“Let me ask you the same thing. Are you prepared?”
“Yes, of course.” Romello answered without hesitation.
Morris was shocked. “Well, that was quick.”
“As you know, there was a war after I became the prime minister. And when it broke out, I felt ashamed. A prime minister’s job is to keep order, after all, for the safety of the entire kingdom. To protect the kingdom and its people. And in order to do that, we must seek alliances with other countries in order to maintain a stable government. We must not overlook the seeds of war. We must dig them out before they begin to bud. So, at the time, I cursed my own powerlessness.” A sardonic smile crossed Romello’s face. “I’ll never let another war happen, not on my watch. I’m going to protect my kingdom and our innocent citizens, including our soldiers. Even if it means I get the reputation for being a demon.” That’s my job as the prime minister of Tasmeria, he added silently with a soft chuckle.
“Unfortunately, the thing I pride myself most on is the blood that runs through my veins.” Morris spoke in a calm voice. “The blood of my predecessors, all of whom ruled the domain of Grindel and protected its citizens. Did you know that we have a tradition in Grindel to train our people in martial arts?”
“Yes, I know. You use martial arts to train both body and mind, correct?”
“I had a feeling you already knew about it. Yes, that’s right. It’s how the citizens have protected their land on their own. They love their domain, so they’ve protected it along with their families over the years, to this very day. I want to live up to their expectations and put my citizens first, even if that means it’s not in my best interests as a duke of Rimmel.”
The room fell silent for a while, until Romello spoke up again. “I see. I understand very well now just how prepared you are.” His new calm and gentle voice was a sharp contrast to his curt, serious one from earlier. “Let’s discuss this more, then. Alf, the documents?”
“Yes, my lord.” Alf immediately handed a stack of papers to Romello.
“This here is proof that Duke Baskar is engaged in human trafficking.”
“What?!” exclaimed Morris.
“Human trafficking is illegal in your country, is it not? Am I correct?”
“Of course it is! Why in the world would he be doing such a thing?!” Morris looked over the papers, his hands trembling with anger. It was indeed proof beyond a doubt that his fellow duke was involved in selling people into slavery. Morris stared at the paper with bloodshot eyes so intently that one might think he would burn a hole into it. Once he finished reading it, he let out a deep sigh. A sad smile appeared on his face. “I’d expect nothing less of you, Lord Romello. Your capable subordinates have apparently already exposed the state of affairs in my country.” There was a harshness in his voice, proof of just how shaken Morris was over the matter.
“I’m embarrassed to admit it, but there are the same types of despicable people in my kingdom too.”
“Pardon?”
“As you know, to the east of Baskar is Sligar, and to the west is Crowe. If he wants to leave the kingdom, he has to travel through one of those domains. Yet if he does that, he would be easily tracked.”
Morris seemed to realize what Romello was getting at and lifted his head.
“I’m sure you understand…but Duke Baskar has been using my kingdom, which lies to the south, to traffic his slaves. He’s been paying the lord of that domain a handsome sum to keep quiet as he passes through. We were investigating another matter when we noticed a suspicious flow of money. That’s when we discovered what was going on as detailed in those documents.”
Romello wasn’t telling a lie, but he wasn’t exactly telling the truth either. He did, in fact, learn about this when they noticed the suspicious money trail. But the reason he discovered the human trafficking plot was because he had a very capable spy deep in Rimmel. The reason he didn’t tell Morris that was because he decided there was no need for him to reveal his hand to that degree. And, of course, he didn’t want to jeopardize his relationship with the duke.
If he hadn’t used a spy, he probably never would’ve caught wind of this situation. But now he’d killed two birds with one stone; he received valuable evidence against a duke of Rimmel while rooting out a corrupt noble in his own kingdom.
“You’re a very astute man, Lord Romello.” Morris’s voice was slightly soft.
Romello smiled. “I’m pleased to hear you think that.”
Morris smiled as well, and his face now wore a gentle expression. “It seems as though I must muster even more nerve than I expected.” In fact, when he said that, there was already noticeable determination in his eyes. “I must be prepared to put an end to Duke Baskar.” He smiled and held out his hand. “Thank you, Lord Romello. My heart is at ease. I’m going to put your information to good use, and I’d like to continue building a good relationship with you.”
Romello immediately took Morris’s hand and shook it. “I feel the same, Lord Morris. If possible, I’d like to build a relationship like ours between our countries as well.”
“Oh, that would be interesting! I’m sure you’re already thinking about what you’d like to do in the future, hm? I’d love to hear more details about it.”
After a firm handshake, the two men began to discuss the non-aggression treaty Romello had put together.