Chapter 197:
International Relations
GIA CARRIED HIS EMPIRE on his shoulders flippantly, and he wasn’t about to change his tune. It remained a mystery whether that was out of a different level of generosity or a fundamental difference in psyche. Either way, at present, Yulan’s only option was to accept the words Gia threw at him.
“Look, Sina technically never pledged neutrality,” Gia told him. “We just sized up our potential allies and weren’t satisfied with any of them. And, in turn, they all made an informed call not to mess with us.”
Sina had merely let other nations assume it was neutral and nonaggressive. Really, the country welcomed those who came and didn’t mourn those who left. It was true that Sina was beholden to no one and didn’t seek anyone’s help, but perhaps it wasn’t right to call it “neutral” on that basis.
Gia’s homeland had nothing to gain by reaching out, and no reason to compromise either. So there it stayed, essentially set on a hill a comfortable distance away, looking down at the other nations that regarded it with a scrutinizing gaze.
“A plethora of possibilities lie in the unknown. But even if they realized that, most of the idiots courting Sina choked along the way. And not because we wouldn’t accept them—because they couldn’t adapt to our ways.”
A smooth alliance couldn’t form if both sides were loath to make significant compromises in the process. Part of Sina’s general approach was the belief that whichever side didn’t cave after a clash in opinions was in the right. They valued violence over kindness. Greed over reason. In a kingdom whose values were far too different, everyone cried when they thought of their homeland and, in the end, turned their backs. Nobody in Sina desired that.
“This system has mostly worked in our favor.” Gia shrugged. “Even without making diplomatic efforts, Sina can still establish itself. That goes for its people too.”
“All right, then… What will the point of introducing me to your father be?”
Even Gia, the embodiment of carefree capriciousness, would acknowledge that this certainly wouldn’t end once he’d innocently introduced his father to someone he befriended while studying abroad. Yulan didn’t know what Sina’s current monarch was like, but considering the empire’s modus operandi, it was easy to imagine he was a lot like Gia—carefree, self-indulgent, arrogant, and smart. Hedonistic, yet at times capable of greater cruelty than Yulan. Gia’s father likely wasn’t as extreme as Gia, but he was still the boy’s father.
“It doesn’t matter if there’s no point to it. But it also doesn’t matter if there is a point.”
Gia’s lips curled upward into a smile, his bicuspids protruding like fangs. Those were the mark of an apex predator. Did that make Yulan his prey?
As a drop of cold sweat trickled down Yulan’s back, he was angered by the revelation that part of him wanted to shrink back and hide. He was aware that Gia was overpowering him, but would he buckle in front of the intimidating boy? No. Yulan’s ego would never allow that.
“So…I guess you’re saying you took a liking to me?” Yulan asked.
“Guess so. At the very least, you met my minimum requirements.”
Yulan exhaled, relieving his body’s unwanted tension. In the time it took to blink, he’d already made up his mind. He’d knowingly sown the seeds; they just produced a flower bed bigger than he imagined. He never dreamed that Gia would be the one to approach him, but that was still within the realm of possibility.
Gia’s penetrating gaze slowly but surely rubbed Yulan the wrong way. He’d ordinarily want to smack the smug smile off the prince’s face. At that moment, though, they weren’t speaking as friends—they were confronting each other as the prince of Sina and an aristocrat of Duralia. So Yulan needed to adorn his face with a handsome smile, not an angry look.
Yulan took a breath. “I’m deeply honored to hear that from the esteemed prince of a peaceful empire.”
“Ha ha ha! Jeez, that sounded so fake!”
If only Gia were the type Yulan could easily fool with the charming persona he’d grown accustomed to donning. To Gia, though, nothing seemed shadier than Yulan’s appealing smile.
“That’s exactly why I can trust ya.”