Ravenna leaned back against the plush velvet of her chair, crossing one leg over the other with deliberate ease. Her deep black eyes gleamed with amusement as she examined Jessica Ronin.

  "You seem quite grown since I last saw you, Lady—ah, my mistake," Ravenna corrected herself with an insincere smile. "Viscountess Jessica. Congratulations on succeeding the title."

  Jessica, seated across from her, maintained her practiced composure, her lips curling into a polite smile. "Of course, Your Highness. It has been, what, three years since we last met? I was but a child back then."

  Edward, seated beside his daughter, remained silent, his eyes carefully watching the exchange.

  Ravenna let out a light chuckle, resting her chin on her hand. "You're right about that. Though, it seems your growth was only physical—not so much mental."

  For the briefest moment, a crack appeared in Jessica’s perfectly poised expression.

  "Well," Jessica said, voice clipped but controlled, "we should begin discussing the matter you are here for, Your Highness. Why don’t we keep the… unruly taunts aside for now?"

  Ravenna smirked, leaning forward slightly, as if enjoying a private joke. "Oh, of course. I wouldn’t want to waste my breath on spineless cowards when there are more pressing matters at hand."

  Jessica’s fingers twitched, but she did not rise to the bait. Ravenna continued smoothly.

  "You sent 500 knights and 300 mercenaries to attack my island, disguised as pirates—how thoughtful. You planned to dump slaves in my territory, clearing yourselves of suspicion regarding your little dealings with the Hercules criminal syndicate. Not to mention the 2,000 slaves you had on those ships—" she tilted her head mockingly, "—who could have easily been ordered to fight as well. Given the circumstances, I’ll be considering every last one of them as part of your offensive forces."

  Jessica’s lips parted, anger flashing in her eyes. "That—" She was immediately cut off by her father. Edward Ronin’s calm, measured voice broke the tension.

  "We understand, Your Highness," he said firmly.

  Jessica inhaled sharply, gathering herself, then cleared her throat. "So, you have not reported our dealings to the Imperial Court—that must mean you are open to a negotiation on this matter."

  Ravenna tilted her head, feigning amusement. "Ha! Look at you—already playing the part of a proper lord."

  Jessica said nothing, only watching Ravenna carefully as she continued. "Yes, I could have your family dismantled with just a single word. I have all the evidence I need. However—" she lazily twirled a strand of her jet-black hair, "—that would also put me at a disadvantage."

  Jessica studied her for a moment before speaking. "If our family falls, Count Donile will take over our territory," she said steadily. "And you will be back to square one, since Count Donile is a loyal follower of Prince Landon."

  She paused, letting the words sink in before adding, "So any prospect of trade will be impossible again. Which means…" she met Ravenna’s gaze evenly, "you want us to allow Jola Dukedom to trade in our town."

  Ravenna’s deep dark eyes gleamed, and a slow chuckle escaped her lips. "Now where was this comprehensive brain when you decided to attack my dukedom?"

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  Edward Ronin exhaled and straightened his posture. "Alright, we will open trade between the merchants of Ronin Town and Jola," he declared.

  Jessica’s jaw tightened. The way her father was conceding so easily unsettled her. It felt as if he were still the Viscount, making decisions without consulting her. The way he spoke, with such authority, made her feel like a disciple again rather than the one who had succeeded him.

  Ravenna, however, barely acknowledged Jessica’s irritation. She simply nodded, leaning back in her chair. "I’m not particularly interested in trade networks, but it's a nice bonus. Now, let’s discuss the monetary reparations."

  Jessica folded her arms. "We can follow imperial law regarding war reparations," she said bluntly before Edward could speak.

  Her father immediately shot her a sharp glare.

  Jessica felt a wave of regret settle in. That had been a misstep. She was supposed to negotiate—not offer the worst possible terms without discussion. She could already feel Ravenna’s satisfaction radiating across the table.

  Ravenna’s lips curled into a wicked smile.

  "Oh, fantastic," Ravenna said, her tone mockingly sweet. "I thought you might want to discuss a more… flexible method of calculating damages. But if you insist on imperial law, that makes things so much easier for me."

  Jessica felt her stomach sink.

  Imperial war reparations were meant for officially declared wars, not covert military attacks disguised as piracy. Paying by imperial law meant treating this skirmish as an official battle, which was an accounting nightmare for them since they can’t really address it in the official records. It would also force them to pay far more than if they had proposed a separate arrangement.

  Ravenna took a document from Hughes, and began listing the terms.

  "As per Imperial Law, a noble with the rank of Baronet or Baron must be compensated 500 gold coins if returned alive and 250 gold if deceased." She paused, smirking. "You deployed three Baronets and two Barons, along with thirteen high-ranking members of the Hercules Syndicate, whom I will also count as Baronets—since, after all, they were leading combat units in your attack."

  Jessica clenched her fists.

  "Sadly, only one of your titled knights survived—your lead knight, Baron Connor. That means you owe me nine mana coins and 500 gold coins." she feigned sympathy.

  Jessica and Edward’s eyes widened in shock.

  They knew they had lost some men—but hearing the actual numbers was staggering. These were trained knights with noble titles—they weren’t supposed to die so easily.

  Ravenna continued without a hint of mercy. "Additionally," she said, flipping the page, "Imperial law demands that every 50 enemy combatants warrant 15 mana coins in compensation. Since you sent a total of 2,800 forces, that brings us to… 840 mana coins owed."

  Jessica felt her breath hitch. That was already an astronomical sum, but Ravenna wasn’t done yet.

  "The damages to my city," Ravenna went on, "as well as the cost of breaking the servitude spell placed on all 2,000 slaves, bring the total to… a round sum of 1,300 mana coins."

  Jessica snapped upright.

  "That’s absurd!" she nearly shouted, slamming her hands on the table. "Why would you even break the servitude spell?! This is just a ploy to extort money from us!"

  The room fell into silence. Then—Bang! Ravenna slammed her hand against the desk, sending a sharp crack through the air.

  "You dare raise your voice in front of me?!" she hissed, her tone dropping into something dangerous.

  Jessica’s blood ran cold. Edward, too, visibly tensed, his fingers curling into a fist at his side.

  Ravenna’s piercing glare bore into them both as she continued.

  "I have to break their spells," she snapped, "because there is no way I can explain having 2,000 slaves in my domain without exposing your family’s little visit to my dukedom!" She leaned forward, her voice dripping with menace.

  "So, tell me—should I get myself in trouble for having slaves in my territory?" she asked mockingly. "Or should I simply throw your family under the bus? Because, frankly, I prefer the latter option."

  Jessica’s face paled. "I could always send the slaves to the Imperial Solarius Church," Ravenna continued. "I imagine they’d pay me handsomely for rescuing them from the Ronin family’s clutches. What do you think, Lord Edward?"

  Jessica’s father immediately raised a conciliatory hand. "You do not need to say it twice, Your Highness," Edward said smoothly, doing his best to calm her. "We will pay."

  Ravenna’s fiery glare remained on them for a moment longer before she leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "However," Edward continued, "producing such an absurd sum as 1,300 mana coins will take time. What is the deadline?"

  “Oh I have a better solution for that,” Ravenna tapped the table and smiled “You see, I was thinking of opening a gambling house in Ronin Town”