In the Duchy of Parta stood the grand duke’s residence, where Tristan was currently holding yet another meeting with Scarlet.
Alas, the dignity of the grand duke was nowhere to be seen. Day after day of mental fatigue left his cheeks hollowed and eyebags heavy. The luxurious chair he sat on did nothing to hide his exhausted slouch; had the chair not been there, he clearly would have slumped lifelessly to the ground. His subordinates behind him weren’t faring much better.
On the other hand, Scarlet looked as alert as could be. Her back was straight, her eyes were full of vigor, and her lips were set into a stern line. While the grand duke of Parta had been reduced to an exhausted mess, the princess of Jamille held her head up high with all the dignity of a royal.
Naturally, Scarlet was the first to speak. “I am expecting a favorable response today.”
“P-Please, could you not ease up the conditions by just a bit?”
Scarlet’s only response was a cold and icy glare. Behind the grand duke, his subordinates watched on with unease written all over their faces. This had become their routine every meeting.
“As it is now, the people of my country will not be able to live,” Tristan pressed on.
“Hmm. I do pity the citizens of the duchy.”
Tristan’s eyes lit up. “Then—”
“Yes, I pity them...for their misfortune of being born under such an incompetent lord.”
“Wha—?!” The short-lived hope faded from Tristan’s eyes, and once again his face paled.
“Grand Duke, you seem to be misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding...?”
“You designated us as a nation of monsters. Do you truly believe that monsters have sympathy to spare for humans?”
“B-But you are—”
“Do you think I am unaware that you speak of me behind my back, calling me a woman who sold her soul to the monsters?”
“H-How did you...?!” Tristan choked on his words, and his subordinates also watched on in horror.
Scarlet’s expression remained impassive, save for a faint sneer as she pierced Tristan with an icy gaze. The truth was, she hadn’t heard of any such slander—her earlier statement had been no more than a bluff. However, Scarlet was clever enough to know how humans—especially those in power—tended to behave. That they slandered her for her affiliation with the monsters was hardly difficult to imagine. Tristan had fallen completely for her bluff and unknowingly exposed himself.
Pressure and panic were evident on the expressions of the grand duke and his retainers. After all, they had been caught secretly bad-mouthing the other party at the negotiation table. Tristan was the most flustered out of them all, but soon he gritted his teeth and shot Scarlet a desperate, fiery glare.
“Enough is enough,” he growled. “There is a limit to my patience.”
“Oh?” With her lips still curled into a cold smile, Scarlet returned Tristan’s gaze with a glint of amusement in her eyes. “And if you’ve reached that limit, what of it?”
“Obviously, these negotiations will break down!” Tristan slammed his fists on the table and shot to his feet. “I might have let my guard down before, but never again!”
“Y-Your Royal Highness?!” cried one of his subordinates.
“Our nations will go to war, and all of it will be upon your shoulders! Are you okay with that?!”
Scarlet remained utterly unfazed at this sudden burst of anger. “Grand Duke, you seem to be misunderstanding yet again.”
“What?!”
“Another war... Yes, I would love that.”
Tristan visibly froze. “What...?”
“My master and the divine dragon may be offering you mercy, but I do not possess such benevolence. I wish to eradicate those who dared to make a fool of my master.”
“E-Eradi...?”
“Wh-Why go so far?” cut in one of the subordinates, stepping up in place of his speechless sovereign.
Scarlet hummed. “Is it so strange? I can forgive slander upon myself with a smile, but disrespect upon my master’s name...does not deserve the same mercy. Am I wrong?”
“Urgh...” The subordinate fell speechless as well.
Although she stood on the monsters’ side, what Scarlet just spoke of was a very human emotion. Surely, there were many who would agree—a slight to oneself was one thing, but to do it to those they cared about was another entirely.
Scarlet’s cold gaze trailed over each person’s face. Once she saw that they understood her point of view, she continued her merciless barrage.
“I wish to eradicate those who dared to make a fool of my master, yet my master’s orders are absolute. However, humans are imperfect beings, and we are subject to failure—and when we fail, we must redeem ourselves. I sincerely implore you to render these negotiations null and void, for only then can I seek out redemption...by ensuring this country’s utter and thorough demise with every hand at my disposal.”
Words failed Tristan as Scarlet mercilessly cut him apart with her own. In the end, he could only manage to squeeze out, “Y-You must be insane...”
“You seem to be misunderstanding,” said Scarlet for the third time. Her lips curled into a smirk, like a predator who had all but caught her prey. “I have sold my soul to the monsters, have I not?”
With that, Scarlet dealt the finishing blow to everyone in that room. Succumbing to her unrelenting presence, the grand duke and his subordinates were left with no other option but submission.
In three days’ time, the Duchy of Parta officially announced their unconditional surrender to the nation of Liam-Lardon.