– Kashion –
Kashion sat in his parents' room. His father was visibly angry, pacing back and forth. His mother looked shaken and sat opposite him on the sofa.
"Tendol told me you publicly rejected the princess. What is the meaning of this?" his father finally asked.
"I was very polite," Kashion began. "But it is my decision. I will not marry her."
His mother began to sob. "What happened? Did you have an argument?"
"No," Kashion said. "She's simply not right for me."
"But to me, she is already my daughter-in-law. You can't do this to me!" his mother said.
"Irresponsible," said King Tyron, standing with his back to Kashion, facing the window. Then he turned around and looked at him. "You are a ruler. You cannot act selfishly. You must think of your family and your people first. That is your duty!"
His mother stood up and sat down beside him. She put her arm around Kashion.
"Look, my son. Sometimes things don't seem ideal at the beginning. But look at your sister. They have a stable marriage, even though they didn't have feelings for each other at first. And they have the sweetest little girl together. They have nothing to complain about. It was a gain for everyone. And your marriage to Evlina will be a gain for everyone as well."
Kashion shook his head. "That's not what I want for myself."
Kashion wasn't naive. He knew it was too early to say that Prior was the one for him. They hadn't reached that point yet. But Prior had shown him what it could feel like. And he didn't want to lose that possibility. Still, he was certain that Evlina could never give him that feeling.
"Not what you want!" his father snapped. "You are still privileged enough to even consider what you want or don't want. You must think of the bigger picture. Of what Evlina can bring to Tingdao. If you marry her, you will hold the key to immeasurable resources."
Kashion let out a dry laugh.
"Don't you see? If I do that, I'm nothing more than a Cheqi piece being moved around by someone else. Now I'm supposed to be pushed onto a square and marry the princess. And what if next year the princess says they will only supply us with Aethereleum if I do this or that? Then I'm a piece again. I—and not just me, but Tingdao—would be dependent. I want to make my own decisions. I want to make my own moves. Why should there be only one path for Tingdao?"
Kashion was angry. He couldn't listen to this anymore.
His mother began to cry. "She is perfect. She has everything one could wish for," she said.
"You don't want to be a piece in a game? Let me tell you something, Kashion: if you're not careful, the game itself will be taken out of your hands," his father replied.
Kashion laughed. "You know I never wanted to be a ruler. Then you told me you believed in me. So now you should trust me as well. I can do this without the princess. Tingdao can do this. And I can marry the person I choose."
"Who is she?" his father asked calmly.
His mother looked at him. "What? Is there someone…?"
Kashion sighed and closed his eyes. "It's not certain yet. You'll find out soon enough."
"Who could it be?" his mother asked.
"Whoever it is, it has to end," his father said firmly. "Only the princess is an option!"
Kashion stood up.
"I will decide who is an option. And at the same time, I will ensure that Tingdao stands on its own."
He walked to the door and left the room without waiting for a response. He couldn't bear it any longer.
As he stepped out, he saw Kassia waiting for him.
She looked at him with sympathy.
"How do you know—?" he began.
"Tendol told me. How did it go?" she interrupted.
Kashion pressed his lips together and shook his head. "Am I being selfish?" he asked.
Kassia thought for a moment, then shook her head firmly.
"No, I don't think you're selfish. I think a ruler who is happy and true to himself can achieve more for his people than one who gives in to every kind of pressure."
Kassia's words did him good. It was exactly what he needed.
"You know I'm on your side," she added.
He nodded. "Thank you, Kassia."
"It won't be easy, little brother. But you're not alone."
Then she started to laugh. "And I'm sure Prior is on your side too."
He grinned, immediately thinking back to the moment she had helped him out of a tight spot during the meeting.
"I hope so. Though I still have to fully win her over to my side."
She nudged him playfully with her elbow. "I have no doubt you'll manage that."
He smiled even more and nodded in agreement.
"Yes. I think I should go back to my advisors. We still have a lot ahead of us."
Kassia nodded, and they walked together toward the small meeting room.
Kashion couldn't help but smile. He would have many battles to fight. But there was one he was actually looking forward to.
And it would be good when he could finally play with his cards on the table.
– Prior –
They were in Kashk Rutz's room. This time, Prior was even allowed to sit. Prior, Evlina, Talina, and Keron had taken seats on the sofa, while Kashk Rutz and Rosh sat opposite them. The others remained standing.
"As I said during the session, I want at least as much Aethereleum as Tingdao," Kashk Rutz stated.
"In truth, I only want the oil and the science. How the Aethereleum is distributed doesn't concern me," Evlina replied coolly.
Kashk Rutz nodded. "Naturally. We understand each other. I would like to point out that I can deliver my oil immediately. As for Tingdao's science—well, one cannot be certain about that."
Prior grew uneasy again. She couldn't stand his arrogance.
"It's a matter of weeks, perhaps months. And we're talking about an agreement that will last for years. A few weeks are nothing in comparison," Prior interjected.
Evlina looked at her in surprise. Prior realized her mistake and bit her lip. Not only was she usually quiet—she had now clearly taken Tingdao's side. She wasn't supposed to do that. She gave Evlina an apologetic look.
Kashk Rutz laughed. "This little scientist is interesting. Very passionate. An Aethereleum researcher from Saturn. We could use that in Terland. What do you say, Princess? I am willing to deliver more oil—if you give me your scientist."
Prior's breath caught. Her heart pounded in her head.
Evlina made a dismissive gesture and stood up. The others followed. She stepped toward Prior, positioning herself protectively in front of her.
"Count Kashk Rutz! She is my servant, my advisor—and a free person. I would never presume to decide for her. Unless, of course, she wished it herself."
Evlina looked at Prior, and Prior shook her head.
Kashk Rutz laughed again. "Please, sit down again. Don't take everything so seriously."
Evlina sat back down, and the others followed. Prior felt relieved and deeply grateful that the princess had stood up for her.
"So you maintain that you want the same amount of Aethereleum as Tingdao?" Evlina asked again.
He laughed once more. "Don't twist my words. I meant the agreed amount of 1.3 billion cubic meters."
"And if the technology truly allows for significant savings?" Evlina asked.
"It could be poached… or copied…" Kashk Rutz began.
"That's outrageous!" Prior heard herself say loudly before she had time to think.
She immediately covered her mouth, and Evlina said sharply, "Prior!" with a warning tone.
Then Evlina turned back to Kashk Rutz.
"Thank you for your time. I don't believe this conversation will take us any further. I understand what you want, and we will meet again at the next session."
Evlina and the others stood.
Kashk Rutz extended his hand to Evlina, and she shook it. Then he held out his hand to Prior as well. She took it reluctantly.
He held it a few seconds longer than appropriate, grinning at her.
She felt terrible—as though he had crossed every boundary—and was immensely relieved once they were outside again.
"Prior," Evlina said. "Please don't forget whom you serve." She looked at her sharply.
Prior nodded. "Forgive me. I let myself get carried away."
Evlina nodded.
"Thank you, Princess, for standing up for me," Prior added.
Evlina nodded. "That goes without saying, Prior."
And once again, Prior felt as though she owed Evlina something—which only tore at her even more inside.
They made their way to King Mandach. They wanted to get everything done before late afternoon.
– Kashion –
Kashion had just concluded a meeting with King Mandach. He had only brought Oren and Pil with him. He felt much calmer again.
On one hand, he had the support of most of the High Council. On the other, he had a loyal ally in Ostrand.
King Mandach had made it clear that—no matter what Kashion decided regarding the princess—he would stand by his side. He might even be able to supply more oil or, in return, accept less Aethereleum if the research truly proved as promising as it seemed.
As they parted, the two rulers shared a brief embrace and patted each other on the shoulder in a friendly manner.
"And how is the little one?" Mandach asked just before Kashion left with Oren and Pil.
"What do you mean?" Kashion asked, surprised.
"The little clouded leopard, of course," Mandach explained with a smile.
"Ah, Luu." Kashion laughed as well. "She's already begun to trust me. We get along well."
Mandach nodded approvingly. "That's what I said."
Then they stepped outside.
In the corridor, they encountered the princess and her advisors. She beamed at him, but he only gave a brief nod and continued walking.
He had seen Prior behind her.
He took a step toward her, forcing her to stop. Prior looked at him with wide eyes.
He leaned down toward her and whispered with a playful wink:
"One more thing—I wanted to say: your hairstyle today suits you."
Then he smiled.
– Prior –
Prior felt warmth spread through her again. His whisper was almost more intense than a touch. She noticed her breathing quicken.
He smiled, nodded, and simply walked on.
She turned and watched him go. She noticed one of the council members, Pil, looking curiously in her direction.
She turned back—and saw that the others had stopped and were all looking at her.
"What was that?" Talina asked.
They didn't hear it, did they?
She was just about to come up with an excuse when Evlina said:
"Never mind. King Mandach is waiting for us."
Still, Prior could tell that it was anything but irrelevant to Evlina.
The meeting with King Mandach was much more pleasant. He proved far more flexible and courteous than Count Kashk Rutz.