CHAPTER ELEVEN #2
But he held his tongue. He was there to observe, and if he wanted to be invited to more meetings like this, he’d have to prove that he wasn’t going to cause a scene.
“Galandeen is sending a shipment of medical supplies to Darimidian,” Sou said next, naming Biermarg’s northern-most city, and a place where thousands of refuges had fled to.
“If you could send a container or two of supplies as far as Almark, we could arrange to have it transported the rest of the way.” Perhaps by flaunting Galandeen’s efforts to assist, Arctesia might be shamed into doing a little more?
“That’s very generous of you,” Fredrik said, giving Ryu another quick flash of his scent glands. “I’ll be sure to raise it with the Foreign Minister when I return.” He sat there beaming, as if he’d just made an enormous concession, when in fact, he’d agreed to do nothing.
“Perhaps we should have a thirty minute recess,” Sou suggested, after an awkward pause.
“I’ll have some refreshments brought in for you and your advisors.
” He nodded politely to the three betas sitting rigidly in their chairs, none of them having said a single word since the meeting had begun.
“And if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I wish to consult with my own advisors. ”
He stood up, not waiting for Fredrik’s agreement. Ryu, Danag, and the two nobles who’d been invited to assist with the negotiations all stood up and followed him, retreating to the far end of the spacious hall.
“Well,” Danag said, once they were well out of earshot. “That was about as successful as trying to eat soup with a butter knife.”
“Arctesia’s President is making it clear that they’re not willing to put themselves out for the sake of international relations,” Lady Iuma said.
She was a beta in her late forties, well versed in the subtleties of Arctesian politics.
She’d been studying the country for the last decade, and making her discoveries useful as King Sou’s advisor.
“It’s not just Biermarg that they’re snubbing,” she pointed out.
“This is as much a slight against Galandeen as it is against them.”
“Why would Arctesia go out of its way to make enemies of its nearest neighbours?” Ryu asked. He figured that here, with only their own advisors around, he could get away with asking a few questions.
“A miscalculation of power,” Danag said. “They don’t want the burden of assisting other nations and have somehow decided they have enough military might or trade potential that they don’t need to rely on our support either.”
“Whether or not it’s a miscalculation remains to be seen,” Sou said.
“Historically, they haven’t had the strength to go it alone, but with their current President shaking things up, it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on behind the scenes.
Still, I’d like to push them a little more. Perhaps we should call Elise in?”
“An excellent idea,” Danag agreed, but Lady Iuma was less enthusiastic.
“I doubt even the queen could turn this one around. But at least she might be able to dig a little deeper and see how certain they are of their own strength. Let’s do it, but don’t hold your breath about the result.”
Sou nodded, then glanced at Ryu. His son’s baffled frown was not lost on him.
“Let me talk to Ryu for a moment,” Sou told the others, and they obediently moved away, giving them a moment of privacy.
“What’s going on?” Ryu asked, once they’d gone. Whatever it was, it was a sure bet he wasn’t going to like it. “Why would you bring Mum into this?”
“I’ll explain that in a moment. But firstly, I just want to say you’ve been extremely patient, putting up with that man’s uncouth behaviour,” his father said.
“His indiscretions have not gone unnoticed, I can assure you. But one must learn to pick one’s battles, and unfortunately, we have more pressing issues to deal with today.
Aside from that, though, I’d like you to sit out the rest of the evening.
You won’t be missing anything,” he added, at Ryu’s dismayed look.
“Ultimately, these talks are a complete waste of time. Arctesia is not going to assist with the war, either by helping the refugees or by sending soldiers to quell the fighting. This is just a lot of necessary posturing on both sides – on ours, to let them know we’ve got our eye on them, and on theirs, to prove they can’t be pushed around.
It’s like a ritual fight between two rival animals; nobody wins, nobody loses.
It’s just a lot of strutting and bellowing, and then everybody goes home. ”
“Then why can’t I stay and see what happens?”
Sou sighed and patted his hand. Ryu did roll his eyes this time, the gesture irritatingly patronising.
“With your mother joining us later, I can’t have you here as well.
It would be seen as an attempt to intimidate the ambassador, and given his temperament, that’s just as likely to make him throw a tantrum and storm out of the palace. ”
“But what’s Mum got to do with this? She hates all this political talk. She’s not a negotiator.”
“Not in the traditional sense, no. But she has a way of understanding people. I’m hoping she might be able to crack the ice a little.
We’ll give you the full run down tomorrow, I promise.
But for now, I need you to go back to the apartment.
Think of it as a night off,” he suggested.
“You can play a video game. Watch a movie. I’ll even have dinner sent up to you. ”
That was a rare prize indeed, a meal without the need to sit in a stiff suit in the formal dining room, and that alone was enough to get Ryu to agree.
“Fine. But I want to know everything that goes on tomorrow morning. This stuff is interesting! And if Mum can negotiate, then wow, I want to know what she can do.”
“We’ll tell you every word. I promise. Now go on. And how about you invite Kentario over as well. Danag’s going to be tied up here for a while, and with Cael out of the city, he’s likely at a loose end tonight.”
Flaming heck. Just when he’d thought something was going normally, his father decided to throw that at him. “Kentario’s normally not allowed to hang out with me in our apartment.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Sou said. “We tried not to have him distract you from your studies, that’s all.
But now you’ve finished your exams, it doesn’t matter either way.
Besides, your birthday’s in two days. You two could have a little early celebration.
Order some ice cream from the kitchen, or something. ”
“Yeah, cool,” Ryu said, not caring what his father thought of his snarky tone.
He headed for the exit in a hurry, once more baffled by the sudden change of rules.
Despite what Sou said, there was no way in the world he would let Ryu invite his bodyguard over on a normal day, and certainly not when he was home alone.
Maybe he should stop trying to figure things out and just run with it, he decided. What was the worst that could happen?