Talulah recognized that voice instantly—it belonged to the very elder who had communicated with her before. That was precisely why he seemed so certain she had arrived in Londinium with a different goal in mind.
Among the figures present, this old man held an exceptionally unique standing. The moment he spoke, every other voice in the room fell silent, leaving only Talulah and the elder to continue the dialogue.
"You certainly live up to your years, old man," Talulah said coldly. "To be so confident in assuming my motives..."
She didn't immediately expose the schemes he had orchestrated behind the scenes. She knew perfectly well that doing so would be pointless before this crowd—not a single Grand Duke in attendance possessed clean hands. Besides, all she held was her own word against theirs.
"If you truly intended to claim that seat, you wouldn't have made such a grand spectacle of your arrival," the elder rasped through the terminal. "A true pretender would slip in quietly and bide her time until the right moment to announce her claim!"
Nods of agreement flickered across the faces of the representatives. The old man makes sense, they thought. If the girl actually intended to inherit the throne, building momentum covertly inside Londinium would have been infinitely safer.
"So then, what is your true purpose here?" the elder pressed. "So long as your demands remain within reason, we wouldn't object to collaborating with the House of Artorius once more. After all, your bloodline was once the pride of Victoria. We can certainly afford that much assistance."
The tension among the surrounding representatives visibly eased. Their tone toward Talulah softened considerably, shifting from unmasked hostility to the polite demeanor of agreeable elders.
Talulah nodded slightly to herself. Everything was unfolding exactly as she had anticipated. The sole priority of these grand figures was to prevent her from sitting on that throne; as long as that threat was neutralized, they cared little about anything else.
That had been her plan from the start. Had she marched in making outright demands regarding the Infected and Taran rights, she would have faced relentless opposition at every turn.
Now that they believed she held no royal ambitions, they suddenly became far easier to deal with. What came next would be much simpler.
"I came here on behalf of the Infected workers who reached out to me, as well as to address issues concerning the Tarans," Talulah stated calmly. "Of course, I won't deny having other considerations as well."
She laid out her terms clearly. The hidden study fell into a heavy silence as the representatives weighed her words.
"Ridiculous!" A Grand Duke's furious voice suddenly erupted through one of the terminals, shattering the quiet. "Granting Infected workers legitimate rights?! What utter nonsense! Allowing those Infected to draw breath is already a act of mercy from us, yet you dare demand better treatment for them?!"
No one stepped forward to refute his outburst. This particular Duke harbored an extreme, deep-seated hatred for the Infected. To him, merely listening to an Infected speak—let alone granting them rights—was a form of torture. Had his own son contracted Oripathy, his immediate reaction would have been to cast the disgraced heir out of the family.
"And the Tarans!" Duke Wellington's voice cut in, sharp and uncompromising. As a Taran himself, he found this line unacceptable. "Are you attempting to turn Victorians into Ursus citizens? Is that your intent, Lady Talulah?"
He had not expected Talulah to suggest taking the Tarans away with her.
"Let me make one thing clear: New Chernogobyl is an independent city-state," Talulah replied, her eyes narrowing as she fixed a burning gaze on Harmonie. "It does not fall under the governance of Ursus. Our presence within Ursus territory is merely due to existing ties. I seek only to offer them a place where they can live in peace. You, of all people, should understand why I am making this choice, Lord Iron Duke."
Her words carried a pointed edge. The fire in her eyes burned with the knowledge of how the Tarans in County Hillock had been used as disposable pawns in his grand scheme.
She knew the old man could see her expression through the monitor feed. He might brush off her anger, but she intended to make her stance unmistakably clear.
Everyone in the room knew what had transpired in County Hillock. The appearance of the Steam Knight had made it impossible for any faction to feign ignorance. That legendary unit's sudden emergence had given every Duke present a massive headache.
Initially, they assumed someone had located the missing Aslan heir and intended to use the Steam Knight to march the new monarch straight into Londinium.
Instead, it turned out to be a calculated conspiracy. Though everyone present could guess who held the puppet strings, no one was eager to provoke the Iron Duke or test the strength of his armies.
"I have no idea what you're referring to," Wellington replied smoothly through the line. "However, the events in County Hillock served as a stark reminder to me—as a fellow Taran—that my kin are not living well."
The old man would never admit to the conspiracy in public. Denying it kept the peace; admitting it would invite endless trouble.
"If you can guarantee the safety of these Tarans, and if they truly wish to leave with you of their own free will," Wellington continued, "I will agree to your terms. I can even assist in finding partners to handle their transport. How does that sound?"
To put an end to Talulah's prodding, the Iron Duke chose to make a concession—and his word effectively settled the matter for the rest of the room.
"Rest assured," Talulah said confidently, casting a subtle glance back toward Jeanne and Fafnir. "We possess more than enough strength to protect what is ours. You need not worry about our capabilities."
"Very well," the elder's voice concluded. "So long as you declare publicly before all of Victoria that you will not claim the Draco crown, we will permit your interventions regarding the Infected and the Tarans."
After brief consideration, no further objections were raised. If granting these concessions meant getting rid of the Draco heir, it was a trade every Grand Duke was more than willing to make.
In their eyes, Talulah was giving up a crown within her reach in exchange for improved conditions for the Infected and the relocation of a few commoners. To the nobility, that was an extraordinarily cheap bargain.
"We expect you to honor this pledge," the voice added. "We look forward to seeing you put an end to this farce. Your presence gave certain people hopes they should never have harbored; it is only fitting that you, as the center of this storm, extinguish those hopes yourself."
With those final words, the communication lines went dark one by one. The representatives in the room rose and quietly departed the study, none bothering to offer Talulah a second glance.
Except for one.
Harmonie, the Dublinn officer, remained in her seat. She maintained that same enigmatic, predatory smile, eyeing Jeanne and Talulah like a cat watching its prey.
"What a clever maneuver," Harmonie purred, leaning back in her chair. "Feigning a bid for the throne to heighten the Grand Dukes' alertness, only to lower your real demands at the final moment. It wasn't the most subtle strategy, but with everything that happened—and that massive beast sweeping through the sky—you actually got everything you wanted. Congratulations~"
Her nonchalant tone made it seem as though she hadn't been behind the chaos in County Hillock at all. Talulah offered no reply to the Feline, maintaining a cold, vigilant stare.
"Oh, don't be so defensive," Harmonie chuckled smoothly, unfazed by their hostility. "Who knows? We might not even be enemies."
She paused, her smile taking on a sharper edge.
"Though, there is one small thing I must ask... Where exactly did you take our proxy leader?"
Talulah's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"