The king and Count Raymond sat in the palace's grand balcony, the cool breeze ruffling their robes as they idly played chess under the golden afternoon sun. The board between them gleamed, its silver and ebony pieces half-played, the weight of the match far less important than the conversation slowly brewing between the two. Nearby, discarded carelessly on the marble floor, was a crumpled newspaper, the headlines blaring a sensationalized story.