Chapter 159: The Weight of Last Place
The soft swell of stringed music wrapped around the grand ballroom, but none of the court's nobles truly listened.
The main hall had turned into a tactical battlefield of whispers, boasting, and sharp fanged factional politics.
While the individual audiences with King Alden took place right on the elevated royal balcony, the main floor remained a pressure cooker.
Traditional northern factions circulated, trying to decode the King's mood.
"A flawless chest of deep sea pearls," a marquis from the Eastern maritime faction bragged loudly near the fountain, swirling his wine.
"His Majesty smiled the moment the locks were undone. Unlike some houses whose influence has dried up like winter mud, we actually bring value to the Crown."
A rival count from the Northern valley faction scoffed, leaning heavily on his cane.
