Arachne Milaris was slowly cast aside as Sol and Pandora continued to discuss.
As a bystander, she could see that Pandora was leading the discussion quite skillfully as she sometimes praised Sol and sometimes raised important questions about governance and the like.
But she could not say why, no matter how she observed this she had a sense of incongruity.
She had met and discussed with Sol in the past. Be it when she was antagonistic toward him or when they started working together.
One thing she had noticed earlier on was that he was no doubt his mother’s son.
It might not have shown yet at that time, but she could definitely feel the hidden pride in his bones and while he lacked some confidence in himself, it had never been to the level of acting like a shy man.
–
In the first place, he said he didn't have much experience.
She doubted this a little. Thanks to the work of that annoying maid, no nobles could get a glimpse of the inner workings of the Tower of Babel.
But still, she could see the signs. Sol was in no way inexperienced. She even remembered him being a little frisky with his knight in her house when he visited her before the attack on Lustburg.
The final nail in the coffin was the image he projected when he came back from the Astral realm.
All in all, she was sure of one thing. Sol was acting.
'Did he discover Pandora's true identity?'
This would be quite disadvantageous for Pandora. If the knowledge that the queen was not present spread, not only would her daughters be in danger, but this could create diplomatic conflict against countries.
King level weren't allowed to move as they wished. They were literal weapons of mass destruction. For one to enter another country while hiding their identity was no different from an act of aggression.
Just by discovering her identity, Sol would have the advantage in any future discussions and deals they might make.
Of course, it was just a suspicion that was worth sharing with her friends.
The only problem was—Should she?
Arachne was torn between warning her friend or keeping silent.
At the end of the day, she was a Duke working under Sol. Even though she did not particularly like him, she recognized him as her future ruler and sovereign.
Whether the deal the two make in the future is a deal between two rulers that would affect the future of their kingdoms and all the population.
If Sol had managed to get a certain advantage in the negotiations before they even began
She was a Duchess before being a friend after all and she could not jeopardize the well-being of the people who believed in her just because of her own selfishness.
'Sigh..He is indeed very different.'
She felt even more conflicted. Mars rarely resorted to trickery when negotiating.
In the first place, he did not need to do so. His overwhelming power and Charisma made sure to bring in most people he talked with.
Furthermore, thanks to his relationship with Pandora and the then-holy daughter of Slothein as well as Theresa, few people actually dared to cause problems for him.
Could she say that he was wrong in acting thus?
From a personal point of view, she thought so. But from a political point of view, she could affirm that his approach was the right one.
Move with wariness. Never fully trust anyone. Do not show all your cards, mix lie with truth and try to find a common ground.
He first showed his power, making clear that he was no pushover and was not the weaker party and he then started acting as a kind gentleman whose sword would never be used to hurt anyone.
‘I…I am tired.’
Arachne was tired of trying to compare Sol with Mars. She had already realized it long ago but now she had the confirmation that it was futile and a waste of time. Sol was not Mars.
The father-son pair had their strengths and weakness and trying to compare one with another was just a complete waste of her time and simply made her heart weary.
Rather than focusing on the past, she should think of the future. She had already trained an heiress. A niece of hers. When that Heiress was ready and after the war ended, She would pass her title and go back to her territory to retire early and rest.
She did not need much more.
She sighed when she felt her partner and butler coming close and signaled him to not worry through their link.
Meanwhile, after Sol and Pandora became closer, he finally started to talk about the main topics that had intrigued him.
“So, could I ask why you walked all the way to Lustburg?”
Movement between kingdoms was quite harsh. They still had yet to develop reliable fast cars or the like. As such, one had to be ready for a long time on the road, taking days to complete what could be done in hours in his old world.
“It’s simple truly. For one, we would like to take custody or eliminate the stain of our kingdom that is in your hand.”
Sol frowned, before remembering someone, “Zehn?”
When Sol had been attacked by those members of the Wing back here, he had faced a clone of Drei and another member of the Wings. A vampire.
Back then she had seemed to be pretty powerful Though now, he was sure that he could crush her with one hand behind his back.
Ever since Zehn had been captured, she had stayed asleep and they had been unable to wake up her even to this day.
“Zehn?” Pandora seemed confused before the light of understanding dawned on her eyes, “So this is her code name? Well, since she discarded her true name this is indeed easier.”
She smuggled for a while before nodding, “Zehn, as you call her, was a member of Envilya. More precisely, she was the heiress of one of the four generals, Dracula.”
“Hum…I see. So what is that you want?”
Pandora stopped. Wondering if she should really continue. What she was doing was pretty foolish. Giving information before even starting the negotiation was a big no-no.
The more desperation she showed for something, the higher would be the price she had to pay.
The vampires were up to something shady. When she acted as Anastasia and visited the Elf country, she was able to destroy one of their conspiracies alongside Lilin who was visiting the elves at that time.
Logically speaking, what were the chances for two royalties of two different countries to find each other in a third kingdom and work together to deal with a problem?
Furthermore, as it was, the one she had worked with was the daughter of her friend and the niece of her old flame. Now a little later, one vampire who might have the information she needed attacked Lustburg and got captured.
Pandora chuckled, wondering if Fate was helping her by aligning everything.
“We wish to capture her and hold a judgment in our country."
Pandora spoke nonchalantly, "Of course, we will also be willing to pay compensation to Lustburg since even though she was banished, she still caused problems for this kingdom.”
‘Haha, look at this.’
One did not need to be smart to know that she was spewing total bullshit.
He didn't know exactly why they needed that vampire. But he could make an educated guess based on the information he already had.
"Speaking of vampires, if I remember well, it seems like they caused some trouble in Southern pride not long ago. You were the one who helped my cousin deal with that problem. I forgot to thank you."
Pandora showed no reaction of surprise and smiled, "I have made a good friend and it was my duty to put down those deserters."
"Heh…So many vampire deserters causing troubles for other countries."
"Well, there are always bad apples in every country. Like how Lustburg went through a rebellion not long ago. It must have been quite hard."
"Hahaha."
"Hahaha."
'Perhaps I should leave?'
Arachne felt the tension slowly rising and wondered whether her presence was necessary.
In the end, though, the situation was broken up by Sol,
"Well, whether we will give you that Vampire needs to be discussed with my advisors. In the meantime, I would like to invite you to live in the Tower of Babel."
Sol smiled. The tower was his absolute territory. There were simply too many powerhouses in that place.
The moment Pandora stepped there, he would have all the time to deal with her.
Furthermore, this would make it easier for Hathor to observe her.
Finally, Sol did not Zehn as he had already obtained all information from Leo, someone much higher ranked than her.
So if he could sell her and get even more advantage then all the better.
"Very well, I believe we have discussed enough for now. Dawn is approaching and I have an appointment I cannot miss. A maid will be sent to take you to the tower."
He gave a gentlemanly bow and vanished on the spot. Leaving the two women alone again.
Pandora sighed. She was not dumb and had managed to understand that Sol was not all he appeared to be.
No matter how much he tried to act like his father, his inner pride would show from time to time.
As an old-time actress, Pandora knew very well that she ought to not underestimate the young man because of his lack of experience.
Blessed were not people who cared about logic and common sense. She would need to observe him more to be sure.
She also understood that his parting words were more akin to order and he wished to put her in a place he could more easily control.
But she was not worried. She was still a King rank after all and from what she remembered, the only one who could harm her in that tower was Lilith.
She had nothing to fear.
(AN: My birthday is on the 11th of February. Just saying. Also damn. It’s sad when I realize that while I am mildly popular on WN, I am nearly at the top on pirates site. Come on guys. If even half of the pirate readers bought the lowest level of privilege on WN or supported me on P@treon, I would jump through the ranks, or rather than leaving reviews on those sites, come give me reviews and comments here on WN. Once again thanks to those willing to pay for this story and support my work. I understand it isn’t easy for everyone with the current situation of the world. You can also give a try at my new story Midnight Prince on WN. That story is at 40 chapters currently so it should be enough for you guys to make an opinion. At the very least, giving power stones to my new story would also help me tremendously. Even more so since MP and SHK are linked.)
