After reading the letter from Revival Palace, Tales drew a deep breath and forced down the indignation and frustration filling his chest.
Yet under the burning gazes of everyone present, the well-mannered Duke of Star Lake had no choice but to stare solemnly and seriously at the blank sheet of paper, pretending to read the short—no, impossibly short—"letter" for a full three minutes. Along the way, he even paused to take two sips of tea, frowning from time to time and nodding at others, muttering under his breath as though basking in a spring breeze. Once he finished, he covered the letter and pondered deeply, chewing over His Majesty's teachings for a long while. Only then did he carefully put away the letter, fold it securely, and give his subordinates a confident smile.
"How are things in the Royal Capital?"
"When will the relevant departments come to take over?"
"Is His Majesty satisfied with what happened in Emerald City?"
"Will Revival Palace send capable officials to assist us?"
"When are we going home?"
"Will they send the Standing Army?"
"How are Emerald City's debts going to be repaid?"
"How will the old Cavendil case be decided? Does His Majesty have any instructions?"
Facing the hopeful yet restless questions from the Star Lake Guard, Tales waved confidently and answered them one by one, saying that the king had a brilliant plan to pacify the southern shore, sacrificing the Prince and losing a fortune in the process... Ahem. In short, His Majesty Kessel was wise and brilliant, the ministers at court had left nothing unaccounted for, Revival Palace had made ingenious plans with far-reaching arrangements, and the entire Star Kingdom was being managed as one great game of chess. They had predicted everything about Emerald City's current situation and made arrangements long