Fate

"What? They have been defeated?"

"How come they are defeated so quickly?" 

The king, Duke Raymond, and several nobles held a private meeting, discussing the trade ban. 

"It's not important. The most important problem will be their current condition." Duke Raymond bit his lips. "They are in dire need of support. It's going to be hard to help them because the nobles around them will take action."

"Shouldn't we use the royal army? They won't be able to act that way." 

"The royal army can't be used in this case. People will just think the royal family is abusing their power."

"Then, are we going to abandon them? There will be a lot of nobles that will think we'll do the same to them in the future."

Duke Raymond bit his lips. "I could think of several plans, but we have to wait for the winter. 

"There's no way they can last that long. Some citizens are even reported to have fled to Marquis Ardagan's territory."