“I can’t,” I frown.
My eyebrows raise and his smile widens, and I can see the glint of something dangerous in his eyes. “You can’t? I think you're like every other man. You want something that will carry your mark, not a rotten fruit. Especially not one tasted by your rival.”
“Why has that slave bewitched you?” I ask.
He looks nervous at the mention of witchery and twitches his lips again. “She hasn’t.”
More lies. Time for some of my own. “Then you won’t be upset to know that she is dead, so Ican’tgive her back.”
He blinks and I can see his fiery gaze grows cold. “Dead.”
I nod. “Afraid so. We were a little too rough.”
Prince Rholker swallows. I feel no guilt. It is not as if we would need to announce Estela’s coronation to the world—aside from trade we aren’t connected. That won’t change because of our peace agreement.
When we are ready to reemerge into the world, we will be different. Stronger.
“May I see Estela’s body?” He asks, almost reverently while his grip tightens on his apple. Revealing too much about his true feelings.The repugnant bastard loved her. In a sick, twisted way, but he did nonetheless.
I tighten my jaw and shake my head. I’ve gotten him right where I want him, but I could still push it further and get the upper hand in negotiations. Consider it the first act in a long, slow revenge against what he did to my bride.
Leaning forward, I meet his eye. He senses the shift and narrows his gaze. "Estela? What an interesting thing to know about a slave. Do you know all their names?”
His nostrils flare.
I smirk. “Your mother always told me that you were immature. She told me that the chances you would turn into a man would be slim—weeping over a dead slave seems like the kind of act Lijasa would have hated."
He sits up in his chair, and the apple core falls to the ground. His mouth is open as he watches, and I see his mind working, piecing together the rumors he's probably heard his entire life. The ones never confirmed about his mother’s death and the lover she had before her bloody end.
Just as he's about to respond, Vann returns with the scrolls and diamonds. I am grateful for the interruption, for I don't know how much longer I could have held my tongue. Vann places the items in front of me and I begin to sift through them, grabbing a pen to start writing the contract that will bind our peoples together.
"Now, about the contract. I brought Lothar to assist us in creating a fair agreement—though I admit I never considered peace. Are you ready to begin?"
Prince Rholker purses his lips, clearly disturbed. “Very well.”
“Second Prince, as I’ve mentioned, we are open to reconsidering our position in the slave market as buyers. Since you have already confirmed that your kingdom is in a position to trade your surplus, I want to visit this point first." I say, my voice even. In time, I will have to explain to my mate that I am not a murderer and this isn’t about purchasing her kin—I’m creating the ability for them to stay, therefore setting her up as my queen.
He looks sickly pale when he holds out his hand. One of the warriors quickly produce a goblet of wine. Poor Rholker gulps it down, looking like a simpering fool. He’s in no position to negotiate with me, he just doesn’t know it. "If it includes more diamonds for my father, he would be amenable to the adjustment.”
Lothar nods once and opens his scroll. I watch Rholker squirm, and I am deeply satisfied. Things are turning in our favor, despite the terms I had to strike to reach such an agreement.
“In the interest of clarification. I thought we might review the practices from the war. Long ago, elves, giants, and trolls—Enduares—lived by certain codes between peoples.”
I remember the times well. One would act as a mediator between the other two. However, the choice of who to support was left to which side had the strongest bond. Elves and Enduares often worked together before the Great War. In times when there was a peace treaty between the elves and giants, my father favored the elves. He ruined that relationship long ago, I pray we can fix it.
Lothar continues. “While we no longer exist in a cohesive group to ease the inter species conflict, we have several proposed checks and measures we can use. Namely, the Enduar Volcano.”
The giants freeze. Prince Rholker’s fists go white. “It still exists?” He was young when the war happened, but the echo of lava will ring on for generations to come.
"If you review our trade agreement, you’ll see we never denied that it could be used again, only that we wouldn’t. Now, let’s keep going. I am listing the terms of our peace," I say lightly. Almost casual.
Rholker says nothing.
"Five years? And then we shall reconvene. Is this correct?"
He nods, still strangely silent. Both my lies and invoking his mother left a bad taste in my mouth. But I had spent my youth learning to be a leader, and playing games is just a part of the role—my best self will always be reserved for my people.
Tirin died for the Enduares, and he was glad to do so. His life was worth so much. So many good people were dead.