"If Jade City is lost, Your Majesty..." The minister hesitated, his voice echoing within the vast hall, becoming more heavy, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds.
"Then the chips we hold are truly few." He looked up, worriedly gazing at Laines II, hoping his words would draw the attention of the young emperor.
In Laines City, the Imperial Capital of the Laines Empire, after months of tension, an atmosphere of suffocating oppression pervaded, like the calm before a storm.
The Empire had just renovated the Imperial Palace less than six months ago, meant to be resplendent and elegantly noble, but now it was shrouded in a layer of gloom.
Within the grand hall, Laines II sat on a gem-encrusted gilded throne, his figure appearing exceedingly lonely in the bright light. Although the decor matched his preferred style, it now only left this Emperor troubled and agitated.
