The Reason Behind It?

Fog swallowed Londinium.

The mist was thick as cotton, curling around the church spires and blurring the outlines of the cranes along the river docks, bathing the entire city in a gray haze.

The fog this winter was unlike that of previous years. It carried a choking smell.

Even so, those who had begun heating their homes with cheap briquettes were still sincerely grateful to the Meyers.

In Crown Prince Edward's private study, the fireplace was blazing.

Flames danced behind the cast-iron grate. Freshly added firewood crackled, and a faint scent of pine resin filled the room.

Edward sat in a high-backed velvet armchair, holding the full text of Frederick's public speech from the previous night, which had just been delivered by the intelligence department.

"That Wesen..." Edward shook his head with an amused smile. "He certainly made it sound convincing."

As a political animal, he instinctively believed that those in power had the right to lie to those beneath them.

The Duchy of Weissen was no small place, and this winter had been colder than usual. Edward did not believe that no one had frozen to death there yet.

Across from him, Minister of Finance Earl Duval was peeling a red fruit imported from the Southern Continent with a silver knife.

The blade turned steadily against the skin, producing a continuous red spiral, thin as a cicada's wing.

"Do you suspect he's bluffing, Your Highness?" Duval asked without looking up.

"I don't suspect it. I'm certain," Edward said firmly, setting the document aside. "The economic impact of the Battle of Red Waterwheel Village is far greater than we imagined."

Duval finally finished peeling the fruit.

He gently placed the intact peel on a special silver plate, then set the flesh on a porcelain dish imported from Taohuashi. With precise