"Lass, what can you tell me about Eren Idril?"
An aged voice addressed Dianna who had been summoned to the House Remus' estate. She was seen standing in front of the old man who was sitting behind a huge desk.
This old man had a pair of green eyes that were shining with unusual luminosity. He had white hair along with his long, fuller white beard. His skin was a bit wrinkled but not to the extent that could be described as old.
The green-eyed man's stature was short. Although he was sitting at the time, it was evident. He had worn a traditional long coat. He had also worn a white shawl over it, giving him scholarly vibes.
The desk did not have anything over it except a single paper on which the old man was currently writing. He was still busy writing on it in cursive, using a simple yet elegant pen.
The old man's study room was minimal and clutter-free as well. It gave the impression that he was very methodic in each of his actions.
Dianna was still in her army outfit. She had been given a week's rest by the army. But as it turned out, the old man couldn't wait any longer and summoned her as soon as her mission was done. He had sent a flying artifact to bring her to the Remus estate as quickly as possible.
Dianna was ready for questions like these. She had already discussed the topic with Eren. So she knew what she was supposed to say.
Dianna nodded at the old man before starting to speak honestly about Eren. She told him everything that was general knowledge about Eren Idril as well as some of the additional information Eren had allowed her to tell.
Dianna was very careful with the words she was using. She had her free will intact despite being branded by Eren. And that had allowed her to navigate her dialogues in a way that wouldn't come across as biased.
Dianna described how Eren got in touch with her about the dead land House Remus owned when she was least expecting it. She also highlighted the fact that it was the old man sitting in front of her himself who had approved the deal.
When Dianna was done speaking, the old man finished writing and folded the paper before making it disappear into thin air. He then looked at Dianna and sighed before adding up.
"It was indeed a mistake on my part as well to let go of the land without doing any proper research. Maybe the signs were already there that Minerva's Utopia was going to appear on the land.
But we were too hasty in selling a barren land thinking that it was nothing more than its face value."
The old man said and stroked his beard before looking at the ceiling. There was a look of regret on his face. It took a while for him to readjust his gaze on Dianna before asking her.
"What's done is done. The question now is how can we get our land back?
Is there any hope for us to get in touch with this crafty lad Eren?"
Dianna watched the old man look at her with keen expressions. He kept stroking his beard while he was at it as if thinking of many things at once. She smiled bitterly before asking the old man a question of her own.
"Uncle Rey, would you let go of such land after having bought it from someone else? Why would Eren sell us the land back no matter how much money we offer him in return?
Because whatever we offer, it won't be enough. The guy has his own city which is growing at a tremendous rate. Do you think he would give it up just because we asked him nicely?"
Dianna said without any fear. She needed to make sure Rey understood the land that the House Remus had sold to Remus was not up for grabs anymore.
The old man Rey frowned after hearing her words. He blew air through his big nostrils before responding.
"Young lady, he needs to understand that not every deal is done based on profits and losses. Some deals are done for mere survival."
Rey said and smirked before getting up from his seat. His wooden staff was nearby which he was used to using when walking. He started walking towards the window while placing his weight on the wooden staff that served as his mobility aid.
He looked at the lavish Remus estate spread in front of him through the window before adding up.
"When you meet that boy, tell him that he and all his mates will be targeted by that brat Ottoman de Montmorency if he doesn't let go of something he is not capable of holding onto.
Ottoman has contacted House Remus already. We are in talks.
Our two sides will find our way into the management of White Raven city somehow. That's not a question of if but when."
Rey Remus had a rare smile on his face as he spoke further.
"Hehehe. You tell all this to that Eren lad and tell him that House Remus is willing to buy back the land at triple the price it sold it for. This will make sure he is not caught in the storm. Otherwise, we won't be held responsible for what is about to come.
Our reputation is already ruined because of some bastard attacking our customers right after they were done with our most secured auction event. As of now, we are yet to find out who has caused this and how.
So we will not let our reputation get sullied anymore. We would stop this talk for once and all of how a youngling was able to fool us into losing a golden goose."
Dianna's eyes shined when she heard Rey's words. She shook her head in denial before walking toward the exit of the study room. Just when she was about to step outside, the young lady looked back and added on.
"Uncle Rey, I see that you are counting a lot on Demonmir to fight off House Derringer and Master Levine's faction. But you are not considering Eren while making these decisions.
Trust me, messing with Eren will turn out to be the most disastrous decision House Remus could ever make. The consequences of that mistake would be scarier than fighting against the forces of House Derringer, House Montmorency, and Demonmir combined.
Of course, this is my personal opinion and I know you would ignore it anyway. But let it be known that I tried warning you."
Dianna said and stepped out of Rey's study room. The old man didn't look back. He just snorted with his nose and stared at the setting sun with a storm of thoughts running through his mind.
