At the same time, across the entire duchy, the effects of the Royal Stabilization Mandate have become evident.
In Winterwood territory, Eric watched a column of armored men ride through his gates. Orichalcum glinted on their breastplates. The sigil of the royal family hung from their shoulders.
The King's men.
Inside the foyer of Winterwood Manor, servants stepped aside, wide-eyed. Eric's fingers curled behind his back as the captain approached him.
"Lord Winterwood," the captain began. "By order of King Alexios, we are here to secure your household and surroundings. No harm will be allowed to reach the lord of the Greenvale soldiers currently deployed."
Eric's relief was clear on his face.
But behind his expression, beneath the veneer of polite gratitude, his thoughts drifted to Quinlan.
The king had not recalled the Greenvale vassals' forces from the large army.
