"As I expected."
After the Mottled Gray Eagle knight carrying the message left, the Marquis's face immediately darkened. He gazed up at the gloomy sky beyond the window at a forty-five-degree angle. It was already December; winter snow was drawing near, and the temperature was dropping by the day.
He clasped his hands behind his back.
Rather than being shaken by the news, he felt a faint sense of gratification. He had recovered the dignity of his forebears—old ginger was still the spiciest. What Liszt had failed to guess had been foretold by him in a single word. This was experience, this was the world of men, this was why he had been able to found the Tulip Family.
The Marquis turned around. His eyes seemed to gleam with the confidence of "your father will always be your father" as he looked at Liszt. "The Eagle Kingdom has coveted Sapphire for a long time. At last, the moment has come for it to erupt. I just wonder whether Alonso is among the invaders accompanying the fleet."
"Alonso is a certainty." Liszt neither met the Marquis's eyes nor showed any admiration. "He has been involved in this scheme ever since Marquis Bull's betrayal. There is no doubt that he will be leading this war... How will the Grand Duke respond?"
From one spot, one could see the whole leopard.
Once the Eagle Kingdom fleet revealed its tracks, many clues blended together in Liszt's mind, forming a picture far clearer than anything Leewilliam could see.
Many years ago, the Eagle Kingdom royal family, long plagued by Sapphire's harassment, decided to settle this overseas barbarian state once and for all.
But Sapphire's geographical position was highly unusual. Layer upon layer of sea lay between it and the mainland, making occupation impossible.
As