019. Real Negotiation
“What’s wrong? Where can you find such good news?”
"What?!"
Charlotte fumed, and her stepmother sighed.
“A breakup is exactly what we wanted, right? It’s a return from the abnormal to the normal.”
Was the typical teenage rebellious period about to begin? Mitch's eyes were becoming increasingly crooked.
“Shall I give you more good news? Congress will soon consider the Rochester Bill, which will give the vote to the common people. The world will really change. I will run into the streets with my comrades. We will fight. You can’t get freedom and rights without bloodshed...”
“Oh my god, crazy...”
The child paid no attention to his stepmother, who clasped her hands together as if praying toward the sky.
“And sister, Darrenton Hockney’s grandson goes to our school. You’ve heard of Hockney, right? He’s the famous Revolutionary Party MP.”
“Well, I don’t know who that is, but I don’t really want to hear it.”
“I don’t know how that guy’s grandson found out, but he asked me about my sister. At first, I thought he was going to criticize us like the others, so I told him to get out. But then he said, “Isn’t your sister having a really hard life because she was forced into an engagement with that nobleman?” So I exposed everything. I told him how much that bastard Meyer was tormenting my sister.”
Whether he knew or not that his sister's face was turning pale, he was so excited that he kept talking hard.
“Once a year, he holds a strange gathering or something, invites my older sister, and then blatantly ignores her...”
"Stop."
“It’s just an engagement in name, but you don’t think about it even as much as the dirt on your toenails...”
“Stop it, Mitch!”
Emilia ended up screaming.
She wasn't really angry. She understood why Mitch was saying that. But she had to stop the kid from running wild.
“Have you forgotten the promise you made when you got out of the carriage earlier?”
Only then did he come to his senses and blink his eyes, saying, “Ah...”
“Let me make one thing clear: don’t judge on your own. And Mrs. Meyer came to see me a while ago. We agreed to break off our engagement peacefully.”
"What?"
Her brother's eyes widened.
“Contrary to what you think, I don’t hate Hardius that much. He was engaged to Bianca Laichnen since they were young. Maybe they really liked each other.”
"Ha!"
He laughed madly. But human emotions are not rational or logical. Emilia, wasn't she like that too?
“We didn’t start out of love. Every time I went to that house once a year, it was a bit... difficult, but it’s all in the past now. I’ll say it again, we promised to break off the engagement peacefully. So please don’t say anything to Hockney’s grandson. Don’t cause trouble. Do you understand?”
Mitch didn't say anything, perhaps realizing that his sister's gaze was very firm. The child, who had been looking back and forth between his stepmother and Charlotte, slowly nodded.
Late one evening, after finishing the dishes and putting Charlotte to bed, Emilia went out to look for Mitch. As expected, the child was sitting on a swing under a dark tree.
She could tell just by looking at the way he was kicking the ground with his feet that her brother was regretting it.
Just before Emilia reached out to the child, a small voice was heard first.
“I’m sorry, sis.”
Instead of answering, Emilia gently pushed Mitch's back.
When did the little one grow so big? Unlike before, the swing did not move forward at all.
Looking down at the back of the child who had grown quite wide but was still lying down, her anger simply melted away. A smile slowly appeared on Emilia's lips.
“What if you’re sorry? Are you going to do me a favor?”
"Favor?"
Mitch answered and kicked the ground with his foot. Emilia pushed the swing with the right timing. Whoosh, Mitch’s body cut through the air and rose high, then came back down. Emilia waited for the right moment and pushed with all her might again.
“I have to practice dancing, so you play the male role.”
“Dance practice?”
Emilia took a moment to catch her breath. She cautiously opened her mouth, hoping that her fiery temper, which had just subsided, would not resurface.
“I have to go to that person’s graduation.”
The child's back instantly stiffened. Emilia continued speaking urgently.
“Of course, if the engagement breaks off before then, I won’t go.”
The child's fists, tightly gripping the rope, still showed a look of discontent.
“You shouldn’t think so emotionally. You know this now. After all, this is also a royal order. If people like us recklessly disobey the royal order, we don’t know what will happen.”
“...”
“Don’t worry. I won’t be the one getting screwed over anymore. Maybe this is just vanity...”
Emilia laughed to herself, as if embarrassed.
“I want to shine the brightest there. Very pretty. Classy and elegant... that kind of wonderful person.”
Emilia muttered and pushed the swing with all her might. The swing carrying Mitch went up quite high.
“So you help me. I can’t just go to Cavendish Manor and ask anyone to be my dance partner. Let’s go to the costume shop together. The people who come there are risking their lives by dressing up. I’m going to dress up perfectly, dance perfectly, and give everyone a piece of mind.”
When she came back down, Mitch ended up laughing.
“As expected, I can’t beat you, sister.”
Emilia pushed the child's back with all her might again. The swing flew up so high that it seemed as if it could touch the moon.
A sunny morning. Milky white light streamed in through a gap in the curtains, traversing the desk and stopping in front of a piece of paper.
It was a contract. It had the seal of the Trunia royal family.
He got his hands on all three mines.
It wasn't easy. He was in danger of being discovered near the border and surrounded by dozens of armed rebels. If he had taken the advice of others and brought along bodyguards or attendants, his identity would have been discovered, and he would have been shot on the spot.
Even after safely arriving at the Emperor's hideout, things did not go smoothly. Negotiations were difficult from the start. Even when his life was in danger, the Emperor absolutely refused to open the door, asking why a successor like him had come.
A long tug-of-war ensued, and he eventually won.
While he was looking at the contract, Hardius was overcome by a very strange feeling. His chest was pounding, and his body was floating. His heart, which had never wavered, was about to break free of its shackles and start beating wildly.
“Your Excellency, everything is ready.”
Hardius steeled himself. He must not let his emotions run wild.
“There is a small hut at the waterfall of the cliffs of Tiso. You can meet His Majesty the King there.”
Hardius rode straight to Tiso.
It was a difficult journey, having to cross the steep mountain path alone and secretly without any escorts. However, during his days as a cadet, he had become accustomed to the training of riding a horse and riding on rough mountain paths. Although there were several difficult times, Hardius was able to reach his destination without any major trouble.
The waterfall was easy to find.
Was it 10 years ago?
A royal hunting tournament had once been held here. Hardius recalled the memory of passing this waterfall with his father.
At the time, he was not attending school. He was in the midst of receiving 'successor training' from a tutor and nanny who visited the mansion.
Waking up at dawn and falling asleep again at dawn was occasionally suffocating, but it was something that the successor to the throne had to accept. Just as water rises and falls, and the moon wanes and waxes.
People always praised Hardius, who was not even ten years old, for his coolness, meticulousness, and determination. They expected the perfect successor to dispel the darkness that came with his father's illness and continue the reputation of his ancestors.
Hardius never once felt dissatisfied with his life. Those who reach the top must bear the weight. Even if it means giving up some of the pleasures of being a normal human being.
He stared at the water pouring down calmly for a while, then stood next to a wide rock.
After a while, a white horse carrying King Joseph appeared in the distance. Josef was completely different from the greedy and simple-minded Emperor of Trunia. He was a clever man, as his mother, Kaitlyn Meyer, acknowledged. He was also more experienced and skilled in negotiation than Hardius.
“Your Majesty, how have you been? I, Hardius, the eldest son of the Mayer family, greet you.”
He bowed down politely.
“How many years has it been, Hardius Meyer? Four years? It seems like only yesterday that I saw you as a flag bearer at the Elport entrance ceremony, and now you’re already graduating.”
Joseph, dressed in riding attire, dismounted and spread his arms. The two embraced lightly.
“I would like to have a slow conversation and listen to your story, but as you know, the freedom granted to me is very short...”
“It’s the same for me, too.”
Joseph cautiously looked around and led Hadius to a small mountain hut.
The door slammed shut, and the King personally lit the lamp.
“Time is running out, so let me get to the point.”
“That is what I hope.”
“Are you serious? You’re offering to hand over one of the Trunia mines to me.”
"Yes."
The pitch-black eyes facing Hardius shook greatly.
“What are the conditions?”
“There are three.”
The King nodded as if to continue.
Joseph had to be scolded by the finance minister a few days ago for losing big in a gambling bet.
But when that insolent heir made him a secret offer of a gold mine, he was prepared to listen to not just three, but thirty.
“First, please support my complete independence. As soon as I graduate, I intend to fight by any means necessary.”
“Fighting? With whom?”
“My mother and those who have formed an alliance.”
He pretended to be surprised, but it was an answer that Joseph had expected.
He recognized it from the cotyledon.
Hardius Meyer was only ten years old when he came here with his father and had already had the eyes of a ruler. People like that can't stand being subordinate.
The foolish Kaitlyn Meyer failed to see through her son's true nature and attached a watcher to interfere and restrain him. It was a tragedy that was already foreseen.
“But even though I am a ‘King,’ how can I arbitrarily interfere with the family’s succession process? Your father is still alive, and your mother holds all the decision-making authority.”
“I do not ask for Your Majesty’s intervention. I will make all the arrangements. Your Majesty just needs to watch and provide a little help when I need it.”
“Surely... Are you trying to kill your biological father?”
“Of course not. I will become Duke Meyer through proper and legal procedures.”
The King asked with a suspicious look, “How?”
“I will tell you the specific plan once the deal is concluded.”
The King rubbed his chin as if he were not satisfied. But he could not help but ask.
“What is the second condition?”
“It’s about my engagement.”
“...Do you want to break off the engagement?”
"Yes."
As expected, the King pretended to wipe his chin to control his expression.
It can't be helped. No matter how much the successor runs wild, Van Drake Meyer is still alive, and the real power is held by Kaitlyn Meyer.
She owns the family seal, the property, and even the shares of the business, and will not pass anything on to her son until he marries the youngest daughter of House Laichnen. That woman has practically risked her life for her alliance with the Laichnen.
"Hmm..."
Joseph pretended to be troubled.
He still doesn't like the fact that the Meyer family is overly inflating its power. But isn't politics essentially a repetition of betrayal and compromise?
In these times of chaos, if you cannot turn yesterday's enemy into today's comrade, even the most powerful King will have difficulty surviving.
“Yes, it’s not as easy as it sounds to break off an engagement that’s already been notarized, but if that’s what you really want....”
“Your Majesty, please listen until the end.”
Hardius's eyes, daring to interrupt the King's words, were shining coldly.
“The third condition.”
When Hardius finished his story a while later, the King could not hide his embarrassment.
“What’s wrong? Where can you find such good news?”
"What?!"
Charlotte fumed, and her stepmother sighed.
“A breakup is exactly what we wanted, right? It’s a return from the abnormal to the normal.”
Was the typical teenage rebellious period about to begin? Mitch's eyes were becoming increasingly crooked.
“Shall I give you more good news? Congress will soon consider the Rochester Bill, which will give the vote to the common people. The world will really change. I will run into the streets with my comrades. We will fight. You can’t get freedom and rights without bloodshed...”
“Oh my god, crazy...”
The child paid no attention to his stepmother, who clasped her hands together as if praying toward the sky.
“And sister, Darrenton Hockney’s grandson goes to our school. You’ve heard of Hockney, right? He’s the famous Revolutionary Party MP.”
“Well, I don’t know who that is, but I don’t really want to hear it.”
“I don’t know how that guy’s grandson found out, but he asked me about my sister. At first, I thought he was going to criticize us like the others, so I told him to get out. But then he said, “Isn’t your sister having a really hard life because she was forced into an engagement with that nobleman?” So I exposed everything. I told him how much that bastard Meyer was tormenting my sister.”
Whether he knew or not that his sister's face was turning pale, he was so excited that he kept talking hard.
“Once a year, he holds a strange gathering or something, invites my older sister, and then blatantly ignores her...”
"Stop."
“It’s just an engagement in name, but you don’t think about it even as much as the dirt on your toenails...”
“Stop it, Mitch!”
Emilia ended up screaming.
She wasn't really angry. She understood why Mitch was saying that. But she had to stop the kid from running wild.
“Have you forgotten the promise you made when you got out of the carriage earlier?”
Only then did he come to his senses and blink his eyes, saying, “Ah...”
“Let me make one thing clear: don’t judge on your own. And Mrs. Meyer came to see me a while ago. We agreed to break off our engagement peacefully.”
"What?"
Her brother's eyes widened.
“Contrary to what you think, I don’t hate Hardius that much. He was engaged to Bianca Laichnen since they were young. Maybe they really liked each other.”
"Ha!"
He laughed madly. But human emotions are not rational or logical. Emilia, wasn't she like that too?
“We didn’t start out of love. Every time I went to that house once a year, it was a bit... difficult, but it’s all in the past now. I’ll say it again, we promised to break off the engagement peacefully. So please don’t say anything to Hockney’s grandson. Don’t cause trouble. Do you understand?”
Mitch didn't say anything, perhaps realizing that his sister's gaze was very firm. The child, who had been looking back and forth between his stepmother and Charlotte, slowly nodded.
***
Late one evening, after finishing the dishes and putting Charlotte to bed, Emilia went out to look for Mitch. As expected, the child was sitting on a swing under a dark tree.
She could tell just by looking at the way he was kicking the ground with his feet that her brother was regretting it.
Just before Emilia reached out to the child, a small voice was heard first.
“I’m sorry, sis.”
Instead of answering, Emilia gently pushed Mitch's back.
When did the little one grow so big? Unlike before, the swing did not move forward at all.
Looking down at the back of the child who had grown quite wide but was still lying down, her anger simply melted away. A smile slowly appeared on Emilia's lips.
“What if you’re sorry? Are you going to do me a favor?”
"Favor?"
Mitch answered and kicked the ground with his foot. Emilia pushed the swing with the right timing. Whoosh, Mitch’s body cut through the air and rose high, then came back down. Emilia waited for the right moment and pushed with all her might again.
“I have to practice dancing, so you play the male role.”
“Dance practice?”
Emilia took a moment to catch her breath. She cautiously opened her mouth, hoping that her fiery temper, which had just subsided, would not resurface.
“I have to go to that person’s graduation.”
The child's back instantly stiffened. Emilia continued speaking urgently.
“Of course, if the engagement breaks off before then, I won’t go.”
The child's fists, tightly gripping the rope, still showed a look of discontent.
“You shouldn’t think so emotionally. You know this now. After all, this is also a royal order. If people like us recklessly disobey the royal order, we don’t know what will happen.”
“...”
“Don’t worry. I won’t be the one getting screwed over anymore. Maybe this is just vanity...”
Emilia laughed to herself, as if embarrassed.
“I want to shine the brightest there. Very pretty. Classy and elegant... that kind of wonderful person.”
Emilia muttered and pushed the swing with all her might. The swing carrying Mitch went up quite high.
“So you help me. I can’t just go to Cavendish Manor and ask anyone to be my dance partner. Let’s go to the costume shop together. The people who come there are risking their lives by dressing up. I’m going to dress up perfectly, dance perfectly, and give everyone a piece of mind.”
When she came back down, Mitch ended up laughing.
“As expected, I can’t beat you, sister.”
Emilia pushed the child's back with all her might again. The swing flew up so high that it seemed as if it could touch the moon.
***
A sunny morning. Milky white light streamed in through a gap in the curtains, traversing the desk and stopping in front of a piece of paper.
It was a contract. It had the seal of the Trunia royal family.
He got his hands on all three mines.
It wasn't easy. He was in danger of being discovered near the border and surrounded by dozens of armed rebels. If he had taken the advice of others and brought along bodyguards or attendants, his identity would have been discovered, and he would have been shot on the spot.
Even after safely arriving at the Emperor's hideout, things did not go smoothly. Negotiations were difficult from the start. Even when his life was in danger, the Emperor absolutely refused to open the door, asking why a successor like him had come.
A long tug-of-war ensued, and he eventually won.
While he was looking at the contract, Hardius was overcome by a very strange feeling. His chest was pounding, and his body was floating. His heart, which had never wavered, was about to break free of its shackles and start beating wildly.
“Your Excellency, everything is ready.”
Hardius steeled himself. He must not let his emotions run wild.
“There is a small hut at the waterfall of the cliffs of Tiso. You can meet His Majesty the King there.”
Hardius rode straight to Tiso.
It was a difficult journey, having to cross the steep mountain path alone and secretly without any escorts. However, during his days as a cadet, he had become accustomed to the training of riding a horse and riding on rough mountain paths. Although there were several difficult times, Hardius was able to reach his destination without any major trouble.
The waterfall was easy to find.
Was it 10 years ago?
A royal hunting tournament had once been held here. Hardius recalled the memory of passing this waterfall with his father.
At the time, he was not attending school. He was in the midst of receiving 'successor training' from a tutor and nanny who visited the mansion.
Waking up at dawn and falling asleep again at dawn was occasionally suffocating, but it was something that the successor to the throne had to accept. Just as water rises and falls, and the moon wanes and waxes.
People always praised Hardius, who was not even ten years old, for his coolness, meticulousness, and determination. They expected the perfect successor to dispel the darkness that came with his father's illness and continue the reputation of his ancestors.
Hardius never once felt dissatisfied with his life. Those who reach the top must bear the weight. Even if it means giving up some of the pleasures of being a normal human being.
He stared at the water pouring down calmly for a while, then stood next to a wide rock.
After a while, a white horse carrying King Joseph appeared in the distance. Josef was completely different from the greedy and simple-minded Emperor of Trunia. He was a clever man, as his mother, Kaitlyn Meyer, acknowledged. He was also more experienced and skilled in negotiation than Hardius.
“Your Majesty, how have you been? I, Hardius, the eldest son of the Mayer family, greet you.”
He bowed down politely.
“How many years has it been, Hardius Meyer? Four years? It seems like only yesterday that I saw you as a flag bearer at the Elport entrance ceremony, and now you’re already graduating.”
Joseph, dressed in riding attire, dismounted and spread his arms. The two embraced lightly.
“I would like to have a slow conversation and listen to your story, but as you know, the freedom granted to me is very short...”
“It’s the same for me, too.”
Joseph cautiously looked around and led Hadius to a small mountain hut.
The door slammed shut, and the King personally lit the lamp.
“Time is running out, so let me get to the point.”
“That is what I hope.”
“Are you serious? You’re offering to hand over one of the Trunia mines to me.”
"Yes."
The pitch-black eyes facing Hardius shook greatly.
“What are the conditions?”
“There are three.”
The King nodded as if to continue.
Joseph had to be scolded by the finance minister a few days ago for losing big in a gambling bet.
But when that insolent heir made him a secret offer of a gold mine, he was prepared to listen to not just three, but thirty.
“First, please support my complete independence. As soon as I graduate, I intend to fight by any means necessary.”
“Fighting? With whom?”
“My mother and those who have formed an alliance.”
He pretended to be surprised, but it was an answer that Joseph had expected.
He recognized it from the cotyledon.
Hardius Meyer was only ten years old when he came here with his father and had already had the eyes of a ruler. People like that can't stand being subordinate.
The foolish Kaitlyn Meyer failed to see through her son's true nature and attached a watcher to interfere and restrain him. It was a tragedy that was already foreseen.
“But even though I am a ‘King,’ how can I arbitrarily interfere with the family’s succession process? Your father is still alive, and your mother holds all the decision-making authority.”
“I do not ask for Your Majesty’s intervention. I will make all the arrangements. Your Majesty just needs to watch and provide a little help when I need it.”
“Surely... Are you trying to kill your biological father?”
“Of course not. I will become Duke Meyer through proper and legal procedures.”
The King asked with a suspicious look, “How?”
“I will tell you the specific plan once the deal is concluded.”
The King rubbed his chin as if he were not satisfied. But he could not help but ask.
“What is the second condition?”
“It’s about my engagement.”
“...Do you want to break off the engagement?”
"Yes."
As expected, the King pretended to wipe his chin to control his expression.
It can't be helped. No matter how much the successor runs wild, Van Drake Meyer is still alive, and the real power is held by Kaitlyn Meyer.
She owns the family seal, the property, and even the shares of the business, and will not pass anything on to her son until he marries the youngest daughter of House Laichnen. That woman has practically risked her life for her alliance with the Laichnen.
"Hmm..."
Joseph pretended to be troubled.
He still doesn't like the fact that the Meyer family is overly inflating its power. But isn't politics essentially a repetition of betrayal and compromise?
In these times of chaos, if you cannot turn yesterday's enemy into today's comrade, even the most powerful King will have difficulty surviving.
“Yes, it’s not as easy as it sounds to break off an engagement that’s already been notarized, but if that’s what you really want....”
“Your Majesty, please listen until the end.”
Hardius's eyes, daring to interrupt the King's words, were shining coldly.
“The third condition.”
When Hardius finished his story a while later, the King could not hide his embarrassment.
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