Pedroc, having seized quality land, had forced these dignitaries’ countries to the borders.

A princess of a country pushed to the outskirts, a merchant paying unfair tariffs to Pedroc, and the head of a mercenary organization each greeted her in turn.

In the past, these were people Pedroc would never have invited as dignitaries.

‘They must have been invited for the Ragnaros subjugation. Pedroc can’t handle it alone.’

They needed people to share the damage. Or rather, to take the damage for them.

Even after inviting them, the hospitality was lacking. King Rangy greeted them and quickly turned away, while Chase and David were too busy chasing immediate profits.

The guests were understandably not at ease.

The reaction to Elise, who was technically the host, was also not warm.

“Marriage with Pedroc… Is your taste in teachers? Wouldn’t it be better to attend the academy?”

There was one particularly hostile figure.

Ilaria Magnus.

The first princess of the maritime nation, Magnus.

The person Elise absolutely had to meet today.

The Kingdom of Magnus, bordering Pedroc to the east, had to tread on another country’s land for continental trade.

North through Titris, south through Pedroc.

Half of its territory bordered the sea, but it was difficult to venture into the open ocean.

Just as the land had Ragnaros, the sea harbored the evil dragon Aktouber.

Though far from awakening, the vicinity of Aktouber’s slumber was as impassable as the lands where Ragnaros slept.

Due to tremendous whirlpools, ever-changing wind directions, and the sirens’ wails.

Therefore, Magnus needed to secure a land-based market.

The best partner for Magnus was Pedroc.

Pedroc had a market big enough to consume Magnus’s goods and well-established trade routes.

However, Pedroc was not too keen on interacting with Magnus.
The goods produced and sold by Magnus were already abundant in Pedroc, and there was no need for Pedroc to open up trade routes to Magnus and increase competition.

Consequently, Pedroc consistently rebuffed Magnus’s persistent requests to open their trade routes.

About 50 years ago, Magnus achieved a breakthrough in shipbuilding technology and established diplomatic relations with Pedroc.

Finally, Magnus was able to engage in maritime trade without crossing Aktouber’s territory.

However, the treaty wasn’t beneficial for everyone.

At that time, the naive and shortsighted king of Magnus handed over the shipbuilding technology to Pedroc in exchange for a trade route usage permit that came with exorbitant fees.

Initially, the people of Magnus were thrilled to have access to the trade route, but they soon realized the harsh reality.

To compete with various countries, they had to improve quality and reduce prices. After deducting the cost and trade route fees, there was little profit left.

Consequently, the number of Magnusians using Pedroc’s trade route drastically decreased.

With advanced shipbuilding and navigation skills, it was better to take the longer sea route.

The problem was that they had to pay Pedroc every year, whether they used the trade route or not.

‘It’s been 30 years since we stopped using it, yet we’ve been paying the toll for 30 years. We’re just filling the coffers of the Pedroc royal family.’

Despite knowing the unfairness, Magnus couldn’t let go of Pedroc because they imported a significant amount of food from Pedroc, which had abundant grain-producing regions.

‘Magnus lacks sufficient farmland.’

Although they had good relations with Titris, the weather there was poor, resulting in low harvests.

‘Titris can’t afford to sell food to Magnus when they’re short on it themselves.’

Pedroc, the dominant power, ignored and tormented Magnus, the subordinate.

In this context, if a member of the Magnus royal family didn’t hate Pedroc, they would be considered a fool or a traitor.

Disliking Pedroc was a form of patriotism in Magnus.

And Ilaria was a patriot among patriots, ready to sacrifice herself for her country in times of crisis.

“The taste of the drink just dropped. I think I’ll be leaving now.”

Ilaria set down her drink almost as if throwing it.

Despite Ilaria’s rudeness, Elise began to speak undeterred.

“Do you know the easiest way to tame a wild beast, Prince Karan?”

Elise asked Karan, staring intently at Ilaria.