragon's Landing Fortress were brighter than those here, but the nights were colder as well. It was not as prosperous there, yet it possessed a different kind of solemn grandeur.
Setting aside personal feelings, it was truly difficult to say which was better.
Asalina's voice came from beside him, interrupting Sir Golosh's thoughts. "Sir, your daughter has already left. If you still want to stand here in the cold wind for several hours, I won't be keeping you company—there's a warm room and a bedtime drink calling to me."
Golosh snapped out of his thoughts, his gaze leaving the dark night sky. He glanced in the direction Maggie had gone and shook his head with a complicated smile. "Do you think Gawain Cecil arranged for Maggie to meet me tonight?"
"As long as we are standing here, everything that happens around us can be regarded as the result of arrangements made by Emperor Cecil. There is no point dwelling on it," Asalina said, glancing at Golosh. "What matters is whether you are willing to accept these 'arrangements,' and whether they will affect your judgment as an ambassador."
The Dragon Seal Witch paused, then added, "As for my personal opinion—this may not be a bad thing. Everything Gawain Cecil has done so far has remained within proper bounds. He has carefully considered the feelings of the dragonkin, and he has been working to move this entire matter forward. You may see