A moment of silence followed.
Aldo Bernier stared at Odelia for a while, then finally lowered his head.
"That is a pity. The Bernadia Empire was hoping for a friendly agreement with Talamand."
He lightly raised his hand. At that signal, the Bernadia soldiers pushed the hostages away, and the captured laborers and merchants hurriedly ran toward the Talamand soldiers.
The diplomat bowed his head again.
"We will end the negotiations here for today."
He turned around, and the delegation slowly returned to the ship. The anchor was raised, and the diplomatic ship moved further away from the harbor. On the surface, it looked like they were withdrawing after the negotiations had broken down.
Philip spoke lowly.
"It seems they are withdrawing."
However, Odelia did not answer. She was looking at the sea.
The diplomatic ships were clearly distancing themselves from the harbor, but the warships lined up outside the harbor remained in the same positions. And after a moment, some of them began to subtly change their formation.
At that moment, Odelia's eyes narrowed.
"Call the entire Coast Guard."
Philip looked at her.
“My lord?”
Odelia's gaze still lingered on the sea.
"They aren't going back."
After briefly checking again to see if her thinking was correct, she said.
"They're planning to land by taking a roundabout route."
There was talk a few months ago that Bernadia had proposed a maritime agreement to Calix.
It was a request to allow the Bernadia Fleet to use parts of the Imperial ports as supply ports under the pretext of supporting security in Imperial waters and expanding trade.
On the surface, it seemed like a mutually beneficial proposal, but.
The conditions included the right to use the port, the establishment of a commercial zone, and even the stationing of troops to protect the zone.
It was effectively an agreement to establish a foothold for Bernatia within the port.
The outcome was obvious. The agreement ultimately did not materialize.
Considering Calix's personality, there was no need to even guess the reason.
The Emperor was not the kind of person to accept such an agreement. He would not have tolerated the very possibility that control of the Empire's ports would fall into the hands of another country.
And now, Bernadia brought up the same demand again, but in a different way. When it failed to work with the Emperor, they chose to pressure the port directly.
"Prepare a carrier pigeon and inform the royal family of the situation."
"Yes."
Philip briefly bowed his head and moved immediately.
Odelia gazed at his retreating figure for a moment, then turned her eyes back toward the sea. The sun had already begun to set, and the light on the water was gradually dimming. The diplomatic ship had now sailed quite a distance from the harbor, and the warships were also slowly dispersing along the coastline.
On the surface, it looked like they were withdrawing.
However, that move was not a withdrawal.
The idea was to expand the formation.
Talamand's coastline does not end with a single harbor. Just a short distance from the harbor, low cliffs and beach stretched on, and beyond it, gentle hills and forests unfolded. The harbor was too small for warships to approach.
It was the most comfortable place, but the landing itself was also fully possible elsewhere.
That evening, the Talamand guards moved much more quietly than usual.
The coast guard was assembled, and some of the port defense forces were dispersed toward the coastline. Torches were reduced as much as possible. The movements of the soldiers were also controlled to be inconspicuous.
By the time darkness had completely fallen, Odelia was wearing armor.
He wore a dark cloak over a breastplate engraved with the coat of arms of Lord Talamand, and a sword hung from her waist.
She must have been standing on a coastal hill a short distance from the harbor. The beach stretched out below. The surface of the water, which had shimmered with silver all day, had now sunk to a near-black darkness, and the waves were also buried in the darkness to the point where they were difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.
Only the wind was blowing quietly.
Her gaze remained fixed on the sea.
However, as a little more time passed.
A very faint light began to move above the sea. At first, it looked like swaying starlight.
But it was a torch, not a star.
Small lights were moving slowly over the sea.
It was a small boat.
Carrying soldiers who had disembarked from the warship, the boat was quietly approaching the coastline.
Shortly after, a boat reached the shore.
The soldiers jumped into the water. They cut through the seawater rising up to their thighs and climbed onto the sandy beach. Their wet armor made a dull thud, but they were trying their best to minimize the sound.
As soon as they stepped onto the beach, they ducked low. They exchanged brief hand gestures to reorganize their formation. Then, they soon began to move toward the gentle hill leading behind the beach.
Quietly, very quietly, along the forest and the water.
The light of the torch was swaying slowly below the hill.
Odelia said nothing. Her gaze was already directed toward the bottom of the hill. Bernadia soldiers were sneaking up the hill.
The number of shadows moving past the sandy beach and through the bushes was gradually increasing.
And a moment later, a path opened among the Bernadian soldiers, and a black horse slowly walked down the hill.
A few torches followed behind. The man on horseback was wearing a low helmet, but judging by his armor, cloak, and the demeanor of the surrounding soldiers, it was clear that he was the commander.
Philip spoke lowly.
"...Isn't that the diplomat from earlier today?"
Odelia did not bother to answer.
She already knew. Aldo Bernier, the head of the delegation, had seen at the harbor.
However, now a military cloak hung over his shoulders instead of a diplomat's silk cloak, and a real battle sword hung from his waist instead of a decorative one.
Aldo Bernier also seemed to expect that Odelia was watching them from the hill. Far from hiding, he slowly climbed up.
Odelia was already mounted on her horse. Her black cloak was swaying slightly in the wind, and behind her, the Talamand soldiers were quietly forming a battle formation.
Aldo Bernier moved his horse a few more steps forward with a relaxed attitude. After stopping at the bottom of the hill, he tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth.
“You are brave.”
There was a strange nuance mixed in those words. It sounded like a compliment, yet also like a mockery. Odelia looked at him for a moment. Then she spoke calmly.
"There really wasn't any need to conceal your identity..."
A smile rose on Aldo Bernier's lips.
"For diplomacy takes precedence right before war begins. It is not too late even now. Talamand is a small port. Is there any reason to confront the Bernadia Empire head-on?"
When Odelia did not answer, Aldo Bernier continued speaking.
"The Bernadia Empire is a central hub for maritime trade. If you cooperate with the Empire, Talamand can reap substantial benefits."
His gaze briefly scanned Odelia. It was a look of displeasure.
"Wouldn't His Imperial Majesty... understand such a realistic choice? As you are the Emperor's mistress, there is no need for you to deliberately invite danger."
The words were polite, but the meaning was clear.
The nuance was that Talamand was ultimately just a territory created within the Emperor's politics, and that the Lord had ascended to this position through the Emperor's favor.
To put it more bluntly, it also meant, "What nerve do you have to stand up to me, a 'mistress' who became a lord through the Emperor's favor?"
Odelia smiled slightly.
"I see. So that's why you underestimated me, Talamand."
At Odelia's nonchalant attitude, Aldo Bernier's eyes narrowed.
Odelia straightened her posture on horseback. Then, she spoke calmly.
"You must have thought I was nothing more than the Emperor's mistress. So you calculated that if negotiations failed like this, you could bring in warships to occupy the port and sneak off at night."
Aldo Bernier did not deny that statement.
"You're simpler than I thought. A general of the Bernadia Empire... no, are you just arrogant?"
A brief silence followed. Aldo Bernier looked at Odelia for a moment, then smiled.
"Indeed, Lord, you are more interesting than I thought. However, being interesting is a different story from being able to win."
Odelia listened quietly to those words and answered calmly.
"You'll find out once you try it."
The wind on the hill shook once again.
The distance between the two remained the same, but the war was as good as already started.
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