Uriel cheerfully saw Mohg off. This time, at last, he had not brought disaster down on him.
Horace made the trip to Limgrave himself mainly to give himself a vacation.
He could no longer stand those numbers, typos, and flattering turns of phrase. Seeing them made him want to die.
Yet, just after he had delivered a thoroughly reluctant Mohg to Limgrave and handed him over to Messmer in person.
Before he could give more than a few instructions, Messmer spoke first:
"Sorry, Uncle. Mother has called me home for dinner."
Horace: "...?"
He froze for a second before he caught on. "Who? Marika? She called you back to Leyndell?"
This had come out of nowhere, and it was not as though there was any festival or celebration going on.
Messmer nodded, his brow slightly furrowed. "Yes, an urgent summons. The messenger only just left."
Horace's instincts immediately sounded the alarm.
What could Marika possibly need that required her to call her son back in such a hurry when he was doing perfectly well away from home?
Usually, when she sought out Messmer, it was either on a whim or because she had some trouble to dump on him.
"What urgent business could she possibly have?"
Horace narrowed his eyes and studied Messmer. "Leyndell has been perfectly peaceful lately. Affairs of state... well, they're tedious, but hardly anything that absolutely requires you to return. What's she in such a hurry to do?"
Messmer looked away, and that tiny movement made Horace all the more certain he was hiding something.
"I... I'm not quite sure either. The letter was vague. It only said there was something important to discuss and told me to leave as soon as possible. But with Mother in such a hurry, presumably... there really must be something