At first, they had feared it was the work of assassins. For those who weren't awoken from the shouting, the pounding feet of thousands of guards flooding the castle halls would have done the trick. All were present and scrambling about the castle grounds except for one – Crown Prince Copernicus. He only arose in the morning and leaned on his cane with a perplexed look as the details were presented to him.
The so-called assassination attempt was instantly viewed as unusual. A would be assassin would do their best to kill their slumbering victim, not run off with a single finger. Not to mention, there was a far more appealing target under the same roof, the hobbling king-to-be who also would have been an easier target. Only a rare few understood the intent of cutting off Lucius' finger and one of them was the king, who had flown into a blistering rage when he was informed.
