Chapter 885 For a moment, no one spoke. +25 BONUS Though it had been anticipated that the new king of Westhaven would inevitably investigate the Fawnrun City incident upon his ascension, no one had expected Edmund to act so quickly. He had barely settled into the throne, which was still warm from his predecessor, yet had already begun the investigation, going so far as to imprison Liam immediately. Liam had only just survived an assassination attempt, and his body had not fully healed. Now, with him thrown into the dungeon, no one knew if he could endure the harsh conditions. Rafael finally broke the long silence, saying, “The second thing he will do as king is likely to directly confront Starhaven and hold us accountable for what happened in Fawnrun City.” “That’s without a doubt,” Jacob responded. Carissa turned to Rafael, concern in her eyes. “Have Scott and Wilfred managed to infiltrate Westhaven yet?” Those two members of the Septimus Tetra reconnaissance team were from Stonebrook District and had planned to return to their hometown after receiving their rewards. However, they had chosen to continue serving the court. After visiting their families, they immediately headed to Westhaven. “They’ve already settled into the capital,” Rafael confirmed. “Are there any others with them?” Carissa pressed. “There are 13 others. General Wallace has already sent some people in as well. Altogether, there are about 40 to 50 people.” Wallace Sullivan was Dominic’s eighth son, who had been adopted. He had always been with his father at Victory Pass. Now, other than Wallance, Dominic only had Wyatt, who was his third son who had lost an arm, as well as a nephew, Shane, whom everyone viewed as his sixth son. Shane’s father was Dominic’s half–brother, the governor of Greenvale City. He had been in office for ten years and had never returned to the capital. His entire family had moved there instead. Thus, aside from the Sinclair family and Heather, there were no other relatives of the Sullivan family left in the capital. Seeing Carissa’s anxious expression, Rafael gently reassured, “Don’t worry too much. We’ve already begun managing this situation. If His Majesty truly summons your grandfather back to the capital to face charges, we’ve already made the necessary arrangements with the court. We can ensure he won’t suffer.” Carissa nodded, though her unease still lingered. She knew that panicking would not help the situation. She needed to stay calm. Taking a deep breath, she remembered Salvador’s decision to separate the Crown Guard from the Mystic Army. It was likely he would form an elite personal guard, which meant that this case might not be handled by the Supreme Court or the Ministry of Justice. It could very well be dealt with by his newly formed guard. The Royal Guard was something Salvador could never fully trust. To him, they were outsiders and hard to +25 BONUS Chapter 885 control. He needed to tighten his inner circle to ensure absolute loyalty. “He’s pushing to make the Crown Guard an independent force now. Who knows if he’ll use my grandfather to test their loyalty?” Carissa pointed out. Everyone fell silent–that was a real possibility, one that had crossed all their minds. “There’s no need to worry too much,” Rafael said, pausing as his mind raced. “This is likely just to appease Westhaven. After all, hasn’t the king still kept Aurora alive? King Edmund seems focused on her too, since he captured her at the Southern Frontier. He won’t be satisfied until his revenge is complete.” Jacob sighed. “The real issue is, with the boundary lines now in place, I doubt His Majesty will agree to any changes. King Edmund has already stirred up public sentiment in Westhaven, claiming that the border is unfair and that Starhaven has been bullying them. Now, the people of Westhaven want the boundaries redrawn.” Kyle added, “The boundary issue has been contentious for years, but when the previous king of Westhaven was in power, the two kingdoms reached an agreement using the current border as the line. If they’re willing to negotiate, we have the original maps and agreements to bring to the table.” the “A new king comes with fresh ambitions, and in his case, he wasn’t originally the crown prince. He was only appointed after the previous crown prince died, so he’s got shallow roots and needs to win over people. A victory over the border dispute would be a political achievement,” Rafael said, feeling that Kyle was being overly optimistic. “If they were willing to negotiate, we wouldn’t have had skirmishes nonstop for years. The conflict between our two kingdoms hasn’t let up,” he added. Carissa leaned back, her gaze dark and troubled. “The problem is, the new king of Westhaven needs to secure the border to win public support, while our king has to hold the line to keep our people’s faith intact.” Rafael’s sharp features darkened after hearing Carissa’s words. “Harvey’s just looking for an opportunity. If we give in, they’ll accuse the king of ceding territory and giving up our border. If we refuse, then it means war, and the unrest at the border will create more opportunities for them to stir up trouble.” Chapter 586