Joyous music drifted in from next door, where Gray and Shelley were dancing in the ballroom, capturing everyone's attention.
In the hall, Yilin and the King exchanged glances, the firelight casting shadows on their faces.
After a long while, the King downed the wine in his cup in one swig, slowly stood up, walked to the liquor cabinet behind Yilin, took out another bottle, and poured himself another drink. With his back to Yilin, he said, "I am in a very difficult position right now, extremely difficult. The prestige of the Royal Family fell to an all-time low after the Battle of White City. I've even found some of the troops no longer obey my orders. This is bad, isn't it? There's intel that the Allen Kingdom is already preparing to make a move. They likely want to take advantage of this opportunity to bite us."
With her back to the King, Yilin responded emotionlessly, "If the Allen Kingdom attacks, I will firmly stand by you."
