Arnaud IV was no longer physically fit to attend cabinet meetings.
Whenever important matters arose, the councilors would come to him instead, gathering around his bedside in the royal palace to deliver their reports.
Today, more than a dozen council members had arrived, each with an uneasy, complicated look on their face.
Arnaud IV thought something truly significant had occurred—perhaps a diplomatic crisis or an act of war.
But when he asked, he found out they were there to report on a rumor.
The old king nearly exploded. He wanted nothing more than to slap each one of them across the face. Useless fools! To disturb his rest over mere gossip?
But then one of them stepped forward.
"Forgive us, Your Majesty, but there is a very real possibility… that this is not just a rumor."
The speaker was Count Ortae, a man widely known for his unwavering integrity. His face was grim, and his tone carried a grave sincerity.
