Terms of Alliance

Chapter 28 — Terms of Alliance

Lyra turned her head and looked at Ren.

Her crimson eyes carried a silent question that needed no words. Should they trust the information this princess claimed to possess, or should they stand up, walk out of this luxurious room, and continue toward the Beast Nation on their own terms? The documents lying on the table in front of her felt heavy even without being touched. Part of her desperately wanted the full truth about her tribe’s destruction. Another part of her feared what that truth might force them into.

Ren understood the look immediately. He shifted his gaze back to Seraphina and spoke in a calm, even voice that carried clearly across the quiet hall.

“What you are offering is not bad for a negotiation. Territory, status, freedom for Lyra… those are valuable things. But I do not trust you. And I do not trust the information you claim to hold.”

Seraphina did not look offended. Instead, she gave a small, almost accepting nod, as if she had already predicted this response.

“I understand. Blind trust would be foolish in your position. That is why I am prepared to provide you with complete evidence — original letters, sealed documents, and supporting records that are one hundred percent accurate. You will be free to examine everything yourselves and verify the authenticity through whatever means you possess.”

Ren’s expression remained unchanged. His posture stayed relaxed, but there was an unyielding firmness beneath it.

“Even if the information turns out to be real, my conditions do not change. I do not work for anyone. I will not take orders from you. If we are to cooperate in any way, then I will stand as your equal — not as a servant, not as a subordinate, and not as a hidden blade you can point wherever you wish. You will speak to both me and Lyra with respect.”

The words settled heavily in the room, thicker than the scent of the cooling dishes on the table.

For a brief moment, neither Seraphina nor Silvia showed any visible reaction. Then a subtle shift occurred in both of their eyes. It was not anger. It was something rarer — genuine respect mixed with reevaluation. Very few people sitting across from a princess of the Kingdom of Valdoria and a Level 84 Dark Elf would dare speak with such directness. Most would have already lowered their heads or begun calculating how to please her.

Seraphina studied Ren for several long seconds. The soft glow of the mana-lamps reflected in her deep blue eyes as she weighed his words.

“Very well,” she said at last. “I accept those terms. You will not be my subordinate. You will act as a mercenary — interested only in the rewards that are agreed upon, not in the politics surrounding the throne. I will not treat either of you as tools to be used and later discarded.”

Ren continued before she could add anything further.

“And I will not become a pawn that your Obsidian Veil can move around as it pleases.”

At the clear pronunciation of the name “Obsidian Veil,” both Seraphina and Silvia’s eyes sharpened at the same time. The temperature in the room seemed to drop by a few degrees.

Silvia was the first to speak. Her voice was cold, precise, and carried the weight of decades of intelligence work.

“How do you know about the Obsidian Veil?”

Seraphina’s blue eyes narrowed slightly as well. The fact that this man not only knew of her personal intelligence network but spoke its true name so casually was something she had not anticipated. The Obsidian Veil was not a name spoken lightly, even within the highest circles of the kingdom.

Ren simply looked at them without any change in expression. His tone remained flat and matter-of-fact.

“I have my own ways.”

Tension thickened in the air for several heartbeats. Silvia’s fingers twitched almost imperceptibly near her waist, where a concealed weapon likely rested. Seraphina remained perfectly still, but her mind was clearly working through possibilities. Then, slowly, the princess chose not to pursue the matter further for the moment. Pressing too hard now might damage the fragile opening she had created.

“I see,” Seraphina said at last, her voice returning to its earlier elegant calm. “You are full of surprises.”

She leaned back slightly in her high-backed chair. The soft light of the mana-lamps slid across her crimson hair and the graceful curve of her shoulders.

“Then let us move to the practical part,” Ren said. “What exactly do you want from us?”

Seraphina glanced sideways toward Silvia. The Dark Elf stepped forward in silence and placed a small stack of aged letters and tightly bound documents on the table directly in front of Lyra. The paper looked old but well-preserved, with wax seals that had been carefully broken and then re-secured for transport.

Seraphina’s voice grew quieter, yet every word became clearer and heavier.

“These are letters written by Prince Cedric of the Kingdom of Valdoria to the Prime Minister of the Beast Nation of Fenrisgard, Lord Vaelrik Blackthorn. Their contents concern mutual benefits that both sides intended to gain from a prolonged war between the two nations.”

She paused, giving the weight of the revelation time to sink in.

“They deliberately started and then extended the conflict for profit. The war created a continuous supply of slaves, beast materials, and resources. The primary buyer and financier on the human side was Prince Cedric’s uncle — Duke Hadrian Voss, the younger brother of the current queen and one of the most powerful businessmen on the entire human continent. His trading companies absorbed the majority of the captives and rare materials that came out of the fighting.”

Lyra’s breathing had grown shallow. Her eyes remained fixed on the documents as if they might vanish if she looked away.

Seraphina continued without rushing.

“On the Beast Nation side, Prime Minister Vaelrik Blackthorn sold out his own people. He deliberately guided certain factions and tribes into disadvantageous battles so that larger numbers of captives could be taken and sold. The tribe that betrayed the Silver Wolf Tribe — the Blackfang Hyenas — was also operating under Prince Cedric’s instructions. They were positioned and ordered to wait for the exact moment when your father’s forces would be most vulnerable.”

The princess’s deep blue eyes locked onto Lyra’s crimson ones.

“What you have believed until now was only part of the truth. The hyena tribe carried out the attack, yes. But the real architects of the Silver Wolf Tribe’s destruction sat much higher than them — in the royal court of Valdoria and in the highest seat of power within Fenrisgard itself.”

Silence filled the luxurious meeting hall.

The rich food on the table had long gone untouched. The wine in the crystal glasses reflected the steady light of the mana-lamps. Outside, the night wind brushed softly against the heavy curtains, but inside the room the air felt dense with the weight of old betrayals, hidden letters, and choices that could no longer be delayed.

Ren looked at the stack of documents, then at Seraphina. His voice, when he finally spoke, remained calm.

“You’ve shown us the shape of the truth. Now show us the proof.”

Seraphina inclined her head slightly.

“Of course. That is the next step.”

The negotiation that would decide their path forward was only beginning.