Two days later, Princess Yuriarna Merol Melissa Rhoden Olav and her forces entered Houvan, which was now safely under the control of Prince Sekt. She met her brother at an ancillary building in what had once been Lord Houvan’s castle. Her long, blond hair curled at the tips, accenting her snow-white skin. Her warm brown eyes were currently fixed on Prince Sekt, who stood across from her.
Yuriarna plucked up the edges of her skirt and offered a low curtsy. Her movements were those of a refined royal family member, hardly what one might expect of the average sixteen-year-old. Sekt’s eyebrows rose at the fluidity of her motion, surprised that she showed no sign of injury.
Yuriarna addressed him in a clear, curt tone. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, dear brother.”
She was flanked by two men. One was Rendol du Frivtran, a young man with delicately combed brown hair and an angular chin. As the son of Lieutenant General Carlton, one of the seven dukes and commander of the Third Royal Army, Rendol had been entrusted with protecting Princess Yuriarna on her journey to Limbult. Rendol, who should have been the first to leap in front of Yuriarna when the assassins struck, also didn’t have a single injury on his body. In fact, it didn’t even look as though he’d been in a fight.
At his side stood a large, brutish man, about two meters tall. A cloak marked with strange symbols covered his muscular body. The man had amethyst-colored skin, elongated ears, and short-cropped white hair. What appeared to be an old scar ran down the side of his face, giving him an intimidating appearance.
In the interest of security, everyone had surrendered their weapons. Judging by the way this man carried himself, however, his bare hands would be more than enough to take out all the humans around him.
Sekt tried to ignore the chill creeping up his spine, covering his discomfort with a warm smile. “Yuriarna, how great to see you! I was overjoyed to hear that you’re alive and well. The look on Father’s face was tragic when he heard the news of your death.”
Yuriarna offered a gentle smile in return. “I thought I was done for when we were attacked. But, somehow, God smiled upon us and allowed us to get away unscathed.”
“I was beyond surprised when I heard that Dakares was behind that vicious plot.” Sekt frowned deeply, letting out a heavy sigh.
Yuriarna watched her brother quietly before responding. “I heard you were also hurt. Are you all right?”
“My arm was injured, but it’s nothing serious. I thought I wouldn’t stand a chance in a duel against Dakares, but apparently, it was God’s will for me to survive as well.” Sekt’s tone was light, joking.
Yuriarna’s eyebrows rose slightly. “During the announcement you made in the capital, about the uprising being Dakares’s doing, you also said that I died. Why?” Her determined gaze bored into her brother, her low voice taking on strange power.
However, Sekt simply snorted, a look of anguish on his face as he let out another sigh. “Dakares had that heirloom necklace you received from your mother—the one you never take off. I assumed that meant you were no longer with us.”
“But no one had seen my body?”
“No. The remains of a number of your guards, and a large group of bandits, were found at the spot where we believed you were attacked. You were nowhere to be found. However, there were signs of animals scavenging in the area.”
Monsters ran rampant through the woods, and it was common enough for them to drag corpses back to their lairs. Many people had disappeared in such a way, and being royalty made no difference to a monster.
“But my carriage wasn’t found either. Correct?” Yuriarna continued her line of questioning.
Sekt only frowned. “That’s also true. I thought that you might still be alive. But at that time, we had no information on your whereabouts, and no reports that you were safe. Add to that the fact that the cowards here in Houvan staged their uprising right when the royal family was at its lowest… Well, I had to make rather hurried decisions to remind the people of our family’s power. If I’d suggested you were alive, I’d have run the risk of your supporters stalling on sending troops to Houvan. That would not only have prolonged the uprising, but also placed a vital trade route in limbo. Power loathes a vacuum. Don’t you agree?”
Yuriarna nodded, her face tense. “I suppose I would have done the same in your position.”
Sekt appeared satisfied with that response, and brought his hands together, a wide smile on his face. “I’m so glad to hear that. Now, I have a question for you. How is it that all these Grand Duchy soldiers, as well as this dark elf, accompanied you?”
Yuriarna cleared her throat. “My sister Seriarna provided the soldiers from Limbult to ensure my safe return to the capital. The dark elf here is Sir Fangas Flan Maple, a high elder from the Great Canada Forest.”
Sekt regarded the muscle-bound elf. A high elder was quite an important figure. For him to show his face in the Grand Duchy was one thing, but this was the first time a dark elf had appeared publicly in the Rhoden Kingdom for many long years.
Sekt’s voice was barely above a whisper. “You can’t possibly mean…a trade agreement?”
Yuriarna nodded. “High Elder Fangas is accompanying me to the capital so that we can discuss opening trade between our nations.”
Until that time, the Grand Duchy had been the only human nation that traded with the elves. Since the humans prized magical items for both their quality and utility, Limbult had amassed a sizable fortune merely by serving as an intermediary between the elves and other humans.
If the Rhoden Kingdom also became a trade partner, that would destroy Limbult’s monopoly and severely cut into their profits. The fact that Yuriarna was under Limbult’s protection suggested that those details had already been worked out, however.
“What will be subject to trade?”
“First, we will make arrangements for cultivation rune stones.”
Sekt swallowed hard. He tried to cover his sudden sense of dread with a cheerful response. “That will do wonders to help develop our country.”
Cultivation rune stones had the power to increase a parcel of land’s harvest if crushed and spread on the soil. However, only the elves knew the method for manufacturing them. Despite the humans’ best efforts to reproduce cultivation rune stones, they’d come up empty-handed so far.
With all the monsters roaming the land, the ability to increase food production in the already-cramped human domains could quite literally change a country’s fate. If the people got their hands on cultivation rune stones without going through the Grand Duchy, nobles throughout the Rhoden Kingdom would almost certainly swear allegiance to Yuriarna, all but assuring her the throne.
Sekt’s shoulders slumped, his mind mulling this over.
Yuriarna looked at him quizzically.
“So, I assume you won’t be here long?” Sekt asked, putting on another cheerful smile. “You must be in a hurry to get to the capital.”
“We’ll spend the evening here and depart for the capital at first light tomorrow morning.”
“I see, I see. In that case, I’ll make arrangements for you to stay in another empty building so that you can rest.”
A glimmer of suspicion flickered across Yuriarna’s face, but she quickly composed herself. She thanked Sekt and left the room.
As soon as she was out of sight, Cetrion stepped from the shadows behind the prince. He spoke in a low voice. “What do you think?”
Sekt dropped heavily into his chair, placing his hands palms-up on the armrests and slouching. “If we let these trade conversations happen, I’m guessing at least eight percent of the nobles will support her succession.”
“And?”
Sekt shook his head. “We’ll have to concede this round to her. If I did anything to Yuriarna at this point, the whole trade discussion would go up in smoke. We need her plan to succeed, not only for the country’s sake, but for the royal family’s sake as well. I do find it a bit ironic, though, that we’ve become reliant on a species that barely reproduces in order to secure a sufficient food supply.” An inscrutable smile spread across Sekt’s face. “Besides, I already control Tiocera and Houvan, two major stopping points for trade with Limbult. I’m not exactly leaving everything on the table for my dear sister. I’ll need to speak with Lord Tiocera, to make sure he doesn’t get any funny ideas.”
Cetrion nodded.
“Knowing Yuriarna, she’ll almost certainly use the cultivation rune stones on barren land, which will undoubtedly sow discord among those with fertile land. Yuriarna is likely aware of that, but there are only so many rune stones to go around. It shouldn’t be difficult for me to win over the nobility who feel neglected. Support may sway toward her temporarily, but the pendulum will assuredly come swinging back.” The prince’s smile grew even more ominous. “No need to worry. Haste makes waste, as Dakares learned. I plan on leaving the crown to my own son, and that starts with choosing the proper allies.”
Sekt closed his eyes, his smile stretching ever wider.