Cedric hadn't ordered an attack upon the Guild, but neither had he dismissed the political concerns surrounding its growing relationship with Richard.
Elsewhere in the palace, Third Prince Adrian was examining the Marrowford commission from an entirely different perspective.
Several documents lay across his desk, including the original authorization, the territorial objection, and the Royal Administrative Council's preliminary findings.
Adrian turned toward an elderly legal adviser seated opposite him.
"What's your assessment of the commission's legality?" Adrian asked, tapping the original authorization. "Not whether it was useful. I want to know whether the Crown possessed sufficient authority to issue it."
The adviser adjusted his spectacles. "The authorization appears lawful, Your Royal Highness. The Crown has long commissioned independent specialists for particular services. The difficulty lies in how those arrangements interact with territorial jurisdiction."
