Alarms were rung as the sight of three damaged Luxenberg ships entered the harbour. Medics were quick to arrive and take care of any wounded men that remained on the ships. Unfortunately, many men had died due to their wounds during the voyage.
When news of the ship's arrival had reached the Luxenberg Palace, Victor and his advisors rushed to the harbour to see what had become of his delegation. They quickly mounted their horses and galloped through the city. They were escorted by cavalrymen of the Royal Guard.
As they made their way to the docks, all Victor could do was worry about his uncle and his men. He was the one who sent them, if anything had happened it was on him as a leader. 'Please be alright uncle,' Victor thought as the wind brushed passed his face.
Upon arrival, Victor was met with the sad reality of the situation. A couple dozen bodies were seen covered with a white tarp, with a few more being carried off the ships. Medics were treating men with amputated limbs and crusty old blood-soaked bandages.
The advisors all gasped in horror at the sight, they had never anticipated to see The Holy Trinity damaged. It was a ship they thought invincible and yet it had sustained some damage, none of which was significant.
Victor could only keep a blank look of guilt. He was responsible for sending the envoy, even when he was confident that the potential attackers were the Kingdom of Gu. His choice to play it safe and verify who the attacker was had cost him dearly.
In the distance, Victor could see Grand Admiral Nelson talking to a few of the carpenters, giving them directions on what damage needed to be addressed first. His orders were precise and simple to understand, which made it easier for the carpenters to do their jobs.
As the Grand Admiral was finishing giving his orders, he noticed King Victor approaching. He quickly dismissed the carpenters just as Victor arrived. All the carpenters bowed to Victor as they left the two men to discuss what had happened.
"Grand Admiral, what happened? Is this all that returned? Where are my uncle and the Royal Guard," Victor said, unleashing a flurry of questions for the Grand Admiral to answer. Each question weighed on Grand Admiral Nelson, truthfully, he had no idea what had happened to the rest of the delegation, all he knows that his fleet was attacked and two of his ships we sunk.
"My King, after two weeks in Guangdong we began to notice, enemy soldiers positioning cannons along the docks. Even the enemy ships were seen to be preparing for an attack. I made the decision for us to retreat. In the process, two of our heavily damaged ships sacrificed themselves to buy the rest of us some time to escape," Grand Admiral Nelson answered before taking a deep breath.
"As for your uncle and the Royal Guard soldiers. I am afraid I do not have an answer for you. If I had to guess, they were either captured or killed. Thinking otherwise would be unrealistic. It is safe to say that we will need to expand the fleet. We will need to prepare for a long war against them."
Victor's skin began to whiten, as he was listening to the Grand Admiral, "Are you alright, your Majesty?" Grand Admiral Nelson asked in a concerned tone. At some point during their conversation, Victor zoned out and looked awful.
"I am alright, Grand Admiral. You have done well to return. Please come back to the palace with us, we will need a full briefing of this mission." Victor said, trying to maintain his composure.
In Victor's brain, he knew that the likelihood of his uncle and his Royal Guard soldiers being alive was zero, but his heart told him that there was a sliver of hope. 'Maybe they are captured. Maybe I can save them,' He thought while riding back to the palace.
Back at the palace, Victor began making arrangements for his grandparents and his sister to visit. They would need to learn the truth and it was better for them to hear from him personally, rather than through a letter.
Victor lamented while writing the letters, especially to his grandparents. He did not know if he could have the heart to tell them that their only child was murdered, but at the same time, he could not give them false hope by saying that he was still alive.
Carrier pigeons were shortly dispatched, both bearing the letters that Victor had written. If everything aligned well, his family would gather in just under a month. This meant Victor still had time to mentally prepare himself for delivering this grievous news.
As soon as the carrier pigeons arrived, preparations to leave for Hannover were made by the Reuss and Cassell families. As Victor had planned, his sister, brother-in-law, cousin, cousin-in-law and grandparents arrived within the month. The likes of Veronica's and Harys's kids were also brought with them.
Veronica and her husband Jacque had brought Bella who was now 7 years old as well as her two younger children: Joel, who was 4 years old and Josiah who was 2 years old. Both of the boys shared the exact same features as their sister: Golden eyes and purple hair.
Harys and his wife Elise had brought their three children: Raphael was a boy who favoured his mother's looks. He was 4 years old with curly blonde hair and silver eyes. Then there was Elias, a 2 year old boy who was almost identical to his father. Finally, there was the 1 year old girl, Helen. She looked exactly like her mother.
With all the family present, Victor organised for the young children to be looked after while he would discuss the serious matter with the adults. Everyone gathered in the palace lounge, worried about why they were urgently called to the capital.
Just as Victor was about to address the room, a few soldiers escorted a Simbarnese man holding a medium-sized box with a note on it.