Morphed into Love, Book 2

21- The Dulled Senses

RONAN

"So, what does the foreign queen suggest?" My mother asked, regally sat on her throne as I stood before her. No one else was in the room but us, my mother had ordered a ban on the throne room to all servants until our meeting concluded.

"I've only recently spoken to Lady Yoko," I sighed, "but the proposal so far seems beneficial to both parties. Ophelia plans to grant us access to the Crosshairs Swamplands."

"And?" Clearly, that wasn't enough for Ferys.

She'd summoned me into the throne room a mere twenty minutes ago to discuss how negotiations with Ophelia were going for the possible alliance. As skeptical as I still was about it (though now, for entirely different reasons) it was chivvying along just fine. Every proposal Ophelia made was thought out and had no drawbacks to either side.

"Lady Yoko tells me Queen Ophelia plans to propose a trading route from Morpher's Land stretching west around Umbra's perimeter to avoid the untamed beasts." I explained. It would be far easier to have this conversation with Ophelia present, but I hadn't seen her since I'd dispelled those nasty spirits.

That was almost four days ago.

"To trade what, exactly?" Ferys squinted, she looked more irritated today than I'd previously seen her. Her mouth and eyebrows were drawn so tight she looked like a solid marble statue.

"Don't be dim, mother. You know The Caecus Isles requires ammunition to keep The Zangaard Region at bay." I was an army by myself, but I alone could not win a war for us if the tension between the two realms snapped. Our soldiers were well trained, but not in abundance, because our realm was so rich in money it meant we naturally had a smaller population.

"Do they plan to exchange mana for our minerals?" The Caecus Isles was notoriously wealthy in essential minerals and metals useful for building, we had plenty to spare because we used it in rations.

"No. The Touched Sorceress has banned mana extraction in full effect, a recent development. No where in Denura will go against her law."

From what Yoko had told me yesterday, Neera Uroso was the loveable tyrant everybody idolised. Denurans practically kissed her feet— whereas I was the terrifying tyrant everybody wanted to keep at a distance.

"No doubt they've banned mana extraction to wager a war." Ferys grimaced.

"I believe it was because Neera Uroso was abducted and the previous royal family attempted to use her mana for bad, but you'll believe what you want to." I rolled my eyes, "Instead, Queen Ophelia has proposed an exchange of weapons and ammunition for livestock and grain. They don't want our minerals, they don't need them."

"Wh-What?" My mother always assumed the worst in people, Ophelia continued to surprise the cynic in her, "Why ever would she do that?"

"Sollata now has a close working relationship with Tehdas and Perkello, all together they have an extravagant army with far more resources than necessary. However, the previous monarchy depleted the peasant's winter stocks through their selfish reign, so Queen Ophelia is rectifying their mistakes."

"Ever the saint, isn't she?" Ferys sneered.

I couldn't fathom why everybody seemed to loath Ophelia. Dido was one problem, my mother was another. It just didn't make sense.

Or, maybe it did and I just couldn't see it because Ophelia and I were two sides of the same coin. Both the last of our kind and both despised because of our abilities and what we were born as. I had unknowingly sympathised with her over time.