"The Emperor of the Empire... is missing?" Louis stared hard at those lines of intelligence, a nerve twitching at the corner of his eye.
Then the weakness brought on by his prolonged unconsciousness nearly knocked him off balance. His shoulder tilted, and he almost struck the Bronze Mirror.
Clang.
A soft noise rang through the washroom.
But Lambert heard it immediately from outside the door and grew alert. "My lord? What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Louis mustered enough strength to force out a reply.
He leaned against the washbasin, drew a deep breath, and dismissed the intelligence panel with a wave.
The translucent blue screen faded like ripples on water, leaving the washroom quiet again.
"Until I know the truth, I can't jump to conclusions based on a few pieces of intelligence," he murmured. "I'll just keep it in mind for now."
A moment later, Louis straightened his disheveled collar and pushed open the door.
Lambert was waiting outside. The moment Louis emerged, he hurried over. "You... don't look well."
"Isn't that obvious?" Louis rolled his eyes, though his tone held its familiar ease. "I've been unconscious for five days. It would be strange if I looked good."
"True, the doctor said it was only exhaustion, not some hidden injury. But being unconscious for so long... it's still rather strange," Lambert said worriedly.
"I know you're worried." Louis patted Lambert's armored arm, his voice weary. "But the fact that I woke up means I'm not dead, and I'm not going to die.
"Let's eat. I haven't eaten in days. Even my soul feels empty."
Before long, food from the kitchen had been laid out on a long table set up for the occasion.
After all, even in this exceptional period following the great war in the Northern Frontier, who would dare neglect