Chapter 788: Matters Beyond My Borders
Chapter 788: Matters Beyond My Borders
Lucy reached for the reports concerning the other kingdoms and began with Crescent.The Crescent Kingdom’s report was as polished and controlled as Crescent itself liked to appear. Lucy read through the expected details with a calm face. Trade movement remained steady. Military exercises had resumed in several northern facilities. Noble activity showed no serious signs of open conflict. The royal family had made limited public appearances, all carefully arranged and heavily protected.
Nothing in the first few sections surprised her. Crescent remained Crescent, proud, orderly, powerful, and eternally convinced that the rest of the continent would benefit from sitting up straighter.
Then Lucy’s eyes caught on a line near the latter portion of the report, and her hand stilled.
Mystica noticed immediately but did not speak.
Lucy read the section once, then again, her expression becoming more thoughtful than alarmed. "Percy Granger has returned to the Crescent Kingdom," she said. "He has resumed royal duties and is serving in a division that our sources have not yet confirmed."
Mystica’s brows rose with mild interest. "Has he now?"
Lucy leaned back slightly in her chair, still holding the report. "His graduating class left the academy months ago. It is only now that he has returned to Celestria. That boy spent three years in Dark Knight Academy and, as far as my information ever confirmed, never once stepped foot in his homeland during that time. Not publicly. Not formally. Not in any manner that suggested loyalty to Crescent’s court."
"That was part of what made him interesting," Mystica said.
"It was part of what made him useful," Lucy corrected, though her voice remained calm. "A prince of Crescent choosing to remain in Tempest’s academy was not a small thing. Even if he never openly opposed his family, his distance from them was a quiet statement. Now he has returned, and that means I have lost a piece of leverage."
Mystica took another sip of coffee, her purple eyes glinting over the rim of the cup. "Leverage does have a terrible habit of developing legs and walking back home."
Lucy lowered the report slightly. "What changed his mind after this long?"