A well-prepared table awaited the visitors. The dining room was decorated with banners displaying the coat of arms from both families. As host, Duke Boltu was on the right side of the table; on his side was his wife, Gariia, a Natuur blessed by Exxomia, the nourishing fortress. Her appearance is human-like, but thanks to her blessings, her hair is like tree vines with colorful flowers along its length. Her eyes were blue as the sky; they had a unique shine along with an aura that exuded a contagious serenity.
On the left side, it was Atillo and Amiliath. It was the first time they saw Gariia. Naturals are a rare race. When the elemental gods bless a member of any mortal race, they become Natuurs; even if they still have the appearance of that race, they show characteristics of their god in their bodies. Atillo was mesmerized by her beauty and uniqueness, but soon he was forced to stop glaring because of a painful pinch that Amiliath gave on his left thigh.
"Thank you for having us today, Duke and Duchess. This is an important meeting for me and the entire Felnatus territory." Amiliath smiles with sincerity.
"Your way with words and your initiative to contact us are the only reasons I agreed to this meeting, Lady Amiliath. The crimes of your father are still not forgiven and maybe never will." Boltu's tone was serious with a hint of anger, which made Gariia give him a disapproving look.
"Boltu, where are your manners?" She slapped his shoulder gently. "I'm sorry for my husband's aggressiveness. The actions of Archduke Felnatus still hurt him. Believe me when I tell you, he is excited about this meeting."
"We understand. Unfortunately, my father's last decisions were not appropriate for an Archduke. That is one of the main reasons why we came here, to apologize for our father's actions and maybe with your blessings, restore the friendship between our families."
"Hmph, let's talk about this after the meal. No one likes a cold meal." He lifted his hand, and with a gesture, the servants started to bring the food. It was a lavish meal. The starter was a lentil soup with toasted almonds and small squares of cheese. For the main course, a delicious salmon is crusted with walnuts, accompanied by a salad made from three different leaves, coated in balsamic sauce, and served with bread croutons. To finish this lovely dinner, a beautiful dessert, a delicious chocolate cake with strawberries.
Throughout the meal, they talked about the past. Boltu constantly reminded Atillo about his lack of desire to pursue a path, a way to live his life without focusing only on leisure, but he didn't care that much. He was always doing the minimum possible since his Father decided to make Luccio the heir.
"I tried to convince him in the last few years, but it was all in vain. Maybe it's his way of living." Said Amiliath, hopeless.
"Don't say like that. It's not that I don't have a way of living, but I don't see why I should have one right now. There is no reason for me to change now."
"You shouldn't speak like this, young Lord. You have an entire life ahead of you. If you don't start thinking about it now, it could be too late in the future." In his harsh words, there was a hidden care for his former young master; he knew Atillo was a hardworking person, but thanks to Mellorus' decisions, he abandoned all hope of bringing anything to his family.
"Don't be so ominous, dear." Said Gaaria, slapping Boltu's shoulder gently.
They laugh, having a good time. After the meal, the servants clean the table. Boltu asks his wife to wait for them in the living room while he discusses business with the siblings. At the office, Boltu sits on a chair behind his office desk, and the siblings sit in front in two comfortable armchairs.
"Well, I hope you both enjoyed the meal. So now we can talk about your intentions for this meeting." He intertwines his fingers and rests them on his desk.
"Always direct to the point. That's why I always like your methods, Duke Boltu. Since we will avoid wasting time with frivolities, I want to establish a new trade treaty with your duchy. We both know that before the split, a good amount of the resources came from your domain, and without access to them, the economy of the archduchy is in trouble." Always composed and graceful, Amiliath told the details of the treaty.
"Your terms are not bad, but still, I don't see why I should do a trade deal with your territory. I respect you and your brother here, but it's a different thing when my actions are going to help Mellorus get back on his feet." He scratches his beard, not losing eye contact with them.
"This is not about my Father's deeds. I know he was wrong, but he is not suffering here; the people who live in your territory are. I don't expect you to forget or even forgive him for his transgressions. What I want is your help in this difficult time." Her calm tone became more aggressive and desperate. It surprised Boltu; Normally, she would always maintain her composure. Maybe they are really in need.
"I understand your situation, and it pains me that the people of the archduchy are suffering, but I can't let my emotions be part of my judgment about this. I agree that this treaty has its advantages, but I need something more. Currently, it benefits you more than me, especially when we discuss Mellorus. He could use this help to gain back his power and prestige to use against me, so I need something else."
"Unfortunately, our side can't compromise more than what I already offered. We are on the brink of a serious financial problem; many noble families are considering severing their treaties with us. If this happens, we will be in a serious problem. If you accept these trading treaties, others will reconsider their actions since you are a respectable person in the kingdom."
"That is not enough for me, or the well-being of my territory. Mellorus is a spiteful person. He has been like that since we were in the army, so any chance he can get to enact any revenge, he will use it."
"Please, Duke Boltu." Atillo interrupted. "Our father has many defects, but you two were good friends for so long. After you left, he didn't do anything to hurt you or your family, so I don't believe even if there is any animosity between you two, that he would do anything to your territory."
"He didn't do anything to hurt me? Lord Atillo, are you being naive or maybe ignorant of what happened?" He could sense the anger growing in Boltu's voice.
"I didn't mean to offend you, Duke Boltu, but I don't know what you're talking about." He looks at Amiliath, who gives him a stern look. There is something he didn't know?
"Do you know your father planned the kidnapping of one of my squires? She was a maid in the mansion. I think you remember her. Manila is her name." He stood up and started walking around his room, looking at the paintings decorating the walls.
"He planned this after I sent him a message about not serving under his name anymore. I was not going to take my territory or any of my men with me. I just wanted to leave and adopt that maid; she was being abused in the mansion. So yes, your father is not the most trustworthy person when he is emotional. Now she is missing."
"She murdered my brother, Duke Boltu..." Amiliath intervenes.
"She defended herself against that maniac you called brother. Luccio was already a menace before, then, because of the loss of his position as heir, he became a psychotic criminal!" Boltu punches the wall with all his strength, creating small cracks around his fist.
The siblings became silent; the strength displayed by Boltu was enough to scare them. As a military hero, his strength was never questioned by them, but they never thought he would lose control of his temper so easily.
"Sorry for my outburst, but what your family did to that girl was monstrous..." He touched the cracks in the wall. "Gaaria is going to kill me for that. She hates it when I lose control.
"I didn't intend to off-"
"I know you didn't, lady, but even with your skillful way of using words, you forget many times that mortals are not just based on words and thoughts, but emotions too." He returns to his seat. For a couple of minutes, no one in the room spoke a word, then Boltu broke the silence.
"So, what more can you offer for our help?"
"Our territory can't afford anything else, my lord, but maybe I will be able to provide you with something extra." She smiles with confidence.
"Oh, so tell me. Why did you wait until now to reveal this? You should know I don't like it when people think of me as a fool."
"I would never think of you, my Lord, as a fool. I have only this last resource in case the situation reaches this point; it would be foolish of me to think everything would go my way on the first try. So without delaying anymore, I know for a fact that you, my Lord, are still looking for my underappreciated sister." Boltu's eyes became full of rage; the fact that she knows about his search means there are spies in his territory.
"You dare spy on me and tell me about this? You'd better start talking before I lose my patience, young girl."
"Duke Boltu, never underestimate the power of the information guilds that are spread throughout the Orlos territory. I would be a naive woman if I didn't use the power of those guilds to understand you and your territory better." Her words were calm and precise enough to calm his rage, so she continued.
"So while I was doing my homework, my contacts revealed something exciting. An unknown person was buying high quantities of transfiguration potions, and since there is no news about your search being successful in finding my dear sister, I thought that she may be the one buying these potions."
"Those potions are expensive and not that rare to be bought. Why do you think it could be her?"
"Well, it's just a hunch. She disappears, and in the last year, a lot of potions have been brought, potions that can change her appearance, making it more difficult to track. Do you want to know where the potions were purchased?" She smiles triumphantly.
"I assume you will only give me this information after signing a treaty, right? Very well, but I have a condition. We will sign a mana contract, no matter what happens, the contents of the contract will be respected by each party, and if any party breaks its promises, they will pay dearly."
"I have no objections about it."
"But I want you two to sign this contract, I don't want to leave any little breach." Boltu then used a tiny bell to call a servant, instructing him to bring a mage to perform the magic contract ritual. After everything is prepared, Boltu and the siblings sign the contract, which releases a ray of mana that covers their bodies.
"Perfect, now no matter what happens, your father will not be able to interrupt or take advantage of this, and if he does, you both will suffer the consequences. Now do your part of the contract."
"Very well, Duke Boltu. The potions were brewed for a customer in the city of Faelin, a small town located two days southeast of Orlosian. It's a city known for its forests being lairs to large quantities of creatures, animals, and monsters. The last potion was bought four months ago, and the characteristic the potion was going to change is the color of the person's hair, so I believe that with all the potions, she would change it forever."
"This info is outdated, but it's the only positive thing I've heard in these months. If she changed the color of her hair, it would be more difficult to trace her. I will try to discover more." His sincere smile was a surprise to the siblings; it had been a long time since they had seen such an honest reaction from him.
"Now, Duke Boltu, I would like to arrange our leave from the city. We want to leave tomorrow at noon, but we need a simple carriage for that. I want to use our escort and magic as a decoy."
"Are you sure you want to do that? It would be much safer if you leave it in your magicar."
"Believe me, Duke Boltu. It's the best thing to do; the decline of our family status made many nobles use this situation to plot something against us. So if we use a decoy, we could avoid problems. That's why we advertise our coming here."
"Well, I will help you then. Mabel..." He calls the mage. "When you leave, could you please tell one of the servants to call Elzen and Vivelle here? They are probably waiting outside, protecting the mansion during our meeting."
"Yes, my lord." She bows respectfully and leaves the room.
"Now, my friends, feel free to stay at the mansion or take part in the festival I planned to celebrate this day."
The meeting ends with both parties being content, but this would not stop the incident that will occur the next day.