Reiner trudged down from his room, his face set in a deep scowl. The frustration and disappointment were written all over him, impossible to hide. Etien barely glanced his way before realizing—every step Reiner took, he seemed even paler than before.
"What the hell happened to you? Was last night alright?" Etien asked.
"I lost a shipment, stuff I needed to send out to another region. That mess cost me around a thousand gold coins." Reiner groaned, dragging a weary hand down his tired, washed-out face.
"All of it burned up?"
"Not exactly… but everything in the warehouse? Yeah, gone. Nothing left but ashes." His voice dripped with frustration.
Etien's brows furrowed. "Wait—what were you shipping? Where to? And when?"
"Just sacks of fertilizer bound for Bozou. The deal's already set with their kingdom, and the shipment was supposed to go out in two days. But now that it's all burned to nothing, I have no choice but to compensate them for the loss."
