The negotiation table, where high and low voices were exchanged, was always a serious and suffocating atmosphere, as usual.

Even a small deal at the top took days to conclude, let alone diplomacy between nations, so it was only natural.

After finishing the formal greetings, it was Empress Vivian who opened her mouth first.

“We would like to have an exclusive contract with the Berghen Kingdom for medicinal herbs.”

An exclusive contract. Casius looked at Vivian with quite surprised eyes.

‘What is she thinking?’

The woman, who he thought would just stay still like a borrowed broom, was quite proactive.

But that would be all. Berghen was unlikely to easily accept this condition.

Dilan put down the teacup with a dull sound.

“Please also show mercy to the people of other kingdoms on the Wolfdor continent. Aren’t there many people dying because they can’t get medicine?”

He used the people of the continental kingdoms as a shield, but in reality, it meant that he didn’t want to engage in exclusive trade.

Casius stared at Vivian with an observant face, swallowing his words.

A smile was painted on her face. Her strong but refreshing appearance seemed to overflow with leisure.

“You don’t have to worry about that. Berghen’s medicinal herbs will be distributed through the empire under better conditions than now.”

If an exclusive deal was made, it was clear that the empire would gain enormous profits.

Berghen’s medicinal herbs were scarce, and there would be many people in need of them throughout the continent.

Above all, if this contract was successful, the empire was sure to become a pharmaceutical powerhouse in name and reality.

Needless to say, it would become a great weapon in the future.

The empress’s eyes had a different brilliance from the banquet hall.

Dilan’s thoughts about her had completely changed as well.

She was not a pitiful being dragged around by the emperor.

Her smile now was like that of a predator in front of its prey.

“It’s too much to stop trading with other kingdoms…”

“We are the only ones who can provide a port for trade with Berghen.”

There was nothing wrong with the empress’s words.

Large ships were essential for long-distance transportation. It was necessary to move a large amount of trade goods at once to make it profitable.

And the port that could accommodate that… was actually only the empire throughout the continent, as the empress said.

“You’re not going to use the empire’s routes to trade with other kingdoms, are you?”

“…”

“If that’s what you were thinking, I’m disappointed.”

From the empire’s point of view, it was an observant tone that there was no need to make this deal.

The prince felt his mouth burning. It was a suffocating pressure he hadn’t felt in a long time.

While the prince hesitated, the empress increased the level of pressure.

“If that is your intention, we will inevitably have to discuss the rare item incident in the Lübred Cave again.”

Some time ago, an invasion by foreigners was reported in a cave belonging to the Lübred territorial waters, a territory of the empire.

And those foreigners were none other than the people of the Berghen Kingdom.

‘She brings that up here. Does she know that I was behind it?’

Dilan stared at the empress, sweating coldly. The relaxed smile on Vivian’s lips told him.

She knew everything.

Casius, who was sitting next to him, was surprised as well.

It was a question of how the empress knew about that incident. And to use it so timely like this.

As she said, what the people of the Berghen Kingdom tried to steal was none other than the empire’s rare item.

The reason why the prince of Berghen put his hands on that rare item was obvious.

It was an old relic of Berghen and spoils of war that the first emperor of the empire had obtained by invading Berghen long ago.

And in Berghen, there was a legend that whoever retrieved it would become king.

Does this woman know all of that?

The empress looked at Prince Dilan, whose insides were burning, and spoke leisurely after dragging out the time.

“We were going to regard it as a mistake by a group of hungry Berghen thieves and send them back to their home country for disposal…”

Dilan looked at the empress’s mouth, which was dragging out the time, with fear-filled eyes.

‘I was relieved to come here because I heard the woman known as the negotiator of terror had died…’

It was needless to say that the empress in front of him would succeed the next title of that woman he had never seen before.

‘I can’t believe there was another genius negotiator like this in the empire.’

“If this is how Berghen feels about the empire, we have no reason to show goodwill either.”

“Are you saying you will go to war with Berghen?”

“How can you say such a harsh thing? I’m just telling you this because it seems like you have a lot of interest in them, Prince.”

Casius, who had been silently observing the situation, also had an interesting smile on his lips.

It was quite a fun game after a long time.

He nodded and chimed in.

“As the empress said, there is no longer any reason for the empire to overlook that matter, Prince.”

Dilan looked at the two with a dumbfounded face.

The couple couldn’t be more in sync.

They were glaring at each other as if they were going to kill each other, but now they were in sync at a time like this. Dilan’s face contorted at the sight of the match made in heaven couple.

“It’s not like we’re unfamiliar with each other, so why are you being so aggressive, Your Majesty?”

As he was being driven into a corner, the prince’s tone became even more familiar. It was commendable how Prince Dilan tried to bring up the old connection from their academy days.

But Casius maintained a dry expression.

“It was because of that friendship that we have been turning a blind eye to the atrocities of the Berghen thieves.”

Prince Dilan was about to go crazy and jump up and down.

It was a huge crossroads of whether it would become a simple case of Berghen thieves or a case of the prince’s theft.

The result was already as good as decided.

“I accept. But… I would like the price of the trade to be magical tools, not money. The items will be chosen by us from the latest products of the Imperial Magic Tower.”

To establish prestige and save face upon returning to the kingdom, a price of that level was necessary.

“I’m sorry, but it will be difficult to procure items as determined by Berghen. Considering the labor of the magicians, it will be challenging to focus only on domestic products in the first season.”

The empress was picky about everything.

After that, sharp words wrapped in proper formality continued to be exchanged across the table.

Of course, the conclusion flowed in the direction the empress wanted.

“However… we will make sure to send the magical tools after one season ends.”

The empress added a word to Prince Dilan, who was groaning but couldn’t say anything against the reasonable excuse.

“If this deal goes well, we would like to adopt Berghen’s healing center system.”

“Are you referring to Berghen’s healing center system?”

“If that happens, the reputation of Berghen’s healing centers will spread, and their scale will become incomparably larger than now.”

The empress’s subsequent proposals were quite attractive.

It was clear that Berghen would be able to publicize its existing technology, continuously earn revenue from it, and accumulate enormous wealth.

“I know how many lives Berghen’s advanced medical system has saved. If this negotiation is resolved smoothly, we will establish Berghen’s healing centers throughout the empire.”

An unfair deal made by pushing the other party too hard is bound to have repercussions.

In that sense, the words just now were an alternative that presented a goal to organically build together and considered Berghen’s gains as well.

Above all, what was even more chilling was that even the alternative in the name of benefiting Berghen was working in favor of the empire.

Prince Dilan stared at the empress as if enchanted and opened his mouth.

“Let’s do that.”

*

It wasn’t just Prince Dilan who was staring at Vivian as if enchanted.

Looking at Vivian, Casius suddenly recalled a conversation he had with Rachel one day.

“There were casualties in the McTern region again this time.”

He used to comfort Rachel’s gloomy shoulders.

“It was inevitable. Don’t feel too guilty.”

“If only we had Berghen Kingdom’s medicinal herbs and medical system, it could have been resolved. Even during the much larger Ditrona plague, not a single territory turned into ruins there.”

As she said, the Berghen Kingdom was famous for its small size and well-developed medical system.

On the other hand, the empire’s medical system was woefully lacking compared to its advanced civilization. Due to a system limited only to the nobility, casualties occurred even with a minor epidemic.

Moreover, many people died while being pushed back as waiting patients without being able to visit healing centers even when they got sick.

The negotiation with Berghen that Rachel had prepared before her disappearance was also for this reason.

However, the one sitting at the negotiation table now was not Rachel, but Vivian.

‘Why is she so enthusiastic about this negotiation?’

Was there anything that would help Snowfell by bringing in Berghen’s medicinal herbs? Casius pondered deeply.

But… for Snowfell, which was currently reaping huge profits from the empire’s medical business, it would be a fatal blow rather than helpful.

‘Vivian cares about the well-being and peace of the imperial citizens?’

What could be more ridiculous than that?

Moreover… the content of today’s negotiation was truly astonishing.

She accurately grasped what the other party wanted, gave it to them, and yet made every card favorable to the empire.

The empress was a great genius of negotiation.

Vivian’s smile was captured in Casius’s eyes. As he was appreciating how quite attractive it was, he suddenly furrowed his brows.

‘I can’t believe I’m having this kind of crazy thought.’

No matter what, the other party was Vivian Snowfell.

Bringing her to this negotiation table was just a whim.

Before coming here, Casius had received a report that her entering the coronation ceremony alone was not her intention.

The one who stopped it was Evelina.

Judging from the circumstances, the empress also didn’t know that Diarob had put something in the glass.

That meant the empress was also a victim, and he was a bastard for leaving the woman he had held that day like that.

Bastard, yeah. That was nothing.

He was going to become an even more despicable being to the empress anyway, so what did it matter?

Nevertheless, he had the empress sit at the negotiation table under the pretext of shaking off a faint sense of guilt.

As she wished.

The empress, who he thought would just sit like a stone statue without even opening her mouth, had somehow led the meeting in her favor like a fish in water.

‘Was the empress originally this knowledgeable about the continental situation?’

Smooth speech flowing like water, meticulous information power surveying the other party’s aspects, sharp penetration…

It was as if she knew she would come to the meeting hall today and had prepared for a long time.

No, in fact, even if she had prepared for a long time, there were very few negotiators who could demonstrate this level of ability.

Naturally, Casius’s gaze kept falling on Vivian.

The stolen gaze didn’t return to its original place for quite a while, as he was so absentmindedly staring at her that he couldn’t even remember how he had said goodbye.

He only came to his senses when Dilan got up.

*

On the way out, the empress was imprinted on Casius’s retina.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should apologize for doubting her or compliment her on today’s excellent negotiation.

At that moment, a familiar face appeared next to the empress.

It was that Dilan fellow, with a greasy smile on his face.