In the Blaine Kingdom, a meeting was held after news of the Magenta Kingdom's construction of a new trade route reached them. King Abel sat on his throne with a frown. When his hand made a signal, a letter carrier stepped forward to hand over a scroll containing the news that the news they had received.
King Abel slowly unrolled the scroll, and as his eyes swept over the words, his usually calm face turned angry.
"They really cut through the Erebos Forest."
When King Abel announced the findings of his men about the Magenta Kingdom, the palace officials immediately whispered to each other. They made a huge profit through the trade route license they gave to the Magenta Kingdom. If the Magenta Kingdom had their own trade routes, they would have suffered a huge loss.
Among them, only Cedric remained seated quietly in his chair. He only wanted to hear the truth from his father. His blond hair swayed as Cedric turned to look at King Abel, who was sitting next to him.
"Where did the route come from?" he asked.
King Abel handed the letter into his son's hands. Cedric read quickly. A route that cut through the Erebos Forest, an area that had been considered forbidden for hundreds of years. It was indeed directly connected to the coastal area. But, to create a new route in such a dangerous area, one had to have enough power and money.
The Magenta Kingdom had neither. Therefore, they received help from the Landis Kingdom.
"I knew they were hiding something," King Abel hissed. "Magenta pretends to be neutral, but they are secretly strengthening their ties with the people of Landis."
Cedric lowered the letter slowly. His face was calm, but one could see the faint crease forming between his brows.
"But we have not heard any official statement about an alliance between them," he said softly.
"Ha! You are as naive as your mother, Cedric," the king interrupted sharply. "Landis never gives without meaning. They help because they want something from Magenta, and Magenta has or will give it to them."
King Abel looked at his son, then continued his speech.
"What is that interaction if not an alliance?"
Cedric clenched his fists. "If that's true, then we should know about their plans."
Cedric fell silent for a moment. The image of the masked man who appeared at Princess Cecilia's funeral resurfaced in his mind.
"Please allow me to go to Magenta to confirm the truth directly, Father. I want to know more about their plan. And if necessary… I will bring the answer directly to you."
King Abel closed his eyes for a moment. Some time passed before he finally nodded.
"Alright. But you won't go alone. You will bring three chosen knights and one advisor."
Cedric nodded. "Thank you, Father."
After that, Cedric's gaze shifted towards the palace officials, who looked uneasy with his departure. His gaze momentarily cooled. But when Cedric realized that he was still in front of the crowd, his expression immediately changed to calm again.
***
Elsewhere, someone was busy with her delivery. The wooden crates containing Nerva's Blossom and Mira Root had been transported under tight security to the Landis Kingdom's palace. Cecilia checked each crate carefully. She didn't want any delivery errors in her first sale.
Nearby, Damian stood watching Cecilia, who was working seriously. His lips unconsciously lifted. Damian was in a good mood because he would not be short of ingredients to make Elixirs in the next few months.
"Everything is in order, Your Highness."
Damian raised his hand, signaling that he understood, and the warehouseman could leave his presence. Damian then walked over to Cecilia. From her drooping shoulders, Damian could tell that Cecilia was exhausted after personally delivering the shipment.
"Good job."
Cecilia turned her head and then handed the list to Damian.
"The delivery is complete, Prince Damian. I have also added a bonus for your help in opening the trade route," Cecilia said as she handed over a written list of transportation records.
Damian took it, read it briefly, then lowered it without finishing it. His gaze returned to Cecilia. Damian took a deep breath. There was a hint of disappointment when Damian spoke to Cecilia again.
"So... everything went according to plan," he said calmly. "After this first delivery, I probably won't be able to visit Erebos Forest in person again."
Cecilia's eyebrows rose slightly when she heard Damian's words. Damian's departure was certainly a good thing. But Cecilia didn't understand what was wrong with his sudden change of heart.
"Are you sure you don't want to 'investigate' me further? Isn't that why you came to Erebos Forest in the first place?"
Damian laughed, low and deep.
"I wish I could continue to do that. But there are many things I have to do as the crown prince. I certainly can't be gone forever."
His gaze then fell on Cecilia for a long time.
"Although I must admit, I quite enjoyed my time in Erebos Forest."
Cecilia didn't answer right away. She stared at Damian for a long time. The Damian that Cecilia knew was a dangerous person. He seemed harmless and friendly while hiding a knife in his hand. But when Damian in front of her spoke to her... those words felt honest and sincere.
Cecilia tried to push away her strange thoughts. She had been stupid enough to die dozens of times. Cecilia didn't want to die a hundredth time because she trusted people easily again.
"Actually, I want the Landis Kingdom and Magenta to become an ally," Damian continued. He was quite amused when he saw the look of surprise on Cecilia's face. For Damian, it wasn't every day that he could see different emotions in Cecilia's eyes.
"You're smart, and I like smart people. It would be better if two kingdoms with great potential like ours worked together. Do you agree with me, Prince Cecilion?"
Damian's goal was to offer her an alliance. The Cecilia of the past probably wouldn't hesitate to accept Damian's offer. But she had been betrayed once, and she didn't want to experience it a second time.
"Right now, I'm just a crown prince who doesn't have much experience. I can't decide a matter this big by myself."
Damian seemed to want to say something after seeing the look in Cecilia's eyes, but he managed to restrain himself. Damian stared at Cecilia's face for a long time, as if he wanted to penetrate the depths of her thoughts. Then slowly, he nodded.
"Alright. There's nothing wrong with being cautious. But I hope you'll consider this offer carefully, Prince Cecilion. I want nothing but good for both kingdoms."
Cecilia fell silent. Indeed, Damian seemed more sincere this time. But Cecilia had promised herself not to be so gullible anymore.
Damian saw Cecilia's reaction and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. This was the first time his offer had been rejected by someone. Moreover, someone from a small and weak Kingdom like Magenta.
But Damian wasn't angry. He knew Cecilia had something on her mind, and he was quite interested in finding out what she would do next.
Damian smiled, then prepared to leave.
"Thank you for the delivery, Prince Cecilion. And please, keep a close eye on the delivery in the future."
Even without an official alliance, Damian still had various ways to meet with Cecilia. It felt like it had been a long time since someone had managed to interest Damian. Damian wouldn't let go of that entertainment easily, even if Cecilia seemed reluctant to meet him often.