"You need to be checked before you can enter."
"Now, cooperate with our inspection," the Yan Kingdom guard standing at the door said expressionlessly.
Upon hearing this, James, who had been holding back his anger all the way, could no longer contain himself and immediately shouted:
"We have already accepted many of your harsh conditions, but now you are pushing your luck and showing absolutely no respect for us!"
"You Yan people are far too arrogant and rude!!"
James's sudden outburst immediately made the officials who had come with him tense up, and their faces visibly showed panic.
Surprisingly, Eddington did not stop them. He stood upright beside Isabella, looking up at the Yan Kingdom guards standing on the steps with a cold expression.
Isabella, contrary to her previous attitude on the ship, did not reprimand James for his angry outburst, but stood silently at the bottom of the steps.
Then James added, "Stop your arrogant and rude behavior!"
"Our Queen's personal visit to meet with you already shows you more than enough respect!"
"Yet your emperor failed to even demonstrate the most basic courtesy, and instead repeatedly made excessive demands!"
"This is unfair! You should show the appropriate courtesy!"
Eddington, who was listening in, nodded slightly. Seeing this, James immediately pointed at the silent Yan Kingdom guards and shouted:
"What are you standing there for?!"
"Hurry and inform your emperor to come and greet our Queen in person!"
James's actions had already made several of his fellow officials uneasy, because the current environment was dangerous on all sides, and if the Yan people got angry, it would be all over.
However, James was also upholding the dignity of the country, so it was difficult to stop him, especially since Her Majesty the Queen had not spoken up.
Just as they were feeling uneasy, unexpectedly, the Yan Kingdom guards standing on the steps looking down remained calm, and not one of them showed any anger.
The captain of the guards, however, spoke calmly and slowly:
"Wait a moment, I will go and inform His Majesty and convey your demands."
Having said that, he turned and left. James couldn't make a scene any longer, so he walked to Isabella's side and whispered, "Your Majesty, these fellows are so ill-mannered."
Isabella didn't respond, but instead turned her head slightly and winked at James, which made James raise his chin slightly, straighten his back, and cross his arms.
A moment later, the captain of the guard returned to the steps. James saw only him return and immediately frowned, speaking up:
"What do you mean?! Where are they?!"
The captain of the guard looked only at Isabella and said slowly, "Our Emperor has spoken."
“If you do not wish to participate in the meeting, you may leave now.”
"We will absolutely not stop them."
Upon hearing this, James was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage, shouting, "Are you kidding me?!"
"You agreed to hold a meeting, and now you want us to go back! What do you take us for?!"
At this point, James glanced at Isabella, and seeing that she didn't react, he looked at Eddington, whose face was slightly red, clearly also angry.
This gave James even more motivation, and he immediately rushed up the steps, seemingly intending to charge straight in.
The guards immediately stopped him, but James grabbed the captain of the guard by the collar and shouted angrily:
"Enough! Stop wasting time!"
Since your emperor isn't coming, then let us in! Stop making excuses! We've already shown you enough respect!
The captain of the guards, whose collar had been grabbed, remained expressionless until this moment, as if he felt no anger whatsoever.
He stared indifferently at James's angry face and said without any emotion:
"This is His Majesty's reply to you."
“If you do not comply with our demands, then it will be considered that you have abandoned the meeting, and you can go back now.”
"Of course, we will not obstruct you. This is something His Majesty specifically instructed us to do. If you want to go back, we will make sure you return home safely and will not allow you to suffer any personal safety issues whatsoever."
"If needed, you can even return on one of our warships, and we will safely transport you to the port."
As soon as he finished speaking, the captain of the guard even smiled at James, who was grabbing his collar, and continued:
"We Yan people are true to our word. What we say is what we mean, so you can rest assured that we will never break our promise and will never suddenly shoot you in the back."
"This is the respect we show."
"We respect your choice."
James froze after hearing those words. In fact, he had already prepared for a possible conflict before rushing up the steps, but this Yan countryman spoke so calmly.
He even flashed a smile that seemed genuinely sincere.
Although the smile seemed sincere and the words were genuine and generous, for some reason, James felt a chill run down his spine, and even felt a little uneasy.
He slowly loosened his grip on the captain of the guard's collar and looked helplessly at Isabella below the steps.
Silence, a long silence, no one spoke again, only a deathly stillness filled the air.
James, standing alone on the steps, could no longer stay there. He inexplicably felt a pressure comparable to a mountain. Although the Yan Kingdom guards beside him did not take out any weapons or use violence, the more they did so, the more panicked he became.
So he lowered his head, his face flushed, and walked down the steps, coming up behind Isabella and muttering:
"Your Majesty, so where are we now...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Eddington grabbed James's arm and stopped him from asking questions with a look.
In the dead silence, the captain of the guards on the steps looked at the group below and spoke again:
"It's getting late, almost one o'clock in the afternoon. If you go back now, you can still get home before dark."
"Will you go back on your own, or do you need us to send a warship to take you back?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Isabella, who had been silent all along, suddenly removed her hood and said:
"Thank you for your kindness, but no need."
"The meeting is about to begin. Come and check, we're going in."
Everyone was stunned. James was about to speak after his initial shock, but Isabella, who had taken off her hood, untied the red string around her neck at that moment.
“Your Majesty…” James began to speak.
Isabella had completely removed the deep red brocade robe she was wearing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
