Chapter 220 "Why do you all want me..."
That very night, when the news reached the island, Attis was on high alert and convened another emergency meeting to discuss what impact a true rise to power would have on Achia, and whether the existing political, trade, and other alliance agreements would still be valid. The discussion lasted all night.
Daio was among them, but it was said that he sometimes dozed off, sometimes was absent-minded, and sometimes would go outside the meeting room to smoke a cigar, while Artis stayed in the meeting room the whole time and didn't even go to the toilet.
I suspect that Daio was deliberately raised this way by Artis—carefree, irresponsible, and indifferent to everything.
If Daio were not like this, how could Artis have seized power?
As the first rays of morning light streamed in, I opened my eyes, sat up halfway, and was surprised to find that it was snowing. Snowflakes drifted down softly, covering the green trees and grass outside the window with a layer of silver.
I had just finished washing up when a maid came in to say that His Majesty the Prime Minister had invited me to breakfast. I walked through the cold brick corridors and across the soft snow in the courtyard to the warm, cozy dining room.
I was taken aback to find Attis alone sitting at the long table. In the past, when he invited me to breakfast, the table would be full of people, including his mistresses and illegitimate children, and sometimes Daio would come too.
"Do you have something to tell me?" I sat down.
"Have something to eat first." He handed me a piece of bread.
I accepted it without hesitation and started eating. After eating two more slices of apple and drinking half a glass of juice, Attis spoke again: "I have received a letter from King Sarga."
“Oh, what did he say in the letter?” I put down my juice glass.
“He said that if I was willing to give you to him, he could open a small sea area to the west, and we could trade with the western border.”
I laughed. "I don't know what's so good about me, why do you all want me?"
“You are a woman with superpowers,” Artis said meaningfully. “You helped Bernard awaken from Black Castle, helped him through the hardships of the Wildlands, helped Mamboa regain the position of Grand Chancellor, helped Diaro and Beatrice stabilize the Western Kingdom, and even helped us escape the Elven Realm. Now you can save Derson. I wouldn’t have done this without you.”
I smiled at him. "So, how do you intend to respond to King Sarga?"
"That depends on you," he said slowly. "If you are willing to marry me, I will not agree to him; if you are not willing, I will agree."
"Anyway, I have to be of some use to you, right?" For some reason, my nose suddenly felt a little sore. I'm always being used and used; I'm just a tool.
“Don’t be sad. It’s not a bad thing for someone to have value to be used,” he said. “If someone has no value, they can die or be abandoned at any time. If you hadn’t shown your value from the beginning, Berrot wouldn’t have given you a second glance. A man’s love for you isn’t, as Daio said, just because you are you.”
"Have you said enough?" I stood up abruptly. "You can send me away if you want, but I will not marry you."
I rushed out of the restaurant.
The next day, news spread that I was to be given to King Sarga. Upon hearing this, Daio rushed into Artis's study and forced him to change his mind. Artis naturally refused, and Daio actually got into a fight with him.
The two fought from inside the house to outside, wrestling in the corridor, then into the courtyard, and finally in the snow. They fought fiercely and couldn't be separated. In the end, a squad of guards rushed over and forcibly separated them, which finally stopped the fight.
Both men were bruised and battered, their bodies covered in bruises. Daio yelled, "If you send her away, you'll be stepping over my corpse!"
When I heard the news, I was bringing food to Desen. Desen overheard me talking to the maid in the room. After I came in, I fed him porridge, but he didn't eat immediately. Instead, he weakly smiled and asked me, "After I die, will you marry Artis or Daio?"
I chuckled and said, "I won't marry anyone. Artis wants to give me to the Elf King."
“He won’t give you to the Elf King,” Desen said with a weak smile. “He just wants to see your reaction, the Elf King’s reaction, and the reactions of the other nobles. His ultimate goal is to marry you.”
I said in shock, "How could you think that?"
His voice was barely audible, "Their Akia arose because of you, and if they want to continue to survive, they must also need you. Having finally seized the opportunity to capture you, how could they let you leave so easily?"
"Then what should I do?" I asked with a sigh.
"Negotiation is the way to go. Since he truly wants to marry you, negotiate with him. Demand fame, fortune, and real power. You must protect your own interests."
I shook my head. "I don't have anything to ask for."
"Are you stupid?" He coughed a few times, then continued, "This is a good opportunity for you to establish yourself here. I know you are from another world, but since you are here now, you should live well and with dignity. You have helped them so much, so it is only right that you ask for something. Don't ask for nothing, or people will think you are a fool and that you are easy to fool, and treat you as a convenient tool."
My hand holding the bowl of porridge froze, and I couldn't say a word.
The next day, it snowed heavily. I stood alone on the corridor watching the snowflakes fall. The snow was already thick and white, and occasionally a few birds flew by, leaving shallow traces in the snow.
After watching for a while, I turned around and unexpectedly saw Artis.
He was dressed in a respectable black robe, but his face was bruised and swollen, and his eyes were so swollen they looked like a panda's eyes. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
“What’s so funny?” he said, somewhat disgruntled. “Daio is in a worse situation than me.”
"Okay, even worse than you." I said, turning around and walking towards the room. He followed closely behind me. "Have you thought it through? Will you marry me or not?"
I looked back at him again and asked, "What good would it do me to marry you?"
He smiled broadly, "It seems you've taken Derson's advice to heart and know how to negotiate with me."
"You were eavesdropping on our conversation?" I asked, somewhat displeased.
“I only heard a little bit,” he said quickly, “really only a little bit.”
I kept walking forward, not wanting to pay him any attention, but he followed closely behind, rambling on and on, "Tell me, what are your conditions? Any conditions are negotiable."
“Go talk to my husband.” I turned a corner and headed back to Dessen’s room.
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Author's Note: I'm taking a break during the May Day holiday to celebrate Labor Day too! Happy holiday everyone! Check out my other novels!
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