King Bethlan's POV
I stared at the letter laid out before me, the words of my ambassador burning into my mind. The Empire had officially declared their intent to invade my kingdom. I pressed a hand to my temple, exhaling a slow, heavy sigh. The civil unrest within our borders wasn't even quelled yet, and now this—a new international threat looming on the horizon, one I had no immediate solution for.
I was seated at the far end of the dining table, the grand hall filled with members of my royal court. Their concerned faces surrounded me, though none dared to speak out of turn.
"What course of action shall we take, Your Majesty?" asked my advisor, his voice thick with unease. He was a man of formidable stature, with a protruding belly and a beard so long it dragged along the floor. Bald as the day he was born, he once told me he grew the beard out to compensate for his lack of hair.
