?


    Five men and one woman stepped forward in front of Artur. Their chests puffed out and their strides wide, yet Artur sensed the weight on their shoulders. They were the delegation sent by the Human Alliance to establish diplomatic rtions with the Wilwatikta Kingdom.


    Artur wasn''t familiar with the process of diplomatic rtions forming between different species. However, that didn''t mean hecked experience with upper-ss interactions. At the very least, he had attended his own wedding party at Valya House, attended by a variety of nobles from the Beavercastle Ice Field.


    From that event, Artur had gleaned at least a thing or two about mingling with the upper ss. One of the mostplex aspects for him was knowing what to say and what not to say.


    Every ce had its own culture and perspectives. Thus, for two different species with distinct cultures, values, and viewpoints, the differences were undoubtedly significant. Something that humans might view as mundane could be a grave insult to the arion.


    Ideally, before meeting Prince Moku, Grit and the other delegation members would have liked to speak with Gathjee first. This was especially important to learn the customs of the arion so that they wouldn''t make any blunders during their meeting with Prince Moku.


    Unfortunately, Prince Moku wasn''t inclined to dy their meeting. He promptly summoned the delegation team to meet him in The Great Hall as soon as they entered West Fortress. As guests, Grit and the others had no reason to decline the host''s invitation.


    Robert inquired about the rush to Anna. At that moment, Artur was also nearby and overheard that Prince Moku had been summoned by the arion king to return to the capital. Therefore, before his departure, Prince Moku wanted to settle matters at West Fortress as swiftly as possible.


    Anna, too, wasn''t aware of the reason behind Prince Moku''s summoning. If Anna, whom he loved dearly, didn''t know, it was highly likely that even Prince Moku himself wasn''t aware of the reason behind the summoning. Artur could only hope that the summoning wasn''t because the arion king refused to establish rtions with the human species.


    Artur''s gaze fell on the sole woman among the Human Alliance delegation. She still appeared incredibly beautiful with her tall, slender figure. Her long white hair cascaded down her back like a curtain of snowkes. She was Artur''s aunt, Zilya Valya.


    Although Artur was certain that Zilya noticed him looking at her, she didn''t acknowledge Artur''s gaze and instead kept her eyes forward. Normally, Zilya would turn and offer at least a nod of greeting. Yet now, she stared straight ahead, walking with a stiff posture.


    Artur sensed that his aunt was clearly nervous. The same could be observed in the demeanor of the other delegation members. Even Grit, a Level 6 Constetion Mage, couldn''t hide his unease.


    It appeared that the Human Alliance was eager to establish a positive rtionship with the Wilwatikta Kingdom. Artur wanted to ask Robert about this, but it seemed his friend was also engrossed in watching the proceedings.


    At the end of The Great Hall, Prince Moku was seated on his throne-like chair. When Artur had first arrived, there was no such throne on the ground floor. However, now there was a throne that resembled thousands of swords crafted into a grand-standing seat in the middle of The Great Hall.


    Anna was supposed to sit beside Prince Moku on a specially designated chair. However, once again, the differing customs between arion and humans left Artur slightly taken aback. In arion culture, the most fitting seat for the queen or prince''s consort was in their embrace. Hence, Anna was seated on Moku''sp, leaning against his chest.


    Her form,parable in size to that of an ordinary human woman, looked starkly contrasted against Prince Moku''s colossal frame. As a result, the two of them now resembled a father with his daughter sitting on hisp.


    Artur was unsure of the significance of this arion tradition and belief. However, Anna seemed extremelyfortable nestled in Prince Moku''sp. asionally, her eyes would gently close, as if she might drift off to sleep.


    Finally, the delegation team stood three meters in front of the throne. This was an appropriate distance to meet royalty like Prince Moku. Although three meters meant little to a mage intent on attacking, sometimes formalities needed to be upheld.


    "Wee, Human Alliance delegation team, to West Fortress. I thank you for making the journey to this ce. I hope you don''t mind meeting with me directly without resting first. I have no other choice, as after this, I must return to the capital of the Wilwatikta Kingdom," Moku greeted, simultaneously starting the conversation.


    "Thank you for your attention, Your Highness. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the leader of the Human Alliance delegation team, Grit," Grit said, slightly bowing his head and cing his hand over his chest.


    He couldn''t kneel before another species'' royalty because he was currently representing the Human Alliance. If he knelt, it would be equivalent to having the human species kneel before the arion species.


    Though their rtions were currently amicable, conflicts could arise between the two species in the future. Artur could only hope that Prince Moku understood this and didn''t perceive it as an insult.


    But it seemed Artur had misjudged. A smile graced Prince Moku''s face as he looked intently at Grit, from head to toe.


    "Grit? No surname?" he asked.


    "Exactly, Your Highness. I am a former ve who was freed by the Rangkuti n. While I may not be worthy to speak to someone of your high position, I hope you can forgive me and not hold it against the Human Alliance," Grit said politely.


    "Hahahaha... why do you speak like that? I care not for your status, as long as you are strong, then you have the right to speak to me. We, the arion species, do not regard someone highly solely because they were fortunate to be born into a noble family," Moku said,ughing cheerfully.


    Artur swallowed hard. He had never known that Grit was once a former ve, just like Gathjee. He only knew that Grit was one of the Human Alliance''s famedmanders known for his strength.


    Artur had always assumed that Grit had ast name he wasn''t aware of. But he never imagined that the Human Alliance would actually send a former ve as the leader of their delegation team.


    If this were done to another species with customs simr to humans, it might be seen as an insult. However, the Human Alliance''s leaders had analyzed all the data about Prince Moku reported by Gathjee and others.


    Artur remembered the time when Gathjee introduced himself during their first meeting with Prince Moku outside West Fortress. Moku''s demeanor had immediately warmed. Only after hearing Anna''s story did they realize the reason behind it.


    The tale of Anna being rescued from the ve traders by Prince Moku must have been reported to the Human Alliance by Robert. From there, they could deduce that Prince Moku would be more receptive if his interlocutor was a strong former ve.


    Hence, they set aside all their customs and viewpoints about inter-royal interactions. They opened a new chapter in negotiation with Prince Moku by sending a strong former ve.


    There might have been apetition over who would lead this delegation. However, the Rangkuti n emerged victorious, and Grit was selected to lead the delegation team.


    Artur recalled Kira mentioning that their n had a hobby of emancipating ves. They believed that freed ves would exhibit higher loyalty thanmoners because these liberated individuals would feel indebted to their liberators.


    It seemed the Rangkuti n''s hobby was now yielding unforeseen results. Who would have envisioned that a Prince would marry a former ve and hold suchpassion for the lowest social ss among humans?


    "Thank you for your words, Your Highness. I will strive not to disappoint you," Grit said with a smile.


    "Hahaha... no need to go through the trouble," Prince Mokuughed.


    Next, Grit introduced each member of his delegation individually. A red-haired man from the Milton family was among them. Artur recognized him because he was renowned in the military academy. The other two men hailed from Spencer and Badakar. The final member was Zilya Valya.


    "Oh, Valya? Are you from the House of Valya?" Moku asked Zilya.


    "Yes, Your Highness, Ie from the House of Valya. If we go by lineage, I could be considered as Artur and Anna''s aunt," Zilya replied.


    "Oh? Anna, do you know her?" Moku said.


    Anna opened her eyes, still appearing a bit dazed. It seemed that she had actually fallen asleep in Moku''s embrace just a moment ago. Artur was genuinely perplexed about arion species etiquette. Could a consort really sleep in a prince''s embrace during such a crucial meeting?


    "Hmm? I haven''t met her before," Anna answered.


    "Hmm... She also has a different hair color from yours," Moku nodded.


    "I apologize, Your Highness. However, Consort Anna and I have never met before. There''s a minor family issue that has kept Consort Anna''s mother from residing in our region," Zilya exined.


    Artur noticed beads of sweat on Zilya''s forehead.


    "Oh, hmm... I recall Artur mentioning that. Hmm... It seems she really is my aunt," Anna nodded, before leaning against Moku''s chest again and slowly closing her eyes.