The Value of the Priceless

Doing so might reduce the chances of completing the mission, but if the mission truly could not be completed, then Lucius—or rather, Malfoy—would gain King's friendship.

It would be good if the mission could be completed, but if it could not... the uncompleted mission would belong to the Death Eaters, while the favor earned would belong to Malfoy. No matter what, Lucius would not lose out.

If Blake truly died, then the Griffin-Manus line would be England's only remaining Kings.

As the most prominent family among those that had clearly chosen neutrality, and one that seemed destined to shine ever more brightly, the Malfoy Family had everything to gain and nothing to lose from establishing ties with the King Family.

Before Voldemort, they could explain that they were trying to win over the King Family. If they could establish more business partnerships, then Malfoy investing part of its additional profits into the Death Eaters would be an obvious achievement.

And even if Voldemort ultimately failed, the Malfoy Family could still use the neutral King Family to gain more breathing room. Though by the rules they could never be completely purged, it was always better to pay a little less when the time came.

"Should I say, as expected of Malfoy?"

Griffin had clearly declared neutrality. Lucius coming to recruit him should have been an awkward assignment, yet it had been forcibly turned into an opportunity.

Normally, Malfoy seeking cooperation with King would inevitably have been a sensitive and difficult matter. Their business rivals would be extremely wary, and the King Family would likewise wonder what scheme Malfoy was plotting.

But under the current circumstances, Malfoy seeking cooperation with King was simply natural. No one would doubt the Malfoys' desire to survive.

It fit perfectly with the image Manus remembered of