How the hell had it come to this?
Why was I standing in the middle of an audience hall before the Grand Duke, the Crown Prince, and every minister? No matter how you looked at it, this was a punishment game. I felt like a low-level employee at the company I used to work for, suddenly asked to brief the executive board.
I recalled what had happened a short while ago.
I'd handed over the captured Rafel executive and was eating lunch with Michael at the Military Department when an unexpected visitor arrived. Leo von Vermeer. A confidant so close he was practically a brother, having grown up alongside the Crown Prince since childhood. This red-haired young man was very polite but had a somewhat rigid side.
"It's been a while, Brother Michael. Have you been well?"
"I've been doing well... but what brings you here?"
