>>5738777>>5738833>>5738847>>5738861"You have nothing to apologize for, Serpico, their blindfolds won't take themselves off. Or should I say, Lord Serpico?" You tap on his shoulder, not being bothered in the slightest as Serpico basks in the freedom the wind spirits predicted him to have.
"I believe you should save your flattering to your future wife, Lord Vlad. Though I do appreciate the gesture." Serpico is visibly relieved of not screwing anything up, despite a pompous takedown being exactly what they deserved. If anything, he's better at convincing the religious aristocrats than you.
After asking Lady Vandimion of the current whereabouts in Falconia, she had no qualms explaining things in great detail:
"Oh, it has been dreadful, here! Not that long after you've left, Griffith tried to come here and take the credit over killing Ganishka. Some people were convinced thanks to his giant army, and the hypnotic aura he has, but Stanley was quick to point out his intentions! He might have the pontiff's approval, but that doesn't absolve him of the crimes he's done to the King and the Queen!"
"Pardon my ignorance, but if Griffith has taken part in destroying the royal family, why has nobody attempted to rescue Princess Charlotte?"
"Oh, that girl is a poor fool. I pity her, really. She's been neglected of having any interactions with the outside world ever since her father found out about Charlotte being in love with his wife's killer. After being rescued from the Kushan, that girl would eat human remains if Griffith told her to. When you manipulate someone since an early age, they are equivalent to slaves, doing whatever you wish to at drop of a hat. Love is as much of a vice as any other addiction, ain't that right, Frederico?" She sarcastically looks over to her silent excuse of a husband, much like Griffith's coronation, it seems she will wait until after the war is over to end her marriage.
"I don't like you one bit, Vlad. But that Griffith guy makes you look like a saint. The plan would be to let you both die in the war so I can do whatever I want, but this war business is actually paying pretty well on my end, so I guess I have to thank you for this." Stanley says, in his own prudish way, that he is also leaning to your side.
"Is the reception to this new war as split as it seems from this room? How do the other nations feel about this?"
"We have been draining resources from the Paneria alliance ever since the invasion just to keep these damn monsters off our holy city. There's been much shade thrown our way due to opposing the one who's with the pontiff, but seeing how Griffith refused to help us, I can't say that's been unwarranted. We can rally some men from Lana, Faris and Nise, but most of them are siding with Falconia, and it would take a great deal of money to bring them over."
"How much?"
"Enough to put me out of what's rest of my mansion."
"Heh, guess our pocket money won't save us this time..." Serpico whispers.
