Count Digald had suddenly declared war on Feridium.

As soon as the declaration was delivered by an envoy, the vassals of Feridium gathered in the main hall.

Zvaltier read the declaration over and over, his expression grim.

The proclamation was filled with flowery language, listing all the "just" reasons for the war and the "noble" motives of Digald. Stripped of the embellishments, it boiled down to this:

"My son, Gilmor Digald, was killed by Giselle Feridium, and I will have my revenge."

The vassals were incredulous.

“What madness is this? Claiming that the young lord killed Gilmor? Absurd!”

“They’ve clearly …