Perry could tell that Lucas, and the two female beastkin beside him, had no interest in the food, as if they were already full. This made her feel both annoyed and helpless. Was the meat at tonight's banquet not to their liking?
"No, it's just that it was a long journey. I don't have much of an appetite," Lucas said gently. It was clearly an excuse.
"Oh?" Perry put down her knife and wiped her hands on a cloth, her eyes fixed on Lucas. She tried to read his expression, but he simply wore a gentle smile.
She couldn't quite see what Lucas was thinking. After all, if he was truly sincere about cooperating, he would at least pretend to eat, even if the food was awful.
"Lord Lucas, do you find our hospitality lacking?" Sally, however, had no such reservations. She had been watching him too and noticed he hadn't touched a single thing.
"Not at all. The banquet is very lavish," Lucas shook his head with a faint smile. He couldn't exactly say their food was terrible; that would be a huge loss of face for them.
"..." Perry fell silent. She suddenly thought of those fish tins. Looking down at the hunks of meat on the table, she abruptly lost her appetite as well.
"Then, Lord Lucas, why..." Sally's eyes narrowed as she began to press him.
"Sally, that's enough. Do not be rude," Perry said coolly. She was trying to be pragmatic about her status; she was no longer a princess.
"Yes." Sally paused, stunned, and lowered her head.
"It is I who have failed to live up to the Chief's kind intentions," Lucas said, chuckling and waving his hand. "As thanks for this banquet, may I invite the Chief to join me for lunch tomorrow?"
His subtext was clear: We'll negotiate tomorrow at lunch. I'm not negotiating tonight. If she didn't want to talk, she was free to decline.
"Oh?" Perry raised an eyebrow. She studied him quietly for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. I will be there on time tomorrow."
She understood his message. The home-field advantage was switching. If she wanted to continue these talks, she had to accept.
"In that case, I will take my leave." Lucas stood and left with Mina, Ayesha, and James.
"Chief, I... I will also take my leave." Martin, after a moment's stun, quickly stood, bowed, and left with Camilla.
Tap, tap, tap...
"Dammit." Sally stared at the empty tent entrance, her expression ugly. "What was the meaning of that? Does he look down on us?"
"This Lucas is no simple man," Perry said, pulling the veil from her face. Her eyes remained fixed on the tent opening.
"Your Highness, that Lucas is too arrogant! I don't think he's sincere about cooperating at all. He's clearly just here to make things difficult for us!" Sally said, her face dark.
"Sally, you are too hot-tempered," Perry said coolly, her delicate, refined face showing a trace of helplessness. She glanced at the indignant Sally and continued, "We were testing him, and he was testing us right back."
"Huh?" Sally stared, her eyes wide.
"Lucas was dissatisfied with the food tonight, but he didn't just storm out. That shows he is interested in cooperating," Perry sighed.
"What? All this meat, and he's still not satisfied? Back in the Royal Palace, there were times we didn't even get half this much meat for a meal!" Sally cried, astonished.
Don't assume the beastkin royal palace ate well; even the king sometimes had a dinner with less than half the meat served tonight. This banquet was already high-spec, just lacking a nice setting and proper plates.
"Perhaps... he simply has more delicious food," Perry said. She glanced at the two beastkin who were still tearing into the meat and drinking heavily, and sighed. I'm definitely not bringing them tomorrow. It's too embarrassing.
"Impossible." Sally shook her head fiercely. She refused to believe a minor baron could produce any true delicacies. She admitted Lucas had some power, but this was a matter of depth, of cultural refinement, which couldn't be compared to mere steel armor.
"I just hope tomorrow goes smoothly," Perry said softly. As long as she could sell the tribe's sheep and draft horses, she could build up their strength and begin to expand again. There were, after all, many tribes on the grasslands.
"Your Highness, that Lucas has many beastkin under him. Should we try to make contact?" Sally asked in a low voice. She was still bothered by the sight of beastkin serving as human knights.
"..." Perry was silent for a moment, then nodded. "You may. Just... ask around. Don't say anything foolish. We cannot afford to lose this channel right now..."
"Understood." Sally stood, grabbed a piece of meat, and strode out of the tent.
"The glory of the past is gone. We can't afford to be arrogant anymore," Perry murmured to herself. She knew Sally was proud and believed beastkin were superior to humans, or at least, she detested and distrusted them.
*
Later that night, the soldiers guarding the ship by the riverbank stared vigilantly into the surroundings, patrolling and securing the vessel.
Tap, tap, tap...
"Who's there?" A soldier barked, leveling his sword at the darkness. The sound had come from the direction of the beastkin camp.
"Brother, I'm a beastkin. No ill intent," Two or three beastkin knights emerged from the shadows.
"Stop. No closer," The soldiers ordered, aiming their sword at the approaching knights.
"Alright, alright, not coming closer," The beastkin immediately stopped. The leader, a Bear-kin, smiled fawningly. "Brother, we're from over there. Really, no ill intent."
"What do you want?" Asked the soldiers' captain, who was a Bull-kin.
"I... I just came to ask about something. You all are dressed so well... Is that noble, does he treat you all well?" The Bear-kin asked politely, his voice full of envy, his eyes shining as he stared at the soldier's armor. He was truly jealous. Compared to their iron armor, this refined steel was far more desirable.
"Of course. The City Lord is the best noble there is. He treats us very well," The Bull-kin said with admiration.
"How good can it be? You're a beastkin, and he's a human," The Bear-kin asked, skeptical.
"How good?" The Bull-kin shot him a sidelong glance and scoffed. "We get meat every day, good clothes to wear, and a salary of eighty copper coins a month. We even get a 20% discount if we buy a house... and after we retire from service, we're assigned a job..."
"No... No way? It's that good?" The Bear-kin's eyes went wide, and he stammered in disbelief.
"Alright, get going. Don't interfere with our patrol," The Bull-kin said, shooing him away. Heh, he thought to himself, it's just as Lady Mina said. These beastkin would come trying to win us over and gather intel. But it's not like these benefits are a secret. And it feels good to brag a little.
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