Small Talk, Hard Talk
"Just out of an old man's concern, let me say this."
The Sachsen Duke wore an expression that said he was willing to hear whatever other worries there might be.
"Avoid extreme words and actions like yesterday's."
"You needn't worry about that, Your Majesty."
A sharp glance shot over, as if to snap, 'Is that all it was?'
"A dog that won't bite doesn't bark, after all."
Creak—
The grand doors of Palatium swung open, heralding the second day of the banquet.
* * *
"Did you sleep well last night, Your Majesty?"
"Thanks to Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek's thoughtful care in every way, I rested comfortably."
Confirming a light exchange of nods with the Sachsen Duke, the emperor took his seat.
As if on cue, attendants appeared and began setting the table.
It was still morning, not yet noon, so instead of alcohol, a variety of teas graced the table.
A subtle, nose-tingling aroma rose from the silver teapots perched on small braziers.
The emperor had black tea. The Sachsen Duke, black coffee. Manrmursk's Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek, warm barley tea.
"After arriving here, the legal officials who reviewed the trial documents all praised you in unison. They said there's no territorial lord among the border counts who upholds proper rule of law like Manrmursk's Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek."
"It's all thanks to enacting our domain laws based on the codified statutes of the late emperor, Your Majesty."
Once tea was set before all the honored guests, the head attendant gave a light gesture, and desserts began to appear on the table.
Rye cookies baked in snowflake shapes, Baumkuchen made with the finest eggs, condensed milk ice cream crafted from Manrmursk's eternal glacier ice, and more.
Just looking at the lineup made the roof of one's mouth tingle sweetly.
"I remember Father always talking about you whenever we studied the codified statutes together. He called you a treasure of the empire, excelling in both civil and military arts."
"I'm deeply moved that he spoke of me so highly, Your Majesty."
"And he often mentioned you too, Sachsen Duke. He said elector counts like Sachsen and Manrmursk were the empire's true loyal vassals, serving it from the heart."
Evidently not expecting his own name to come up, the Sachsen Duke, mid-sip of coffee, coughed hastily.
"Ahem... Did he? For this unworthy servant's loyalty to be recognized by the late emperor is an immense honor."
"I am a man of many shortcomings."
Suddenly?
What's he building up to with this long preamble?
Both the Sachsen Duke and Manrmursk's Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek looked uneasy, awaiting the emperor's next words.
"The empire is upheld by two great houses: Manrmursk and Sachsen, Sachsen and Manrmursk. I hope you'll both aid my many deficiencies greatly. The empire, rising from long years of war, desperately needs your help."
The mood felt like they should toast with their teacups.
To the young emperor's toast—awkward to respond to—the old fox and young wolf managed strained smiles.
'The empire's great 'two' houses...'
Rustle!
The Sachsen Duke's hand, fiddling with a snowflake cookie, clenched unconsciously.
Even now, thinking of that territorial war made his back ache and his blood boil.
The territorial war that had elevated Sachsen to its current position.
The razor-edge territorial war where a single misstep would have crumbled the name Sachsen into history's dust.
The territorial war where, right up to the final moment, the emperor and those noble bastards had played both sides.
But now, it was all in the past.
Sachsen had won, and the opponent had not.
That he could sit here now, listening to the emperor's banter while rustling these luxurious pastries—it was all because of him, Sachsen.
"...And so, I proposed that all the elector counts share the burden as much as possible. Isn't that right, Sachsen Duke?"
"......? Yes? Ah. Yes, quite so."
The cookie before the Sachsen Duke had crumbled completely into rye grains.
"What deep thoughts occupy you, Sachsen Duke?"
"Just some old memories surfacing. Happens more as I age."
What? Why's he reacting like that?
Manrmursk's Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek, who had charged in planning a clean pivot, fiddled awkwardly with his teacup.
No telling what he was thinking, but the Sachsen Duke's face had shriveled like a dried sponge.
"Old times remind me of the last war. Managing the ever-growing prisoners after battles gave me splitting headaches."
"From disarming them, to handling and disposing of their gear and supplies, to providing food, clothing, and shelter... Even recalling it now, things I'd never want to do twice, Your Majesty."
This... this... he really did disarm them, huh?
The emperor tossed out a lead, and the Sachsen Duke picked it up eagerly.
Without Seolhwa's prior warning, it would have been hard to spot what buildup this was for.
But he kept his expression neutral.
Either way, with 3,000 to accept regardless, better to watch this village play drag on for the value.
"Is that so? Mercenary handling isn't easy, they say."
He chimed in appropriately, tossing dry kindling on the fire.
"Truly. Felt like threading beads blindfolded."
"Like cramming a lifetime of work into one go. The wrinkles from then haven't faded."
Thinking they'd drawn the audience's empathy, the actors' energy rose.
At the same time, Manrmursk's Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek struggled harder to hold back his laughter.
But he didn't forget to rapidly calculate in his head.
This duo of con artists before him aimed to offload 3,000 unarmed mercenaries and mages onto Manrmursk—without so much as a single sword.
He had to squeeze out as much as possible, and ideally secure ongoing compensation payments!
"So, about that, Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek."
"Speak, Your Majesty."
"Leaving problems we've already experienced—or that I or other lords have faced—unresolved feels wrong. What do you think?"
"A most righteous view. Of course! Exceptions by time and place might apply, Your Majesty."
"Are you saying, Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek, that His Majesty can't discern time and place?"
"Haha, hardly, Duke. As lord of a border region like Manrmursk, that's all I meant."
The border lord sliced the Baumkuchen before him viciously onto his plate.
The snowflake cookies before the Sachsen Duke were already mangled beyond recognition.
Of course, neither touched them near their mouths.
The pastry chefs who had poured their souls into desserts for the emperor, duke, and border lord would faint at the sight.
"Now, now, both of you are going too far."
"Ahem..."
"......"
"Anyway, my point is this: Rather than dumping both human and material resources on one lord, wouldn't splitting and managing them separately ease the burden?"
Here comes the highlight.
How to broach a topic inevitably harmful to the other side?
First, don't dive straight into the main point. Ease in with small talk to make the mood relaxed and friendly.
The emperor's codified statutes and legal officials' praise fit here.
A bit overt, but it was the emperor's praise.
The moment one felt, 'Someone of his stature went out of his way for me,' it was perfect small talk.
Next, warmup for the main topic.
Varies by person, time, place—but the emperor and Sachsen Duke chose a past event to build common ground.
Shared experience as war-torn lords: the headaches of prisoner and supply management.
Without Seolhwa's tip-off, Manrmursk's Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek might have missed it.
And now, the main event: hard talk.
"By human and material resources, you mean...?"
"That is..."
"Human resources mean the 3,000 mercenaries and mages. Material resources mean their weapons, magic tools, horses—everything."
Was this scripted too?
As the emperor hesitated on a direct answer, the Sachsen Duke jumped in.
It bordered on lèse-majesté, but the emperor stayed silent.
"I don't quite follow, so let me ask the duke... Can you call a farmer without farming tools a farmer?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Nation and people, nobles and domains, knights and swords. I'm no expert on magic, so not sure how to pair that—but if essential elements are missing, can it be whole? I say no."
"Concepts aren't fixed; they shift endlessly. Why not accept it as the 'exceptions by time and place' you mentioned, Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek?"
Lucky no more desserts left to demolish?
The Sachsen Duke and Manrmursk Lord's gazes locked, invisible sparks flying.
Unlikely, but these were men who could spark a near-civil territorial war on a whim.
An oppressively awkward silence crushed the space.
The attendants lined behind them swallowed even breaths cautiously, lest they be heard.
"I understand what Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek means."
The emperor's clumsy voice tickled the silence.
"However, handing over 3,000 fully armed men would surely cause no small chaos in Manrmursk—plain as day... or here, plain as snow? Obvious as snow."
"So here's what the Sachsen Duke suggested. Entrust their magic tools to Sukan Kingdom, animals like horses, griffins, wyverns to Fraia, and cold arms to Moribwe."
"Your Majesty, no hidden agenda—just curiosity: Did they really accept?"
Here, 'they'—other elector counts like Sukan or Moribwe? Or the mercenaries and mages robbed of gear near-confiscation? Or all of them?
Manrmursk's Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek, soon in the same boat, couldn't help but bristle.
"They all understood it as a decision for the empire's good."
So accept it without complaint. The unspoken coda echoed silently.
"You know no decision satisfies everyone, Lord Byeon Gyeongbaek."
"Thus, seeking maximum balance another way—that's the reign I aim for."
A gold coin danced precariously between the emperor's fingers as he set down his teacup, holding perfect balance.