Meanwhile, in the Banquet Hall, the Empress Matriarch had just finished cutting the birthday cake when a member of the merfolk hurried quietly toward Vincent, his breathing uneven, eyes wide in fear.
"Your Highness… our king is missing."
The man kept his voice low, clearly afraid of disrupting the Empress Matriarch's birthday celebration, but the panic in it was impossible to conceal.
Vincent frowned slightly, scanning his surroundings to make sure no one could hear them. "You mean to say your king disappeared within Firebird Clan territory?"
The merfolk nodded quickly, his complexion growing paler.
"Yes. Before the banquet began, His Majesty felt unwell and went to soak in the garden pool. But when the banquet started, he hadn't returned. We searched everywhere and found only this—"
He presented a single pink scale, shimmering faintly with starlight.
