The sky grew steadily darker, and the hazy night began to settle over the land. A whole day had passed in the blink of an eye.
Time had slipped away unnoticed, but for one man, every day felt like a year. That man was King Genn.
Seated on his throne in the Royal Palace, King Genn wore his formal attire and kept rubbing his forehead with one hand. Beside him, a maid held a tray with a teacup on it. King Genn lifted the cup, briefly touched it, and said, "The tea is cold."
The maid understood at once. She curtsied to King Genn and left. In an instant, only two people remained in the hall.
Yes, just two. Everyone else had already left.
Even with the maid there a moment ago, there had only been three.
At that moment, a man sat before King Genn. He carried the unmistakable air of a noble, clearly descended from a family whose lineage stretched back countless years.
Vincent. That was the man seated before King Genn.
Both King Genn and Vincent were silent, as though neither had anything to say. They had remained that way for several hours, and only King Genn's remark just now had broken the silence in the hall. Looking at Vincent, King Genn asked, "Vincent, what do you think of Rex's attempt to break through this time?"
"Will Rex succeed?"
"His Highness Rex will certainly succeed." Vincent's answer came the instant he heard King Genn's question. He did not even have to think; it had become a conditioned reflex. Less than a second passed before he replied. Naturally, this was not because Vincent had overwhelming confidence in Rex and believed he would definitely succeed. Quite the opposite: he was deeply pessimistic about Rex's attempt.
Although Vincent was not