***
Two weeks later.
Calden Castle.
Lanercoast.
"You should stop drinking, Lord Edgar. The wine seemed to affect your head," Quentin pleaded, feeling sad to see his uncle still not moving from his bed.
Edgar's condition was getting increasingly worse. His face was getting paler with a red rash appearing around his body.
Not only that, but both of Edgar's eyes looked reddened with drastic weight loss, judging by Edgar's wrists and cheekbones.
"Lilyana. I miss you so much, My Dear," Edgar says.
Edgar's eyes were directed upwards, staring at the ceiling of the chamber as if the figure of his dead wife was resting on his lap.
Seeing Edgar's condition, Arabelle immediately moved away to express her deep sadness. Quentin glanced at Arabelle and Marcella, who had fully exited Edgar's chamber.
"Everyone out of this chamber except for the nurses," Quentin replied.
Quentin looked forward, gazing at the old man who was Edgar's advisor, Sir Colton.
"You are the same, Sir Colton. We must give Lord Edgar extra care," Quentin replied.
"I will stay with Lord Edgar here, whatever it takes," Sir Colton replied.
Quentin squinted, then walked forward to arrive right beside Sir Colton.
The man gripped Sir Colton's hand firmly, making the old man avert his gaze to look at Quentin thoughtfully, "Would you entrust the safety of Lord Edgar to a maid like her?"
"Is there any guarantee he'll be safe around you as well?" asked Quentin, squinting in an attempt to intimidate Sir Colton.
"I have worked with Lord Edgar for a long time. I know him better than his daughters," Sir Colton insisted.
"You know nothing about Lord Edgar. So, don't you ever stop me!" Sir Colton retorted, pointing roughly at Quentin's chest as he asserted his position.
Quentin was silent, occasionally looking at Edgar who still lay delirious, the maidservant still busy wiping the sweat soaking Edgar's head and body.
In the end, Quentin could not do much to prevent what Sir Colton had said. Irritated, the young man walked out of Edgar's chamber and saw Marcella trying to calm her older sister down.
"Sir Colton made it clear he would take full responsibility for Lord Edgar's recovery," Quentin explained.
"Why would he do that? Aren't there physicians who will cure him?" asked Lady Marcella.
"He seems to know what to do with Lord Edgar. We can only hope to God that Lord Edgar will recover quickly," revealed Quentin.
Lady Marcella nodded several times. She and Arabelle prayed with the same purpose, preventing Lord Edgar's death.
"Calm her down. Take her to her chamber," Quentin pleaded with Marcella.
Marcella did so without arguing, persuading her sister to return to the chamber to pull herself together. However, it was different with Quentin, who would attend the council meeting as he had promised earlier.
Right when he arrived at the room, Quentin was surprised to see a man in a golden lion's robe kneeling on the red carpet, heading towards the iron throne chair in the room.
To the soldier's left, Sir Dorren stood with the other officials. They spontaneously turned their heads to the right, seeing the arrival of Lord Quentin by himself.
"What is it, Sir Dorren?" asked Quentin.
"An envoy from Castlebourne has come, a peace envoy with a message," Sir Dorren replied.
"A peace envoy? What do they want? Help Castlebourne defeat Archibald?" Quentin joked.
The young man walked up to the soldier, their eyes fixed on each other. The soldier never expected Prince Quentin, who he thought had died in the Battle of Tregaron, to be present before him wearing a red coat with a double-headed eagle.
"Prince Quentin," the soldier greeted.
The golden-robed warrior immediately handed Quentin a scroll of letters, a scroll sealed with the royal seal.
While sitting on the iron throne of Calden Castle, Quentin opened and rolled up the letter. The young man began to read the letter, probably written by Howard Hildemar.
"They want me to take Edmund's place because Edmund is about to conduct a wedding at Castlebourne?!" growled Quentin, wondering as he closed the scroll.
"To hell with it. I didn't start the conflict. Why should it cost my life?!" snapped Quentin, annoyed.
"We're not part of Athalaris, but they're bossing us around like House Helferich is a lowly house!" raged Quentin.
Quentin handed the scroll to Sir Dorren, letting the Calden Castle Sage read the letter Castlebourne had sent to Helferich.
The young man sitting on the iron throne of Calden Castle began to stand up, walking over to the unarmed warrior who bowed obediently before Quentin.
"Stand up, Castlebourne soldier," Quentin said softly to the soldier.
The soldier in Castlebourne's golden robes stood tall, not seeming to tremble at all, even though he was in enemy territory with Athalaris.
"Tell His Majesty King Otto. Prince Edmund has started the conflict with Archibald. He must resolve it on his own," Quentin replied firmly with a knotty smile on his face.
"'A-All right, Prince Quentin," the soldier replied.
"Do you understand what I mean?" asked Quentin.
"You refused His Majesty's command, Prince Quentin," stated the soldier, a serious look on Quentin's face.
"That's right. Well, convey it to King Otto. We have more important things to do than the safety of the prince he loves," Quentin insisted.
"Fine. We will convey your message, Prince Quentin," stated the soldier.
He walked out of the room, leaving Quentin with Sir Dorren and the other officials.
"Have they forgotten who we are? Damn it!" complained Quentin.
Sir Dorren put his body aside, looking intently at Quentin, "I have information to relay to you, Lord Quentin."
Quentin squinted seemingly Sir Dorren was so serious with his eyes still fixed on Quentin, "What is it?"
"It has to do with House Anselm and Murdheim. They still have not come to Calden Castle to deliver their vows to you," Sir Dorren replied.
"How many warning letters have you given them?" asked Quentin.
"Yesterday, I sent the third warning letter. This insulted Calden Castle, especially Helferich," replied Dorren.
"Anselm and Murdheim still seem to hold a grudge because they failed to marry Helferich's two daughters. They have no right to marry those two women, especially given their house status," Quentin emphasized.
"I will decide where and to whom they will marry. Marriage is a political deal. It would be more beneficial for Lanercoast if they married a great house rather than a small house like Anselm and Murdheim," Quentin joked.
"I cannot agree with you more, Prince Quentin," Dorren replied.
"So what do we do about this treachery?" asked Dorren.
Quentin was silent for a moment, staring ahead at the room's closed door. The situation was unstable. An open war would only cause economic destabilization.
"Anselm and Murdheim are influential houses. They control the food in Lanercoast," Quentin replied.
Sir Dorren seemed to nod, agreeing with Quentin's statement, "They supply 40% of the food in Lanercoast."
"It would be to our advantage if Houses Anselm and Murdheim sided with Helferich. We must be able to ensure that," Quentin emphasized.
"Who are the heirs of those two houses?" asked Quentin, looking at Sir Dorren.
"Lord Jaelys Anselm and Lord Ashel Murdheim," revealed Sir Dorren.
"And then? Are there any other candidates besides them?" asked Quentin.
"Lord Jaelys has a younger brother named Gilbert, while Lord Ashel is an only child. However, House Ashel has a nephew named Rolf," explained Sir Dorren.
"I heard Lord Ashel is disabled?" asked Quentin. Dorren seemed to agree with Quentin's words.
"Lord Ashel's right hand was cut off while fighting against the Castlebourne Alliance," replied Dorren.
Quentin nodded several times. It would be difficult for the public to accept if their leader had a disability that might cause a decline in public trust.
The young man smiled, clapping his hands after knowing what he wanted next.
"Send hidden messages to Lord Gilbert Anselm and Lord Rolf Murdheim. I require their presence at Calden Castle."