~Intelligence is quickness in seeing things as they are~
-George Santayana
"Minister of Defense! If you had reported this earlier, the royal court would have done something before it got to such amount! Do you wish to see the people lose faith in the royal court?!" Second prince Jalan questioned sternly.
Indeed delaying to report such an issue was a grave mistake on the path of the minister of defense, however it was understandable that he had been of the opinion that the matter could be easily resolved as the usual one or two cases of missing persons here and there.
It was only after no results were forthcoming from the investigation and at the same time the number of missing persons were piling up, then the minister of defense realized he should have sent in a report earlier on.