– Kashion –
Kashion stood in front of his wardrobe and shook his head. Light blue or dark blue? Why hadn't he asked that?
He went through his shirts. He only had one light blue shirt, and dark blue suited him much better. He reached for a dark blue shirt. Blue is blue, right?
Oren was sitting on the sofa. He had probably given up trying to appeal to Kashion's reason. Even though Kashion was more than reasonable.
Kashion put on the shirt and adjusted the collar in front of the mirror. "And?" He looked at Oren through the mirror.
Oren clicked his tongue. "Oh, that looks terrible."
Kashion turned around. "Is it the color? The cut?"
He was already about to unbutton the shirt again when Oren started laughing. Ah, so that was it! Kashion grabbed a small plastic figure from the table and threw it at Oren.
Oren failed to catch it in time. "Alright, alright, Your Highness. Prior will be satisfied."
Kashion looked back into the mirror and smiled. He hoped so too.
– Prior –
Talina had already gone to Evlina. "See you in the council chamber," she had said to Prior.
Prior looked at the time. She should head out soon. She checked herself in the mirror one last time. Everything was fine. That should do. This time she had chosen a light green pantsuit.
She picked up her messenger and checked for new messages. Nothing. Apart from a "Good morning," Kashion hadn't written anything else. She laughed. He probably hadn't solved her little riddle yet. Or would he surprise her later? It was so simple that she had no doubt he would figure it out quickly. He had solved the other one fairly fast as well.
She left her room and made her way to the council chamber. She hoped so much that this would be the final negotiation.
When she arrived, she felt a bit unsure. It was strange being alone. She looked inside. Evlina and Talina were already there. She smiled and walked over to them.
Evlina looked at her in surprise.
"Good morning!" said Prior.
"Good morning, Prior," Evlina replied.
Prior was about to place her small bag on the chair next to Evlina when she suddenly said, "Um, Prior. That's not your seat anymore."
Prior's heart started racing. What did she mean? She looked at her, confused, not knowing what to say.
Evlina gave a dry laugh and shook her head. "Your seat is on the other side now, isn't it?"
Ah, now it dawned on her. Of course. How could she be so stupid? She just nodded. "Ahh."
She looked over to where Kashion would sit. But she wouldn't actually sit beside him, would she? Suddenly she felt unsure and lost. Almost like a child. She walked to the other side and stood behind the table, still holding her bag, unsure where to put it. Rein and Taner were also standing there. Rein looked at her curiously.
She nodded at him.
He stepped a little closer. "Prior, you're more of the quiet type, aren't you?"
Prior sighed and almost rolled her eyes. She looked at him and replied, "If you don't know me."
Rein started laughing.
At that moment they heard a "Good morning!", and Count Kashk Rutz entered the room. He seemed about to walk past Prior, but then turned to her and said, "Good morning, little scientist."
She gave a slight bow and nodded, and he continued to his seat.
Prior kept feeling like he was glancing at her from time to time, and it made her very uncomfortable.
Finally, Kashion entered the room. Prior immediately felt her mood lift. He greeted everyone with a smile—until his gaze rested on her. He walked over and said quietly, so only she could hear:
"Why are you standing here looking so lost?"
She bit her lip and shrugged. "I don't know where I'm supposed to sit."
He smiled. "By my side, of course."
"But Nara and Oren are sitting there and—"
"They can move over. Come, let's sit."
With that, Kashion went to his seat and sat down, and Prior sat beside him. Nara sat to her left, giving her an encouraging smile.
She immediately noticed how King Mandach, Count Kashk Rutz, the scientists, and Tendol were watching her suspiciously. She heard whispers—she couldn't understand everything, only fragments like "what it means" and "why."
Kashion nudged her with his arm. "Do you see what kind of shirt I'm wearing?" he asked expectantly.
Now she examined him more closely. That was a mistake—he looked stunning again.
He looked at her expectantly, then said "th." And then: "It's blue," raising his eyebrows playfully several times.
Now she understood. She lit up but was speechless. She just stared at him. What a rascal.
Then he cleared his throat and said aloud:
"Once again, good morning, and thank you all for coming. I hope we can reach a satisfactory result for everyone in this negotiation."
"I must say, I am disappointed," Kashk Rutz spoke up.
Prior looked at him, and he was looking directly at her.
"I believe I told Princess Evlina first that I would very much like to have the little scientist."
A chill ran down Prior's spine.
Kashion immediately stood up. Prior instinctively wanted to stand as well, like the others of lower rank, but he pressed her back into her seat with his hand on her shoulder. He wanted her to remain seated. That must have been noticeable, and she felt all eyes on her again.
"Count Kashk Rutz, I must politely ask you not to speak so disrespectfully. Anyone who speaks disrespectfully to her might as well speak disrespectfully to the royal family of Tingdao."
He sat back down. A murmur went through the room. Rein let out a low whistle and laughed.
Prior hardly dared to look around, but she felt many curious gazes. Tendol, however, looked at her with clear suspicion—almost as if she had done something terrible.
Kashk Rutz laughed mockingly. "My apologies. I didn't realize that was the case. Now that we've clarified that, we can begin the negotiation."
Prior took a deep breath. At that moment she felt Kashion take her hand under the table and give it a brief squeeze. She looked at him, and he winked at her encouragingly.
– Kashion –
Kashion was glad that was settled. No one should treat the woman by his side—literally or otherwise—with disrespect.
"Well then, while none of us are surprised by yesterday's test, we are still deeply disappointed," Kashk Rutz continued.
This time it was Prior who squeezed Kashion's hand. It gave him the strength he needed.
"The test may not have been satisfactory outwardly, but it moved us forward," said Kashion.
"Forward?" asked Kashk Rutz.
"Indeed," Kashion replied. "We now understand better how the substances interact and what needs to be changed. We never said we would achieve this in a short time. We spoke of months or longer. And I believe we all saw yesterday that the thrust had already improved significantly."
Kashion saw Mandach and Evlina nodding at him.
Kashk Rutz laughed again. "But who needs more thrust if it explodes shortly afterward?"
Kashion heard Prior inhale sharply. She straightened slightly. She looked thoughtful and cleared her throat. Did she want to say something? Before she could, he quickly said:
"No one is meant to explode—that's why we conduct safety tests. Once we've completed our research and testing, maximum safety will be ensured."
"Or perhaps those are just empty promises?" Kashk Rutz replied.
This time Evlina spoke up. "I think it would be better if we focus on what is relevant now. Shall we reach an agreement for our trade deal or not?"
"I will stick to my forty percent," said King Mandach, "for the 25% of the Aethereleum."
Kashion nodded at him. He had kept his part of the agreement.
Kashion glanced at Tendol. He seemed absorbed in his messenger, but they had discussed everything already.
"Tingdao is prepared to supply 10% of the petroleum. In addition, we will handle research and technology. Once everything is ready, we will provide licenses and materials. We will include the agreed guarantees in the contract."
"Feuerfelder will contribute dysprosium and work closely with Tingdao," Rein added. "In return, Tingdao and Feuerfelder want 45% of the Aethereleum. We will divide it among ourselves."
Rein nodded at Kashion and winked. That was the deal.
The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Kashk Rutz.
He gave a dry laugh. "And that leaves Terland with 30%? While we are supposed to supply 50% of the petroleum? And all you offer in return is a guarantee with compensation? That's not enough for me."
Kashion was prepared. Now he would surely propose a penalty.
"I want 40% of the Aethereleum. And if there are no results after one year, then I want 60% the following year—and I want the missing Aethereleum from the first year to be delivered as well. That means the missing 20%."
Kashion inhaled sharply. What Kashk Rutz was demanding was far more than anything they had calculated in their scenarios.