In the bustling city of Oakdale on the eastern side of the Atrana Kingdom—there was a large luxurious manor in a peaceful environment surrounded by a herbal flower garden and an enigmatic feeling of strange refreshing calmness.
This was the manor of Count Yunugiv Stout in the Town of Oakdale which was in the Stout Territory.
Inside the manor—a tense atmosphere could be felt as Lord Yunugiv was seated on a lavish, extravagantly polished, wooden chair made out of Trees from the Elven Forests. A twelve-year-old blond, beautiful girl was also beside him as she innocently observed everything around her.
There seemed to be an important meeting going on as the County's officials and military officers as well as Lady Stout who was a voluptuous, blond, and charming Lady were present and sat on chairs in front of Lord Stout in two separate lanes with some distance between them.
This scene was similar to a Royal Court but the difference was that there was no throne and it was happening in a far less grand hall of a manor rather than a throne room.
A Young Knight who wore silver armor; had a sword hung on his waist was kneeling before the Lord as everyone else watched with severe faces.
"Speak!" Yunugiv Stout said calmly; he had a kind and caring sort of voice that gave off the feeling of morning sunlight glistening the petals of grass—his overall demeanor was also very passive as well as soothing. He looked like a wandering wise hermit more than a Lord.
"My Lord, there have been twenty more casualties over the past month during the skirmishes near the borders." The Knight raised his head and said with rage as well as sorrow concealed deep in his expression.
Yunugiv clenched his fists and frowned while gritting his teeth. He was thinking about the right course of action going forward.
"My Lord! We must retaliate! How long will our brave men keep dying like this?" One of the officials cried out fuming with anger.
"Yes! We must! We're not weak!" Another official yelled out.
Yunugiv slammed his fist on the handrest of the luxurious chair as he said, "Silence!"
His words echoed out in the hall and the blond girl who was also Yunugiv's daughter flinched momentarily.
Yunugiv realized that he had lost his temper once again which although was rare for his personality but was happening more and more frequently over the past two years.
He looked at his trustworthy subordinates and opened his mouth to speak, "Do you really think we're strong?" He asked with a bitter smile straightforwardly.
"This... We..." The official became dumbstruck as their gazes turned downcast.
Little Anicia Stout who was sitting beside her father looked up at his face with her large, red, puppy-dog eyes—she could sense the worry and concern in her father's bitter smile.
"This is the truth... What can we even do other than to heal? We are no warriors..." Yunugiv said dejectedly.
Lady Stout came forward behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders as if to support him in these harsh times.
A strange awkward silence ensued as the fresh breeze blew bringing with it the fresh smell of herbs and flowers.
Suddenly a commotion sounded from outside the hall as sounds of, "You're not allowed!" and, "The Lord is now busy!" rang from beyond the entrance door.
The metallic clinking sounded along with the sound of crackling wood as the huge door slowly opened. A soldier came inside running in a hurry.
The soldier kneeled first thing after coming in front of Yunugiv and asked for forgiveness for his disruption.
"What's the matter?" Lord Stout had a bad feeling about this so he asked without wasting any time.
"M-my Lord..." The soldier was quite exhausted as he had come running in the utmost hurry. Yunugiv's eyebrow twitched as he was starting to lose his patience, "Say it!" He said.
"Y-yes, My Lord... I have news! The Paper has been Lit!" The soldier blurted out.
Everyone's eyes widened and all of them stood up from their seats in unison, this included Yunugiv.
Anicia was innocent but wasn't a fool. She knew the meaning of what was said and felt afraid as she clenched her fists. But she could also see that her father was more burdened so she did not speak out her anxiety out loud.
"What did you say!? who's invading us? What's the status? When did this happen?" Yunugiv asked frantically all at once.
"M-my Lord... It's... Not an invasion... Its... Different." The soldier was startled by such outbursts of questions and tried to explain.
"Take a deep breath first and speak clearly!" Yunugiv said in annoyance.
The soldier did as instructed and calmed down. He then finally explained everything clearly.
"What? The Duke of Whitesburg appeared in our borders and declared that he will soon be visiting? That's absurd!" An old official blurted out in disbelief.
"But My Lord! They said that he was riding a Three-Tailed Falcon and also destroyed a Shul with ease. They also said that he manifested the insignia of Whitesburg Duchy with Ice!" The soldier said frantically as if he was reciting a childhood heroic tale.
A noisy discussion immediately broke out as the description matched with all the information but it was hard to imagine why would The Duke leave out and barge into someone else's territory and that too all alone.
"You said he's alone? Are you certain?" Yunugiv asked.
"Yes My Lord! I'm certain that he came alone and also said that he will be visiting!" The soldier said with absolute certainty.
Yunugiv slumped down to his seat once again and placed his hand on his chin in a thoughtful pose. Everyone else also sat back in their seats.
After a few moments of contemplation—Yunugiv looked up with decisive eyes as he said, "it's most probably true. Send word to not obstruct him. We will welcome him with open arms."
Anicia knew who the Duke of Whitesburg was as she had learned from her classes about most of the nobility in the Atrana Kingdom. She knew the Duke as someone who was incredibly powerful and if he were to attack— then it would be near impossible to defend.
Thinking that the all-powerful Duke was coming in such a tense atmosphere and harsh times as well as the recent mention of 'Lighting The Paper' made Anicia a bit fearful and nervous.
She clenched her skinny, small fists harder thinking that if the Duke was coming to bully her father then she would absolutely not let that happen! No matter what!