The Empire had lost its ruler, and a princess now slept forever in the land she had loved so dearly.
Amid the chaos, Brando quietly withdrew. Just moments ago, he had been at the center of the vortex, but now he had become an outsider. Few people noticed him—a mere Eluin noble. Only the Old Chancellor stooped shakily to pick up the ring from the ground, then turned back to look at him, his murky eyes filled with complicated emotions.
Brando came to Qian's side. He raised his head and swept his gaze over Charles, Medisa, and the others, his heart filled with emotion. The passing of life was truly that simple. More often than not, in the very next moment, you no longer knew who would continue walking beside you.
He was worried about Roman and Hypamira's safety, while the Silver Queen's final words had filled his heart with an ominous premonition that hung over him like a gloomy ghost.
Why would the mighty Empire specifically name and invite a mere merchant on Eluin's diplomatic list?
As far as business talent went, Roman had only just begun to show promise. As for capital, she was far inferior to Ambersell's major commercial houses. Only now did Brando recall that the list had indeed contained something suspicious, yet he had completely failed to notice it. His heart was filled with self-reproach.
Yet he had never considered how inconspicuous that suspicious detail actually was. To the Empire, Tonigell and Eluin were no different. Both were insignificant little places. But the latter possessed a lord who had defeated the Temple of Flames, so the Empire had every reason to be curious about everything happening in that land.
The crowd moved forward slowly, bypassing Brando and Qian. The two could entirely be considered accomplices