Summoning Our Country - NHS Kai

Chapter 27.5: Internal Dynamics

An uneasy atmosphere hung in the room. The three sisters, well aware of what needed to be said to their father, played hot potato with the responsibility using silent glances and feigning indifference to the situation. In the end, Alila and Semira, trying to use Lumies's natural tendency to be the devil's advocate, ganged up on their youngest sibling, hence the status quo. Their father, meanwhile aware of the intense back and forth happening between his daughters, waited in silence for their input. He had always known that his daughters were smart and capable leaders in their own right, but as of late, they have been proving to be more obstructive than supportive of his goals. Most glaring of transgressions was when the three of them placated the Parpaldians for what he believed to be a righteous act on their part when an Altaran boat tried to harvest guano from the disputed Menda Point, a set of small rock-like islands in the strait.

"Father."

The soft voice of Lumies cut through the tense atmosphere that had built up. Finally, they began to talk, thought Taara. Continuing to twist her pasta with her fork like before, she did not even give her father her visual attention as she spoke her next words.

"Are you really pushing forward with your intentions with Sios?"

Concise and straight to the point. As expected from their confrontational sister, thought Semira and Alila. Taara, also expecting this question, continued to consume his medium rare lamb steak indifferently.

"Yesh."

The indifference with which their father said yes, coupled with the apparent lack of seriousness he's taking their concerns, mildly irked Alila, but she kept her eyes on her plate and continued to display her own apathy to what was going on. Lumies, however, was rattled. The screeching of her fork against the plate became a little louder as her hand grew heavier, yet her face remained devoid of expressive emotion.

"With all due respect, Father... do you not see that what you plan to do is unreasonable?"

The king, much more focused on trying to cut and chew the leathery texture of his sauce-garnished steak, did not even lift his eyes to face her direction.

"You should know better, Lumiesh; thish ish ze only hand short of war in whisch we can forshe ze Parpaldians."

The two sisters grew more annoyed with Alila gnashing her teeth in silence as she chewed, and Lumies began to breathe a little deeper. Semira, who was old enough to serve as a calming mother figure to her own sisters, watched with concern.

This time, Lumies upped her tone.

"The situation with which you've maneuvered us into is proving a little more challenging for us, Father; irritating the Siosans will do us only harm."

There was little merit in such pointless back and forths, thought Taara as he savored the juicy taste of his lamb. If only his daughters could yield as easily as this stake. Still, he played this game, but only so his daughters would tire and give up.

"And what would you have done?"

Lumies's eyebrows rose. She knows her father would much rather engage in piecemeal back and forths than substantially consider their input. He was just that stubborn and eggheaded, and she loved none of that. She glanced towards Alila's way, and with a few slight movements, she informed her of what she was planning to say, something which Alila acknowledged but refused to support. To her, there was little point in what was right and wrong, especially if she wasn't going to benefit from it. With her sister's implicit support, Lumies breathed in, and with her exhalation came a bombshell.

"For example, I... would not have ordered Matuk and his men to rig the Barezan granary to blow and then blame it on the Parpaldians."

Clink!