Arin Helev was having a chat with the Prime Minister and Minister of War in one room of the palace. Though their conversation was mostly diplomatic issues, the young King kept it casual and had some tea with his two trusted Ministers.
Even when his father was the King, the Prime Minister and the Minister of War were always like his two hands and ever since he took over the throne, they had become the same for him.
"Minister Dilan, if we were to expand our ties in the south, what kingdom do you think will be the best?" the young King asked the Minister of War, Dilan Lorin.
"The south? Let me think about it," Dilan Lorin said and gave a serious thought. After a few seconds, he said, "Vialand?"
"Vialand... " Arin Helev muttered and slightly smiled. "That's a good suggestion. Vialand might be a small kingdom but a large number of gold and silver mines are the keys to their wealth. Besides, they always want to trade with us."
"Are you trying to strengthen our ties in the south in case something happened?" the Prime Minister asked.
"That's one reason," the King said. "Besides, I think if we concentrate a bit on trading, it will be very helpful in the well-being of the people. The Vialand Kingdom is rich in natural resources and they always wanted to have a good route to expand their trade. I think we can provide them with that route while trading with them.
"Each year, we always produced the most amount of silk in comparison to our surrounding kingdoms but Vialand is poor in that. However, if we want a strong ally with a formidable army, we can also turn to the Azamet Kingdom," he concluded.
"Vialand and Azamet are neighbouring kingdoms and they are always on good terms. We can send envoys to both the two kingdoms," Minister Dilan suggested.
"We can give it a try," Arin Helev said with a nod.
"Your Majesty, I also think that it's time for us to give a clear standing of our view on the Jerivians," the Minister of War said. "You just stabilized your administration. That means what's possible before can become impossible and the impossible can also become possible. Many rulers of our surrounding kingdoms will be well aware of this.
"But if we keep on dragging this matter, the allies and enemies of Jerivia won't know what to do with us. They will surely be busy wondering if they should approach us."
The King understood what the Minister of War was saying. If they made peace with Jerivia, the allies of Jerivia will be willing to approach them and if it's the opposite, it will be the enemies of Jerivia who will come to talk to him.
"I know that," Arin Helev said. "I plan to meet King Tobias but... as you know, I just stabilize my throne. It's not appropriate for me to travel that soon."
"His Majesty is right," Prime Minister Casar stated. "In this situation, we can't expect King Tobias to come. He won't trust us with his safety. After all, he pulled such a big trick on us."
"The King of Nardodia is busy strengthening his army while making ties with our enemies at the same time. He even sent his nephew, the Crown Prince to Jerivia. I think King Tobias is making himself clear, Your Majesty," the Minister of War uttered. "He chooses the Nardodians over us."
"King Aryan is still that infamous Duke of Borland, Minister Dilan," Casar Mareyi argued. "He can change his title but I doubt it's the same for his nature. So, no matter what he did, I don't think the Jerivian King will trust him. The same goes for the King of Nathania."
Dilan Lorin thought about what the Prime Minister just said before he nodded in approval. "You have a point, Prime Minister. Then it won't hurt to give another try on the Jerivians. After all, they are the most powerful among our bordering kingdoms and endless conflict with them will only drain our wealth and the lives of our soldiers."
"First, let's wait for a while," Arin Helev said. "It seems like King Aryan is up to something these days. Let's see if he succeed or not," he added with a little smirk.
The two Ministers exchanged glances with each other, confused. What did their King talk about?!
* * *
The chamber of Commander Iria in the palace was noisier than usual. Maybe because her other two trusted Generals came to visit her and to make it even more entertaining, Rion was also in the chamber with them.
It had been two days since she woke up. That means two days had passed since she met Commander Nico. Whenever she thought of the two letters, she felt relieved and troubled at the same time.
"Commander, you should recover soon," Zire said to her with a frown. "Just because Jolene have to act as you, she keeps on ordering me around these days and if this goes on, I think I will be able to die out of frustration."
While Rion and the Commander laughed at Zire's complaint, Jolene rolled her eyes. "Apart from your usual duty, I never ask you to do any other thing. How dare you say that!" She shifted her gaze to Iria and said, "Zire is just like a whiny kid, Commander. Once you return, you should teach him a good lesson."
With disappointment written all over his face, Zire tried to speak up again but... his Commander beat him at that.
"I thought that you two already make up," Iria Alewine simply said, observing the two Generals who stood beside her bed. "Did I get it wrong?"
"Make up?" Zire asked with a confused face. "What do you mean, Commander?"
Staring at the reaction of his friend, Rion laughed out loud. "I think you two should stop arguing. We already know that something is going on between the two of you."
Jolene blinked at Rion words. "Something going on?"
Meanwhile, Zire awkwardly scratched his head. "That's not the case," he muttered and briefly glanced at Jolene. "It's one-sided, not mutual."
Iria Alewine chuckled when she saw Zire's action. Then she looked at Jolene. "Is that really the case, Jolene? Is it one-sided like Zire claimed?"
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