"Leina came to the inn? Are you serious?"
Inside her room, Cassiopeia stared solemnly at Draco standing in front of her.
"Why would I lie?" Draco rolled his eyes. "She came with her soldiers. It seems she has truly reached a point of desperation and doesn’t have much time left."
A faint smile appeared on his lips. He knew about the plan Nolan and Cassiopeia had prepared, so Leina’s arrival did not surprise him.
Cassiopeia fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
It hadn’t even been an hour since Nolan told her that people from the palace would come, yet they had arrived exactly as he predicted.
She had to admit it—Nolan was extraordinary. She didn’t know what he had done outside earlier, but it clearly had something to do with Leina’s appearance here.
"So, what did you say to them?"
"I told them Prince Nolan didn’t want to meet them, so they should’ve left already." Draco shrugged.
Cassiopeia was satisfied with his answer. "Good. Let them wait or go back. Right now, we’re in control, and we must not show any weakness in front of them."
To be honest, she had been furious when Glarvic sent them away—furious enough to consider toppling the Kingdom of Kaldarion.
But since Nolan said there was no need to act harshly, she restrained herself.
Now, the situation had reversed. Leina’s arrival here proved one thing—they were desperate.
The longer they stayed in that position, the greater the concessions they would be forced to offer.
’Glarvic and Leina... Let’s see how long you can hold out,’ Cassiopeia snorted inwardly.
...
Four days passed quickly. The situation surrounding the Kingdom of Kaldarion worsened by the hour.
Attacks from the two enemy kingdoms continued to batter the borders.
No matter how much Glarvic mobilized his troops, fighting two equally powerful kingdoms was clearly impossible.
Not to mention the white dragon lurking in the darkness, whose threat had reached a catastrophic level.
Sylvia’s safety was also unknown, further throwing the situation into chaos.
"Damn it!" Glarvic slammed his right fist onto the desk.
The sharp pain made him groan, but it was nothing compared to the hardships he had endured over the past few days.
"If this continues, the Kingdom of Kaldarion will truly be destroyed," he muttered through gritted teeth.
Chaos erupted in many cities, and the people began to protest. Even the nobles joined in.
Of course, there was a reason for it. As he had mentioned before, the distribution chain between cities was disrupted by the dragon’s appearance.
As the heart of the kingdom, the capital was a hub for merchants.
However, they could no longer travel to other cities to deliver their goods.
As a result, famine broke out across various regions, becoming the main trigger for the ongoing unrest.
Knock!
A knock sounded, followed by Leina’s voice from behind the door.
"Your Majesty, may I come in?"
Glarvic took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.
"Come in, Leina. The door is unlocked."
Moments later, the door opened, and Leina’s exhausted figure appeared.
She walked toward him and bowed her head.
"Your Majesty, I would like to report on today’s visit to Prince Nolan’s residence," she said weakly.
Even before Leina spoke further, Glarvic already knew the answer.
"Did he refuse to see us?"
Leina straightened and gave a small nod.
"Yes. Prince Nolan still refuses to meet with us."
Glarvic’s expression darkened. In the end, he could only let out a deep sigh while massaging his temples.
"Olivia was right—this is my negligence," he murmured with a wry smile.
If only he had not been so greedy and stubborn before, the situation would not have escalated this far.
There was no denying that he believed the attacks on the border by the two enemy kingdoms were caused by Nolan.
However, Nolan was not entirely at fault. Their positions were opposed at the time, and this was the result of his own arrogance and stubbornness.
Leina offered no comment. Like Glarvic, she believed that everything was her fault.
Had she advised Glarvic to accept Nolan’s offer, things might have gone smoothly instead of turning out like this.
Both of them fell silent, as if lost in their own thoughts. Then, as if recalling something, Leina looked at Glarvic, a spark of enthusiasm lighting her eyes.
"Your Majesty, how about we ask Miss Jisha for help? After all, Miss Jisha and Prince Nolan are acquainted, aren’t they?"
Leina wasn’t sure whether they truly were, but she remembered that Jisha seemed to know Nolan.
Although the chances were slim, it was still worth a try.
Glarvic hesitated at her suggestion. Jisha had never clearly explained her relationship with Nolan, so he wasn’t sure it would work.
However, they had no other option. In the end, Glarvic decided to take the gamble.
"All right," he said firmly. "Let’s ask for her help."
***
"Meet with Nolan?" Jisha was stunned.
"Yes, Miss Jisha. Can you help us?" Leina looked at her hopefully.
"This..." Jisha hesitated.
She and Nolan were not that close. Even if they knew each other, their relationship was not strong enough for her to mend the rift between Nolan and the Kingdom of Kaldarion.
"I beg you, Miss Jisha! This is for our safety!" Leina bowed deeply. "If not, our kingdom will be completely destroyed. Besides, if Cassiopeia and Draco make a move, it’s not impossible that we might discover your master’s whereabouts. So just this once, I—no, we—beg you. Don’t worry, we will definitely give you a suitable reward!"
Jisha did not refuse immediately. She seemed to weigh whether she should take on such a responsibility.
In the end, moved by pity, she nodded heavily.
"All right, I’ll do it. But before that, I have to remind you that I’m not sure this will work. So don’t blame me, okay?"
Leina let out a sigh of relief, straightened up, and smiled softly.
"Don’t worry—we won’t blame you."
...
Nolan sat casually in his room. A cup of coffee, a plate of bread, and a plate of fruit were neatly arranged on his study table.
He sipped the hot coffee, closing his eyes.
"They should be here soon," he whispered.
A few seconds passed. Then, footsteps sounded outside his door, followed by Sharon’s excited voice.
"Nolan, they’re here! But this time, Leina didn’t come alone. She brought Jisha from the Tower of Silence!"