Everyone's attention was fixated on the box that the Simbarnese man brought in. Victor knew right away that something was extremely wrong. "Guards, please show my family to the dining room," Victor ordered.
His family grumbled, and Lucious Cassell was quick to question his grandson. "Why must we go? We are a family, and we do not keep things hidden from each other. So, please let us stay and tell us why we are gathered."
Victor was firm about having them go, "Grandfather, please do as I ask, everything will be explained in a second. But I need you all to get out of this room right now." His words were firm, while his voice quivered.
"You do not summon all of us to the capital, just for you to kick us out and delay telling us why we are all here. If it is about Larys, then we have every right to be here. For God's sake, we are his parents, so if it is about him, we will not leave." Lucious Cassell said, his voice sounding borderline angry.
The other members of the family watched as the two went back and forth. "Please do not force me to have my guards escort you out, grandfather. I beg of you, please clear the room. This is something that you do not need to deal with," Victor pleaded, with tears beginning to well up in his eyes.
Unfortunately for Victor, Lucious was defiant and refused to leave the room. Victor could not bring himself to use force against his family and decided to read the note attached to the box. He took a few deep breaths before reading it.
"Dear King Victor. I would have thought you would realise what type of relationship we want after we sank your ships, but no, you sent a delegation, trying to investigate us and maintain peace. As a gesture of appreciation for your sincere efforts, I have a gift for you. Maybe this time you will understand what type of relationship our two nations will have. Sincerely, King Gu Tian."
Victor already knew what was in the box; it was clear as day what it would be. Nervously, Victor opened the box to reveal the decaying head of his uncle. He was quick to throw up on the floor, disgusted by such brutality.
Lucious was concerned and raced to Victor's side, only for him to lock eyes with his son's decaying, severed head. "Larys?" he whimpered, hesitantly reaching out to hold the head. Everyone else began to realise what was inside the box. Loraine Cassell fainted as she caught a glimpse of her son's head.
"Soldier, take this and have it properly wrapped. We must prepare for a state funeral," Victor said, trying to remain somewhat rational. The Royal Guard soldier took the box and left. With the head's departure, all eyes were fixed on the Simbarnese man present.
His face bore a sincere expression of guilt and sadness. His eyes were brown with a hint of green in them. His hair was short and black, while he had a skinny but long moustache. It was Wang Jun, a former member of the foreign affairs pavilion.
"You have ten seconds to explain this; if not, you will face the same fate as my uncle," Victor stated while drawing his sabre. Wang Jun averted King Victor's gaze and slowly opened his mouth. Everyone could see that the poor man had his tongue removed.
The reason for this was due to him witnessing the slaughter of the Luxenberg delegation, and as a cruel joke, King Gu Tian sent Wang Jun to be the deliverer of Larys's head. It did not matter if he could communicate what happened; there was little point in doing so. Since he could not talk, King Gu thought they might just execute Wang Jun in a blinding rage.
Victor began to pity the poor man; he could see the tears welling up in his eyes, but while Victor was distracted, his grandfather was lurking behind him. Slowly, Lucious approached the two men and wrestled the sabre out of Victor's hand. With the sabre in his hands, Lucious viciously thrusted it into Wang Jun's heart.
"What have you done!" yelled Victor as he quickly rushed to Wang Jun's side, cradling his dying body. Victor's pristine outfit was soon covered in blood as he comforted Wang Jun in his final moments. As his body began to run cold, Wang Jun could only look at Victor with guilty eyes, 'I am sorry, I led your uncle and his men to their death,' he thought while shedding a tear.
"Guards restrain my grandfather and escort him to his room. He is not in his right mind," Victor ordered. The guards astutely followed their King's orders and escorted Lucious Cassell back to his room. They also helped Loraine Cassell back to her room. She was still unconscious after seeing her son's decapitated head.
All that remained in the room was his cousin, sister and all of their spouses. "Harys, you should go check on your parents, I can tell you are devastated, but so are they. You should all be together, hopefully, you can keep our grandfather calm," Victor said in a soft tone. Harys nodded and made sure to give Veronica a hug before leaving with his wife.
Victor called for one of his soldiers and gave him an order, "Go and find Marshal Bessières. Tell him to prepare the Royal Guard for a state funeral. We shall bury my uncle's remains in the Luxenberg War Museum. He died while in service of the kingdom; it is only right that he is given the funeral of a hero."
The Royal Guard soldier nodded and swiftly exited the room to carry out his task. Funeral preparations were important, but at the same time, Victor wanted to prepare for war. With this in mind, he sought out the Commander of the Luxenberg Army: Field Marshal Schwarzenberg. They needed to prepare to get their revenge against the Kingdom of Gu.