68 Chapter 68 ~ “Negotiation”

King Melendez’s question caught Eleanora in surprise.

In the empire, she was the lady with the highest authority. Specially after her father left and she become the representative of the duchy for the time being.

So, her past habit to attend meetings stayed even in this life.

‘Gosh! I forget that woman’s can’t attend the official meetings yet at this time!’

In her previous life, After Cathain become the emperor, he changed the rules.

Where noble woman’s can also become the heir, work along with males and support their family like every common family.

But this was yet to happen in this life. She forgot about this and came along with him.

‘How could he forget this too and bring me here?’

Eleanora glanced at Cathain but was terrified to see the look on his face. He was frowning as disgust filled up his red eyes.

.....

She wanted to take a step back but Cathain kept holding onto her firmly as he spoke.

“Do i need to ask you about either i can bring my wife, the future empress here or not?”

Cathain questioned King Melendez with a superiority tone that left the meeting hall room silent.

Eleanora looked up at him with a curious gaze.

Even King Melendez, a lot older man then him was forced to step back and shuttered as he spoke.

“C-Crown Prince, She is a lady...”

“So what if she is a lady? Is it written anywhere that a lady can’t attend the meeting?”

Cathain’s voice echoed through the silent hall. The people kept quite but deep down in their hearts, they also had the same mindset as the king.

To them, noble ladies only needs to sit at home and look after the house. From father to husband, they could either lean on anyone of them.

Eleanora gestured him that she is okay and it’s better if she leaves but Cathain just gently smiled at him, eyes full of warmth.

Unlike the hatred gaze he gave the king. Eleanora was so close to his chest that she was able to hear his beating heart.

‘So this is how being in his arms feels like. It feels warm and... safe.’

Eleanora felt ridiculed again. Her situation is like feeling safe at the embrace of the grim reaper.

Cathain’s eyes scanned over the meeting hall before he sneered.

“If my wife can’t enter then what’s the use of me entering and discuss about peace? If the war is the cost for protecting my wife’s dignity...”

Everyone hold their breathe in, Even Eleanora looked up at him with anticipation.

“Then let it be. We will negotiate at the battle field then!”

Everyone stood up from their sits and if it was possible, then king Melendez’s jaw would have already dropped on the floor.

Eleanora looked at him with disbelief. She didn’t wanted a war but seeing him protecting her like this now, she felt a little happy.

It’s been long since someone stood up to protect her. The last person who wanted to protect her was Alexander, who ended up in the prison in her past life.

No, she can’t let it happen like before. She can’t let him risk the normal people’s life just to protect her dignity.

‘Am happy that you choose to protect me, that i never even dared to imagine in my dreams before. But i can’t let you take this risk.’

Eleanora’s gaze become softer and she genuinely smiled at Cathain for the first time in this life.

‘D-Declaring a war just because i asked why is she here?’

No one dared to look at Eleanora again. This man is just crazy!

Declaring a war because the king questioned her presence... Who knows what he will do if he notices someone looking at her?

They can’t afford it.

But still, someone there dared to afford it, he took it as a challenge.

“My sincere apology, Crown prince and Princess. My father still have those old fashioned thoughts, thus he asked this unreasonable question.

Princess is welcome to enter and join us. It will be a honour for us.”

The seventh prince, Mendel came forward with a bright sinistral smile and Eleanora subconsciously got more closer to Cathain.

Mendel was the real crazy bastard here. Under his friendly smile was devilish thoughts.

She still remembers how he had tried to harass her even in the battlefield. They seemed like fighting but only she knew that he was actually playing with her, trying to touch her.

He was taking advantage of his physique over her.

Sensing her feeling uneasy, Cathain ignored them and took his seat, made her sit beside him as he gripped her hands into his to calm her down.

Eleanora sighed in relief as she started to speak in a low voice.

“What was you doing, Your highness? It wasn’t their fault...”

She slightly glanced at him as she spoke but what not only she didn’t got a reply but got to see his solemn face.

‘What are you fusing about? You shouldn’t have bought me here at the first place as you knew it would happen?!’

But, Eleanora also knows the another reason of him acting like this. It’s because she still called him formally.

It isn’t easy for her to calm him by his name. It’s something that she didn’t got even after becoming the empress.

So either calling him by his name or hearing him calling her as his wife, she is still uncomfortable with it.

“I wasn’t going to really go for war. I knew this bunch of old idiots would be easily feared. All of them are from a bunch of small, barely on the map like countries.”

Eleanora lowly chuckled at his words and kept on conversing with him.

Cathain felt a little good as she was finally willing to talk freely with him, like she did with Ain.

But then, he felt a sinister gaze towards Eleanora and immediately looked up to meet Mendel’s eyes.

He slightly moved towards and brushed his lips against her cheek to her ear.

Her eyes widened in surprise and she thought if it was just her imagination or was he deliberate?

Cathain made it seem like a accident but what he wanted was just to give a warning to Mendel, To know his place and back off.

‘Does he thinks Ele will like him? Ele likes rich, powerful and handsome guys like me!’ [A/N: Only according to him...-_-]

Seeing them being close to each other, Mendel retained his gaze and clenched his fist in anger.

Then the meeting finally began...

historical

“If we can request a forty percent decrease to our friendly alliance tax just for the next five years, I believe this amount will help us grow exponentially and we will fill up the missed tax fully.”

King of Rua spoke with great confidence as he was sure it would work. Cathain took a moment to consider before he finally started to speak.

“I can allow that...”

A smile flash across Melendez’s face as he thought he succeed into the negotiation, till he heard Cathain’s next words.

“But i want an increase of trade goods to come through Valentino Empire during the contract period. This will assist both of our economic.

I can’t starve my people while waiting for your goods and tax.

So, We will also add the condition where, if you fail to increase your total gross income after five years, we will have the right to claim the amount of your missed taxes.”

King Melendez’s face turned dark as he heard Cathain. He thought a teenager, who had yet to come of age won’t understand much about this.

But unexpectedly he was stunned by his brilliance and negotiations. The more Cathain acted like that, the more wary he become.

Seeing his pale face, Cathain narrowed his eyes and smriked.

‘Dare to insult my empress and then want to take advantage of me being underaged? This is just the beginning...’

Eleanora just sit quitely, listening but not to attentive.

It was already bad enough to come to the meeting room, A underaged girl with the most highest official powers among other ladies.

She keept thinking about how the others viewed her as. She just can’t help but care a little about them.

Cathain kept negotiating, he was far better then his other peers of the same age.

Seeing the flow of their conversation, Eleanora understood why Kingdom Rua had upper hand in the negotiations in her last life and the empire had no choice but to start the war.

Duke Raven supported Kingdom Rua and ignored the upbringing of the empire, to be precise, he didn’t cared about the public at all.

Where, Cathain is thinking about the empire and it’s people.

No matter how she was treated by him in her past life, Eleanora had to admit that Cathain was really good to his people as their emperor.

While Eleanora was lost in her thoughts, something suddenly caught her attention and unexpectedly intrupted as she called him loud.

.....

“Your Highness, Please reconsider...”