"Your Majesty, the banquet is about to begin."
In the king's bedroom, the Council Chairman stood beside the bed and woke the sleeping king.
"Young Miss Olmedo is... Oh, him." Clo remembered the name and forced himself upright. "I should meet him."
Servants came to dress Clo. Outside the bed curtains, the Council Chairman recounted what had happened over the past few days.
When he reached the part about Grand Duke Babatod being held in the Kingdom's dungeon, a soft snore came from behind the curtains.
Clo had fallen asleep again.
The servants withdrew, looking troubled. "His Majesty's drowsiness is getting worse."
"Let him sleep. Tell me when His Majesty wakes."
The Council Chairman said nothing more and showed no disappointment. He turned and left the Royal Bedchamber.
Night fell and the banquet began. The king still had not woken.
But the banquet's other guest of honor, Young Miss Olmedo, stood at the center of everyone's attention.
Unlike before, when they had regarded him with disdain and hostility, the nobles now looked at him with ingratiating smiles and fear.
Anyone could see that the Council Chairman seemed to be grooming him as his successor.
Some of the older nobles even recalled the Council Chairman in his youth... Hadn't he been much the same?
Annan? His successor?
Reynaldo and the ministers who knew the truth could barely contain themselves.
History really did seem to be heading toward "Annan succeeds the Council Chairman and takes control of the Kingdom without bloodshed"... though Annan might not be willing to wait that long.
Annan's mind was elsewhere. All he could think about was Little Bat saying Grand Duke Babatod was rich...
He had to find a way to get his hands on Babatod's wealth.
Then the Council Chairman arrived at the banquet.
As the