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

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

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

  Edward, seated beside his daughter, remained silent, his eyes carefully watg the exge.

  Raven out a light chuckle, resting her on her hand. "You're right about that. Though, it seems yrowth was only physiot so much mental."

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

  "Well," Jessica said, voice clipped but trolled, "we should begin discussing the matter you are here for, Yhness. 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 fiwitched, but she did not rise to the bait. Ravenna tinued smoothly.

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

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

  "We uand, Yhness," he said firmly.

  Jessihaled 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 iation on this matter."

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

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

  Jessica studied her for a moment before speaking. "If our family falls, t Donile will take over our territory," she said steadily. "And you will be back to square one, since t 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 Jo Dukedom to trade in our town."

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

  Edward Ronin exhaled and straightened his posture. "Alright, we will open trade between the merts of Ronin Town and Jo," he decred.

  Jessica’s jaw tightehe way her father was g so easily uled her. It felt as if he were still the Vist, making decisions without sultihe way he spoke, with such authority, made her feel like a disciple again rather than the one who had succeeded him.

  Ravenna, however, barely aowledged Jessica’s irritation. She simply nodded, leaning ba her chair. "I’m not particurly ied in trade works, but it's a nice bonus. Now, let’s discuss the moary reparations."

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

  Her father immediately shot her a sharp gre.

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

  Ravenna’s lips curled into a wicked smile.

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

  Jessica felt her stomach sink.

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

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

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

  Jessica ched her fists.

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

  Jessid Edward’s eyes widened in shock.

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

  Ravenna tinued without a hint of mercy. "Additionally," she said, flipping the page, "Imperial w demands that every 50 enemy batants warrant 15 mana s in pensation. Since you sent a total of 2,800 forces, that brings us to… 840 mana s owed."

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

  "The damages to my city," Raven on, "as well as the cost of breaking the servitude spell pced on all 2,000 sves, bring the total to… a round sum of 1,300 mana s."

  Jessiapped upright.

  "That’s absurd!" she nearly shouted, smming her hands oable. "Why would you evehe servitude spell?! This is just a ploy to extort money from us!"

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

  "You dare raise your voi 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 pierg gre bore into them both as she tinued.

  "I have to break their spells," she snapped, "because there is no way I expin having 2,000 sves 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 sves in my territory?" she asked mogly. "Or should I simply throw your family uhe bus? Because, frankly, I prefer the tter option."

  Jessica’s face paled. "I could always send the sves to the Imperial Sorius Church," Ravenna tinued. "I imagihey’d pay me handsomely for resg them from the Ronin family’s clutches. What do you think, Lord Edward?"

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

  Ravenna’s fiery gre remained on them for a moment longer before she leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "However," Edward tinued, "produg su absurd sum as 1,300 mana s 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”

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