Minister Salomonis va Ferrum massaged his temples with theatrical exaggeration as he descended the grand staircase leading from the imperial audience chamber. His auburn hair, typically immaculately styled, showed signs of disarrangement from repeatedly running his fingers through it during the lengthy proceedings.
"Unbelievable," he muttered, loud enough for his companions to hear but not so loud as to reach the nearby imperial guards. "Absolutely unbelievable. That self-important bureaucratic nightmare has effectively auctioned off our discovery to fund his personal prestige projects."
