The Hall of the Valhalla Tree fell silent for a moment--
Antitina slowly lowered her hand. The Rhombus Crystal in her palm emitted a faint glow, and the same ghostly light shone in Adviser Miss's eyes as she remained silent... Princess Griffine watched her from the side and asked softly, "What happened? What did Count Tonigell say? What's the situation in the Empire... and over at Meriyetrra? Are Count Tonigell and the others all right? Has the situation already become impossible to salvage?"
Antitina's eyes instantly cleared. As though coming back to herself, she suddenly realized what had happened. "What...? No, it's nothing. The situation over with the lord and the others is fine. There were some minor accidents, but everything is still under control." She fell silent. Brando rarely spoke to her about her father, but earlier he had solemnly asked about him.
"Antitina, there's something concerning your father that I want to discuss with you. How familiar are you with your father's life?"
"Familiar?"
"I mean, your father was passionate about exploration, but do you know where he went while he was alive? I mean, any particularly strange places?"
"Is that important, my lord?"
"It's very important--at least for now, Antitina, I suspect your father's death wasn't that simple."
Antitina's thoughts fell into chaos. She silently clenched the crystal, completely unaware as its sharp tip pierced her skin. Her father's death might not have been an accident, but a conspiracy. The word "conspiracy" kept leaping through her mind. Her memories of childhood were very simple. Back then, she and her family had lived in the Dendrobium District--it could not be considered a noble district, at most a place where Brags Castle's middle class gathered. During her childhood, her family's life had been fairly comfortable. Those had been carefree