Far from the capital, deep within the heavily fortified borders of the Flint region, the atmosphere inside the main estate was incredibly toxic.
The Patriarch of the Flint family stood at the head of a massive, black marble table, staring down at a glowing magical communication scroll. The room was completely silent, the various guild masters and military commanders of the region too afraid to even breathe loudly.
"That absolute failure," the Patriarch said, his voice terrifyingly calm despite the sheer amount of killing intent leaking from his body. "The King took my exiled son, handed him a noble title, and gave him the unowned region."
No one in the room dared to speak.
The Flint family had been suffering a string of humiliating losses recently. They had been aggressively lobbying for the unowned region for years, desperately trying to expand their territory to recover their falling prestige.
