Draconia Offline vol. 1

22.2. Diplomatic Negotiations - Part 2

The Czech Prime Minister confidently walks inside. She's one of those people you only see on the news and have no chance of seeing in real life under normal circumstances. She's roughly the same age as Liana and has a similar stern expression but I'm surprised that she's smaller than I was envisioning her.

For what she lacks in height, however, she totally makes up with her dignified conduct and an authoritative aura. She brings four bodyguards and two other members of the government with her. And she doesn't show any surprise seeing us in Draconian clothes.

"Katerina, I'm actually glad to see you," Liana welcomes her and stretches her hand towards the former classmate.

"Laura," Bauerova nods and clutches her offered palm. I can feel she's wary and a bit tense but at the same time doesn't expect we'd endanger her.

"Please, call me Liana," my Viceroy says. "That's my Celestial name."

"If you prefer so," Bauerova shrugs and they're staring into each other's eyes for a while. Then she looks at me. "And you're the famous Aefener," she addresses me with my Celestial name after Liana showed we wish it that way.

"Nice to meet you," I articulate properly because Liana would kill me if I stuttered. I offer her my hand as well. I bet that if she knew I'm a telepath, she would never touch me. But she doesn't know so our palms meet.

She's similar to Liana in many aspects—ruthless, hard-working, ambitious, an over-achiever. But she's also so different. And moreover so... human. Even though I feel she's a person we can't mess with, she's fair when it comes to holding her part of an agreement. Naturally, she lets go of my hand almost immediately so I can't get anything else.

It turns out that those other two people, a man in his fifties with a beard and a bald man in his forties, are the Minister of Defence Brezina and the Minister of Interior Kovar. Their faces are familiar to me but I've hardly ever watched news before the Great Evolution so I wouldn't be able to recall their names if it wasn't for their introduction. They don't offer their hands.

The Minister of Defence is acting very confidently but I can feel he's uneasy. Fefnir's dragon appearance makes him especially uncomfortable but he's most wary of me. As if I was a ticking bomb or something. The Minister of Interior is a bit more relaxed but only a bit.

Next to me, Aefener, Liana briefly brushes the back of my palm when she's getting to her chair so that she can instruct me because we had no time to agree on seating order.

I have no reason not to comply so I sit next to her. The table is a perfect square because there's a 3D projector in the middle so nobody has to feel they're sitting too far or in a chair of lesser importance. I really appreciate it.

"I won't lie, Liana, you making your headquarters in Prague is a huge deal," Bauerova says honestly and without unnecessary courtesies. "Why not staying in your home district in Berlin?"

"Prague is better for our purposes," Liana says, also honestly. "I can't vacate my main offices so easily while this is just a subsidiary. Also, and I have to thank you personally for that, the Bohemian government isn't as stiff. No ulterior motives, just a favourable location in Central Europe."

"Hmm, that's one thing cleared then," the Prime Minister nods. "Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm guessing you want to obtain the status of an embassy?"

"That we do," Liana confirms.

"And you think I'll let you do that in my country?" Bauerova narrows her eyes and the two ministers frown, disapprovingly.

"Actually, I do, Katerina," Liana smiles slightly. "I wouldn't think it possible that the first European LGBT Prime Minister could support any kind of discrimination."