The war room descended into pure, unrestrained celebration—laughing, shouting, toasting with whatever cups were nearby, someone ringing a bell that absolutely was not meant for ringing. History was being rewritten, morale was at an all-time high, and safety regulations were nowhere to be found.
And in the middle of it all, I stood there, half-crushed, half-adored, thinking:
Well. This escalated quickly. But not everyone was celebrating. Once the cheering died down, General Valen leaned close to Hector.
"I need Duke Tyler Agro," he whispered.
Hector blinked. "Why?"
"Because he's Seraphine's uncle, the Capital Agro Territory controls half the Capital's hearthstone supply, and the man has been GONE for three weeks!"
That made me pause.
"Wait. Uncle Tyler is missing?? Since when?!"
General Valen rubbed his temples. "Since before you even arrived in the capital, I think."
