Field Marshal Schwarzenberg was in his office when he was summoned to Victor's study. He was already well informed about Grand Admiral Nelson's return and ultimately assumed that the delegation was dead.
He had already begun making preparations for war. He consolidated their supplier in the three port cities they possessed. Some of the corps were issued orders to move to Hannover, Osterbon or Bismarck. Everything was moving smoothly in terms of how Field Marshal Schwarzenberg had planned, but his meeting with King Victor shifted things.
As Field Marshal Schwarzenberg arrived at the study, he was greeted by a grim-looking man he did not recognise. He had never seen Victor look so furious and upset; it was almost as if he was looking at a stranger. Nevertheless, the Field Marshal cupped his fist on his chest and proceeded to sit down.
"You summoned me, your Majesty. If you were wanting an update on our progress, I could give you a full written report on supply cache numbers and troop movements," Schwarzenberg said in his usual tone.
Victor slowly finished reading a report in his hand and gently put it down on his desk. In a cold, hoarse voice, he said, "I want them dead. I want their homes to burn and I want them to suffer." His voice spat words like venom; this in itself was alarming for the Field Marshal, as he had no clue why his King was acting the way he did.
"Your Majesty? Who do you want dead?" Field Marshal Schwarzenberg asked cautiously, trying to establish what was wrong. Victor shot him a glare that would make anyone feel uncomfortable. It felt as if he was staring through his skull.
"King Gu Tian, his inbred sons, that mongrel cur Stetson and the rest of those backwater sons of whores from Simbar," Victor stated in a chilling tone. His hatred had been manifesting ever since Grand Admiral Nelson returned with dire news. Now that it was confirmed that his uncle was dead, he could not contain it any longer.
"Our preparations are going as planned, we have more ships ready to bolster the navy as well as transport our soldiers for an invasion. Our newest type of ship is ready to see action. We must be patient, Your Majesty. If we rush our preparation, all sorts of problems could arise," Field Marshal Schwarzenberg said, trying to alleviate some of Victor's rage.
Victor nodded firmly, his ugly gaze still remaining. "Good, Good. All Luxenberg Rocket troops will be sent to Simbar. We will burn their cities to the ground. We shall scorch the earth and make it so they can never threaten us again." Every time Victor spoke, Field Marshal Schwarzenberg grew more and more anxious. This was not the King he knew.
"It will be done, my King. If you will excuse me, I will begin sending messages to the generals. I will let them know that the time for war is near." Schwarzenberg said, looking for a way to escape the study. All Victor did was nod and signal him to leave the study.
Once away from the study, Field Marshal Schwarzenberg walked the halls of the palace searching for Veronica and Queen Clarisse. Fortunately for the Field Marshal, both women were in the lounge together, catching up and comforting one another.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, I think it is best if we discuss something immediately, it is about His Majesty. I am terribly worried about him," Field Marshal Schwarzenberg said in a calm, but authoritative tone.
With his words, he had both women's attention, and he proceeded to recount his recent interaction with King Victor. As he went into detail about his interaction with Victor, both Veronica and Clarisse were alarmed with his behaviour. Victor had never acted this badly before. It was scary and it was concerning.
"Thank you for telling us Field Marshal, we will deal with it. Please resume your normal duties," Queen Clarisse said elegantly. The Field Marshal bowed and then exited the room so the two ladies could discuss how to handle Victor.
While the ladies were discussing how to handle Victor, Marshal Bessières was handling the arrangements for a state funeral. Since Larys's remains were to be buried in the Luxenberg War Museum, Marshal Bessières wanted to arrange a procession with the majority of the Royal Guard in it. In total, the Royal Guard consisted of 2,900 French Imperial Guard soldiers and 500 Royal Scots Grey cavalrymen.
Bessières planned for the funeral to be held in one week, this gave him enough time to organise the troops and make sure that Bishop Pompallier could officiate the funeral. This also allowed Victor and his family time to grieve without worrying about their appearance.
During the week, Veronica and Clarisse approached Victor on multiple occasions to console him and ease his pain. Their attempts were met with Victor's cold demeanour which was a shock to both of them. Victor loved the two of them very much, so for him to act that coldly was not something they could ever imagine.
After a few days of trying, Queen Clarisse confronted her husband about his behaviour. "We need to talk Victor. I understand that you are grieving and you have every right to do so, but this version of you is nasty, it is not like you at all. Everyone has noticed it as well. If you need to open up about it, I am here for you and I always will be, but you can not continue like this."
Victor was stunned momentarily, his wife had always been the soft and gentle type, never to raise her voice or confront anyone. But now she was forced to due to the foul mood he had been in. All Victor could do was drop his head in shame and sigh. "I am sorry, my love," Victor said.
Clarisse looked at her husband, not with sympathy or compassion, but anger. "Is that all you have to say?! You have been acting so different these last few days and all you can say is you are sorry?! At least open up and tell me why you are like this, it can not be only because of Uncle Larys's death, so explain. Now!"