Everything was under control, yet everything seemed to be slipping out of control.
Lord Arthur was suffering terribly from the curse, and his condition was serious. Even Bishop Joseph had no effective treatment.
Rowan had initially wanted to use his father's influence to invite Archbishop Alonsus Faol to Vikress Estate to treat Lord Arthur.
But Byron talked Rowan out of it. As Bishop Joseph's student, Byron had a clear understanding of the capabilities of top-tier holy priests. Bishop Joseph was no weaker than Archbishop Alonsus Faol, so asking would accomplish nothing.
For now, Bishop Joseph wanted to cure Lord Arthur by starting with whoever had cast the curse. That was a viable approach.
Lord Arthur's vital signs had stabilized, and with Bishop Joseph treating him, his life was in no immediate danger.
But at this critical juncture, Lord Arthur could not come to Boralus to attend the friendly warship competition between the Norwington Family and House Stormsong. That gave Rowan a real headache.
This "friendly competition" also had seven judges from the Noble Group, who could cast votes of their own. More than six of their votes would count as one vote from a member of the Family Council.
That meant there were five votes in total for this competition.
Since Lord Arthur could not attend, his vote would be treated as an abstention.
Of the five remaining votes, Rowan could only hope Lord Ashvane would make the right choice. This concerned the future direction of warship development throughout Kul Tiras, as well as Morris Military Industry's control over the nation's manufacturing sector.
For the past several centuries, House Stormsong had controlled the core technology behind Kul Tiras's warships. It had built its fortune on that foundation and secured its place on the Family Council.
Now that there was a