Many dwarves stiffened at those words.
Many winced.
Others gritted their teeth.
"Don't bring up such matters lightly, Prince Festus," an older dwarf growled. "We are aware that our first military invasion into the Lost Continent ended in a fiasco. But the fact of the matter is that the incentives haven't changed—"
"Are you stupid?" Festus asked, tilting his head.
Out of all the male dwarves there, he was the only one who didn't have a beard.
His face was smaller, and his skin was supple and soft, compared to the rough, conditioned flesh of the other dwarves in the room.
