While Julia and Aditya were enjoying each other's company, someone knocked on his door. Knock....!! Knock....!!
Julia and Aditya looked at each other with wry smiles on each other's faces. "I guess this is the end." She sounded reluctant. "Don't worry, I will send him away as soon as possible." Though Aditya could guess why Spencer was here to see him. Julia got up and walked behind Aditya. She did not want Spencer to her sitting on his lap.
"Come in.....!!" Spencer walked inside the office with some documents. "Lady Julia, you're here as well?" Spencer was surprised to see Julia in Aditya's office. From what he knew, Lady Julia was never interested in the affairs of the Istarin Empire or in politics in general. This is the reason why she always stayed away from his office. Among Aditya's fiancees, only Lady Lara often came to his office. "I just came here," Julia responded with a smile. Spencer nodded his head. It did not matter to him if Lady Julia was here or not. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of The Dune Sovereignty is going to come here in a few hours. Along with the Crown Prince, the son of the Prime Minister is also going to be accompanying him." Spencer informed Aditya. "Understood....!!" Aditya nodded his head. "Why The Dune Sovereignty is sending their Crown Prince here?" Julia became curious. Usually, she stays away from such affairs. But hearing the name of the Crown Prince, she suddenly became very curious. "Do you know him?" Aditya asked Julia. She sounded like she kind of knew him. Or she had a history with him? Julia nodded her head. "Around a year and a half ago, the Crown Prince along with the Prime Minister made a visit to meet the Head of the Onard household; my father. He and the Prime Minister had come to ask my hand in marriage." Since the word about Crown Prince Aditya Bainnith being kicked out of the Celestial Dragon Empire spread all over the world, it had become clear that the seven goddesses were available for anyone to marry. "The Crown Prince and the Prime Minister really wanted this to happen. The Dune Sovereignty offered many things to my parents and even to the Emperor of the Echo Dominion for marrying me. These offers were quite appealing, even tempting for the Emperor himself."
The Crown Prince of The Dune Sovereignty had the intention of marrying one of the Goddesses. As marrying one of the Goddesses would increase the Dune Sovereignty reputation, military, and political powers on the international stage. Not to mention the benefits that The Dune Sovereignty would receive. "At that time, luck was on my side because the Emperor of the Echo Dominion also wanted his son to wed me. The Emperor turned down their offer, though he never publicly admitted his wish for me to become his son's bride."
"My father had the Emperor's support, so The Dune Sovereignty couldn't take any action. The Emperor had made it clear to them: if they pulled any tricks, it would lead to war. Even though The Dune Sovereignty had more soldiers and strength than the Echo Dominion Empire, they eventually backed down. Perhaps they were biding their time, waiting for another opportunity to act."
"This is one of the reasons why I was able to stay with you while being disguised as a maid. My parents felt that The Dune Sovereignty might try to kidnap me so they purposely hid any information about me." In the end, Julia was glad that this whole thing happened. Otherwise, she might have been forced to return home much earlier. "I had no idea such a thing had happened." Both Spencer and Aditya were surprised. "Now I suddenly feel that our meeting is going to be much more interesting," Aditya said with a smile. There was a hint of coldness in his eyes. "What are you going to do if the Crown Prince is here for me?" Julia asked in a teasing tone. Though she and Aditya this wasn't the reason why the Crown Prince was coming here. "I am going to politely tell him to piss off." "If he still does not listen then I am going to be a little bit rough on him and break him," Aditya said with a cold smile. If the Crown Prince did ask something like this from Aditya, then Aditya wouldn't be able to control himself. He would probably end up torturing the Crown Prince to death which would start another war. A war in which the Aditya alone would destroy the entire Dune Sovereignty.
War was the last thing that the Dragon Monarch was afraid of. Aditya welcomed war with open arms. He and his Empire were always ready for Wars. There hasn't been a single War that the Dragon Monarch has lost till now. There is a reason why the Istarin Empire was called the Graveyard of Empires. The Dune Sovereignty will be the next Empire that would get buried if it messes with the Dragon Monarch. "I am guessing that the Dune Sovereignty is here because they desperately want to buy Flying Ships from our Empire," Spencer said. "In the last month, the Empire has sent multiple letters and high-ranking officials to negotiate a deal." Each time, under Aditya's orders, Spencer had sent them away without giving any clear answer. This time, because the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince were personally coming over for this issue, Aditya felt he had to make an appearance and meet them himself. They had asked to speak with the Emperor of the Istarin Empire directly. If it had been anyone less important, Aditya would have let Spencer handle the whole situation. But given the stature of the visitors, he knew he couldn't just pass off the responsibility this time.
"Why are you desperate for the Flying Ships?" Julia couldn't help but ask. "Well, The Istarin Empire is the only Empire that knows how to make Flying Ships and we have the most powerful versions of Flying Ships. As one of the biggest superpowers in the six Continents, The Dune Sovereignty feels that they need to get their hands on the Flying Ships. After all, the invention of Flying Ships revolutionized the way wars are going to be fought from now on. The Dune Sovereignty clearly understands this and they are desperate to be the first ones to get Flying Ships so that they could be ahead of everyone and maintain their status as one of the superpowers." Aditya patiently explained to Julia. "The Dune Sovereignty also has shown interest in joining our Cosmic Tide Alliance in one of our letters," Aditya added. But Aditya had no interest in letting The Dune Sovereignty join their Alliance. The Dune Sovereignty had different ideologies than the Cosmic Tide Alliance. Even if The Dune Sovereignty joins the Alliance, it would break the whole Alliance from the inside. The Istarin Empire and The Dune Sovereignty simply cannot coexist as allies. "Before the rise of the Istarin Empire, The Dune Sovereignty used to be the largest Empire. It had the largest territory in the six continents."
"Well, in the last year, The Dune Sovereignty has rapidly expanded its territories. Now The Dune Sovereignty has the second largest territory after the Istarin Empire in the six Continents." "Anyway, let's get ready for this meeting." Aditya stood up from his chair. "Your Majesty, should we give our guest a grand welcome or...?" Spencer did not need to say the rest. But Aditya understood. The way guests are greeted in the Istarin Empire really hinges on how close or friendly the empire is with their visitors' homeland. Now, when it comes to the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister from another empire coming over, it's a big deal. Politically, this kind of visit is huge.
It means there's a chance to either strengthen the bonds between the two empires or work out any issues that might be there. From a geopolitical standpoint, these visits are about showing off power and status too.
If the two empires are really tight, the welcome is warm and full of pomp. It's a way to show respect and honor to the guests, making sure they see the best of what the Istarin Empire has to offer. But, if things are a bit tense or they're not that close, the welcome might still be polite, but less of a big show. It's all about the balance of power and friendship between these giants on the world stage.
"Spencer, you know what to do right?" Aditya asked him with a smirk. Spencer was surprised before he nodded his head with a smile. He just still wanted Aditya's opinion on such an important matter. "Yes!"
"I trust you. I trust your capabilities." Aditya's words reflected the deep trust and faith that he had in Spencer.
"Let's go, Julia...!!" Taking Julia's hand, Aditya walked out of the office. ----------------
