Chapter 450

The moment Eriphony returned to the reception room, she unbuttoned her jacket with a sharp, deliberate motion. Her silence was chilling, and the low, swallowed groans she let out as she slumped onto the sofa hinted at the depth of her inner fury.

Her subordinates instinctively stepped back behind Elderet, bowing their heads low, wary of any sparks flying. Only Elderet calmly began folding the discarded clothing.

“Your Majesty, I will bring the envoy from Burgos here. Please wait a moment.”

“Very well. If possible, bring only the head of the delegation. They seem weak, but there’s a deadly edge in their eyes. Since they claim to be blood relatives of King Damon, there must be some hidden agenda. If we play this right, the conversation might go smoothly.”

Elderet nodded and quickly left the room. They had only thirty minutes. In that time, they had to either lure the Burgos side or…

“I must crush the necks of those two brats who are the pillars of Bariel. That’s the only way to turn this situation around.”

Of course, Ruswena had no intention of stepping onto the front lines herself. She had a palace and people to protect. The blood spilled by those two children would have to flow toward Burgos, and Bariel’s wrath would have to be directed there as well.

But it wouldn’t be easy. This was Bariel’s royal palace. Eyes and ears were everywhere, watching Ruswena closely. Most of her soldiers couldn’t even cross the main gate and were left pacing outside the palace.

And what about weapons? Aside from the golden bow they barely managed to sneak in—because there was no evidence of arrows—they didn’t even have a single small dagger.

Knock knock.

Creak.

A deadly poison that could kill a bear weighing hundreds of kilograms with just a drop—that was the only weapon Eriphony had. It didn’t even have to strike; just a brush would be enough. But unless the gods granted her the chance, there was no way forward.

Lost in thought, her hand pressed to her temple, Eriphony didn’t even notice someone entering. It was only when a teacup was set down on the table and her subordinates began murmuring that she snapped back to reality.

Clink.

“What are you thinking about that you didn’t even notice someone coming in?”

“You—!”

Zaira. That reckless, arrogant little mage. The same expression she’d worn earlier when she insulted the king so boldly. And now, she was setting down a teacup right in front of Eriphony.

Eriphony reflexively reached to grab Zaira by the collar, but the girl slipped back and warned her.

“I’m no longer Ruswena’s mage. I’m Bariel’s now. If you treat me like that, you’ll be the one crying when the compensation fees come due. I just found out here—mages are worth a fortune.”

“I’m about to tear you apart. Who do you think you’re insulting with that vulgar nonsense? Ruswena is your homeland—the country that bore and raised you and your precious grandmother. And yet you dare betray it?”

“If it’s the country that bore and raised me, does that mean it can decide even my death?”

“The old woman died by her own hand. I saw it with my own eyes. Stop spouting nonsense. You’re just a young, lowly brat. I don’t know about the other mages, but I will bring you back to Ruswena, no matter what.”

Eriphony didn’t reach out, aware of Zaira’s status, but she slowly closed the distance, her massive frame pressing down like a shadow ready to swallow the girl whole.

Zaira took a step back, then another. Ruswena’s guards parted to clear a path, but Eriphony’s looming silhouette seemed to engulf the child.

Thud.

When Zaira’s head hit the doorframe, she realized there was nowhere left to retreat and tried to shove Eriphony’s arm away.

Perhaps the king had anticipated this from the start, because he waited patiently for the girl’s hand to reach out.

Creak.

At that moment, the door swung open, and Zaira’s body was pushed back.

It was Ian. Holding Zaira’s shoulder, he faced Eriphony at a close distance.

“Zaira.”

“I-Ian, sir.”

“Sir Ian.”

Ian glanced at the teacup on the table and quickly assessed the situation. It was just youthful recklessness—she had come to confront the king to vent the resentment still burning in her chest.

Ian gave Eriphony a slight bow.

“My apologies, Your Majesty.”

“…What is there to apologize for?”

“Zaira is now part of Bariel’s magic department, so she’s my subordinate. When a subordinate makes a mistake, it’s proper to apologize. She’s still young and hasn’t easily forgotten past sorrows. Please understand.”

Zaira clung tightly to Ian’s sleeve, glaring defiantly at Eriphony.

Eriphony understood, but she didn’t feel the need to sympathize. She leaned slightly, resting her elbow on the doorframe.

“Truly remarkable. Ruswena’s mage turned into Bariel’s mage in just a few days.”

“You can’t choose your hometown, but you can choose your nationality, can’t you?”

“True enough. Fair point. Well then, since we’ve met because of your subordinate’s mistake, why not come in for a cup of tea? There are things we should discuss.”

That actually worked out well. With that thought, Eriphony turned her back. Ian caught her smile through the window and, pretending to check the time on his pocket watch, hesitated.

“If you want to talk, do it in the conference room. There will be plenty of time then.”

“No time now? There’s enough time to meet someone.”

Eriphony hinted that she might be making contact with a foreign power, subtly provoking Ian.

Normally, during recesses, each country’s representatives were kept far apart, with guards posted accordingly. But this was a sudden recess, and Bariel’s side was distracted meeting with Clifford. The guards’ attention was lax enough.

When Eriphony pointed this out, Ian glanced down the hall before stepping into the reception room.

“What is it you want to say? For a conversation to happen, there must be value for both sides. If it’s just Ruswena’s one-sided demands, it’s more of a plea than a dialogue.”

It was obvious. Requests to reduce compensation fees, to not hand over the mages who had defected from Ruswena—most of the conversation would be Ruswena begging Bariel, or rather, Eriphony begging Ian for leniency.

Still, Ian held his head high, smiling with a hint of amusement.

“Hmm.”

“…With so many Ruswena mages moving over, the magic department must be having a festival.”

Eriphony clenched her teeth and brewed the tea herself. Ian paced cautiously nearby, but since they weren’t sitting face to face, there was a gap. Eriphony dropped poison onto a dry leaf and took a steady breath.

‘Elderet will bring the Burgos envoy soon.’

She would pour the water then.

Her hand trembled slightly.

It wasn’t nerves before the operation. Normally, she would have just driven an arrow through her heart and slit her throat. But now, having to restrain herself so carefully was maddening. With an irritated gesture, she set down the teacup.

At the sound, Ian turned around. Eriphony motioned for him to sit, but he just leaned on the table, folding his arms.

“Speak your mind. I can hear you just fine here. I’d rather not have any noise before the negotiations.”

“Just entering this room is already noise to Bariel’s officials, isn’t it?”

“I was just here to fetch my reckless subordinate. That shouldn’t be hard to understand. If you have nothing special to say, I’ll be on my way.”

“Was that compensation fee calculated by Bariel’s administration?”

As Ian turned to leave, Eriphony urgently called after him.

“What?”

“The compensation fee. Ruswena can’t pay it right now. Thanks to certain people, the palace is a mess, making it even harder.”

Eriphony’s sharp gaze swept over Zaira. The girl clung close to Ian, shooting back with a defiant glare.

“Then break into the palace storeroom. I saw it all—full of gold, jewels, and treasures. How can you say there’s no money when you hoard all that?”

“Shut your mouth. What does a child know?”

The palace treasures were priceless cultural heritage, each piece steeped in history. Selling them off would be tantamount to Eriphony severing the royal identity itself.

Besides, Bariel wouldn’t properly value them even if they accepted.

“I understand that the Ruswena mages acted on their freedom in abandoning their homeland and joining Bariel. But before that, we cannot overlook the fact that they wrecked the Ruswena palace. Now, you say you’re their superior?”

Just as Clifford was entitled to compensation, so was Ruswena. The mages’ current overseer was Ian of the magic department, so he had to be held accountable.

“Strictly speaking, the Ruswena mages are traitors and criminals who damaged the palace. We cannot hand them over to Bariel without holding them accountable. If you, Ian, choose to ignore this, Ruswena will officially raise the issue after negotiations. The storerooms are empty anyway; we need to bring back the mages to keep the country running, right?”

Eriphony smiled slyly and locked eyes with Zaira.

“See, little one? There’s still a way to bring you back. If I can bring you to Ruswena, I’ll seal a magic binding stone on your neck for life, so you’ll serve Ruswena until your dying breath.”

Was that a curse whispered under her breath? Zaira quietly slipped back behind Ian once more.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside. It was Eldert, bringing a delegation from Burgos. Eriphoni quickly ordered them inside, and Eldert hesitated when he saw Ian and Zaira already there.

An unexpected situation. Eldert exchanged a brief glance with his lord to gauge what was happening, then naturally proceeded to escort Vania in.

“This is Vania, the chief envoy from Burgos.”

“Ah.”

She seemed taken aback upon seeing Ian as well. Ian narrowed his eyes and glanced between Eriphoni and Vania, as if to say, “See?”

“You must have much to discuss, coming here even during a break.”

“Please, have a seat, Representative Vania.”

Clink.

As Eriphoni set down a teacup, Vania cautiously stepped forward. Eriphoni sipped the tea she had prepared earlier.

The other two cups held only dry leaves.

“Minister, please sit as well. It wouldn’t be proper for Bariel’s customs to have you standing while everyone else is seated.”

Vania took a seat, but the attendants didn’t pour tea for her. With a king of a nation in front and an imperial minister beside her, perhaps she thought it natural not to be served. So, Vania took the teapot herself and poured water into her cup.

Seeing this, Ian sat down beside her, and Eriphoni naturally offered the poisoned tea to Ian.

‘The tea was brought by Zaira, and Ian came in on his own. The water was poured by Vania. Since the main gate was thoroughly searched, as long as the poison pouch is discreetly removed, there’s no way to implicate Luswena in this incident.’

With a deliberate show, Eriphoni took the first sip.

Vania and Ian watched the steam rise from the cup. After a brief silence, Ian didn’t hesitate and took a sip of the tea.