"How have your previous days been, Prime Minister Merlin?"

"They were fine, Miss Elena." He replied in the same courteous yet a bit feisty tone as she was using.

The two were once again meeting within the castle walls, sitting alone at the same table, but they were now having dinner instead of breakfast. Looking at the roasted ducks, the variety of side dishes, and the fresh vegetables, it was not something that would be affordable in this city. Was she trying to flatter him...? No, that was most unlikely.

"Is there a problem? Is something not to your liking?" Elena asked, looking like a worried host, making Merlin twitch his mouth, further increasing the smug smile on Elena's face. She finally felt she had given him a taste of his own medicine.

"No, they look delicious. I just don't get why if your main asking point is the import of food."

"To give you a presentation, of course! This dinner has everything that is necessary for a nutrient meal, one that should be the aim of all the workers who are doing physical labor in my mines."

"..."

"You have to believe me, and if you ascertain the type of foods here, you will see my point. The goal is for you to have a taste and remember what it is that we are in need of. What we are asking for. Just as you examined your future goods, I want you to observe this as well and ensure we exchange items of the same quality. Standards are established for a reason."

Merlin's twitching became even more visible. So she knew... touching his hair reflexively, seeing how Elena's eyes shrunk a little when he did so, told Merlin enough. She guessed it the moment she noticed the change in his appearance.

He was right. When Elena noticed Merlin's hair color and length change, she had already guessed that they had snuck into the mines and explored them. It was only logical. She wasn't afraid to tell this through her previous words and actions, feeling even more vindicated when she saw Merlin being put into the spotlight and squirming a little. It was a good feeling... and they were finally even.

"I will take a good mental note of it." Merlin answered, recollecting his thoughts and beginning to eat.

"That is all I ask besides these." Elena continued, pushing a thick folder over the table.

"Hm."

Merlin was not above handling business while eating. With a drumstick in one hand, he opened the papers and began running his eyes through them. The leasureness he was handling them surprised Elena but also made her a bit jealous. She learned a lot about etiquette, and if she tried anything like this back home, she would be rewarded with her teacher slapping her hands with a wooden ruler.

On the other hand, Merlin was startled once again, reading the numbers and making quick calculations in his mind. Although some asking prices for certain CC types were a bit high, it was not unreasonable. The breakdown was clear and concise, and it didn't feel greedy or scammy at all. If Elena could make this a reality, they would have a good supply of different-sized CCs... Even a skull-sized one every six months or so! With the amount of imperial coinage his Sovereign had piled up, they could finance this cooperation for at least five to six years without issues. If the prices remain the same, that is.

"After a quick glance, this looks fine." He spoke up, closing it and turning towards Elena. "I will have to get my Sovereign's seal of approval, though. But I will advise him to accept the terms and return with the signed contract and the first batch of payment."

"Oh? You would pay in advance?" Elena asked back, letting her surprise show on her face.

"Yes, for multiple reasons. One, you are the daughter of an ally. We take care of ours. Then, we also want to show that we are not barbarians and that we are more civilized than the majority of the Empire thinks of us."

"Isn't it an advantage?" she asked, repeating her thoughts, which she had been repeating over and over the past two days. "Everyone looks down on you and thinks you are unworthy of attention. It is much easier to avoid detection and do your own thing."

"Yes, that is true. My Sovereign would be the first to admit that it was what made us who we are today. However, we also have caravans traveling within the Empire, and we still hit brick walls time after time. Let's just say we are used to taking risks so our partners realize we are worthy of consideration."

"I see... I feel like I also experienced it." She whispered, shaking her head and pushing multiple envelopes towards Merlin. "My Father's letters. For your... Sovereign."

"I thank you for these, in his name."

"If you may... I have a question for you."

"Please, go ahead. If I can, I will answer it." He nodded and put the letters into his breast pocket, making sure nobody could take them from him.

"When can I meet your Sovereign?"

"That is a tricky question." Merlin murmured, reaching for his drink and taking a few measured sips before shuddering.

"Spice Wine." Elena clarified, barely able to hold her laughter, shaking in her chair, going for a napkin to 'wipe' her mouth and hide her grin.

"I... see." Merlin coughed, barely able to hold his expression straight. It was his first time tasting this strong of an alcoholic beverage, and he was not prepared for it. "Khm! That... is up to him, Lady Elena. If our cooperation evolves, like our meeting has evolved from its first iteration, then... I would say, soon enough. But it is up to him to invite you to Avalon."

"It will be the first time a Viscount's family invites a Duke's family over, not vice versa. If anyone else learns about it, they would laugh at my family and potentially try to kill yours."

"Hah!" Merlin laughed, his voice sharp and fiery. "I'd like to see them try. If the Empire is ready to lose a second Justice... so be it."

His answer made Elena freeze for a moment. It was full of confidence and such assuredness that she couldn't help but debate with herself: Was Merlin telling the truth? Or was this only boasting? She couldn't tell for sure, and that troubled her.

"I want to question your confidence, but not because I don't want to believe you. It is because I grew up in the heart of the Empire. The war that is going on now has happened multiple times in the past. Ishillia actually yielded large territories to its enemies before, but never for long. Every time it happened, in under a hundred years or so, they regained not just what they had lost but got themselves more. There are names in the history books that no longer mean anything to anybody. Kingdoms that were forgotten and smashed under the boot of the Ishillian army."

"I am aware of that." Merlin answered, and his calmness surprised even himself. Deep down, he felt as if he understood Ishillia but also did not. It was weird, but it was not the time to worry about it. "But if that is the case, we have at least multiple decades to prepare. The Empire has grown a lot, way beyond what is easily manageable. It became a slow and sluggish monolith that now needs hundreds of gears to be spinning to make one decision. The prime example is their reaction to being invaded by countries that are smaller than some of their regions. They are still not expelled from within, and the battles are still raging every day."

"You can't extrapolate that to just one city. To this... Avalon of yours."

"Yes, I can... Because I see the changes with my own eyes. I am part of that change. I feel and experience firsthand what it brings to this world, and I can confidently say this: Ishillia is not ready for it."

"I think you are overconfident." Elena answered, stating her true thoughts and feelings.

"I know it may seem like that. You would only understand it if you saw the plans of my Sovereign or sat down and talked with him. His head is filled with ideas and visions of machinery you didn't think to be possible. The flying ships? They will look like trivial kids' toys when my Sovereign's weapons come to life."

"..." For a moment, Elena thought about arguing, but it was not the time for it. Even if she questions everything and Merlin has an answer for them, they would still miss a vital fact: proof. There was simply no proof behind his words. "Say..." She cleared her throat, knowing that her next question may anger him greatly, "Aren't you afraid of me betraying you? You are overly trusting with someone you just met."

"If you are heartless enough to see your family be wiped out, be my guest."

"Is that a threat?" Elena asked, her face going chilly, and her tone was boiling with righteous anger.

"Yes." Merlin nodded, leaning forward, looking into her pink eyes, "Your father informed you of many things, did he not? Would you believe he would change his mind if you sold us out now? Would your family be spared? You are already part of high treason, and he was only spared previously because of luck. Even if my Sovereign made sure he lives, your Empress should have killed him for failure and for losing Justice. If not for some divine intervention, he would have been dead already. Have you never thought about that?"

"..." Elena had no answer to him once again. She thought of the same things when they were 'exiled' by her uncle. When they were called back, and she learned of the many deaths happening in the city, she thought of them being the next on the chopping block. Yet, instead of being dragged away by the Empress's soldiers, they were raised to be dukes. Her father returned, and even if he was injured, he was the head of the Kustov family, raising them to new levels of power. "Was it your doing? But... how?" She asked, whereas Merlin didn't answer her, only smiled mysteriously. He was happy to leave the thought in her head without correcting it.

"If you betray us, just know that it would bring your family down to hell... not even you would be spared. Hm... Maybe you would, now that I think about it. But then again, you would be the last of your line, without rank, without power, and with the only knowledge, you signed the death warrant of everyone you hold dear."

"Enough!" Elena exclaimed, raising her voice, "You know I asked this only to ascertain the power behind you. I am not stupid enough to sacrifice my family! I trust my father, but if we are going through with this, I want a guarantee they will be safe!"

"As I said," Merlin clapped, stood up, fixed his clothes, and was ready to leave. "We take care of our people. Your father has become an essential part of our lives, and we won't abandon him."

"That is... still not enough."

"For now, it has to be, Lady Elena."

With that, Merlin waited no longer, gently bowed, and left the room, leaving her sitting there.

"Avalon..." She whispered, reaching for a piece of bread and dunking it into the gravy left on her plate before throwing it into her mouth. "I will see it with my own eyes then. If they can keep my family safe, then all good. If not, I will need to make sure they do! Damn it, Father... no. Damn it, Ishillia!"

Her anger slowly turned toward the ruling family. Her fear stemmed from the sole reason that the Empress could kill them any time she wanted. Just a feeling was enough to doom anybody and their family. She realized it by now when death's scythe only missed her and her family's neck by a hair's width. What did it mean to be a duke when you always had to look behind your shoulders, hoping there wasn't anybody there, pushing a sword through your back?