NOVPUBDuke Moriarty glanced around, his gaze finally resting on the opposite Calila, as he slowly began to speak, his voice calm and persuasive.
Calila’s expression was slightly stiff with anger, but she was still doing her best to suppress the fury inside her.
"Don’t you think you’re being hypocritical?"
Before Calila could think of a response, Hyperion, who was beside her, couldn’t hold back any longer and asked.
Seeing Calila endure for the sake of the greater goal, changing her temperamental ways and swallowing her grievances alone, Hyperion felt pity, especially since she now viewed Calila as Tata and considered her a friend. Naturally, she couldn’t stand to see her friend so repressed.
Calila looked up in surprise at Hyperion, and Hyperion shook her head at Calila, signaling that she shouldn’t endure it any longer, that the Demon Race would not tolerate such treatment.
"Oh? Does Her Highness the Princess think I’m not qualified to say such words? But you should know that the choice we face now is not just war and peace, but whether to give peace a chance, even if it seems unattainable. I’m not advocating submission, but rather promoting wisdom and foresight—using negotiation as an extension of our strength rather than a sign of weakness, something, I fear, your Demon Race might not understand."
Duke Moriarty looked at Hyperion, unflinchingly asking.
"Shut your mouth, you useless Minister of Foreign Affairs."
Calila no longer held back, no longer hiding the natural fierceness that came with being a member of the Demon Race.
She now understood that this nobleman was nothing but a useless fool, either stupid or wicked, sitting idly by in power.
The atmosphere in the reception room instantly solidified, shifting from a calm chat to one of extreme tension, prompting the Imperial Army guards to become instantly vigilant.
"My, since it seems the esteemed members of the Demon Race are no longer interested in continuing the negotiations, does this mean that the talks are unilaterally over?"
Duke Moriarty still had his polite demeanor, with a smile in his eyes that was ambiguous between sincerity and mockery.
He firmly believed that the Fallen Queen wouldn’t want to take action, because if the Demon Race really did, they would lose any chance of negotiating peace with the Pranter Empire.
That would also mean part of the deal he had arranged with the Blood Clan would be accomplished.
Although he didn’t have the power to finalize an alliance between the Pranter Empire and the Demon Race, he had ways to prevent Calila from seeing Wilford.
That fool Wilford was still in Hershalraym, kept in the dark by him, completely unaware of the detailed information about the Demon Delegation.
Just the thought of it made Duke Moriarty find the Ninth-order Great Demon’s subservient demeanor earlier quite ridiculous and amusing.
"Duke Moriarty, I’ll remember you, but I’ll always find a way to contact the Imperial officials I’m looking for. You ultimately cannot stop the spirited Pranters from allying with us."
Calila murmured in a low voice.
"I look forward to it."
Duke Moriarty stood up, responding with a laugh, the epitome of a practiced smile.
It was as if he was telling her, time was on his side, and he had plenty of ways to make life difficult for her.
Calila took a deep breath, feeling incredibly frustrated. If it weren’t for her sincere intention of forging an alliance and the need to show the Pranters the friendly intentions of the Demon Race, she would have already desired to kill this Duke a thousand times over, given her usual temperament.
But now she had to maintain her restraint.
Just then.
Outside the conference room, a series of hurried footsteps sounded, and any guard attempting to intercept was immediately stopped by another group of people.
Accompanied by the opening of a door.
A man with an imposing presence walked into the conference room.
His figure seemed to carry the weight of history itself, each step carrying a decisive force.
He didn’t speak right away. His gaze slowly travelled around the room, finally settling on Duke Moriarty, then shifting to the Fallen Queen.
"Duke Moriarty, why did you not inform me of such an important matter of diplomacy?"
He inquired.
"…"
Duke Moriarty’s expression darkened instantly.
"Wilford, how did you find out?"
"That’s not the point. The key issue is that you must have gone to great lengths to keep me unaware of the arrival of the Demon envoy and the exact time and place, right? You have gone to so much trouble."
Lanci took off his hat and placed it on the table, leaning on his cane and laughing.
Suddenly, Duke Moriarty stood up, the shadows on his face deepening, and he walked toward the door of the conference room without a word.
"Duke Moriarty, you won’t stay to listen?" Lanci asked with concern behind him.
"No need, since the Prime Minister has such mistrust in me, there’s no reason for me to continue staying here," Duke Moriarty said coldly without turning around or stopping.
"I will resign."
He added that and then disappeared into the dimly lit corridor outside the door.
The resignation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs would trigger a no-confidence vote to impeach the Prime Minister.
Soon, the Parliament’s confidence in the Prime Minister would also plummet to rock bottom.
By then, even if Wilford wanted to make unilateral and rash decisions, it would be of no help!!
The conference room was silent for a long time.
Unhurried, Lanci walked over to sit opposite the Demon Race, in the very seat Duke Moriarty had just occupied, while waving his hand to have all other ministers and military guards leave the meeting room.
Calila was still slightly in a daze.
She looked at this figure and probably understood that when it seemed like today’s negotiation had failed and they should take the long view, Prime Minister Wilford of the Pranter Empire took the initiative to approach them.
"I’m sorry to trouble you, Mr. Wilford, but how did you know about the meeting Duke Moriarty arranged?" Calila asked the man opposite her with a hint of favor in her voice, unable to suppress the joy welling up inside her.
"Not only did I know the timing of this meeting, but I also knew that if the negotiations failed, you planned to forcefully brainwash me, turning me into your slave," Lanci leaned back in his chair and shook his head with an air of weariness.
"...?" The Fallen Queen was stunned for a moment, as if petrified and about to crack.
How do you know... what I said to Lord Unknown...
Her brain raced in an instant.
Finally, on the brink of crashing, she thought of an explanation she couldn’t accept.
"Are you...?" she asked, standing up incredulously, pointing at the man opposite and tremblingly asking.
Although the man’s appearance had changed, the look in his eyes was still familiar.
Lanci nodded, saying more than a thousand words could.
"Ah..." Calila covered her cheeks, recalling what she had previously said to Lanci, her mind buzzing.
Although one could say the meeting was over as soon as it had begun,
The Fallen Queen felt like fleeing the Pranter Empire overnight!
"..." Lanci looked at Calila, unsure how to comfort her.
He hadn’t expected a Ninth-order Great Demon to blush.
Fortunately, everything was going smoothly so far, and negotiations with the Demon Race were almost settled.
Next, upon leaving this room, he would have to pretend not to recognize the Fallen Queen, and he would also start broadcasting the event live again.
Everything was ready.
Lanci had never forgotten about a person waiting for him outside of the Shadow World.
Dean Loren, sorry to keep you waiting.
Ten days had passed; Dean Loren should not have turned dark under pressure.
In this darkest hour, it was time to witness Lanci’s counterattack.
