It did not take long for Akshan and his escorts to get to the King's estate. However, unlike the expected hostility, the lord had accepted them with open arms. The guards let them pass with no issue, and even the servants seemed as if they had expected them.
"Ah, is that Lord Grahm? I heard good things about you." An elderly man sat on his elaborate golden throne. His hands shook slightly, yet his gaze was firm and held great authority.
Next to him was a girl, similar age to Aurelia, who acted as the queen.
'So her sister became a queen of Salac, huh...' Grahm smiled; she was likely the reason he was able to so effortlessly get an audience without blood being spilled.
However, a scene of an old man and such a young woman did not sit well with him, yet it was not unheard of for royalty or even most nobles.
The woman was the spitting image of Aurelia, yet her gaze was not as soft as Aurelia's.
Or at least the princess Aurelia. The current Queen of Valar was ruthless and did not allow anyone to question her decisions.
A sense of pride swelled in his chest. He locked his gaze with the King's and spoke. "The Queen Aurelia demands that the kingdom of Salac join Valar. Second demand is that the church of chrunus be expunged."
Grahm waited for a moment.
However, the king did not answer; instead, his queen did. "My Little sister is a queen now?" She tilted her head. "Before we respond, may I ask how?"
Grahm nodded as he motioned Scarlet to approach.
"Mother had become the queen by the grace of Lord Cedric."
"Mother?!" The woman seemed as if she was about to choke before she coughed and continued, "I should have expected that..." Her gaze fell on Scarlet's wings.
"But to fornicate with a demihuman...."
The room grew colder as Scarlet tightened her fist. Grahm had to set everything right.
"Enough, Lady Scarlet is a creation of her Majesty, I urge you not to disrespect her otherwise..." His silence was everything they needed to know. Salac was at his mercy.
"I see..." The queen fell back into her throne, and she leaned toward her king. "My dear, what is our answer?"
The king leaned forward, "We accept; however, I wish to retain autonomy of our kingdom. As you have noticed, my wife and I's rule made our small kingdom rather wealthy, thus I would wish to continue supporting its further development while under the protection of Valar."
Grahm went silent before he turned to Scarlet, who merely nodded.
After a moment, the angel nodded, "Mother says this is acceptable. However, we will not negotiate when it comes to the church of Chrunus."
The queen was about to speak before her husband raised his hand, "That is not a problem, the church does not hold sway in our home. I made sure of it."
Grahm was left speechless, the church of Chrunus should have had a sizeable presence in a kingdom that was supposed to be rather poor.
"You may ask how? Well, everyone thought my kingdom weak, yet not even a single cardinal set their gaze to verify the truth of the matter."
"So you mean?..."
"Yes, my darling wife and I have eradicated the meager presence the church held here... and here is the kicker. The Cardinals did not care at all! They haven't even sent anyone!" The king slapped his knees and burst out laughing.
The old general was taken aback as the laughter subsided. "I accept your terms. My Queen and I have thought about joining; however, before I say yes, tell me what the catch is?"
"You will accept the new Christian Church; there will be no resistance, I hope."
"You will need to explain it more, elaborate for a senile old fool..." The king leaned on his fist as he stared at Grahm.
"It is a church, spearheaded by the new queen; it was the reason the Cardinals and Church of Chrunus had been destroyed in Valar."
The news made the king widen his eyes. He pushed himself up and approached Grahm. "Are you certain this is the truth?"
The old general nodded. "The new Queen and her Fiance are entities of such power that even the Church of Chrunus could do nothing but accept their fate."
A small chuckle came from Scarlet's lips. She placed her hands on her hips and pridefully raised her head. "Praise my mother more!"
Everyone present turned to Scarlet.
Before Grahm was able to shut her up, she raised her hand in the air and spread her wings. "My Mother and her husband are the creators of us, Angels. We are beings of Light and Purity. All of existence would cease to be without their presence!"
The king blinked slowly as he took a seat on his throne, "Salac will join Valar. However,I wish to talk to Aurelia when possible."
It was a reasonable request. The king of Salac was amicable and open to diplomacy, a fact that could most likely be attributed to his young queen.
A sigh escaped his lips, "That is acceptable, the meeting shall be arranged." Grahm nodded.
"Excellent!" The young queen rose from her throne and clasped her hands. "Now, if I am correct, you brought an entire legion. It will take a while, but let us prepare a feast before you return home."
Scarlet walked up to Grahm and whispered, "I like that girl, I guess she is my aunt after all."
With a nod, she spun and bowed to the queen, "We shall accept this offer, Auntie... uhhh sorry, may I have your name?"
"Queen Lara." She curtsied with a slight smile.
"Principality, Scarlet." A grin formed on her face.
Lara crossed her arms as she turned to her husband, "I will leave now and prepare to feed a legion; you and General can speak."
The king bowed slightly, "Best of luck, my dear."