Bishop Wenster slightly bowed and respectfully saluted.
His movements were standard and elegant, held for a very long time.
The Empress's voice granting him exemption from ceremony took time to arrive, and Bishop Wenster kept his head lowered for a long while.
After a prolonged silence between the two, Maria II finally sighed softly:
"Lord Bishop... please stand down."
The voice was aged, solemn, yet seemed to lack the tenderness it had when calling Bishop Wenster earlier.
Bishop Wenster paused slightly.
He slowly stood up, casting a somewhat complex and evasive glance at the aging Empress, only to find she no longer looked at him but continued to gaze out the window.
Maria II was half lying on the bed.
Golden sunlight fell upon her, casting a slanted and long shadow on the soft, luxurious Elf Carpet, making her already hunched and skinny figure appear even smaller.
It is hard to imagine that such a frail and slender body carried the entire grand Holy Mania Empire.
