Conditions of Cooperation

Chapter 30 — Conditions of Cooperation

The heavy silence in the meeting hall stretched for several long seconds after Seraphina finished presenting the evidence. The soft glow of the mana-lamps reflected off the crystal glasses and the polished surface of the table. None of the expensive dishes had been touched. The rich aroma of the food still lingered in the air, but it felt out of place against the weight of the truth that had just been revealed.

Ren finally spoke, his voice calm but direct.

“If you already possess this much solid information… why haven’t you shown it to the king? Have your brother and the others punished through royal authority.”

Seraphina’s expression darkened slightly. A faint shadow passed through her deep blue eyes as she slowly shook her head.

“It is not that simple. My father’s health has been declining for the past two years. The court physicians do everything they can, but his strength continues to fade. He is no longer in a position to exercise real power. Most of the important decisions in the kingdom are now made by the queen. And the queen… follows the will of her brother, Duke Hadrian Voss, without question. She also supports her own son, Prince Cedric, as the next king.”

She paused, allowing the reality of the situation to settle between them.

“In the current court, presenting these documents to my father would achieve nothing. The queen and her faction would intercept them, deny their authenticity, or bury them before they could create any real change. Some of the nobles who might have supported me have already been pressured into silence. Others have been bought.”

Seraphina’s voice grew colder.

“This kingdom is standing on the edge of a cliff. These people are destroying it from within for the sake of power and personal greed. The war with the Beast Nation is only one part of their plan. If nothing changes, Valdoria will continue to rot until it collapses under its own corruption. The only way to stop them — and the only way for me to take my own revenge for everything they have done — is to become the next ruler.”

Ren listened without interrupting. His face remained unreadable, but his eyes stayed fixed on the princess. Beside him, Lyra remained silent. Her hand was still resting under Ren’s, her fingers cold. The letters proving her brother’s betrayal lay only a short distance away, and the wound of that revelation was still fresh.

Seraphina continued, her tone becoming more focused and measured, as if she were laying out a careful strategy rather than making an emotional appeal.

“That is why I need your cooperation. My first goal is to stop the ongoing war between Valdoria and Fenrisgard. Right now, both sides are still losing soldiers and resources. If the Beast Nation’s king learns the full truth behind this conspiracy — that his own Prime Minister colluded with human nobles to sell their people for profit — he will have no choice but to take action. He will purge the traitors on his side. And once the truth is known, he will also have a strong reason to seek peace with the human kingdom rather than continue a war that was manufactured for profit.”

She looked directly at Ren, then at Lyra.

“I will also write a formal royal letter under my own name and seal. In that letter, I will explain the entire scheme in clear detail, expose the guilty parties on both sides, and formally propose the re-establishment of peaceful relations between our two nations. If this war can be stopped through the truth, many unnecessary deaths will be prevented. Villages will no longer be raided. Families will no longer be torn apart for the slave markets.”

A faint, calculating light entered her eyes as she leaned forward slightly.

“This step will also greatly increase my popularity among the common people and the neutral nobles. I will be seen as the one who ended a costly and meaningless war. I will be seen as the one who chose peace when others chose profit. That reputation will become an important foundation when the time comes to fight for the throne in the open.”

She paused again, giving them time to absorb the larger shape of her plan.

“After the war is stopped and the truth begins to spread through both nations, I will begin moving against Prince Cedric’s faction in earnest. I will use every method available to me — political pressure, public evidence, carefully chosen alliances, economic disruption, and, when necessary, more direct means. But I cannot do it alone. Not while they still control the greater part of the court’s power and the flow of information.”

Seraphina’s gaze moved slowly between Ren and Lyra. When she spoke again, her voice was steady and clear.

“That is what I am asking of you. Not blind loyalty. Not permanent service to the crown. Not a lifetime of obedience. I am asking for cooperation toward shared goals, under the conditions we already agreed upon earlier this evening. You remain independent. You take only the rewards we negotiate in advance. And in return, you help me change the current balance of power before this kingdom destroys itself.”

She fell silent and waited.

The documents still lay spread across the table like open wounds from the past. The luxurious private hall, with its soft carpets, carved wooden panels, and gentle mana-light, felt smaller under the weight of the decision that now rested on Ren and Lyra’s shoulders. Outside the heavy curtains, the night wind moved quietly across the town, unaware that the direction of two nations might soon shift because of the conversation taking place within these walls.

Ren did not answer immediately. He sat in stillness, his thumb moving once across the back of Lyra’s hand in a small, grounding gesture. Lyra’s breathing had slowly stabilized, but the cold fire in her crimson eyes had not faded. The truth about her brother, the prince, the duke, and the prime minister had carved itself into her heart. Revenge was no longer a simple matter of hunting down a single hyena tribe.

Seraphina remained composed, her crimson hair glowing softly under the light, her curvy figure elegant and unmoving in the high-backed chair. Silvia stood behind her like a silent shadow, violet eyes watching every micro-expression on Ren and Lyra’s faces.

The seconds stretched.

Finally, Ren lifted his gaze and met the princess’s eyes once more.

The next words he spoke would decide the direction of their path.