His gaze moved downward. Looking at the position of Interior Minister, Valient dearly wanted to give it to the God-Bestowed Count, Velin Ex, the uncle by marriage he had acknowledged.
Unfortunately, he could only think about it.
"Now, I can only rely on myself."
After taking a deep breath, Valient continued selecting suitable people to fill those positions. As for that black leather book, he had already chosen to forget it.
Since it was meant as a deterrent, it should remain a deterrent forever.
At Moon Shadow Manor, Velin, who was resting his head on Xuemya's lap, suddenly felt a hint of unease. But the feeling came quickly and faded just as fast.
"That's strange."
After thinking it over carefully and realizing he had not offended anyone lately, Velin shifted upward, moving closer to somewhere warmer.
Sensing the unusual feeling, Xuemya had no choice but to adjust her sitting position before continuing to read her magic book.
Only by improving every moment could she keep up with her husband.
Inside the main hall of an estate east of the royal capital, Duke Moravia sat in the seat of honor, lightly tapping the table with his hand, apparently lost in thought.
On the right side of the hall, a middle-aged man stood stiffly, carefully controlling his breathing so as not to disturb his father's thoughts.
"Your two younger brothers have both left, and I can't find anyone else right now. So you will be the Military Patrol Minister."
"Father, according to the order, it shouldn't have been my turn this time." The middle-aged man took a deep breath and objected.
Duke Moravia glared fiercely at the middle-aged man and said in a low voice, "Who told you to get trapped here? Since that's the case, if not you, then who?"
"I...