Chapter : 1393

Lloyd Ferrum sat at his breakfast table, staring at a piece of toast. It was a very nice piece of toast. It was golden brown, perfectly buttered, and it wasn't asking him to marry it. It wasn't demanding political alliances. It wasn't trying to assassinate him. It was just bread. Simple, honest bread.

"I love you, toast," Lloyd whispered. "You are the only thing in my life that makes sense right now."

He picked up the toast, ready to take a bite of tranquility.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The ground shook. The crystal chandelier above the table rattled ominously. Lloyd froze, the toast halfway to his mouth.

"Earthquake?" Lloyd asked the empty room. "Please be an earthquake. Earthquakes are manageable. I can build a shock-absorber for an earthquake."

He looked out the window. It wasn't an earthquake. It was a parade. And not just any parade. It was a parade that involved very large animals and very loud trumpets.

Marching up the main driveway of the Ferrum estate was a procession that looked like it had raided a treasury and then bought every bolt of silk in the southern hemisphere. There were guards in gilded armor. There were dancers throwing petals. And in the center, stomping with the weight of geopolitical inevitability, were three massive war elephants.

"Elephants," Lloyd sighed, dropping his toast. "She wasn't joking. She actually brought elephants."

Riding atop the lead elephant, under a canopy of purple silk, was a man who looked like he ate iron nails for breakfast and washed them down with vinegar. He had a beard that was sharper than a sword and eyes that could peel paint off a wall.

This was Lord Hakim. The Iron Vizier of Zakaria. Princess Amina's uncle.

"Well," Lloyd stood up, dusting crumbs off his lap. "There goes my quiet morning. And my appetite."

He walked out of the breakfast room and headed towards the main entrance. The household staff was in a panic. Maids were running in circles. Butlers were trying to look dignified while hiding behind pillars. Even Ken Park, the stoic bodyguard, looked mildly concerned by the presence of large gray mammals on the lawn.

"Ken," Lloyd said, walking up to him. "Assessment."

"Large mammals," Ken reported. "Heavily armored. The man on top looks... unhappy."

"That is Lord Hakim," Lloyd said. "He is here to discuss my wedding. Or my execution. Sometimes they are the same thing in Zakaria."

The front doors swung open. Arch Duke Roy Ferrum stood there. He was wearing his black armor, because Roy Ferrum wore armor to check the mail. He looked at the elephants. He looked at the Vizier. He did not look impressed.

The lead elephant knelt. Lord Hakim descended. He didn't walk; he marched. He stopped in front of Roy. The two men stared at each other. It was like watching a glacier crash into a volcano.

"Arch Duke Ferrum," Hakim boomed. His voice was loud enough to rattle the windows. "I bring greetings from the Sultan of Zakaria. And I bring a question."

"Ask," Roy said calmly.

"Where is the boy?" Hakim demanded. "Where is the one who conquered the Jahl? Where is the one who stole the Jewel of the South? Where is the betrothed of my niece?"

Lloyd stepped out from behind his father. He waved awkwardly. "Hi. That's me. I didn't steal her. She followed me home."

Hakim turned his gaze on Lloyd. Lloyd felt like he was being scanned by a predatory bird.

"You," Hakim grunted. "You look... scrawny. Can you even lift a sword?"

"I have people for that," Lloyd said. "I lift heavy concepts. Like logic. And engineering."

"Hmph," Hakim snorted. "My niece says you are a genius. The Sultan says you are a chaos element. I say you look like you need a haircut."

"I was going to get one today," Lloyd lied. "But then the elephants arrived."

Hakim stepped closer. "Listen to me, boy. The Jahl Challenge is sacred. The magical contract is binding. You accepted the prize. You accepted the share of the mine. Therefore, you accepted the bride. Zakaria does not play games. We do not do 'trials'. We do marriage."

Lloyd felt the sweat trickle down his back. This was it. The political hammer was coming down.

"We agreed to a three-month period," Lloyd pointed out. "To... get to know each other. To ensure compatibility."

"Compatibility is for buying shoes!" Hakim shouted. "Marriage is about alliances! It is about power! You have the power. She has the blood. The wedding should happen now. Why wait? Are you cold? Are you a coward?"

"I am prudent," Lloyd said. "And I am already married. That is a small logistical hurdle."

Chapter : 1394

"Bah!" Hakim waved his hand. "A minor detail. Annul it. Divorce her. Keep her as a concubine. In Zakaria, a man of power has many flowers in his garden. Why do you cling to one weed when you have been offered a rose?"

Behind Lloyd, the temperature dropped. He didn't need to look to know that Rosa was probably listening from a balcony somewhere, freezing the railing.

"It is not that simple in the North," Arch Duke Roy intervened. His voice was cool steel. "Here, we honor our contracts. All of them. My son has a wife. He has a duty to her. We cannot simply discard our laws because you brought a petting zoo to my lawn."

Hakim bristled. "You call the Royal War Elephants a petting zoo?"

"I call them a landscaping problem," Roy said. "My gardener is going to be furious."

The tension was thick enough to chew. Lloyd stepped between them. He raised his hands.

"Gentlemen," Lloyd said. "Please. Let's not start a war over gardening. Lord Hakim, you are a guest. We honor guests. Why don't we go inside? Have some tea? Discuss this like civilized people who aren't shouting near large animals?"

Hakim glared at Roy. Roy glared at Hakim.

"Fine," Hakim said. "Tea. But strong tea. None of this weak northern water. And then, we talk dates. The Sultan expects a wedding before the next harvest."

"We will talk," Roy agreed. "But I promise nothing."

They turned and walked into the house. Lloyd followed, feeling like a prisoner walking to his own trial. He looked back at Ken.

"Ken," Lloyd whispered. "If they start fighting, save the elephants. They are innocent."

Ken nodded solemnly. "I like elephants."

Lloyd sighed and walked into the lion's den. Or rather, the elephant's den. The Envoy had arrived, and he had brought the full weight of an empire with him. Lloyd’s plan to delay the marriage was crumbling. He needed a miracle. Or a very good lawyer.

The meeting room was tense. Lord Hakim sat on one side of the long oak table. He looked like he was judging the wood quality and finding it lacking. Arch Duke Roy sat on the other side, looking like a stone wall that had learned to sit down. Lloyd sat in the middle, looking like a man who wished he could turn invisible.

"The Sultan is generous," Hakim started, slamming a thick stack of papers onto the table. "Here is the dowry list. Gold. Spices. Silk. And, of course, the Lilith Stones. Twenty-five percent of the mine's output. Annually."

Lloyd’s eyes widened. That was a lot of stones. That was enough to build an army of Aegis suits. It was enough to revolutionize technology. It was the bribe of the century.

"It is a generous offer," Roy admitted, glancing at the list. "But the political implications are complex. Bethelham and Zakaria have a... complicated history."

"That is why this marriage is essential!" Hakim slammed his fist on the table. "It unites the North and the South! It creates a superpower that the Eastern Kingdoms and the Devil Race will fear! Do you not want your house to be the strongest in the world, Arch Duke?"

"I want my house to be stable," Roy said. "Rapid expansion often leads to rapid collapse. And there is the matter of the King. King Liam must approve any alliance of this magnitude."

"The King is a smart man," Hakim said. "He knows a good deal when he sees one. If you accept, Zakaria will share its intelligence network with you. The Whispers will be your eyes."

Roy paused. Intelligence. That was the one thing they lacked. The war with the Seventh Circle was a war of shadows. Having access to the Zakarian spy network would be a game-changer.

"And if we refuse?" Roy asked quietly.

Hakim leaned forward. His eyes were cold. "Then you insult the Sultan. You insult the Princess. And you insult Zakaria. We do not take insults lightly. The trade routes will close. The iron shipments will stop. And the Whispers... they might start whispering to your enemies instead."

It was a threat. A polite, diplomatic threat, but a threat nonetheless.

Lloyd raised his hand. "Can I say something?"

"Speak, boy," Hakim grunted.

"I want the stones," Lloyd said honestly. "I really want the stones. And I like the Princess. She is very smart. She beat me at chess. Mentally. But I can't just snap my fingers and make my current marriage disappear. It's a legal process. It takes time. Bureaucracy. Paperwork. You know how it is."